Chairs Johnson and Sherrill Statement on Interagency Sea Level Rise Report

(Washington, DC) — Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in partnership with several federal agencies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), released the 2022 Interagency Sea Level Rise Technical Report. The report provides an update on sea level rise projections across the U.S. and its territories; the last sea level rise report was released in 2017. Among other key findings in the report, the interagency taskforce projects that sea levels will rise an additional 10–12 inches by 2050.

“The findings in the Sea Level Rise Technical Report released today is the latest alarm bell sounded on the climate crisis,” said Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “The impacts of sea level rise are far reaching. Flooding brings devastating consequences for Americans living in coastal regions, those living further inland, and those living far from any coastal region. This intensified flooding, fueled by rising seas, will be detrimental to our building and transportation infrastructure; and it greatly impacts our economy, our food security, and our national security. I thank the U.S. Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazards Scenarios and Tools Interagency Taskforce for their work on providing this key report, which will help to guide decisionmakers’ actions to address the climate crisis. As Chairwoman of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, it remains a top priority of mine to make sure our federal science agencies have the resources they need to carry out the cutting-edge research and monitoring efforts — on land, sea, and in space — that build our understanding of the impacts of the climate crisis and can help us to address them head on.”

“Here in New Jersey’s 11th District, we have been living with the impact of increased inland and coastal flooding due to climate change,” said Chairwoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) of the Subcommittee on Environment. “Today’s report — based on robust scientific evidence from NOAA — tells us that that flooding from tidal and storm surges in the next 30 years will travel further inland and occur 10 times more often than it does today. We must redouble our efforts both to reduce climate warming pollution and to equip our communities with tools and resources to protect their residents from the worst effects of climate change.”