Ros-Lehtinen Promotes New Efforts to Limit Impacts of Sea Level Rise in South Florida

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27) made the following statement after voting for the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act. The bill contains several important provisions to help limit the impact of projected sea level rise on our community, including:

convening an Interagency Working Group on Resilience to Extreme Weather to coordinate research, data, and Federal investments related to sea level rise and coastal resilience;
authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct the South Atlantic Coastal Study to identify the risks and vulnerabilities of these areas to increased hurricane and storm surge damage as a result of sea level rise and develop a long term strategy to combat those impacts;
giving priority to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects in communities which are threatened by rising sea levels, coastal flooding, and erosions, like South Florida;
developing and demonstrating methodologies for coastal resilience through the use of natural and nature-based infrastructure approaches, including green infrastructure and living shorelines; and
directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess and improve current federal flood risk management, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and ecosystem restoration projects.
Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

"Sea level rise is a clear and present danger facing our community and today's vote signals the U.S. House of Representatives' willingness to devote more focus on the issue. The programs and projects approved by the House today under the WIIN Act will lay the groundwork for protecting our coasts and developing long-term strategies that will transform South Florida into a global leader and model community for climate resilience, mitigation, and adaptation."

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