In our highly urbanized watershed, flooding is projected to become more frequent and severe due to climate change, yet there is no statewide program to protect citizens from flooding. We need to prepare for this threat and make Massachusetts more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
That's where H. 1051 – refiled by Rep. Dawne Shand and Rep. Jennifer Balinsky Armini – comes in.
H.1051 would establish a commission to evaluate the feasibility of a voluntary initiative to strategically acquire properties vulnerable to repetitive or substantial flood damage from owners willing to sell. The commission would also analyze the benefits and drawbacks of such acquisitions to bolster resilience against future storms and floods.
This bill is currently before the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and needs their support to move through the legislative process, so ask the committee members to report H. 1051 favorably out of committee.