House and Senate Pass Coastline Protection Bill

The NH House of Representatives today (May 8) passed SB 163 which establishes a commission to recommend legislation, rules and other actions to prepare for and respond to projected increases in sea levels and other coastal and coastal watershed hazards.   The bill was previously approved by the State Senate and now goes to Governor Hassan for her signature. 

During today's session - I gave the following floor speech in favor of the bill: 

"Thank you Madame Speaker.

Honorable Colleagues.  I raise in favor of a vote of ought Ought to Pass with Amendment on SB 163

SB 163 is important not only to the Town of Hampton but all of the Seacoast and the entire state of New Hampshire.  It is a small step that we must take now to protect our shoreline, the people who live there and the homes, schools, businesses and public utilities that are located there and contribute to the overall economic well being of our state.  

I have been fortunate to live ½ mile from the beach for the past 16 years and either my wife or I have been able to walk our dog on the beach almost everyday.   We have seen first hand the increasing damage that storms have done to the retaining wall at the North Hampton State Beach Park, to a friend’s home near Plaice Cove, to the rock and gravel barrier along route 1A in Rye and North Hampton, not to mention the continual pounding that the seawall in Hampton takes year in and year out; in fact, waves were going over the wall yesterday on a clear and sunny day.  And lastly, we see the water levels rising in the wetlands behind our home; very year we seem to be seeing more and more open water out there.

We need to start thinking longer term.   We can’t simply allocate $1 million or $5 million dollars in capital funds every so many years to patch the Hampton Seawall and then forget about it.  We need to start thinking about developing a plan that will protect our towns, our people and the significant investments that we have made along the seacoast.   

And this is not just a local issue because the impact that a disaster on the seacoast will have on the state’s budget and the overall economic well-being of our state will be very significant.

Scientists at UNH and the University of Southern Maine predict that ocean levels will rise by 2 to 3 feet by 2050 and 3 to 6 feet by the end of this century.    That will place approximately $400 million of municipal and private assets in Hampton, $155 million of assets in Seabrook and $32 million of assets in Hampton Falls at risk; particularly during large storms and “100-year floods”.  Among some of the assets at risk are the Seabrook and Hampton wastewater treatment plants, the Hampton sewage pump station, the Hampton Police Station…..and …the State’s brand new investments at the Hampton Beach State Park.   On a more practical level it means that a house near the coast with a basement that is flooded during a flood today will be up to water to its first story in 2050 and up to its second story in 2100.

We can either wish these realities away or we can begin to take decisive action now to get ahead of the storm and be proactive in addressing them.  SB 163 is certainly not all that we can or should do, but it is an important first step to begin to take.  Please join me in voting Ought to Pass with Amendment on SB163.

Thanks you very much. "