[ad_1]
BOSTON — The Healey administration is proposing the creation of a disaster relief fund as the costs to state and local governments from climate-induced storms continue to rise.
The $56.1 billion interim budget that Gov. Maura Healey submitted to the state Legislature two weeks ago includes directing a portion of excess capital gains taxes to a new Disaster Relief Resilience Fund to speed up the flow of public assistance. A proposal was included to repurpose it. To areas hit by disasters.
“We need it now more than ever,” Healy said in a recent interview. “Our cities and towns are being ravaged by storm damage, and we must come together and find ways to help them.”
According to the Healey administration, Massachusetts is one of two states without a permanent disaster relief fund.
Healey said he does not intend to use the state’s reserve fund or “rainy day” fund, which is expected to reach a record $8 billion this year, as a disaster fund.
Lawmakers who must approve Healey’s budget generally support the disaster fund proposal, saying the effects of climate change on storms are impacting the strained budgets of many local governments.
“The challenge is we don’t know when the next storm is going to hit,” said state Sen. Barry Feingold (D-Andover), who supports the move. “The truth is, it’s not a question of if the next big storm will hit your state or region, but when.”
He said the new fund’s focus should be on protecting roads, bridges and public infrastructure, not as a replacement for property and casualty insurance.
“We don’t want it to replace insurance,” Feingold said. “It has to be a fund of last resort.”
Last month, the Healey government released $10 million in disaster relief funding to communities affected by last year’s floods. The money comes from the supplemental budget signed by Healey in December. An additional $5 million will be distributed this spring to cities and towns affected by September’s storms.
Locally, several Essex County communities received funds through the disaster relief program, including Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen and Andover.
Healey said the state will increase funding for local government vulnerability programs by 35% this year. His additional $7 million in funding will help communities plan, design and build nature-based solutions to inland flooding.
As scientists issue increasingly dire warnings about rising sea levels, excessive heat and powerful storms, state leaders are looking for ways to protect their communities from the worst effects of climate change. said. Approximately 93% of the state’s communities participate in the grant program.
Despite record levels of grants, there was still not enough funding to meet demand.
The state received 153 grant applications totaling more than $50.8 million in 2023, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs. He awarded $31.5 million to 109 projects.
The state Office of Coastal Zone Management also has a grant program that provides limited funding to local communities to strengthen their coastlines against climate-induced storms.
In 2022, the program awarded approximately $12.6 million in grants to approximately 30 resiliency projects in coastal areas including Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Marblehead.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts State House in the North for Boston Media Group newspapers and websites. Email cwade@cnhinews.com.
[ad_2]
Source link
