The Resilience Roundup highlights announcements and events along with links to the previous month's state, regional, and national resilience news.
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Fact Sheet Available: Implementing New Flood Prevention,
Climate Resilience, and Erosion Control Boards
In 2021, the passage of Public Act 21-115 modified the name and authority of Flood Prevention and Erosion Control Boards to include “Climate Resilience”. Municipalities now have a substantial tool to address the increasing pressure on landscape and infrastructure from rising sea levels, storm surge, and intensified precipitation, flooding and subsequent erosion. As part of the Resilient Connecticut project's information series, a new
Flood Prevention, Climate Resilience, and Erosion Control Board fact sheet describes the expanded authority and reporting requirements along with ideas for how to implement a new Board and resources for additional guidance. Though state statute does not require towns to have a Board, towns may find that having one composed of members with technical and fiscal expertise is an effective way to address their growing climate problems.
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Resilient Connecticut 2.0 - Recent Activity
CIRCA met with municipalities and tribes from the Southeastern CT Council of Governments (SCCOG) and Lower CT River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG) from March through June 2022. Over the course of these 40 individual meetings, CIRCA facilitated discussions with staff and elected officials to identify climate-related needs.
In the SCCOG region, these meetings were directly aligned with the kickoff for the update of the SCCOG Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). In the next few months, CIRCA will collaborate with SCCOG to incorporate climate change more directly into the HMP and develop a combined “hazard mitigation and climate adaptation plan.” This effort will help align the plan more directly with State and federal funding sources for climate resilience. A draft plan document will be available for review by the end of 2022.
In the RiverCOG region, the municipal meetings provided a timely opportunity to conduct an annual review of the actions in the RiverCOG HMP. CIRCA is preparing a summary report to describe the types of climate challenges that may be addressed in RiverCOG communities, ranging from coastal flood concerns in Old Saybrook, Westbrook, and Clinton to extreme heat concerns and critical facility resilience in Middletown and Portland.
Starting in September, CIRCA will meet with the Capitol Region Council of Governments' (CRCOG) 38 municipalities. Working with CRCOG, CIRCA will help incorporate climate change more directly into the Capitol Region HMP and develop a combined "hazard mitigation and climate adaptation plan." A draft of this document will be available in mid-2023.
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2022 CT Transit-Oriented Development Grant Program Announcement
Proposals Due: September 1, 2022
Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management (OPM) announced a Request for Applications for the 2022 Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Grant Program. Municipalities are invited to apply for grants ranging between $200,000 and $2,000,000, for a wide range of planning and construction projects to advance State, regional, and local goals for TOD. This program provides grants for shovel-ready capital projects located within one-half mile of existing public transportation facilities.
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NOAA Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants
Proposals Due: September 6, 2022
Up to $85 million in funding is available for habitat restoration and coastal resilience through the NOAA FY2022 Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity. This funding will prioritize habitat restoration actions that rebuild productive and sustainable fisheries, contribute to the recovery and conservation of threatened and endangered species, use natural infrastructure to reduce damage from flooding and storms, promote resilient ecosystems and communities, and yield socioeconomic benefits.
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EPA New Environmental Justice Grant:
Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund
Applications Due: September 12, 2022
The Long Island Sound Study has announced a new Environmental Justice program focused on the Long Island Sound watershed. The Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF) will direct funds and technical assistance to communities experiencing or affected by adverse and disproportionate environmental and human health risks or harms. EPA is seeking proposals from organizations to partner on launching the LISCIF and will provide up to $5 million for this program with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds.
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NOAA Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants
for Underserved Communities
Applications Due: September 30, 2022
Up to $10 million in funding is available for habitat restoration and resilience awards for underserved communities though NOAA’s FY2022 Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities Notice of Funding Opportunity. Through this funding, NOAA will engage underserved communities in habitat restoration activities that promote resilient ecosystems and communities. This engagement is intended to ensure that underserved communities are integral to the visioning and decision-making for coastal habitat restoration projects affecting their communities.
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Connecticut Seeks Applicants for Electric Vehicle Funds
Proposals Due: September 30, 2022
Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is seeking grant proposals from municipalities, organizations, and businesses for electric vehicle supply equipment installation projects. Up to $4 million will be available for grants (funds come from the Volkswagen Settlement’s Environmental Mitigation Trust). The program will pay for up to 100% of the cost to purchase, install and maintain eligible light duty electric vehicle supply equipment that will be available to the public at a government-owned property.
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FEMA HMA Summer Engagement Series
Capability and Capacity Building Funding
August 4, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
This webinar will discuss opportunities in both the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant programs for applicants and subapplicants to apply for funding or technical assistance to help them increase their capacity and capability as it relates to natural hazard mitigation.
Mitigating Severe Repetitive Loss and Repetitive Loss Properties
August 11, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
This webinar will discuss funding available through FEMA’s Fiscal Year 2022 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program to mitigate repetitively flood damaged buildings insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Speakers will also discuss strategies in how Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) programs can be used to acquire or elevate individual residential homes.
System-Based Mitigation: Building Enduring Community Resilience
August 18, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
This webinar will discuss the concept of building community resilience at a “systems” level. The BRIC program supports the use of system-based mitigation approaches in projects by prioritizing equity, addressing future conditions due to climate change, enhancing mitigation planning and building code implementation and enforcement, supporting nature-based solutions, and leveraging partnerships.
Application Pitfalls
August 25, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
This webinar will address common grant application errors and how to avoid them in the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant programs.
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EBC 4th Annual New England Climate Change and Resiliency Summit
September 13, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Representatives from the six New England States will provide updates on their specific climate change plans, program priorities, and implementation strategies. The major focus will be on those key elements that are moving each state’s programs forward in preparation for the impacts of climate change.
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Connecticut Association of Flood Managers:
Fairfield Wastewater Treatment Plant Hardening Project Tour
September 14, 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
CAFM is pleased to host Jonathan Richer, PE of Tighe & Bond and representatives from the Town of Fairfield for a Tour and Lunch & Learn event featuring the Fairfield Wastewater Treatment Plant Hardening Project. For more details, please download the Event Flier and Registration Form. (This event is worth 2.5 CM credits through APA and TBD credits for CFMs through ASFPM).
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Yale Center for Environmental Justice: Global Environmental Justice Conference
October 13 - 14
The Yale Center for Environmental Justice and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are partnering this year to present the Fourth Annual Global Environmental Justice Conference at the Yale School of the Environment. This year’s conference will focus on the intersection of equitable climate action and sustainable development. The hybrid conference will meet at the Yale School of the Environment and online through Cvent.
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National Adaptation Forum
October 25 - 27
This year's Forum will be held in Baltimore, Maryland and gathers the adaptation community to foster knowledge exchange, innovation, and mutual support for a better tomorrow. Training sessions, symposiums, and webinars aim to be cross-sectoral to demonstrate the integrated nature of successful adaptation. Early bird registration ends September 2nd.
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NOAA Program Funding Opportunities
Up to $2.96 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds are available through several NOAA programs over the next five years to make investments in habitat restoration, coastal resilience, and climate data and services. For details about these funding opportunities that address the climate crisis and strengthen coastal resilience and infrastructure, see the NOAA Press Release. NOAA will select high-impact projects that invest in communities, states, and regions to support these climate initiatives:
Climate Ready Coasts: helps coastal communities invest in natural infrastructure projects to build coastal resilience, create jobs, store carbon, remove marine debris, and restore habitat.
Climate Data and Services: supports government efforts to address the climate crisis by providing information and tools to address floods, wildfire, drought, and ocean health.
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New Report: Energy Justice and Health in a Changing Climate
Yale School of Public Health’s Center on Climate Change and Health, the Vermont Law & Graduate School, and Operation Fuel released a new report, "Energy Justice and Health in a Changing Climate". In Spring 2022, a student team in partnership with Operation Fuel, conducted this study to explore how Connecticut residents perceive their energy costs, utilize different forms of energy, and take actions to lower energy costs.
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WestCOG Flood Regulation Report
All of Connecticut’s municipalities have adopted some form of flood prevention regulations – either as ordinances adopted by their legislative bodies or as zoning and subdivision regulations adopted by their planning and zoning commissions. This report summarizes the findings of a review of all municipal flood prevention regulations in Connecticut to identify best practices and areas where municipal regulations have failed to keep pace with rapidly changing meteorological and climate change conditions.
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State and Regional News Clips |
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Massachusetts Releases Clean Energy plan,
Roadmap to Cut GHG Emissions 50% By 2030
Utility Dive - July 1, 2022
The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs published a roadmap for the state to achieve its emissions reductions targets, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 relative to 1990 levels. The Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2025 and 2030, or CEC, also sets the state on a path towards carbon neutrality by 2050.
