Commentary: It’s the week of Earth Day in 2021, and we’re way past the point of closing our eyes and imagining the terrible effects of climate change. In New Mexico, we already endure year-round wildfire seasons. We already live through record-breaking droughts and heat waves. And like other parts of the nation and the world, we’re already seeing how extreme weather can damage the infrastructure that supports every aspect of our lives.
In 2011, the Los Conchas Fire threatened the supply of electricity to roughly 400,000 customers and forced the Los Alamos National Laboratory to close for more than a week. In 2016, severe lightning storms caused power outages for nearly 130,000 New Mexicans. And in 2020 alone, climate-related disasters caused nearly $100 billion in damage to houses, businesses and public infrastructure nationwide.
Tompkins County, along with its 16 municipal partners, welcomes public review and comment on the draft 2021 Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) Update. Revised every five years to reflect changes in priorities and progress in local mitigation efforts, the HMP identifies natural hazards the county can expect to face and develops strategies to reduce risk and build resilience. Â
The 2021 HMP, facilitated by the Tompkins County Department of Planning & Sustainability, updates the countyâs 2014 Hazard Mitigation Plan and is a key implementation piece for the larger Tompkins County Resiliency and Recovery Plan.Â
Once approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the plan ensures Tompkins County and its partners remain eligible for pre-disaster funding through FEMA s Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs and other non-emergency disaster assistance like FEMA s new BuildingResilient Infrastructure and Communities program.Â
Overview of All Proposed Spending in Biden’s Infrastructure Plan
From traditional projects like roads and bridges to climate initiatives and programs outside the traditional infrastructure scope, President Joe Biden’s plan is an ambitious package he will try to pass through a nearly evenly split Congress in the coming months.
Biden said the plan will invest about $2 trillion this decade. He dubbed his proposal the “American Jobs Plan,” which marks the first part of a two-part economic plan. Some programs and investments did not include a specific price tag. They are added at the end.
Infrastructure Plan:
$621 billion in transportation infrastructure and resilience.
April 2, 2021
On March 31, 2021, President Biden announced the American Jobs Plan, a sweeping proposal that dedicates over $2 trillion to create jobs through repairing and upgrading infrastructure, revitalizing manufacturing, and valuing the caregiving economy.
Q1: What has Biden announced and how big is it in context?
A1: The American Jobs Plan is the second plank of Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda to both “rescue” the economy from the Covid-19 recession and “recover” in a way that addresses underlying structural constraints and takes advantage of future economic opportunities. The first component, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed earlier in March.
Broadly, the American Jobs Plan can be divided into four buckets (see chart below). The largest is spending on buildings, schools, and aged care. Transportation infrastructure is the second-largest bucket, notable for the $174 billion it proposes to spend on electric vehicles (EVs). Various investments i
FEMA Grant Could Relieve Effects of ‘Environmental Racism’
For decades, residents in Centreville, Ill., and other economically challenged cities in the area have suffered from sewage and flooding problems that could be addressed by a $22 million FEMA grant. by Jim McKay / March 17, 2021 TNS
When you consider that Centreville, Ill., is one of the poorest cities in the state, it’s easy to see how the city’s flooding and sewage problems have plagued it for decades without help.
But there is hope that all with those problems on the radar of some in higher government, things will change. With the support of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who called the situation “a textbook example of environmental racism,” Centreville, Cahokia and Alorton hope to share $22 million through a FEMA BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant.