BOSTON — Calling the Cape and Islands "a very vulnerable region," state Sen. Marc Pacheco unveiled legislation Tuesday that would require future governors to develop plans for defending the state against climate change, an investment he said would be dwarfed by the cost of inaction against rising sea levels and severe storms.
The bill comes two weeks after Gov. Deval Patrick announced $52 million in state funding to help cities and towns combat climate change, including a $40 million grant from the Department of Energy Resources to protect energy services and another $10 million for coastal infrastructure and dam repairs.
Pacheco, a Taunton Democrat who owns a second home in Hyannisport, applauded Patrick's investment but said the "amount of money, quite frankly, is not going to be adequate for the type of comprehensive study that is going to be needed in the future."
To continue on Patrick's path, Pacheco said he wants to enshrine that planning in state law, which he said would hold future governors' feet to the fire on climate change.