Legislation Fills ‘Immense Need’ to Fund Resilience Priorities for Coastal Communities and Ecosystems

 (Washington, D.C.- June 17, 2021) In the aftermath of the most active hurricane season ever recorded in 2020, America’s coastal communities remain increasingly vulnerable from climate threats including stronger storms and sea level rise. Today, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced bipartisan legislation that would fund solutions that build resilience for communities and ecosystems across our country’s coasts, including through natural and nature-based infrastructure.The Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act would direct funding to the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund from revenue generated by offshore wind production, and would expand restoration funding for the Mississippi River Delta and the Gulf Coast by increasing the share of offshore oil and gas revenues and eliminating the revenue sharing cap under the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act.

“America’s coasts are the front lines of climate change, threatening the safety of communities, the health of entire ecosystems and the strength of our economy. Stronger hurricanes and sea level rise pose grave threats requiring proactive investments to build resilience along our coasts. We are pleased to see this bipartisan legislation begin to fill an immense need to help coastal communities prepare for the climate threats that are already here and worsening. We need to act now, before the next disaster, to reduce these risks and invest in solutions that build healthy, thriving coasts for all communities. Not only will these investments reduce risks to people and property, but they will also reduce the cost of future disasters. Senators Whitehouse and Cassidy, representing two coastal states, know all too well what’s at stake from storms and sea level rise, and we stand ready to work with them and others to move this important legislation forward.”

• Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund