Hochul considers push to reconvene task force to study sea level rise

People wade and paddle down a flooded street as Hurricane Sandy approaches, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, in Lindenhurst, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) People wade and paddle down a flooded street as Hurricane Sandy approaches, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, in Lindenhurst, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) As climate week convenes in New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering a bill to reconvene the state’s sea level rise task force. The task force would be in charge of updating data and making recommendations for how to best address the issue. The task force was last convened back in 2007 and presented its report in 2010. Those pushing the bill stress that our understanding of climate change and the data available have changed drastically since, and so should the state’s strategy. With federal data finding that between 2018 and 2022, there was a billion-dollar disaster every three weeks, Tyler Taba, director of resilience at the Waterfront Alliance, told Spectrum News 1 that New York needs to move away from a reactive approach to natural disasters like hurricanes and flooding. “It’s really important to make sure that we are preparing for that risk in the long term,” he said. “It always feels like we are responding to those events rather than being prepared and thinking about how to plan.” That’s why he is urging the governor to support a new report from the task force. If the bill passes, it would need to be delivered to the governor and legislative leaders by Dec. 31. The task force would be responsible for taking stock of the state’s accomplishments since the body last compiled its report, while determining where future action is needed based on updated data. “To help New York state better understand what the risks are, where the risks are, and what we […]

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