Peters said during a conference call with media on Thursday that the “Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act of 2020” or STORM Act is designed to give local governments some “flexibility” when it comes to addressing the impacts of high water levels and coastal erosion.
“High water levels pose a great threat to many of our shoreline communities,” he said. “This funding gives communities the flexibility to deal with the problems they face.”
High water levels have battered the Lake Michigan shoreline for several months, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have forecasted that levels will remain high entering the spring.
Property damage has occurred as a result of accelerated erosion. Multiple homes in Park Township have been demolished in order to prevent them from falling into Lake Michigan. In Muskegon County, a home fell over a bluff into the lake.
Peters believes that the bill would provide local communities with an option to finance their erosion prevention projects.
The loans would have a one percent interest rate. The STORM Act would authorize $100 million in available money for three years beginning with fiscal year 2021. The funding is available for communities impacted by other natural hazards, such as droughts, earthquakes and wildfires.
“This bill will combat more than just erosion,” Peters said. “We know that as climate changes, there will be systemic changes elsewhere. We have to mitigate these things up front.”
The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, and James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, co-sponsored the legislation.
Peters said that the bill’s bipartisan nature reflects the urgency needed to address the shoreline erosion.
“This is something that should never be a partisan issue,” he said.
The bill has passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and now advances to the full Senate for consideration.
