Virginia Officials Accomplish the Impossible: A Bipartisan Sea Level Rise Discussion

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Dockworkers watch as the nuclear aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman approaches the pier at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., Friday, April 18, 2014.

Image: Steve Helber/Associated Press

By Andrew Freedman2014-06-30 21:04:01 UTC

In the U.S., the dominant political narrative on global warming holds that Democrats and Republicans are hopelessly divided, with one party pushing forward with regulations to address global warming emissions and the other party denying that the problem exists in the first place. In most instances, this narrative holds true, more or less.

But there are exceptions.

The biggest standout concerns the cluster of military-dependent cities in southeast Virginia, each of which is home to major low-lying bases.

The unique circumstances of the Hampton Roads area were on full display Monday when, in a rare showing of bipartisanship on climate change, federal, state and local leaders of both parties met at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia to discuss the consequences of sea level rise. This area is home to the largest concentration of naval power on earth as well as major Air Force installations.

In this Monday April 30, 2012 file photo, an Air Force F-22 Raptor displays it's weapons bays during maneuvers at a demonstration at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.

Image: Steve Helber/Associated Press

It also happens to be experiencing the highest rate of sea level rise of any location along the East Coast, and has the second-largest vulnerable population to sea level rise, behind New Orleans, Louisiana.

As sea levels creep upwards, the problem of tidal flooding is exacerbated and the impact of deadly storm surges is amplified.

Convened by Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the sea level rise forum brought together Democratic and Republican congressmen, local mayors, General Assembly representatives, and officials from the Obama administration. Military representatives from each of the area's major bases, including the massive Naval Station Norfolk and Langley Air Force Base, also participated.

In an area where 46% of the local economy comes from federal defense spending, ensuring the continued viability of the military facilities is an urgent priority, participants said. “We’re here today because of the long-term vitality of the Hampton Roads area,” Kaine said.

Kaine warned that if sea level rise vulnerabilities go unaddressed, a future round of base closings will be more likely to shutter some of the more vulnerable bases in the region.

"Take the road access into the naval base area. The prediction is that every day, by 2040, that road access — main road access — will be blocked 2 or 3 hours a day just because of normal tide. And forget about storms…that’ll make it even worse," Kaine told reporters. "When you think about the largest center of naval power in the world, 2 to 3 hours a day you can’t get onto the base under current conditions."

"We saw what happened in New Orleans. I mean the population there really has dramatically shrunk because of weather events that cause people to have to move away. We don’t want that to happen here. So the idea is: what can we do to avoid those really negative consequences? "

Nearly every panelist at the meeting acknowledged that the Norfolk-Hampton Roads area is already seeing the effects of sea level rise, with frequent flooding in some areas, and predictions for at least another foot of sea level rise in the next three decades.

Range of projected global sea level rise depending on greenhouse gas emissions during the 21st century.

There was very little discussion of the main reason why sea levels are rising — namely the emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, through the burning of fossil fuels for energy. As has been the case in parts of Florida, where officials are also trying to address sea level rise amid considerable global warming skepticism in the state legislature, Virginia officials may be on more solid footing referring to the problem as a "flooding" issue and risk management challenge than as a global warming problem.

“As home to some of the largest military installations in the world, we must remain prepared and vigilant to deal with the risks associated with living on a coast,” said Congressman Scott Rigell (R-Virginia), whose district includes all of Virginia Beach as well as Naval Station Norfolk.

“I am convinced that with cooperation with our state, local, private sector and military partners, we can ensure that Hampton Roads remains the best place to open or grow a command or business. I appreciate the bipartisan attention this matter is receiving and was glad to hear from the experts present at this morning’s discussion,” Rigell said in a statement.

The meeting was a kickoff to an interagency pilot project that will coordinate between the military and local communities as well as the state and federal government to address the sea level rise threat in that area.

This pilot project, which does not yet have a formal name, is unique in the U.S., according to Joe Bouchard, the former commander of Norfolk Naval Base and a pilot project adviser.

At the state level, the Virginia General Assembly has created a special subcommittee to work on flooding issues statewide, including inland areas. However, that subcommittee is prohibited from focusing on sea level rise specifically, illustrating the dominance of global warming skepticism in Richmond, Bouchard said.

The Destroyer USS Carr is tied up to a pier in Norfolk, Va., Friday, June 1, 2012, as it is prepared for departure from Naval Station Norfolk en route to the Persian Gulf.

Image: Steve Helber/Associated Press

Two assembly members, one Democrat and one Republican, participated in the event on Monday.

On Tuesday, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) is expected to sign an executive order creating a new climate change task force to update scientific findings and advise the state government on climate policy matters.

How much sea level rise to prepare for?

Rear Admiral Kevin Slates, the director of the energy and environmental readiness division without the chief of naval operations, said that when it comes to sea level rise, Hampton Roads is the Navy's "most vulnerable area, with 100,000 plus sailors and civilians and 83 ships.”

According to Slates, the Navy is not planning for a specific amount of sea level rise in the future, but rather is trying to take uncertainty into account and examine a range of projections.

“We don’t have an exact planning figure,” he said. However, Slates says, the Navy is “taking a very prudent approach" by requiring that climate change and "resiliency" to be factored into any new construction projects.

By the end of the century, said Rear Admiral Jonathan White, the Navy's chief oceanographer, the area could see at least 3.3 feet, or 1 meter, in sea level rise due to the combination of sinking land, global warming-related sea level rise, and regional ocean currents. The National Climate Assessment projects a range of one to four feet of sea level rise by 2100, depending on greenhouse gas emissions and the response of large ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.

Topics: Climate, Hampton Roads, navy, Norfolk, Politics, sea level rise, U.S., US & World, virginia