October 2024

The Resilience Roundup highlights announcements and events along with links to the previous month's state, regional, and national resilience news. 

Learn more about CIRCA at circa.uconn.edu

and the Resilient Connecticut Project at resilientconnecticut.uconn.edu

Join us in celebrating UConn CIRCA’s 10-year anniversary on Thursday, October 10, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM at the Branford House, UConn Avery Point. Over the past decade, CIRCA has advanced its mission of enhancing community resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change. This milestone event highlights the progress and partnerships that have strengthened CIRCA’s efforts to protect vulnerable communities and promote a sustainable future. Click HERE for more information on speakers and activities.

Climate & Equity Grant Program – Applicant Feedback Survey

Did you apply to the CIRCA Climate & Equity Grant Program? Or did you think about applying and then decide not to? CIRCA would love to hear from you about your experience applying for this program so that we can improve our grantmaking processes in the future. Please take this very short anonymous survey to share your feedback! Survey link can be found HERE.

 CIRCA Presents Research on Coastal Flooding and Climate Impacts at PECS Conference in France

CIRCA was represented at the Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas (PECS) conference, which took place in Bordeaux, France, from September 23th-27th. 

The conference showcased the latest research in the field of coastal and estuarine physics. Many of these advances enhance scientists' understanding of the effects of climate change on shoreline communities. 

CIRCA delivered two presentations during the week. Jim O'Donnell, Executive Director of CIRCA, demonstrated the complex role of marshes in modulating coastal flooding. Marc de Vos explained how tides and storm surges interact in a south-west Connecticut town, with implications for predicting coastal inundation.

The book of conference abstracts can be found HERE.

Announcements

DEEP Seeks Input on Expanded DEEP Climate Resilience Funding and Loan Initiatives to Help Connecticut Communities Become More Climate Resilient

Virtual Public Meetings: Oct. 24 & 30, 2024

Written Comments Due Nov. 8, 2024



The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced the strategic expansion of the successful DEEP Climate Resilience Fund (DCRF) program to better enable communities to access federal funding for climate resilience. This upcoming investment of state funds will help towns, Councils of Government, and other stakeholders pursue project planning, and in some cases construction, allowing them to tap into the billions of federal dollars available to improve local resilience. As Connecticut experiences mounting costs from severe weather events, securing federal funding for proactive climate resilience planning and investment is critical to getting more projects built and keeping communities safe.  

DEEP is issuing a Request for Information, seeking feedback on two programs: 

First is a new DCRF funding category for deployment to give eligible applicants money to build projects that will make Connecticut more resilient to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather. Eligible solutions could include stormwater parks, resilience hubs that serve as cooling and warming centers, microgrids and clean backup power and storage, and establishing stormwater authorities.  

Second, DEEP is seeking feedback on the design of a new Climate Resiliency Revolving Loan fund that the Legislature authorized earlier this year.

Grants

CLCC: Climate Smart Land Stewardship Grant Program

The overarching goal of the Climate Smart Land Stewardship Grant Program is to increase the number of acres in Connecticut that are managed using climate smart land stewardship practices and encourage the use of climate smart practices among Connecticut’s land trusts. This grant program, and CLCC's accompanying outreach and technical assistance, will elevate the role of conserved lands in providing natural climate solutions by integrating climate mitigation, resilience, and adaptation into the stewardship of conserved lands throughout the state. This program will award $500,000 over multiple years for both planning and implementation grants. In 2024, grants will be awarded quarterly. In 2024, applications will be reviewed quarterly. Submission deadlines are at 5:00pm on: March 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. Funding decisions are anticipated approximately six weeks after application deadlines.

EPA: Healthy Communities Grant Program for New England

Application Deadline: November 1, 2024

The Healthy Communities Grant Program, led by EPA New England, is a competitive grant initiative designed to help communities reduce environmental risks and improve human health and quality of life. This program funds projects that support at-risk communities, including those needing to build resilience, areas of environmental justice concern, and sensitive populations such as children, the elderly, tribes, and urban and rural residents. The program aims to assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks, promote partnerships, and increase the capacity of communities and institutions to address these issues.

Eligible projects must be located in or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas and demonstrate how they will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas. Detailed descriptions of these target areas are available in the annual Request for Applications (RFA). The program seeks to achieve tangible benefits through community-based projects and collaborative efforts.

EPA: Community Change Grants

Application Deadline: November 21, 2024

The Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant program (Community Change Grants), created by the Inflation Reduction Act, offers an unprecedented $2 billion in grants under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The Community Change Grants will fund community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. This historic level of support will enable communities and their partners to overcome longstanding environmental challenges and implement meaningful solutions to meet community needs now and for generations to come. There will be two tracks of funding under this opportunity. Track I will fund approximately 150 large, transformational community-driven investment grants of $10 million - $20 million. Track II will fund approximately 20 meaningful engagement grants of $1 million - $3 million. Grants cannot exceed 3-years in duration. Please review the NOFO for further information about the exciting opportunities under the Community Change Grants program and details about the application process.