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Connecticut Approves 3-year, $708M Energy Efficiency Plan With Focus On Equity, Affordability, Decarbonization
Utility Dive - July 8, 2022
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has approved a $708 million, three-year energy efficiency plan projected to generate $1.7 billion in total benefits and avoid 4.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The 2022-2024 Conservation and Load Management Plan focuses on equity, decarbonization and affordability.
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Hotter Days Don’t Affect Connecticut Residents Equally. These Maps Show How.
Connecticut Public Radio - July 19, 2022
Climate change is happening. In Connecticut, it looks like hotter summers and flooding, according to experts at CIRCA. But heat doesn’t affect everyone equally. Dr. Yaprak Onat, the Assistant Director of Research at CIRCA, said the question now is how the effects of rising temperatures can be mitigated equitably.
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Connecticut's Transit-Orietnted-Development Efforts
Should Leverage Its Walkable Cities
Connecticut By The Number - July 24, 2022
Faced with superstorms and economic headwinds, Connecticut planners have focused on resiliency over the past decade. Building transit-oriented development (TOD) along Connecticut’s new and existing transit infrastructure provides an opportunity to structure economic growth around “resilient corridors,” as studies have shown that walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods are more resilient to economic shock and better for the planet.
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Council of Governments to Update Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan,
Will Add Climate Change Measures
The Day - July 26, 2022
The Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments is working with communities to update the region’s natural hazard mitigation plan. The challenges associated with climate change will be incorporated directly into this update to produce a “Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan” for southeastern Connecticut.
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Summer in America is Becoming Hotter, Longer and More Dangerous
Washington Post - July 2, 2022
Though the summer season of 2022 is young, parts of the nation already have experienced punishingly high temperatures, extreme drought, wildfires, severe storms, flooding or some combination. Projections from federal agencies suggest more abnormally hot weather, an expansion of drought and well above average wildfire and hurricane activity ahead.
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Researchers Can Now Explain How Climate Change is Affecting Your Weather
NPR - July 7, 2022
Chances are, if you live on Earth, you’ve experienced some strange, or downright dangerous, weather in the last few years. Maybe it was a heat wave that was hotter and longer than you’d ever experienced. Or a thunderstorm that dropped a scary amount of rain. Or a powerful hurricane that seemed to materialize overnight.
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What’s Next After Supreme Court’s Climate Ruling?
Yale Climate Connections - July 11, 2022
The Supreme Court’s June 30 ruling in the West Virginia v. EPA, substantially curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate climate pollutants. Though the language of the decision itself appears to be narrow it also elevated the newly-conceived “major questions doctrine...” The major questions doctrine would require that any future revisions to legal language be much more specific, making Congress’ task even more difficult.
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Europe’s Heat Wave: 5 Things to Know
New York Times - July 20, 2022
Summer wildfires are a recurring feature in parts of Europe, but the blazes that have erupted around the continent over the past month hit earlier and harder than usual, and sometimes in unexpected places, officials said. Fires have continued to burn through areas of southern Europe, in countries like Spain and Portugal where the heat was intense.
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How Is Climate Change Affecting Floods?
New York Times - July 26, 2022
Floods can surge all year round, in every region of the world. But discerning the relationship between any given flood and climate change is no small feat, experts say. Flooding, like other disasters, involves a number of competing factors that may affect its frequency and intensity in opposing ways. Climate change, which is worsening extreme rainfall in many storms, is an increasingly important part of the mix.
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Clean Energy Package Would Be Biggest Legislative
Climate Investment in US History
CNN - July 28, 2022
Sen. Joe Manchin's stunning reversal on a clean energy package has suddenly put Democrats in a position to pass the largest climate investment in US history, and by far the biggest legislative win for the environmental movement since the Clean Air Act. The surprise resurrection of a deal on $369 billion worth of climate and energy was a turn of events for critical climate measures that have died several times in the past year.
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The Resilience Roundup highlights CIRCA's presence in the news, provides links to recent local/state/national news articles related to resilience and adaptation, and announces upcoming events and seminars.
The Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation's (CIRCA) mission is to increase the resilience and sustainability of vulnerable communities along Connecticut's coast and inland waterways to the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather on the natural, built, and human environment. The institute is located at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus and includes faculty from across the university. CIRCA is a partnership between UConn and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP).
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State and Regional News Clips |
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