February 14, 2020

CUC Holds Roundtable with Policymakers on Policy Solutions to Coastal Infrastructure Resilience

The Coastal Universities Coalition hosted a closed roundtable with several congressional staffers representing key Committees and coastal districts to discuss science-informed policy solutions to building resilience to climate change and extreme weather. Extreme weather and coastal storms cause billions of dollars in damage each year and aging infrastructure coupled with slow moving effects of climate change are making it ever more necessary to invest in resilient infrastructure. The Coalition brought together a team of several environmental, engineering, and resilience researchers and practitioners for a focused conversation on direct solutions to today’s resilience issues. Experts included Stephen Scyphers and Steve Flynn of Northeastern University, Jie Gong of Rutgers University, Josh Lewis of Tulane University, Rick Luettich of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Michael Powell of the State Association of Flood Plain Managers.

Following brief introductions from each of the participating experts, the participating staffers were invited to ask questions about broad policy objectives or specific bills of interest. Some topics covered included FEMA flood mapping and flood insurance policy, prospects for natural and nature-based infrastructure solutions, research programs to support the development of new resilient infrastructure technology, and the social and environmental justice implications of climate resilience.

Last Updated on November 3, 2021