Senators Cassidy and Whitehouse on the bi-partisan RISEE Act | Capitol Beach

September 1, 2021

The Latest from Senators Cassidy and Whitehouse on RISEE!

On The Capitol Beach, Derek Brockbank speaks with two US Senators, Bill Cassidy (LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), about their bill, the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act, which ensures federal leasing revenue from offshore energy production – whether wind or traditional oil & gas – is used to build coastal resilience in the states and communities closest to that energy production. This bi-partisan bill forges an old-school political alliance across regional and political divides to ensure coastal communities get the same benefits that inland communities get from energy production, and will help to further establish the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund as a “sister-fund” to the better established and more inland-focused, Land and Water Conservation Fund. As offshore wind projects expand across the country, and the Gulf of Mexico continues to supply oil and gas for the nation this bill could play a pivotal role in how the nation funds coastal resilience.

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Derek Brockbank

Derek Brockbank is Executive Director of Coastal States Organization (CSO), which represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes issues. With two decades of experience in Washington DC on coastal adaptation policy and organizational development, Derek is connecting state coastal management programs with federal agencies and resources in order to address the greatest coastal challenges facing society. He previously served as executive director for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) where he led the strategic planning and outreach, government affairs, and development goals of the nation’s leading organization advocating for beach and coastal restoration. Prior to starting with ASBPA, Derek worked as campaign director for a coalition effort to restore the Mississippi River Delta and Coastal Louisiana, and was part of a gulf-wide campaign to pass the RESTORE Act, securing billions of dollars for Gulf Coast restoration. This followed up on his work with National Wildlife Federation on climate adaption. Derek grew up in New York City and got his coastal education from an early age playing on the beaches of Long Island, and kayaking and fishing in Peconic Bay.