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.
Starting points:
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.
The purpose of this
hearing
is to receive testimony on the following bills:
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).
Samantha Power, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International
Development
The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Budget
Request
for the State Department and the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) is $60.4 billion, which includes $29.4 billion for
USAID fully and partially managed accounts,
$1.7 billion (6 percent) above the FY 2022
Request.
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.
Senate Appropriations Committee
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee
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
Legislation:
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.”
House Financial Services Committee
Housing, Community Development and Insurance Subcommittee
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.
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.
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.
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
