Congressman Jason Crow Announces Bipartisan Climate Legislation Modeled After Colorado Resiliency Office
Statement
Crow Held Local Press Conference Highlighting Benefits for Coloradans
Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06) today announced new bipartisan legislation to empower states to address the climate crisis. Crow, joined by Congressman David Rouzer (R-NC-07), introduced the CLEAR Act this week, which authorizes a new grant program for states & tribes to create and maintain resilience offices and implement plans to address climate-caused risks and other vulnerabilities. The bill was inspired by the Colorado Resiliency Office, which was established in 2013 and codified in statute in 2018. The office coordinates with local communities and other partners to integrate resilience into planning and recovery efforts across Colorado.
Today Congressman Crow was joined by Anne Miller, Director of the Colorado Resiliency Office, Chris Markuson, Western States Director for BlueGreen Alliance, and Louisville Mayor Ashley Stolzmann in highlighting the benefits of the bill at a local press event at Cherry Creek State Park.
"A lot of people talk about the climate crisis like it's something happening in the future -- but what we know in Colorado is that it's happening now. As we navigate floods, fires, drought, and poor air quality, we are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. The CLEAR Act will provide resources and funding for states around the country to make communities more resilient," said Congressman Crow. "This is not only something we have to do for the health and safety of our families, but it's an economic imperative -- we are spending tens of billions of dollars across America to combat the effects of the climate crisis. I'm proud to have introduced this bill on a bipartisan basis with my friend Rep. David Rouzer to make sure we're being proactive, spending money in a smart way, and saving money on the back-end."
"Residents of Southeastern North Carolina know too well the devastating impacts that natural disasters can inflict on a community," said Congressman. Rouzer. "That's why it's essential to have infrastructure and programs in place to proactively identify risks and vulnerabilities to better prepare for and respond to natural disasters when they inevitably occur. I'm pleased to join my colleague, Congressman Jason Crow, to introduce legislation that will support proactive resilience against powerful storms and enable stronger recoveries for all of our disaster-affected citizens and communities."
The CLEAR Act has garnered wide support, including from BlueGreen Alliance, Conservation Colorado, League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Resilience Force, American Federation of Teachers, and Center for Planning Excellence.
Crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly extreme weather events from the impacts of climate change underscore the importance of proactive community resilience. Resilient communities have infrastructure in place to prepare for and respond to disruptions, and mitigate impacts on working families. By proactively integrating resilience into policies, planning, and programs, we can position communities to better prevent, respond to, and withstand these shocks, and build back better afterwards.
The CLEAR Act authorizes $200 million each year for six years to make 2-year grants to states and Tribes for the purposes of maintaining and operating resilience offices.
In order to be eligible, the state or Tribe must develop a resiliency framework, to be updated every five years, to identify the current and projected risks and vulnerabilities in the following areas: environment, natural hazards, economy, infrastructure, housing, and health and social services.
Grant funding can be used for:
Establishing or maintaining a resiliency office
Implementing resilience programming
Developing resilience planning and analytic tools
Providing technical assistance to local governments or state and Tribal agencies. Funds can also be subgranted to local governments.
Priority shall be given to state applications that:
Identify risks in disadvantaged communities and prioritize projects to benefit these communities and promote equity in resilience
Demonstrate a broad approach to resilience, mirroring the Colorado definition of resilience
Demonstrate stakeholder engagement through formation of an advisory task force, to be comprised of individuals representing:
Disadvantaged communities
Labor and workforce development
Tribal nations
Local governments
Relevant sectors, including individuals with public health expertise and climate-related preparedness expertise
"Climate change is already here and impacting communities across the nation. It is absolutely critical that we take steps to better prepare ourselves for the worsening effects still to come. We are happy to endorse the proactive policies in the CLEAR Act and thank Rep. Crow for his leadership on this important issue," said BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh
"The CLEAR Act recognizes that training the resilience workforce is critical to preparing for climate change. We applaud Rep. Crow and the co-sponsors for helping communities build resilience for the climate disasters that could come any day." Saket Soni, Executive Director, Resilience Force.
"Climate change is real, it's affecting our communities, and it requires immediate, decisive action to protect future generations. But as we consider the most effective responses, it's important to recognize that states facing flooding and hurricanes will require different strategies and action than states facing wildfires and droughts. The key to finding sustainable climate solutions is to work collaboratively across the impacted community, engaging not just the usual suspects but also working people and disadvantaged and marginalized populations who have a vested interest in mitigating the effects of climate change, since they will be the ones most affected. Working together, we can identify needs and build communities that are more prepared to address inevitable climate change-related challenges. Rep. Jason Crow's bill gives states the tools and resources they need to initiate more-equitable conversations about climate change, which in turn will help create more-effective solutions to this crisis that affects us all," said Randi Weingarten, AFT President.
"Many communities impacted by climate disasters are the same ones already overburned with racial and environmental justice problems. The CLEAR Act encourages prioritizing those communities and for them to be at the forefront of our response to the climate crisis," said Pedro Cruz, Acting Director of Healthy Communities Campaign for Sierra Club.
"LCV is proud to offer our support for Rep. Crow's CLEAR Act, a proactive piece of legislation designed to help communities across the country protect their homes and neighborhoods from climate change-fueled extreme weather events, " said League of Conservation Voters Government Affairs Advocate Art Terrazas. "More than 40 percent of people in the U.S. were hit by climate disasters in 2021 and we must take all steps necessary to prevent additional catastrophic damage. Rep. Crow's legislation should also be recognized for setting aside dedicated funding for resiliency programs in tribal communities which are especially negatively impacted by climate change."
"Provisions such as those outlined in the CLEAR Act help create the connections between state and local agencies needed to build shared understanding and capacity to advance resilience-building strategies at all scales. Being on the frontline of climate change, ensuring resilience is crucial to Louisiana's economy, environment, and communities. That is why, beginning in 2020, Louisiana appointed a Chief Resilience Officer and Resilience Coordinators at each state agency to help ensure that leadership at all levels of our government is committed to developing systems and structures that support the adaptation and mitigation needed to advance resilience for ALL of our people,"said Jeannette Dubinin, Director of Resilience and Adaptation for CPEX.
See more info on the bill here. See full text of the billhere.
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