Opportunities and challenges facing farmers, families, and rural communities
- Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Walk For Appalachia's Future: White Sulphur, WV
From May 24th-June 6th we will be traveling along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We seek to amplify the voices of frontline Appalachian communities and others in their fight for environmental justice and renewable energy. We will be working to challenge the environmental damages being done by all fossil fuels, and to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the MVP Southgate extension, whose construction has already devastated parts of WV, VA and NC.
Updates on the Walk’s progress are being posted on Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtag #AppalachiaWalk.
- 5/24, Noon: 65 Community Drive, Ireland, WV
- 5/25, 9 AM: West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV
- 5/26, 9 AM: National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur, WV
- 5/27, 9 AM: Greenbrier River, WV
- 5/28, 9 AM: Base of Peters Mountain, on the VA/WV border
- 5/29, 9 AM: Newport, VA
- 5/30, 9 AM: Roanoke, VA
- 5/31-6/1: Bent Mountain, VA
- 6/2-6/4: Richmond, VA
If you are trying to find the Walk, call Steve at (828) 777-7816 or Ted at (973) 460-1458 or email [email protected].
All along the pipeline route we will inspect damages to water, air, animals, and the Earth, and the people who depend on them; and we will every morning have ceremonies honoring the heroes in our states who have died during these fights to protect our Appalachia.
Communities affected by the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other destructive/extractive industries are invited to participate in the event in whatever way is best or most advantageous to them. For example, they can join our walk or have the walk come to them.
We plan to use the two-week journey on foot and by vehicle to support frontline communities first and foremost by listening. As appropriate, walkers may be called upon to support local campaigns for economic, racial and climate justice by amplifying their voices in various media, standing alongside them at rallies and protests, participating in and hosting workshops, and honoring the heroes of the struggle who are no longer with us.
Walk organizers consist of dedicated environmental justice workers from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and beyond, and members of seasoned organizations such as 7 Directions of Service, POWHR, Beyond Extreme Energy, Th!rd Act, NC Alliance to Protect the People and the Places We Live, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and others.
Testimony on Water and Power Legislation, Including Drought Preparedness, Drought Funding, Western Water Infrastructure
- S. 737, to establish a federal cost share percentage for the Milk River Project in the State of Montana (Tester/Daines);
- S. 953, to provide for drought preparedness and improved water supply reliability (Wyden);
- S. 1179, to provide financial assistance for projects to address certain subsidence impacts in the State of California, and for other purposes (Feinstein);
- S. 1554, to make certain irrigation districts eligible for Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program pumping power, and for other purposes (Cramer);
- S. 2334, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to provide grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for large-scale water recycling and reuse projects, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to make certain modifications to the Cooperative Watershed Management Program, and to provide emergency drought funding, and for other purposes (Cortez Masto);
- S. 2693, to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to authorize additional projects related to the Salton Sea, and for other purposes (Padilla);
- S. 3450, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain facilities in the Sun River project, Montana, for the purpose of hydroelectric power generation (Daines/Tester);
- S. 3539, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out watershed pilots, and for other purposes (Wyden);
- H.R. 5001 and S. 3693, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to continue to implement endangered fish recovery programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins, and for other purposes (Hickenlooper/Romney);
- S. 3971, to amend the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 to modify a provision relating to cost-sharing requirements applicable to certain Bureau of Reclamation dams and dikes, and for other purposes (Inhofe);
- S. 4175, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for urban canals of concern (Risch);
- S. 4176, to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to modify the eligibility requirements for certain small water storage and groundwater storage projects and to authorize the use of funds for certain additional Carey Act projects (Risch);
- S. 4231, to support water infrastructure in Reclamation states, and for other purposes (Feinstein);
- S. 4232, to address the recovery of certain costs with respect to certain Reclamation facilities in the Colorado River Basin, and for other purposes (Kelly);
- S. 4233, to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to provide for critical maintenance and repair of certain Bureau of Reclamation reserved or transferred works, and for other purposes (Barrasso); and
- S. 4236, to provide for a national water data framework, to provide for the water security of the Rio Grande Basin, to reauthorize irrigation infrastructure grants, and for other purposes. (Heinrich/Lujan).
Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the U.S. Agency for International Development
Chair: Chris Coons (D-Del.)
Witness- Samantha Power, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
- Increases USAID and State Programming to address the Climate Crisis to $2.3 billion. This includes over $1.6 billion in direct USAID and Department of State programming for climate mitigation and adaptation and over $650 million in programming across development sectors—including water, health and health security, and agriculture—that provides significant climate co-benefits. This level will more than double USAID implemented programs and dramatically expand the scale and geographic reach of USAID’s programs to increase climate action through investments in renewable energy and the conservation, restoration and management of land that captures and stores carbon.
