National Institute for Coastal and Harbor Infrastructure, Storm Surge Working Group, presentation Sept. 8, 2016

1. Rising Sea Levels, Extreme Storms and Aging
Infrastructure
Triple Threat or Economic
Opportunity?
Storm Surge Working Group
September 8, 2016
www.NICHI.us

2. Super Storm SandyOctober, 2012:
Nantucket Light Ship
heads out to sea as
Hurricane Sandy approaches.

3. The Triple Threat of Rising Sea Levels,
Extreme Storms and Aging Infrastructure
The Challenge
• Threat to Our National Security
• Threat to our Home Land Security
• Threat to our National Economic Security

4. It is time to Re-Imagine our Coasts
• To Protect our Coastal Communities
• To Protect, Preserve and Nurture on Natural
Coastal Environment
• To Invest in the Globally Competitive Economic
Future of the 22nd Century

5. 1982 Boston: Another Threat
A Great City with a Dirty Problem

6. “Love that Dirty Water?”
Harbor of Shame
 From a powerful
engine of regional
economic
development
 To the dirtiest
harbor in America

7. The Boston Harbor
Clean Up
Lessons to be Learned

8. Boston Harbor Clean Up and
A Port of New York Surge Barrier
Lessons to Be learned
Political Will Is Critical to Defining the Problem and the Solution
Inform, educate, organize: media, stakeholders, general public
The Stick and the Carrot is Critical to Action
The Unacceptable, Unavoidable Alternative and the Multi Beneficial
Alternative
Governance is Critical to Success:
Create: Independent Agency with balanced public oversight, bonding
authority and exclusive, defined revenue sources

9. The Problem Wasn’t the Problem
The Solution Was the Problem
• The problem was not a polluted harbor…. we had the
technology to clean it up.
• The Problem was the failure to Identify and address the
missing critical components of the Solution
– Political Will: Building a Constituency for Action
– Strategic Path to Action: The Unacceptable Alternative
– Governance Structure : Institutional Capacity & Funding

10. Boston Harbor Lesson Learned 1
Political Will is Critical:
There will be no solution to the issue of rising sea levels,
extreme storms and aging infrastructure without the critical
element of Political Will.
To establish the necessary Political Will to plan, design, fund and
construct a major infrastructure project we must first:
Educate, Inform and Organize Stakeholders; and
Create a Powerful Advocacy Alliance Focused On Both the
Problem and the Solution.

11. Boston Harbor Lesson Learned 2
Use Both a Stick and a Carrot as
Drivers
• The Stick:
Focus on the Impacts of the Triple Threat:
The Unacceptable Alternative of Continuing Loss of Life,
Unsustainable Severe Economic Damages and Increasing Peril to Our
National Security - Drivers: The next storm, insurance/finance cost and
availability, building codes, litigation, GAAP
• The Carrot:
Focus on the Economic and Community Development Opportunities,
Not Only on the Avoidance of Loss, but also on the Multiple, Beneficial
Impacts on Economic and Community Development that will Occur as
a Result of this Major Regional Infrastructure Investment – Drivers:
Transportation, Real Estate, Development, New Utilities and Power
Generation, Recreation and Environmental Protection
_

12. New Infrastructure Investment
$3.8 Billion investment in new coastal infrastructure
relates to
$34.2 Billion in economic development.

13. Boston Harbor Lesson Learned 3
Governance Matters
Mission Success Depends on Governance Structure

14. Creation of the Massachusetts
Water Resources Authority
Confronted with the
Unacceptable
Alternative,
The Legislature did the
right thing

15. MWRA: A New Governance Structure
• Mission Focus
• Balanced State, City and Town Political
Oversight
• Independently Controlled Revenue Sources
• Independent Bonding Authority
• Professional Staff

16. MWRA: The Results of Mission Focus,
Financial Independence and Balanced
Political Control
• The MWRA Worked Cooperatively with the Federal Court On
Facilities Planning and Water Quality Goals
• The MWRA Built the Clean Up Facilities On Time and Under
Budget
• The MWRA Communicated Clearly and Directly with All
Stakeholders Including Rate Payers
• The MWRA used its Independent Bonding Authority to
Moderate Rate Increases and to Maintain Stakeholder
Support

17. Meeting the Challenge and Seizing the
Opportunity of Sea Level Rise, Extreme Storms
and Aging Infrastructure
The Alternatives
• Ignore the Reality of Scientific Data
• Retreat from the Sea
• Build Local Projects to Protect Only Selected Communities
• Invest in a Multi Beneficial Regional Surge Barrier
• Or…

18. Charter an ARK
(Nantucketlightship.com)

19. We are Equal to the Challenge
“Together, we can build our coastal infrastructure
to be as strong as our people.”