Sea Level Rise Threatens Hundreds of U.S. Energy Facilities
New Report: Sea Level Rise Threatens Hundreds of U.S. Energy Facilities (PDF)
News: Senate Hearing Focuses on Threat of Sea Level Rise
Watch: Archived webcast of Senate hearing
Read: Ben Strauss' Senate testimony
Read: Senate testimony of five witnesses
Description: Coastal energy facilities threatened by sea level rise and coastal flooding.
Date: April 19, 2012
Summary:
Sea level rise from global warming is well on the way to doubling the risk of coastal floods 4 feet or more over high tide by 2030 at locations nationwide. In the lower 48 states, nearly 300 energy facilities stand on land below that level, including natural gas infrastructure, electric power plants, and oil and gas refineries. Many more facilities are at risk at higher levels, where flooding will become progressively more likely with time as the sea continues to rise. These results come from a Climate Central combined analysis of datasets from NOAA, USGS and FEMA.