Reauthorization and Reform of the National Flood Insurance Program
- Carolyn Kousky, Executive Director, Wharton Risk Center
- Karen McHugh, Missouri State NFIP Coordinator
- Ariel Rivera-Miranda, Founder and Agency Principal, Deer Insurance
- Roy Wright, President & CEO, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
- H.R. , the “The National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2022.” (Rep. Waters)
- H.R. 7842, the “The Protecting Families and the Solvency of the National Flood Insurance Program Act of 2022.” (Rep. Casten)
- H.R. , the “The National Flood Insurance Program Administrative Reform Act of 2022.” (Rep. Velázquez)
- H.R. , a bill to cancel the indebtedness of the National Flood Insurance Program, and for other purposes. (Rep. Waters)
- H.R. , a bill to limit the annual increases in premiums and surcharges under the National Flood Insurance Program, and for other purposes.
The last long-term reauthorization of the NFIP occurred when Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12), which was subsequently amended by the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA). Since the end of fiscal year (FY) 2017, the NFIP has had 19 short-term reauthorizations and has even experienced brief lapses. According to the National Association of Realtors, an estimated 40,000 home sales are lost or interrupted every month that the NFIP’s authority lapses. The NFIP’s authorization is currently set to expire on September 30, 2022. In the event of a lapse, the NFIP will be unable to enter into new flood insurance contracts, which will lead to widespread market instability due to the stalling of mortgage processing for homes that are statutorily required to have flood insurance.
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included $3.5 billion for flood mitigation and $500 million in grants to states for revolving loans for hazard mitigation through a new program called the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act. On November 19, 2021, the House passed the Build Back Better Act, which includes provisions to forgive the NFIP’s $20.5 billion in debt and invests $600 million in setting up an affordability program for low-income policyholders, as well as $600 million toward updating flood maps. According to FEMA, the NFIP saves the nation an estimated $1.87 billion annually in flood losses avoided because of the NFIP’s building and floodplain management regulations.
Until 2021, FEMA had not updated its methodology for setting NFIP premium rates since the 1970s, when it adopted a risk rating method that accounts only for the 1% annual chance of fluvial and coastal flooding. In coordination with the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Geological Survey, and other experts, FEMA has now developed a new risk rating methodology, known as Risk Rating 2.0 (RR2). RR2 went into effect for new policyholders on October 1, 2021, and for new policyholders on April 1, 2022. RR2 is designed to more accurately “reflect an individual property’s risk, reflect more types of flood risk in rates, use the latest actuarial practices to set risk-based rates, provide rates that are easier to understand for agents and policyholders, and reduce complexity for agents to generate a flood insurance quote.”
Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency
The FEMA FY2023 budget request is $29.5 billion.
The Homeland Security Act, as amended by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, directs FEMA to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other disasters through a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation. As of January 2022, FEMA employed more than 22,000 personnel – including term and intermittent employees – to carry out the Agency’s mission.
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) authorizes the Federal government to provide assistance to State, territorial, and local governments, tribal nations, eligible private nonprofit organizations, and individuals affected by an incident that receives a Presidential major disaster or emergency declaration.
The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA, Division D of P.L. 115-254) includes reforms to improve FEMA’s ability to carry out its mission and better prepare the nation for disasters. FEMA continues to make progress implementing its provisions.
FEMA also delivers the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), pre-disaster and post-disaster mitigation grant programs, flood mapping, disaster planning, exercise management and coordination, urban search and rescue coordination, the Homeland Security Grant Program, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, and other grants, training, and exercise programs.
The FY 2023 President’s Budget includes increased funding for programs and activities that support the goals outlined in the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan:
Civil Rights and Reasonable Accommodation Services and Support ($3.9M, 3 FTE)
Funds enable the Office of Equal Rights to enforce and ensure compliance with FEMA’s civil rights responsibilities and proactively and comprehensively respond to civil rights complaints filed by disaster survivors and members of the public regarding FEMA programs.
Privacy Organization Program ($2.0M, 4 FTE)
FEMA will significantly advance its Privacy Program by expanding participation and customer support for FEMA operations and State, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) stakeholders to enhance privacy compliance and bolster privacy safeguards during rapid-paced response and recovery efforts. FEMA will use an additional $2.2M from DRF carryover balances to support this program in FY 2023 for a total increase of $4.2M.
Regional Steady-State Interagency Coordination ($2.0M, 12 FTE)
Funds will assist FEMA in providing more equitable investment in disadvantaged communities and aid underserved and marginalized communities to develop the structures, relationships, and planning processes that promote equitable access to recovery resources post-disaster. FEMA will also focus SLTT capacity building to mitigate existing gaps in steady-State services and resources to communities.
Flood Hazard Mapping and Risk Analysis ($74.5M)
The Budget includes an additional $74.5M to further FEMA’s inventory of maps showing future conditions for a program total of $507.7M. These funds may also be used to support the Federal Flood Risk Mitigation Standard (FFRMS) and its climate-informed science activities with the purpose of preparing for future flood conditions.
