Kaine Cosponsors Bipartisan Climate Resilience Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) cosponsored the bipartisan National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (NCARS), legislation to streamline the federal response to climate hazards that threaten human health and well-being, critical infrastructure, and natural systems. The bill is led by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

“Across Virginia and our country, we’ve witnessed the devastating impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, flooding, and extreme heat,” said Senator Kaine. “This bill is a good first step to ensuring we have a comprehensive approach to tackle the climate crisis.”

The increasingly severe weather events of recent years are a stark reminder that frontline communities are at increasing risk. In 2021 alone, damages from extreme weather in the U.S. exceeded $145 billion. Vulnerable populations face increasing harm from slower-moving hazards like sea level rise and permafrost thaw, which are often overlooked in comparison to punctuated disaster events but also have a significant impact. Approximately 70 percent of Virginians live in coastal Virginia, which is experiencing sea level rise at an alarming rate, second only to New Orleans for U.S. population centers vulnerable to sea level rise.

The National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act would:

• Require the development of a whole-of-government National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy, which would ensure a unified vision for the U.S. government’s response to climate hazards and direct the swift implementation of equitable climate resilience solutions across federal agencies;
• Authorize a Chief Resilience Officer in the White House to direct national resilience efforts and lead the development of the U.S. Resilience Strategy; and
• Authorize interagency resilience Working Groups and a non-federal Partners Council with representatives from frontline communities to strengthen strategic development and facilitate communication between federal agencies and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.

Kaine has long championed legislation to tackle climate change and helped Virginia secure federal funding for climate resiliency projects. He was recently briefed on the progress of Norfolk’s flood resilient infrastructure projects and toured the Ohio Creek restoration project, both of which will help protect Norfolk from sea level rise and flooding. Kaine has also helped secure historic Army Corps Civil Works funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, including:

• $399.3 million for the Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project
• $1.5 million and NEW START for the Virginia Beach and Vicinity Coastal Storm Risk Management Study

The bill is cosponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

The bill is supported by the American Society of Adaptation Professionals, Environmental Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy: Delaware and Pennsylvania Chapter, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, American Conservation Coalition, American Flood Coalition Action, C2ES, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, American Council of Engineering Companies.

Full text of the bill is available here. A summary of the bill is available here.

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