First Meeting of Task Force on Climate Change and Shoreline Preservation

As some of you may know, today was the first meeting of the Task Force on Climate Change and Shoreline Preservation, which Speaker of the House Chris Donovan has asked me to chair. I have had a few requests to give an update, and I am happy to do so here.

Today's meeting was organizational in nature - laying out our goals, welcoming our panel members, and discussing themes for forthcoming meetings.

The name of the Task Force is a mouthful, but broken down can be digested a little easier. The first half - Climate Change - could be considered a controversial phrase. But whether or not you believe that our climate changes cyclically, changes due to the actions of man, or is some combination of the two, one thing can be sure - data has shown that sea levels on the Connecticut shoreline are rising steadily.

The second half - Shoreline Preservation - speaks to our desire to preserve the integrity of our shore. In some cases that may mean maintaining the integrity of our infrastructure, and in some cases that may mean salvaging the environmental integrity. But the ultimate goal of the Task Force is to give citizens and municipalities the tools they need to be safe, and adapt to rising sea levels.

Hearing the members introduce themselves and talk about why this Task Force was important to them made it clear that there will be no blanket solutions for the entire state. Among the legislators, engineers, land use lawyers, environmentalists, and others on the committee were many different perspectives of this complex issue. It is critical that we examine the quandary of sea level rise from the eyes of all who have a stake in the matter.

Ideas solicited for future meetings included hearing from the insurance industry, homeowners, municipal officials, marine scientists, etc. My goal for our second meeting is to examine historical sea level rise data and learn about the origins of Long Island Sound, putting our task in perspective and molding a starting point.

If you wish to sign up for our email list, please email paul.summers@cga.ct.gov and request to be on the Task Force on Climate Change and Shoreline Preservation email update list. Your input is welcomed throughout this process.

Panel Members (2/27/12):

Rep. James Albis
Rep. Jim Crawford
Rep. Noreen Kokoruda
Rep. Phil Miller
Rep. Lonnie Reed
Rep. Betsy Ritter
Rep. Kim Rose
Rep. Dick Roy
Rep. Jonathan Steinberg
Rep. Pat Widlitz
Rep. Elissa Wright
Sen. Len Fasano
Sen. Ed Meyer
John Plante, Langan Associates
David Sutherland, The Nature Conservancy
Andy Weinstein, East Haven homeowner
Joe Williams, Shipman & Goodwin

(Editor's note: A video of Rep. Albis' opening remarks from Monday's first meeting has been added to this post by East Haven Patch.)