Wall Street Journal
Sept. 13, 2018
Fewer homeowners in North and South Carolina own flood insurance than five years ago, signaling many won’t have access to ready cash if they need to rebuild after
Hurricane Florence
.
Standard homeowners’ insurance policies typically cover damage from fire and other storm-related events. But they
exclude storm surge and other flooding damage
—and wind damage, in some coastal counties. Instead, homeowners must buy separate policies to get the excluded coverage. For flood policies, they typically buy from the U.S. government.
As of July 31, the latest figures available, the 134,306 policies in place in North Carolina from the National Flood Insurance Program represented a 3.6% decline from 2013. In South Carolina, ownership was down 1.2%, to 204,342, according to an analysis of government data by The Wall Street Journal.
More…
Huffington Post
Sept. 11, 2018
In 2012, North Carolina legislators passed a bill that barred policymakers and developers from using up-to-date climate science to plan for rising sea levels on the state’s coast. Now Hurricane Florence threatens to cause a devastating storm surge that could put thousands of lives in danger and cost the state billions of dollars worth of damage.
The hurricane, which is expected to make landfall on Friday, is shaping up to be one of the worst storms to hit the East Coast. Residents of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and mainland coasts have already been ordered to evacuate. President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in both North and South Carolina, and a Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator said that the Category 4 hurricane will likely cause “massive damage to our country.”
And the rise in sea levels, experts say, is making the storm surge worse.
More…
New York Times
Sept. 14, 2018
The New York Times has posted an interactive map that shows how rapid coastal development is amplifying the impact of weather and climate events like Hurricane Hugo and those expected with Hurricane Florence over the next few days.
More…
CSBE
Sept. 13, 2018
This week Congress is expected to pass an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2019 that includes funding for Energy Department programs. As part of the so-called “minibus,” which combines three separate funding bills for energy and water programs, military construction and veterans programs, and legislative branch operations, the bill provides nearly $2.8 billion for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy which supports the development of clean, renewable, and energy efficiency technologies across the country. This funding level is $57 million above the amount provided in the current fiscal year.
AGENCY ACTIONS
EPA
Sept. 10, 2018
On August 31, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its proposed Emission Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Existing Electric Utility Generating Units; Revisions to Emission Guideline Implementing Regulations; Revisions to New Source Review Program, also being called the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. The document also requested public comment on the proposed action.
The EPA is announcing that it will hold a public hearing. The hearing will provide interested parties the opportunity to present data, views, or arguments concerning the proposed action. In addition, the EPA is extending the comment period by 1 day to allow for 30 days of public comment following the public hearing.
Energy Dept.
Sept. 14, 2018
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is hosting a workshop to develop new prizes, competitions, and related initiatives that advance water security in the United States and globally. The workshop will inform a DOE-led Grand Challenge that seeks breakthroughs on a set of critical water issues through a coordinated suite of prizes, competitions, early-stage research and development, and related programs.
Energy Dept.
Sept. 11, 2018
On August 14, 2018, the Department of Energy (DOE) received a petition submitted by a variety of entities (collectively, the Joint Stakeholders or the Petitioners) asking DOE to issue a direct final rule for energy conservation standards for dedicated-purpose pool pump (DPPP) motors. Through this notification, DOE seeks comment on whether to proceed with the proposal, as well as any data or information that could be used in DOE's determination whether to issue a direct final rule.
EPA
Sept. 14, 2018
In 2002, EPA's Energy Supply and Industry Branch (ESIB) launched two partnership programs with industry and other stakeholders: The Green Power Partnership (GPP) and the Combined Heat and Power Partnership (CHPP). These voluntary partnership programs, along with others in the ESIB, encourage organizations to invest in clean, efficient energy technologies, including renewable energy and combined heat and power.
To continue to be successful, it is critical that EPA collect information from these program stakeholders to ensure these organizations are meeting their clean energy goals and to assure the credibility of these voluntary non-regulatory programs.
EPA has developed this ICR to obtain authorization to collect information from organizations participating in the GPP and CHPP, and other ESIB voluntary programs.
