VOTE NOVEMBER 5, 2024 

Recent flooding was a reminder that climate change will have profound impacts on how we live and thrive in Vermont in coming years.

 

We need to plan now with an eye to that future.

 

In my committee, the House Appropriations Committee, that means balancing our investments in current needs with transforming Vermont so it is thriving and viable in the future.

The flood damage was devastating, but the past week also underscored the value of the work the legislature did this past session to provide for climate resilience.

 

For example, we added funds back into the Governor's budget to fully restore the 211 helpline-- a service that has been invaluable for flood victims in the last month.

 

We provided additional funding for municipalities hit hard by flooding and made changes in where and how we build, so that people are not building and rebuilding housing in flood zones.

People can’t rebuild where they are, but in this housing market, the FEMA buyout is not enough to help them get started someplace else. Without help, some people will just fall from their flooded housing into the state's emergency housing program.

Government is how we work together to do for our communities what we can't easily do as individuals.

 

This past session, we strengthened the capacity of state government for emergency management, flood recovery and future resilience. As bad as the floods were, last month would have been worse without these efforts.

We are learning that we can’t think only as individuals if we want to protect a future for all of us. Take dredging of rivers. Some people wanted to dredge after recent storms, to clean up their own river banks.

 

However, we have learned that this can sometimes turn our rivers into pipes, effectively guaranteeing that the next storm wipes out people located downstream.

As with all hard policy challenges, we need to approach flood control together, because actions motivated only by individual self-interest can put others at risk and harm us all.

Last session, we provided resources for emergency relief for those suffering today, but we also put in place policies that reduce the likelihood of catastrophic events moving forward. For example, H. 687, our reform of Act 250 identifies flood zones where development CAN’T occur, even as it expedites and removes regulatory barriers to housing development in designated downtowns where development SHOULD occur.

Similarly, S.310 strengthened Vermont’s disaster response statutes and activities. This bill provided funds for disaster recovery, directed the Treasurer to coordinate climate infrastructure financing efforts, strengthened emergency response capacity, and directed the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to review various aspects of Vermont’s emergency response systems.

With tripartisan support, we passed S.259, an act relating to climate change cost recovery. This bill set up a program to fund climate change adaptation projects through recovery of compensatory payments from parties responsible for carbon emissions.

With S.213, an act relating to the regulation of wetlands, river corridor development, and dam safety, we directed the Agency of Natural resources to map significant wetlands, identify areas where development won’t increase flood risks, provide for the inventory, inspection, and evaluation of dams and dam safety in the state, and create a revolving loan fund to address unsafe dams.

The legislature passed a budget that used only $10 million more in general funds than the budget proposed by the Governor. However, the legislature’s budget made significant new investments to help the people and communities threatened most by climate change.


After flood waters ran through his home for the second time in months, a friend in the NEK finds humor by driving a remote-controlled car along the flood barrier he built in an attempt to protect his home from further harm.

We provided flood relief for hard hit communities in the FY24 budget, including:

 

• $30M to pay for the FEMA match for costs incurred by the State due to the July 2023 flooding event.

 

• $23.5M for municipalities impacted by the July 2023 flooding event as follows:

 

• Transfers $17.25M to the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund (ERAF).

 

• Funded $11M State share of Municipal FEMA Match

 

• Provided $6.25M to increase the State share of Municipal FEMA Match.

 

• Allowed the Secretary of Administration to forward fund ERAF payment to municipalities.

 

• Dedicates $6.25M General Funds (GF) to municipalities for local economic damage grants.

 

• $165K to complete a study of the Green River Reservoir Dam.

In the FY25 budget, we provided for new work related to resiliency and recovery and disaster mitigation.

 

For example, the 24-7 helpline (211) to which the Governor is directing Vermonters is one we restored to full operating capacity in our budget, after the Governor cut it back.

 

Other investments that you see at work include:

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• $1.8M to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to support S.213 initiatives relating to the regulation of wetlands, river corridor development, and dam safety

 

• Funding for three Regional Emergency Management Program Coordinators at the Department of Public Safety (DPS)

 

• $12.5M to match Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Flood Hazard Mitigation grants

 

• $500K for the State match for the Water Resources Development Winooski Study

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• $1.75M to support S.213 initiatives relating to the regulation of wetlands, river corridor development, and dam safety

 

• $1M for financial assistance to logging contractors to ensure water quality protection and climate adaptation practices are followed

 

• $1M for local economic damage grants and transfer to the Emergency Relief Assistance Fund to support communities affected by the August and December federally-declared disasters

 

• $250K GF to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) for the Urban Search and Rescue Team

To the extent we had unexpected surplus, the budget appropriated those surplus dollars as follows:

• $3.5M to the Community Resilience and Disaster Mitigation Fund for structure elevation grants

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• $3M GF to the Dam Safety Revolving Loan Fund

In addition, unspent federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars either have to be returned to the federal government or quickly reappropriated. The budget reappropriated $36M to the Department of Public Safety for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) match and municipal support for hazard mitigation.