New Online Tool Maps $96 Billion Bay Area Sea Level Rise Challenge

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission tackled the staggering scale of the region's climate adaptation challenge at its May 21 meeting, previewing a first-of-its-kind web application that will let funders and local governments sort through hundreds of shoreline resilience projects — with the price tag estimated at up to $96 billion. The commission also unanimously approved emergency maintenance on a submarine power cable that delivers 40% of San Francisco's electricity, and heard that its three-year strategic plan is nearly complete as the agency prepares for its next planning cycle.

• $96 billion adaptation price tag laid out as BCDC and MTC/ABAG preview online investment strategy tool launching in August

• Transbay submarine power cable wins unanimous 15-0 approval for protective concrete mattresses after bay floor erosion exposes critical infrastructure

• Strategic plan nearly finished: agency doubled its staff to 65 in three years; RFP for next-cycle planning consultant coming this summer

• New permitting rules take effect July 1, eliminating permit requirements for 20 categories of low-impact activities

• NOAA coastal grants survive House Appropriations Committee for a third year despite Trump administration push to eliminate them