Help is needed to build more storm-resistant infrastructure

In August of this year, Hurricane Ida tore through the southeastern United States and continued north to New York. The storm caused over $50 billion in damage to property, buildings and infrastructure in eight states. Flash floods, tornadoes, and torrential rain claimed over 40 lives and destroyed homes and businesses.

The Living Shorelines Act (HR 4325) would help communities build infrastructure that is more storm-resistant, which will reduce future storms’ cost on people’s lives.

The Living Shorelines Act promotes resilient coastal practices through grants and federal funding. This bill would strengthen infrastructure in coastal communities and reduce damage from future storms or flooding. If Congress were to pass this bill, it would protect coastal economies and people living on the coast.

Resilient infrastructure uses natural materials to protect the coastline from erosion and storm damage. Coastal shorelines are susceptible to sea level rise and heavy storms; it is imperative that we improve the resilience of our coastal systems. Living shorelines focus on improving or creating natural barriers such as wetlands, rock structures, oyster reefs, or submerged aquatic vegetation.

While this bill only directly affects coastal ecosystems, it also affects every person who lives or works near the coast. According to the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, more than half of the American population lives or works in coastal counties and they generate about 58% of the nation’s gross domestic product.

Based on current projections, about $1 trillion of property and structures are at risk of flooding by 2050. There are those who oppose this bill because the initial infrastructure cost would be high, but the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of paying for infrastructure now. If we invest $50 billion in infrastructure today, we would save over $135 billion in future losses. On a national level, the future benefits of resilient infrastructure far outweighs the current costs.

Not only does resilient infrastructure help the country, it also helps low-income coastal communities. Many communities that are most at risk from future storm events are also the poorest, and reconstruction projects could provide a pathway out of poverty for people in these communities.

Resilient infrastructure projects create jobs, bring in financial investments, improve local economies, and can result in long-term positive economic benefits for coastal communities. Some people might oppose large investments in small communities, but resilient infrastructure can boost entire sectors of the economy.

In the southeastern United States, increasing ocean acidification is causing slower oyster growth, which is harmful to the local economy. An infrastructure project to build healthy oyster reefs would not only help the oyster industry, but can also benefit many others. Oyster reefs help reduce harmful algal blooms, which can result in fish kills and beach closures.

Building an oyster reef near a coastal town that depends on oyster harvesting, fishing, or tourism would not only improve water quality and reduce erosion, but would also protect the livelihoods of people who depend on healthy coastal ecosystems to earn a living.

In the northern United States, Lake Erie provides drinking water for over 11 million residents and supports commercial and recreational fisheries that generate billions of dollars in revenue, which has shrunk to three-quarters of its historical size. It is estimated that future weather events will result in poorer water quality and further destruction of wetlands from increased nutrient and sediment runoff, and fish kills and reduced tourism from increased algal blooms. One resilient infrastructure in Lake Erie can protect the health and livelihood of millions of local residents, and protect businesses that generate billions of dollars.

The Living Shorelines Act is crucial for the future of many coastal towns and the people who live there. There will obviously be people who oppose the cost of this bill, but a small investment in resilient infrastructure today will benefit the American economy in the future. This bill will help us protect our coastal environments, the people who live there, and local and state economies from rising sea levels and increased storm activity.