State Announces ResilientCoasts Plan, Reinforcing Nantucket's Coastal Resilience Efforts

Governor Maura Healey’s administration released a new comprehensive coastal protection plan earlier this week that comes with tools designed to improve regional collaboration and guidance on recommended coastal resilience strategies, such as salt marsh restoration and elevating roads. The plan is particularly relevant to Nantucket, which has long struggled with the impacts of sea-level rise and erosion, going as far as to develop its own lengthy coastal resilience plan.

“What’s included in ResilientCoasts aligns with our [coastal resilience plan’s] risk assessment, identifying the areas most at risk and where planning and funding should be focused,” Nantucket Coastal Resilience Coordinator Leah Hill said. “The state-led strategies will advance our work by updating regulations and simplifying the process for coastal resilience projects. We also raised the issue of funding early on, since these projects are so costly, and I’m glad to see many of the State’s strategies now center on that critical funding component.”

Nantucket’s plan, published in November 2021, puts it at the forefront of coastal resilience in Massachusetts.

“Nantucket is recognized across the Commonwealth as a leader in coastal resiliency. We are well ahead of many communities in both planning and implementation,” Hill said. “To put it in perspective, many coastal towns in Massachusetts don’t yet have tailored coastal resilience plans and often look to us for advice.”

The state’s new plan is billed as an effort to both protect natural resources and coastal communities and save taxpayer money that would otherwise have to be spent on efforts to recover from flood damage and erosion caused by sea-level rise and stronger storms.

“This plan is about helping people and local businesses stay safe and save money,” Governor Maura Healey said in a statement. “When we invest in stronger roads, flood protections, and coastal restoration, we’re not just preventing damage – we’re protecting livelihoods.”

Called the ResilientCoasts Plan, Healey’s latest effort is a response to accelerating climate change, which hits coastal communities like Nantucket particularly hard.

“How to protect our homes, businesses, and working waterfronts was always top of mind during my time as mayor,” Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said. “This plan takes that local perspective and turns it into real, actionable steps for every coastal community. It gives municipalities the support and guidance they need to strengthen their future.”

The plan also creates regional Coastal Resilience Districts—unrelated to Nantucket’s local Coastal Resilience Districts—that group nearby towns together to encourage communication and collaboration, identifying areas that Healey’s administration believes need immediate adaptation.

“ResilientCoasts is fantastic because the State finally has a plan that can help other communities get started,” Hill said. “The plan is broad; rather than directing specific actions, it identifies the risks each community faces and provides strategies that may be helpful based on those conditions.”