A new Federal Emergency Management Agency policy will require states to address climate change before they can become eligible for grant funding.
The regulations, part of a FEMA State Mitigation Plan Review Guide issued last month, are not set to take effect until next March.- In the revised guide, the agency said mitigation planning regulation requires consideration of the probability of future hazards and events to reduce risks and potential dangers.“Past occurrences are important to a factual basis of hazard risk, however, the challenges posed by climate change, such as more intense storms, frequent heavy precipitation, heat waves, drought, extreme flooding and higher sea levels, could significantly alter the types and magnitudes of hazards impacting states in the future,” FEMA said in its guide. (The Hill 05.12.15]
FEMA’s new requirements will take effect March 6, 2016.
