BETHANY BEACH, Del. - Delaware Senator Tom Carper puts the spotlight on climate change on the last day of his Coastal Protection Week tour. Carper hosted a field hearing in Bethany Beach to discuss his Shoreline Health Oversight, Restoration, Resilience, and Enhancement Act (SHORRE). He introduced the "SHORRE Act" alongside Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester.
The field hearing was about two things: climate change and coastal restoration. Senator Carper says sea level rise will accelerate in the next 30 years, if we don't take action now.
"It was Ben Franklin who once said, we came to this country in different boats, we're in the same boat now. We are literally in the position that we're going to find our coastal areas up and down this country, under water, increasingly under water," said Sen. Tom Carper (D - Del).
Representative Blunt Rochester and Senator Carper first heard testimony from the Army Corps of Engineers, who with the SHORRE act, will be able to enhance their coastal storm risk management and ecosystem restoration programs.
"Senator Carper has always said the greatest threat to our planet right now is climate change and sea level rise. We feel it in our economy here in Delaware, we feel it in health and safety purposes, and as he said we feel it in our quality of life," said Rep. Blunt Rochester.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D - LA) also testified to discuss Louisiana's coastlines, as well as Governor John Carney (D - Del) who says Delaware has already experienced one foot of sea level rise in the past century in the Lewes area. Plus, the fact that climate change will have an impact on the economy, especially tourism.
"It's just a significant part of our economy here locally. So we have a great relationship with the Corps of Engineers but we need one with a little bit more flexibility to address the specific needs of Delaware communities," said Gov. Carney.
The governor and Senator Carper also mentioned the need to address limiting carbon emissions.
"We can't just build coastal resiliency and not thinking about reducing the impacts of climate change," said Carney.
Senator Carper's tour for coastal protection week ends in Bethany Beach, but the fight against climate change continues.