Geographic Information Systems Evaluation Conducted For The New Jersey Shore Protection Study

Humanity is deeply committed to living along the world’s shores, but a catastrophic storm like Sandy—which took hundreds of lives and caused many billions of dollars in damages—shines a bright light at how costly and vulnerable life on a shoreline can be. Taking Chances offers a wide-ranging exploration of the diverse challenges of Sandy and asks if this massive event will really change how coastal living and development is managed. Bringing together leading researchers—including biologists, urban planners, utilities experts, and climatologists, among others—Taking Chances illuminates reactions to the dangers revealed by Sandy. Focusing on New Jersey, New York, and other hard-hit areas, the contributors explore whether Hurricane Sandy has indeed transformed our perceptions of coastal hazards, if we have made radically new plans in response to Sandy, and what we think should be done over the long run to improve coastal resilience. Surprisingly, one essay notes that while a large majority of New Jerseyans identified Sandy with climate change and favored carefully assessing the likelihood of damage from future storms before rebuilding the Shore, their political leaders quickly poured millions into reconstruction. Indeed, much here is disquieting. One contributor points out that investors scared off from further investments on the shore are quickly replaced by new investors, sustaining or increasing the overall human exposure to risk. Likewise, a study of the Gowanus Canal area of Brooklyn shows that, even after Sandy swamped the area with toxic flood waters, plans to convert abandoned industrial lots around the canal into high-density condominiums went on undeterred. By contrast, utilities, emergency officials, and others who routinely make long-term plans have changed operations in response to the storm, and provide examples of adaptation in the face of climate change. Will Sandy be a tipping point in coastal policy debates—or simply dismissed as a once-in-a-century anomaly? This thought-provoking collection of essays in Taking Chances makes an important contribution to this debate.

Committee Print (110-149), 43-306 and (110-150), 43-407. July 2008. Title of V. 2 reads: Compilation of Water Resources and Related Laws. This two-volume compilation includes information on Selected Water Pollution Control, Environmental Protection, Water Resources, and Related Laws. It includes many additional water pollution control, environmental protection, and water resources development laws, including the Water Resources Development Acts of 1999, 2000, and 2007, the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000, the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002, the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000, and the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. The compilation includes the laws within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, which covers all aspects of national water resources planning, development, conservation, and management, water pollution control and prevention, water infrastructure, environmental protection, and hazardous waste cleanup.