Rising to the Occasion

HAUPPAUGE, NY - During a week in which Suffolk County’s north and south shores both sustained damages as a result of coastal flooding, and with a new advisory posted for the weekend ahead, New York Senator Monica R. Martinez has announced legislation to reestablish the state’s sea-level rise task force.

On Monday, Senator Martinez introduced Senate Bill 8110, which will reconvene the 16-member advisory panel that includes state officials, emergency managers, and experts on climatology, oceanography, and planning. The group will be asked to evaluate the state's efforts to date on sea-level rise, review prior recommendations in the context of new information, and update existing plans to adapt to the continued and increasing threats. Under the proposal, the task force will have until the end of 2025 to submit its recommendations to state lawmakers and the governor.

“Just as with the tides themselves, our coastlines are always in a state of flux,” said Senator Martinez. “Recognizing these transformative flooding events are no longer one-offs, but rather recurring threats to communities across Long Island, it is essential for our state’s approach to reflect the evolving situation.“

The New York State Sea-Level Rise Task Force was first created by an act of the New York State Legislature in August 2007 and issued its final report in 2010. Since then, however, the downstate region has been impacted by multiple catastrophic coastal events, including Superstorm Sandy in 2012 that caused billions of damage across the Tri-state region.