Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Healey-Driscoll administration yesterday released a statewide hazard mitigation and climate adaptation plan that details 142 actions to be taken across state agencies, including the creation of an Office of Climate Science, making the state building code more resilient, and updating MBTA design standards.
State officials said the 360-page ResilientMass Plan — based on the findings, science and stakeholder engagement of the 2022 Massachusetts Climate Change Assessment — is an effort to prepare the state for mounting extreme weather events. Among the most significant hazards to Massachusetts are flooding from heavy precipitation, coastal flooding and erosion due to sea level rise, and high heat.
ResilientMass is implemented by the inter-agency ResilientMass Action Team, and the new Office of Climate Science will support state agencies and municipalities in integrating climate change information into their plans and projects. Actions to respond to climate impacts will each be advanced by a designated lead state agency, in collaboration with other state and community partners. These actions can be tracked at resilient.mass.gov.
Gov. Maura Healey said ResilientMass “ensures that Massachusetts is well positioned for federal funds, while continuing our nation-leading work on climate.” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said the plan is a “whole-of-government approach” to “protecting communities from the harshest impacts of extreme weather.”
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Director Dawn Brantley said the plan “empowers emergency managers at every level of government with the data and information they need to develop plans and build resilience with a focus on lessening disproportionate impacts to environmental justice populations.”
The administration said it is confronting the climate crisis on two fronts: investing in innovative technologies and industries to reduce emissions and foster economic development, and taking steps to prepare for extreme weather as global emissions rise.
“That means taking a fresh look at our building codes, having sound emergency plans in place, and following the science to inform our decision making,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper.
Flooding
ResilientMass identifies inland flooding as the most significant climate hazard in Massachusetts. This past summer brought heavy rainfall and significant flood damages across Massachusetts, particularly affecting the farming sector. By 2070, Massachusetts is expected to receive 12% to 42% more winter precipitation, and the frequency and intensity of precipitation events is increasing. Environmental justice and priority populations live near commercial and industrial buildings that have a 57% higher risk of flood damage than the rest of the state.
ResilientMass identified several flood-related priority actions, including:
• Development of a statewide floodplain management plan to coordinate agencies and partners across the Commonwealth
• Efforts to evaluate flood resilient construction standards in the state building code and develop a guide for municipalities to take impactful zoning actions to strengthen resilience to flooding
• Feasibility studies and resilience improvements to reduce flooding and heat risks at climate-vulnerable, state-aided public housing developments
• Continuing to expand the ClimateSmart Agriculture Program to support agricultural operations to assess risks from climate change and implement practices to build economic and environmental resilience
Heat
The ResilientMass analysis finds that average summertime temperatures in Massachusetts will feel like those in Maryland in 2050, North Carolina in 2070, and Georgia in 2090. Environmental justice communities will experience acute impacts. Forests and other natural ecosystems will also experience significant strains.
ResilientMass will guide initiatives to mitigate extreme heat equitably.
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services will coordinate a multi-agency effort to develop and implement a new Heat Flag system to effectively communicate heat risk to the public.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation will work to improve more shaded areas and cooling structures on its properties, with priority given to properties in environmental justice communities.
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the DCR will expand their Greening the Gateway Cities program in Barnstable, Malden, Taunton and Worcester, working toward planting 800 trees per year in these environmental justice communities experiencing significant urban heat island effects.
Coastal flooding
If global emissions are not significantly reduced, Massachusetts will experience sea level rise of up to 2.5 feet by 2050 and 4.3 feet by 2070, when compared to 2008 mean sea level.
ResilientMass prioritizes the following actions:
• The Office of Coastal Zone Management, in partnership with many agencies, will develop a coastal resilience strategy that considers climate-resilient development and standards in vulnerable areas and develops best practices for coastal adaptation.
• The CZM will develop best practices for the redesign of seawalls and revetments considering climate change.
• The MBTA will update its engineering design standards and emergency response plans to incorporate climate resilience and develop a GIS viewer for real-time storm response.
Other initiatives
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has launched an Office of Climate Science to increase state agency, municipal, and public access and understanding of statewide climate change projections and trends, and to provide technical assistance and guidance.
The Office of Climate Science will convene a climate science advisory group of academics and researchers to share latest climate research findings, identify research gaps, and inform best practices.
The EOEEA and MEMA have awarded $6.3 million in funding to agencies to implement key plan actions, building on the $13 million awarded thus far. Funded efforts include resilience improvements at state-aided public housing authorities, expanding the ClimateSmart Agriculture Program, and updating environmental regulations to consider climate change impacts. The EOEEA has hired a new deputy director of climate resilience and finance to identify new funding and finance streams for state and local resilience projects.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently announced that three Massachusetts resilience projects will be reviewed for more than $60 million in funding from the competitive Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. The projects are Chelsea and Everett’s Island End River Coastal Flood Resilience Project, the MBTA’s Blue Line Tunnel Airport Portal Flood Protection Project, and Avon’s Emergency Interconnection Pump Station Project.
• Download the full report (25MB PDF)