CT DEEP: Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program

Through December 2, 2024, the Department is currently accepting applications to the Urban Green & Community Grant Program (UGCG). The Department's Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program (UGCG) is available to distressed municipalities, targeted investment communities, registered non-profit organizations, and municipalities that are an environmental justice community. The program provides funding assistance to develop or enhance urban green spaces for public enjoyment and/or environmental education. Promotion of open space in an urban setting may include, but may not be limited to, the development of a community garden or reclaiming and enhancing existing open space for the public's use. Grants are awarded to projects that demonstrate the highest ability to benefit urban communities in close proximity to population centers.

CT DEEP: Open Space and Watershed Land

Acquisition Grant Program

Through December 2, 2024, the Department is currently accepting applications from municipalities, non-profit land conservation organizations, and water companies to the competitive Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program. Yellow Book appraisals and appraisal reviews can be submitted by no later than January 6, 2025. DEEP will be awarding grants to projects that offer the highest conservation and recreational value and that leverage the greatest percentage of private and municipal funding.  

The Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) Grant Program provides financial assistance to municipalities and nonprofit land conservation organizations to acquire land for open space, and to water companies to acquire land to be classified as Class I or Class II water supply property.

Awards are granted to projects that offer the highest conservation and recreational value and that leverage the greatest percentage of private and municipal funding.  

Events

Yale Clean Energy Conference

October 10 -11, 2024

The annual, public, global, convening of leading experts to discuss clean energy justice, finance, technology, policy, and careers is back on Thursday, October 10 - Friday, October 11, 2024. Join the hundreds of attendees from countless sectors, organizations, schools, and industries coming to New Haven, Connecticut, for this flagship event. Get your ticket to the conference and experience the keynotes, content speakers, workshops, poster presentations, network building activities, and lively discussions for yourself!

ColleCTive Climate Action Forum

October 23 · 8:30am - 3:30pm 

Location: State Community College Middlesex

Over the past year, Councils of Government (COGs) across Connecticut and the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) have developed Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) to establish near-term, implementation-ready measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program. We are currently drafting more detailed Comprehensive Climate Action Plans (CCAPs) that will help form foundational policies to minimize and mitigate Connecticut’s GHG emissions.

This forum is focused on the essential work of moving from plans to reality by developing realistic pathways for implementation. Given the sheer scale of the challenge, it’s critical to work together and understand our shared roles and responsibilities for addressing climate change. The ColleCTive Climate Action Forum will convene public and private sector experts and community-based organizations to identify opportunities for multisector coordination while working to create a more sustainable Connecticut. Notetakers will record input from attendees throughout the event and identify opportunities to incorporate those suggestions into the plans.

State Calls for More Climate Change Adaptation Projects

CT NBC - September 25, 2024

Connecticut is no stranger to extreme weather. Just last month, an unprecedented deluge of rain devastated towns in parts of western Connecticut. Now, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has announced its next phase of helping towns and cities adapt to inclement weather. “The interior of the park is a giant bowl,” explained one Meriden city employee involved in the project of the Meriden Green. City and state officials touted the green’s engineering Wednesday as an example of climate adaptation and mitigation. When severe weather hits, the green is designed to hold 53-acre feet of water.

In CT, Flooding Is on the Rise. But the State

Has New Tools to Face It

CT Mirror - September 27, 2024

Flooding has clearly become Connecticut’s biggest climate problem, with an increasing number of storms, as well as more extreme ones fueled by climate change. While the ferocity of the August storm is viewed as something of an outlier, the state has had catastrophic storms along with other sorts of severe weather each of the last several years, in some cases occurring over and over in the same locations.

CT Saw Catastrophic Flooding This Summer. Here’s Why You May Not Have Enough Insurance.

Hartford Courant - September 29, 2024

Shocking images of flooding in southwestern Connecticut this summer stirred up fresh worries about climate change but also how homeowners and small businesses may need to protect themselves with extra insurance, even if they don’t live in an area designated at risk for flooding. The federal government has reported that 25% of all property losses caused by flooding occur outside of areas officially mapped as vulnerable to flooding, a statistic that coincides with expectations for more — and violent — rainstorms in the years to come.

Risky Coastal Development Expanding in Face of Climate Change

The Hill - September 19 , 2024

With 73 days left in the Atlantic hurricane season, communities across the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard face risk of more storms like Beryl or Debby — storms that pose expanded danger thanks to a flurry of new home construction in flood-prone areas since 2001. Between 2001 and 2019, about 850,000 new homes have been built in floodplains, a new study in the journal Earth’s Future has found. 

FAQ: Your house flooded. Now what?

NPR - September 30, 2024



The biggest threat in a hurricane isn’t the wind, it’s the water. From the mountains of western North Carolina to the Florida coast, communities were inundated by torrential rain and flooding from Hurricane Helene. There’s still another two months left in hurricane season. It helps to know that flooding from heavy rain can happen just about any time, anywhere, as climate change makes torrential downpours more common.