Bill to Prep for Rising Sea Levels

The House on Wednesday passed a bill to establish a commission to recommend legislation to prepare for projected sea level rise and other coastal and coastal watershed hazards.

State Reps. Chris Muns (D-Hampton) and Frederick Rice (R-Hampton) spoke of notable coastal effects in recent years and the importance of planning. In Hampton alone, Muns said, there are $400 million of municipal and private assets at risk, given studies that the sea level could rise 3- to 6- feet by the end of the century.

Though a study commission, the bill had its critics. Rep. Andrew Renzullo, R-Hudson, sought to derail it. He urged representatives to base any actions on facts, not theories. The House voted 228 to 124 to pass the bill. The Senate passed the bill in March.

According to the bill, the "coastal risk and hazards commission" shall:

• "recommend legislation, rules, and other actions to prepare for projected sea level rise and other coastal and coastal watershed hazards such as storms, increased river flooding, and storm water runoff, and the risks such hazards pose to municipalities and state assets in New Hampshire."
• "review National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other scientific agency projections of coastal storm inundation, and flood risk to determine the appropriate information, data, and property risks."

Sponsors of the bill are: Sen. David Watters (D-Dover), Sen. Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton), Sen. Martha Fuller Clark (D-Portsmouth), Rep. David Borden (D-New Castle), Rep. Judith Spang (D-Durham), Rep. Dorothea Hooper (D-Dover), and Rep. Rick Watrous (D-Concord).