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Prep Tool - Planning For Resilience: Evaluation And Prioritization, Virginia Coastal Policy Center, William & Mary Law School, Institute For Engagement & Negotiation, University Of Virginia

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

The PREP Tool is a three-step process to support local governments in establishing a set of resilience priorities informed by level of risk, resilience efforts to date, and best practices in resilience planning. The tool provides a starting point for local governments who have not yet evaluated their vulnerabilities, assessed impacts, identified resilience-building actions, or developed resilience plans to guide future resilience efforts.

Building Towards A Resilient Virginia: Using C-Pace Financing To Improve The Resiliency Of Commercial Buildings, Jessica Kraus, Cesare Piermarini

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

When discussing how to combat problems caused by climate change and rising sea levels, the focus is often on developing and using alternative sources of clean energy. However, while slowing climate change is a worthy goal, it is too late to prevent climate change impacts in many areas in Virginia. Vulnerable flood zones all over the state are already being inundated with periodic flooding. This flooding causes extensive damage to commercial structures in the area. For example, it is estimated that Hurricane Florence alone caused between $200 million and $1 billion in flood damage in Virginia. Commercial property owners can …

Carbon Market Opportunities In Virginia: Eelgrass, Marshes, Soils, And Forests, Imani Y. Price

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

Carbon sequestration is the storage and capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Preserving carbon sequestering sources helps mitigate climate change. Eelgrass, marshes, soils, and forests all sequester carbon. Unfortunately, they are vulnerable to climate change and human development. This paper examines how these sources of carbon sequestration can be incorporated into Virginia’s climate change policies, including the creation of a carbon market. Among other aims, a carbon market would incentivize the preservation and restoration of these species, providing important environmental and economic benefits. The first section of this paper identifies several sources of carbon sequestration, as well as their …

Managed Retreat And The Life Estate: A Practical Path Forward For Coastal Communities, Sam Gross

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

This paper focuses on a frequently discussed but rarely implemented solution to sea level rise: “managed retreat” away from at-risk and overdeveloped coastal areas. The paper begins by examining the threat posed by sea level rise through the lens of two contrasting municipalities: Miami, Florida and Nags Head, North Carolina. It then outlines the concept of managed retreat as well as the controversies surrounding this approach. Specifically, it examines the widespread voter hostility to condemnation efforts, the deterrent effect of inevitable legal challenges, and the financial burden of such efforts on cash-strapped municipalities.

After analyzing these hurdles, the paper assesses …

The Creation Of A Virginia Coastal Resilience Development Authority: An Inventory Of State Coastal Resilience Authorities And Funding Mechanisms To Help Guide Virginia, Kristi Gennette

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

In June 2018, Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation creating a cabinet-level position, the Special Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Adaptation and Protection, to lead efforts in addressing coastal resilience and flooding mitigation in Virginia. The following November, Governor Northam signed Executive Order No. 24, which directed the state to increase statewide resilience to natural hazards and extreme weather. This Executive Order directed Virginia to develop a Coastal Resilience Master Plan (CRMP). In order to implement the projects proposed in the CRMP, the Commonwealth will need funding. This paper provides an inventory of various states’ programs for funding coastal resilience …

Planning For The "New Normal": Using Build One Portsmouth To Address Flood Resilience, Alison Wrynn, Sarah Simonetti

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

Sea level rise, recurrent flooding, and increasingly severe storms are ever-present threats to coastal Virginia. As climate change becomes the “new normal”, creative solutions are needed to adapt to these stark realities.

In response to these climate-related challenges, Governor Ralph Northam issued Executive Order 24, “Increasing Virginia’s Resilience to Sea Level Rise and Natural Hazards,” on November 2, 2018. The Executive Order designated the Secretary of Natural Resources as the Chief Resilience Officer of the Commonwealth, and set forth various actions intended to increase statewide resilience to natural hazards and extreme weather. Later that same month, Portsmouth released its 2018 …