Port Planning and Views On Climate Change David H. Bierling and Billy L. Edge Center for Ports and Waterways and Sustainable Coastal Margins Program Texas A&M University System USDOT Workshop on Impacts of Global Climate Change on Hydraulics, Hydrology and Transportation Washington, D.C. March 7, 2005

Our Central Question… Is planning for climate change on the radar screen of the U.S. seaport industry?? Operations Facility Design Maintenance

Our “Quick and Dirty” Evaluation… A simple, one-page questionnaire distributed to 18 “contiguous”-U.S. ports East, West and Gulf Coasts, Great Lakes, Rivers & Tributaries. Eleven questions about port planning horizons and opinions on climate change. February 19 – March 4, 2005 Responses from 12 ports representing these coastal regions.

Cover Letter and Topics

Questionnaire Respondents Port of Indiana - Burns Harbor Port of Milwaukee Duluth Seaway Port Authority Port of Memphis Port of Baltimore North Carolina State Ports Authority Port of New Orleans Port of Palacios, TX Port of Port Mansfield, TX Port of Long Beach Port of Oakland Port of Tacoma

Are ports considering potential impacts of climate change in design standards or operations?? 11 of 12 ports responding to the questionnaire indicated “No”.

Are ports considering potential impacts of climate change in design standards or operations?? 1 of the 12 ports indicated “Yes”. –Commercial fishing and recreational boating port on Gulf Coast. –Areas of consideration: Shift in markets and population. Maintenance needs. Impact on community and environment.

“Express your opinions about…”

Port interest in climate change discussions… 11 of 12 ports indicated an interest in seeing the results of the workshop. 7 of 12 ports indicated an interest in participating in future dialogues.

Questionnaire responses suggest… Port planning horizons range between 5 and 20 years, with consistent averages across facility types of ~12 years. Almost no consideration of climate change in formalized port design or planning processes. Variable use of historical information and “well-accepted” guidance in port design and planning processes.

Questionnaire responses suggest… Regional differences in port concerns about potential climate change effects. –Great Lakes, East Coast, and Gulf Coast ports seem more concerned than West Coast or Rivers & Tributaries ports.

Limitations Small distribution and response populations. –No more than three responses per region. –Inability to make strong inferences for the U.S. port industry based on these very limited data. –Results may not be generalizeable to port populations across regions or categories.

Further questions… Can/should industry and community planning and decision horizons account for “long-term” climate change? Historical and “accepted” information: –What is its role in design, maintenance, and operations of coastal infrastructures? –Can retrospective data account for future change?

Further questions… Is climate change an infrastructure issue, a market issue, or both? How do perspectives and influences of insurers and consultants affect those of coastal infrastructure operators?