2015 -- H 5478

========

LC001319

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

____________

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING THE RHODE ISLAND HOUSE COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC RISK DUE TO

FLOODING AND SEA RISE

     Introduced By: Representatives Carson, Almeida, Lally, Azzinaro, and Naughton

     Date Introduced: February 12, 2015

     Referred To: House Environment and Natural Resources

     WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island has a long history of taking action to protect its

shoreline, its coasts and its economy; and

     WHEREAS, The Resilient RI legislation passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly

in 2014, has signified that climate change will have an impact on the use and enjoyment of the

public and private resources of the state and will require new types and levels of effort to secure

their preservation, regeneration and restoration; and

     WHEREAS, The effects of flooding and sea rise are real and measurable in Rhode Island

and have been publicly recognized; these include a rising sea level measured 10.6 inches since

1930 at the Newport Tide Gauge; thirty percent more intense storms driving worsening floods;

measurably longer and hotter summers and heat waves; and increasingly damaging coastal storms

and sea surge; and

     WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island has valuable public and private assets that sit in

the floodplain; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island faces significant economic risks from flooding and sea rise

because of its size and its coastal assets, exposure and its intricate web of inland rivers and

streams and the effects of climate change that need to be seen in the context of other socio-

economic drivers; and

     WHEREAS, To date, there has been no comprehensive assessment of the economic risks

to the Rhode Island economy from flooding and sea rise; and

     WHEREAS, The clearest and most economically significant of these risks are damage to

publicly and privately owned coastal properties, businesses and infrastructure from rising sea

levels and increased storm surge, business interruption, property devaluation, lost tax revenue to

the municipalities and the state and climate-driven changes on labor productivity and public

health; and

     WHEREAS, Flooding impacts are unusual in that future risks are directly tied to present

decisions; and

     WHEREAS, Marine industries, the real estate industry and tourism are three of Rhode

Island’s biggest economic drivers and are at risk from sea rise and flooding; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island's business community and the public sector are partners in

moving the economy forward and each play an active role in helping to determine how best to

react to the risks and costs posed by sea rise and storm surge, and how to set the rules that move

Rhode Island forward in a sustainable, affordable direction; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That the Rhode Island House Commission on Economic Risk Due to

Flooding and Sea Rise be and the same is hereby created consisting of eleven (11) members:

three (3) of whom shall be members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, not more than

two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom

shall be from a Rhode Island institution of higher learning with a specialization in economics and

risk analysis, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be the President of

the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, or designee; one of whom shall be a representative

of the insurance industry, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be the

Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce, or designee; one of whom shall be from a Rhode Island

Chamber of Commerce, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall be from

the Newport Maritime Alliance, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one of whom shall

be the Chief Operating Officer of Provport, or designee; and one of whom shall be the Chairman

of the South County Tourism Council, or designee.

     In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory

commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly

resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu

of a legislator, provided that the majority leader or the minority leader of the political party which

is entitled to the appointment consents to the appointment of the member of the general public.

     The purpose of said commission shall be to make a comprehensive study to assess Rhode

Island's financial risk and economic exposure due to flooding and sea rise and report to the

General Assembly, including but not limited to:

LC001319 - Page 2 of 5

     (1) Conduct a study from three case study locations using the Providence Port, the

Newport Waterfront and South County tourism and marine industries. Identify and highlight

climate risks to the specific business sectors of the Rhode Island economy attributed to the case

study locations, and provide actionable data at a geographically granular level for decision-

makers;

     (2) Provide data and information to Rhode Island municipalities, businesses and the

investment community so that they may factor sea rise and flooding into their short- and long-

term decision making;

     (3) Forecast and document the economic risks of sea rise and climate change in order to

provide information necessary for government, the business community, and the public to prepare

to respond to these risks through climate preparedness and mitigation in the case studies;

     (4) Forecast and document potential lost sales and income, unemployment, delayed sales

and income, increased expenses, delay of business plans, potential loss of value and the costs of

recovery strategies in the case studies;

     (5) Conduct risk assessment, identifying vulnerabilities that would make business assets

more susceptible to damage from flooding and sea rise. Vulnerabilities include deficiencies in

building construction, process systems, security, protection systems and loss prevention programs

in the case studies;

     (6) Project Rhode Island as a leader in the region for taking steps to insure minimal

business interruption and loss of value due to sea rise and sea surge; and

     (7) Make recommendations to the General Assembly for the broad purpose of

understanding the scope of the risk in order to take further steps to maintain the value of public

and private property and state and private revenue in Rhode Island's economy, to define effective

adaptation strategies, to better understand cost inaction; and to propose new approaches to

understand and address the business risks associated with sea rise and storm surge.

     Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at

the call of the Speaker of the House and organize and shall select a chairperson.

     Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment.

     The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

     All departments and agencies of the state, shall furnish such advice and information,

documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or

desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution.

     The Speaker of the House is hereby authorized and directed to provide suitable quarters

for said commission; and be it further

LC001319 - Page 3 of 5

     RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the

House of Representatives no later than January 6, 2016, and said commission shall expire on

February 6, 2016.

========

LC001319

========

LC001319 - Page 4 of 5

EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING THE RHODE ISLAND HOUSE COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC RISK DUE TO

FLOODING AND SEA RISE

***

     This resolution would create an eleven (11) member special legislative study commission

whose purpose it would be to study and make recommendations concerning the economic risks

relating to and resulting from sea rise and flooding in Rhode Island, and who would report back

to the House of Representatives no later than January 6, 2016, and whose life would expire on

February 6, 2016.

========

LC001319

========

LC001319 - Page 5 of 5