This report has been prepared to address concerns expressed on the issue of sea level rise and the implications for California’s economic and social future by members of the Commission at the Commission meeting held on June 1, 2009. The Commissioners requested that staff conduct a survey to assess the extent to which the major grantees and sublessees, and the Commission’s lessees have considered the potential impacts of sea level rise on facilities located on sovereign lands. This report summarizes the results of the survey (Appendix), and the efforts of California, federal agencies, and other coastal states to address sea level rise. The report will also discuss the legal implications of sea level rise on the state’s tideland boundaries and offer recommendations to better assess the impacts of sea level rise on existing facilities, as well as future development proposals that may be considered by the Commission. The recommendations include proposed changes to the Commission’s application package to incorporate a sea level rise analysis, if appropriate, as well as other actions staff can implement to lessen the impacts of sea level rise, some of which may require additional budgetary appropriations in order to achieve.