Equitable Investment in Risk Reduction ($5.0M, 12 FTE)
Funding will support sustained and equitable investment in risk reduction through catalyzing community partnerships. Funds will also support creation of efficiencies and increase capabilities within FEMA’s Regional and program offices that assist our SLTT partners, while maximizing all available resources across three key assistance programs – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, National Dam Safety Program, and BRIC grant programs.
Flood Hazard Mapping and Floodplain Management Expansion ($4.3M, 30 FTE)
Funding for the NFIP will allow the program to be staffed to complete the mapping projects initiated to deliver credible, up-to-date flood hazard information to communities and to manage development in a way that reduces flood losses, equitably reduces disaster suffering, encourages nature-based solutions and builds community resilience.
FY 2023 Major Disaster Estimate ($19.7B, 9,010 FTE) The Budget reflects a major disaster allocation totaling $19.7B to address ongoing Stafford Act disasters. The FY 2023 requirement includes more than $941.0M over the FY 2022 Budget for the response to COVID-19 and other recovery projects. Cost estimates are derived from spend plans prepared by FEMA Regions working with affected states and localities for ongoing catastrophic disasters, historical average of obligations for non-catastrophic disasters, allocation for BRIC, and a reserve to ensure FEMA maintains the ability to fund initial response operations for new significant events.
Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC) ($53.0M)
MWEOC has 565 acres and is a national asset providing resilient infrastructure, facilities, logistics support, communications, operations centers, and support personnel for a wide variety of vital government functions. It supports 30 plus different departments and agencies’ continuity missions. FY 2023 funds support facilities construction and modernization projects at the site.
Emergency Food and Shelter Program – Humanitarian Relief ($24.0M)
The Budget includes an increase of $24.0M to provide critical resources to migrants crossing the southern border and communities providing humanitarian relief to the thousands of families and individuals that do so, as well as any other humanitarian crisis that may arise. Funds will support providing food, shelter, transportation, COVID-19 testing, and care associated with recommended quarantining and isolation of this population.
Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Revitalization ($8.0M, 4 FTE) To advance the Administration priorities of climate resilience and equity, EMI Revitalization will modernize e-Campus systems, expand satellite partnerships, streamline course catalog, develop executive crisis leadership program, and facilitate emergency management thought leadership. This work will transform EMI to a National Emergency Management college, continuing EMI’s 70-year history of educating and training the national security workforce to meet the current risks of climate change and other emergent, persistent, and frequent hazards.
Support for Incident Management (IM) Workforce ($6.4M, 37 FTE)
This increase funds information technology and human capital specialists needed to recruit, hire, equip, and support a significant expansion of FEMA’s IM Workforce. Funding will also support non-pay costs associated with hiring, training, and equipping of incident management workforce enabling FEMA to successfully execute its disaster response and recovery functions. FEMA will use an additional $10.0M from DRF carryover balances to support the IM Workforce for a total increase of $16.4M.
Non-Stafford Act Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) ($4.3M, 21 FTE)
Funds will provide FEMA with a ready-made capability to support the growing number of contingencies related to complex incidents that are not related to a specific disaster declaration under the Stafford Act.
Federal Electric Vehicle Battery Management, Federal Firefighter Compensation, FEMA Turnover, and Other Legislation
A business meeting to consider the following legislation:
- S.4000, to require the establishment of cybersecurity information sharing agreements between the Department of Homeland Security and Congress
- S.4128, to require the Comptroller General of the United States to provide certain information with respect to unimplemented priority recommendations as part of the Comptroller General’s annual reporting to Congress
- S.4166, to authorize preparedness programs to support communities containing technological hazards and emerging threats
- S.471, to allow Members of Congress to opt out of the Federal Employees Retirement System, and allow Members who opt out of the Federal Employees Retirement System to continue to participate in the Thrift Savings Plan,
- S.4057, to develop a comprehensive, strategic plan for Federal electric vehicle fleet battery management
- S.3905, to prevent organizational conflicts of interest in Federal acquisition
- S.3890, to improve intergovernmental cooperation and reduce duplicative spending
- S.4167, to improve performance and accountability in the Federal Government
- S.3552, to provide an increased allocation of funding under certain programs for assistance in areas of persistent poverty
- S.1116, to amend chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, to create a presumption that a disability or death of a Federal employee in fire protection activities caused by any of certain diseases is the result of the performance of such employees duty
- S.4205, to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a working group relating to best practices and Federal guidance for animals in emergencies and disasters
- H.R.5673, to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to make technical corrections to the hazard mitigation revolving loan fund program
- H.R.5343, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a report to Congress on case management personnel turnover of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
- H.R.2142, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 170 Manhattan Avenue in Buffalo, New York, as the “Indiana Hunt-Martin Post Office Building”
- an original bill entitled, “DHS Trade and Economic Security Council Act”
- an original bill entitled, “Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act”
The nomination hearing for Biniam Gebre, of Virginia, to be Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, which had been originally scheduled for the previous week, was announced for this date but then postponed again without notice.