Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. HASSAN. Madam President, I want to start by thanking my colleague, Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island, not only for his remarks today but for his leadership on this issue. I rise today to join him in highlighting the toll climate change is taking on coastal communities throughout New England. Senator Whitehouse has been a fierce advocate, and he is dedicated to and continues to push our colleagues to address the dire reality of climate change. I am here to join him in that effort.

In New Hampshire's Seacoast region, our State's beautiful coastline helps propel our economy forward, supporting industries such as tourism and commercial fishing and contributing to our high quality of life. Just as proximity to the ocean provides vital opportunities, our communities are finding that as climate change intensifies, these communities are increasingly at risk.

As you can see from this photo that was taken last year in Rye, NH, stronger storms and rising sea levels are leading to increased flooding in our coastal areas. As Senator Whitehouse mentioned, our communities are already feeling the direct economic impacts of rising sea levels.

According to the First Street Foundation and Columbia University, the increased risk of flooding and damage is hurting property values throughout New England. That report states that New Hampshire has already seen a $15 million loss in property value, particularly in areas such as Hampton, Exeter, Dover, and Portsmouth. Combined with the rest of the New England States, coastal properties have experienced approximately $400 million in property value losses just between 2005 and 2017.

The extent of those losses is just the beginning of the damage. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has estimated that New Hampshire's sea levels are expected to rise between 0.6 and 2 feet by 2050 and between 1.6 and 6.6 feet by 2100. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, rising seas could threaten more than 5,000 homes on the seacoast of New Hampshire by the end of the century.

Our climate is changing. Sea levels are rising. This is undebatable. Climate change and sea level rise are not threats to some distant time in the future; these threats--this damage--are here. These threats are taking their toll now. The people of New Hampshire know this. We are witnessing climate change in our communities in real time as storms get more intense and the floodwaters go higher.

It is our responsibility to help our communities adapt to these changes. This starts with focusing on planning for resiliency to help vulnerable communities prepare and on improving our infrastructure and developing strategies to help plan ahead for storms and extreme weather events.

At the local level, Granite Staters on the seacoast are already being proactive on this front. Community members have formed advocacy groups, and local governments have focused on addressing these challenges head- on and developing resilient strategies. We have to support their efforts.

We also must do more. We need to redouble efforts to cut carbon emissions, conserve and protect our natural resources, and build a stronger, clean energy future. People are calling on us to act. Study after study has shown that as more Americans see the direct threats from climate change in their own communities and in the lives of their fellow citizens, they are becoming increasingly worried. It is time for us to start dealing with reality and to address their concerns.

I will keep working to address climate change and to achieve a cleaner environment and stronger energy future that will help our citizens, our economy, and our businesses thrive. I urge my colleagues to join us in those efforts.

Again, I thank Senator Whitehouse for being a leader in those efforts.

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