Conservation groups urge fast permits for nature‑based coastal resilience projects

Representatives of conservation groups and practitioners told the House committee that permitting timelines are a bottleneck for salt‑marsh restoration, living shorelines and other nature‑based solutions to coastal erosion and flooding.

Kurt Spalding of the Climate Impact Study Commission said accelerating nature‑based projects is essential because climate impacts are increasing and present backlogs make timely work difficult. Jed Thorpe of Save the Bay testified that the state has lost beaches and marshes to hardening and said the bill’s preference language for nature‑based approaches is an important statutory signal. Angela Tewoni of The Nature Conservancy estimated permitting delays add roughly a year and 40 percent to project costs and urged a stakeholder process to design any expedited system.

Witnesses and lawmakers agreed that some projects will still require federal and multiagency review, and that DEM and CRMC raised written concerns about the bill’s language. Supporters said a targeted general‑permit or notice‑of‑intent approach for standard project types (for example marsh restoration or certain culvert replacements) could speed commonly approved work without eliminating necessary environmental review.

The committee asked witnesses to help craft tighter statutory language and to identify where expedited approaches are appropriate and where multiagency review remains required. No vote was taken; committee members concluded testimony and will seek drafting revisions and resource planning for agency capacity if the bill advances.