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Washington, D.C. --- The U.S. House of Representatives today approved an amendment offered by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) that provides $1 million for a comprehensive study to determine which U.S. coastal population centers are most at risk from the impacts of sea level rise due to global warming. This is the first time the House has approved an amendment specifically addressing the threat of global warming.
The amendment was approved by voice vote as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Science, State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations Bill. Pallone's amendment directs the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct and complete the study. Pallone wanted the National Academy of Sciences to conduct the study to ensure that it is subject to the most rigorous scientific scrutiny possible and devoid of political influence.
"Until today, the House has approached global warming with a 'see no evil' attitude -- as if to say that if we ignore the problem, it will just go away," Pallone said. "We can no longer afford such short-sighted inaction, and I hope this study will finally wake up some in Washington who have been wearing blinders for too long."
Pallone points to a recent report released by scientists at Princeton University that under a worst-case global warming scenario, more than three percent of New Jersey could be underwater by the end of the century, and nine percent of the state would be subject to constant coastal flooding, and so-called "100-year storms" would instead occur every five years.
"For a state like mine with a densely populated shoreline, the costs of dealing with the impacts of this kind of sea level rise would be astronomical," Pallone continued. "Our beaches would be under water, and houses, businesses, and coastal infrastructure could all suffer severe damage from increasingly frequent storms and floods. It's important our government start studying the impacts so that we can begin to explore possible solutions."
The New Jersey congressman said this report is important since more than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of an ocean, many in cities that are located below or just above sea level. What seems like a small rise in sea level -- just a foot or two -- could have dramatic effects on the magnitude of storm surges or other flooding events, causing catastrophic and costly damage in some of our largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle and Boston.
The New Jersey congressman called approval of his amendment a good first step, but he said we must do more to fully study and grasp all of the coastal and other impacts of global warming.
When the overall appropriations bill is finally passed tomorrow, the legislation will go to the U.S. Senate for its consideration. Fiscal Year 2007 officially begins on October 1, 2006. |
