| Chapter 377 |
| 2024 -- S 2298 SUBSTITUTE A AS AMENDED Enacted 06/26/2024 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION -- ACT ON COASTS - COASTAL RESILIENCY |
Introduced By: Senators Gu, Valverde, DiMario, Kallman, Sosnowski, Euer, Britto, Miller, LaMountain, and Tikoian |
| Date Introduced: February 12, 2024 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Title 46 of the General Laws entitled "WATERS AND NAVIGATION" is |
| hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
| CHAPTER 23.4 |
| ACT ON COASTS -- COASTAL RESILIENCY |
| 46-23.4-1. Short title. |
| This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Act on Coasts -- Coastal Resiliency". |
| 46-23.4-2. Rhode Island chief resilience officer (CRO). |
| The chief resilience officer (CRO) shall: |
| (1) Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the climate risks related to sea level rise for |
| coastal and riverine communities. The CRO will conduct an assessment of risk to Providence, Kent, |
| Washington, Bristol, and Newport counties for the purposes of the development of a statewide |
| coastal resilience strategy, building upon and supporting the work of the Rhode Island shoreline |
| change special area management plan, hazard mitigation plan, and the municipal resilience |
| planning program; |
| (2) Develop a coastal resilience plan and draft state policies on resilience and implement |
| such policies in conjunction with the Rhode Island executive climate change coordinating council |
| (the “RIEC4”) to improve coordination among state agencies and local jurisdictions to support |
| community and economic recovery efforts and to address risk and vulnerability reduction from sea |
| rise, riverine flooding, and urban heat. The CRO shall provide the statewide coastal resilience plan |
| to the governor, the RIEC4, and the general assembly no later than October 1, 2025, to be included |
| in the state climate plan as outlined in chapter 6.2 of title 42 ("2021 act on climate") which statewide |
| plan is due December 31, 2025; |
| (3) Coordinate resilience efforts across state agencies, municipalities, businesses, and other |
| organizations and to advise the RIEC4, established pursuant to § 42-6.2-1, on the status and |
| effectiveness of those efforts; |
| (4) Draft state policies on resilience and implement such policies under the direction of the |
| RIEC4; |
| (5) Serve as the primary voice and advocate for state actions on resilience; |
| (6) Build upon the planning assistance provided to municipalities by municipal resilience |
| program (“MRP”) workshops, in coordination with partner agencies; |
| (7) Work closely with the Rhode Island infrastructure bank (“RIIB”) on the MRP action |
| grants and the planning and financing of other resilience projects; |
| (8) Work with RIIB and the coastal resource management council on the implementation |
| of the ocean state climate adaptation and resilience fund (“OSCAR”) grant program; |
| (9) Plan and implement projects to protect and restore the habitat and recreational resources |
| owned or under the stewardship of the department of environmental management; |
| (10) Aggressively track and apply for federal grants to fund resilience efforts across Rhode |
| Island; |
| (11) Coordinate resilience efforts with decarbonization programs, activities, and policies |
| taken in accordance with the chapter 6.2 of title 42 ("2021 act on climate"); |
| (12) Provide technical assistance to municipalities and the state for the implementation of |
| resilience planning, including resilience frameworks, vulnerability profiles, risk-reduction plans, |
| and economic development strategies; and |
| (13) Provide biennial reports to the RIEC4, the governor, the speaker of the house of |
| representatives, and the president of the senate on the state of resilience in Rhode Island, with the |
| first report to be submitted by December 31, 2025. |
| 46-23.4-3. Statewide coastal resilience plan. |
| (a) The Rhode Island statewide climate change resilience strategy shall include a coastal |
| resilience plan that recommends a specific long-term and short-term strategy for climate change |
| resilience and adaptation in the coastal areas of the state including, but not limited to, tidal and non- |
| tidal waters, waterfronts, and inland areas along the coast. |
| (b) The statewide coastal resilience plan shall include at a minimum: |
| (1) All necessary information and assessments required by the Federal Emergency |
| Management Agency (FEMA) advanced mitigation plans that will allow Rhode Island to apply for |
| federal funding for coastal resilience preparedness; |
| (2) An assessment of the vulnerabilities of communities located within the coastal areas to |
| climate change effects such as rising sea levels, increased flooding, and tidal and storm surge |
| flooding anticipated by the year 2050, including physical, economic, and social vulnerabilities |
| including, but not limited to: |
| (i) Power infrastructure; |
| (ii) Water and sewage infrastructure including water and sewage treatment facilities and |
| private wells and septic systems; |
| (iii) Stormwater drainage; |
| (iv) Existing hard infrastructure such as seawalls, tidal gates, dams, roads, and bridges; and |
| (v) Emergency and shelter facilities; |
| (3) Comprehensive and detailed information of the investments that the state, along with |
| the federal government, local governments, and other organizations, have made or committed to |
| make in building the resilience of coastal communities, planning guidance and assistance, and other |
| resilience and adaptation measures; |
| (4) RecommendA recommendation of methodologies for decision-making for further |
| investment of state or federal funds in constructing additional hard or nature-based resilience |
| structures to prevent or mitigate impacts of climate change, or in adopting other resilience or |
| adaptation strategies; |
| (5) A detailed analysis that includes assessment of highest, immediate, and long-term risks |
| to the coastal regions; and |
| (6) A comprehensive list of any recommendations for actions to be taken by the state to |
| prepare coastal communities to plan, mitigate, and adapt to the anticipated impacts of climate |
| change including, but not limited to, stormwater drainage, hard infrastructure, nature-based |
| solutions, relocation, and retreat strategies and for financing strategies to fund the recommended |
| resilience and adaptation measures. |
| (c) The statewide coastal resilience plan shall be updated as necessary and shall be |
| reviewed at least every two (2) years, beginning October 1, 2027, by the CRO. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC004275/SUB A/2 |
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