FEMA to Deny Funding to Climate Change Deniers

Brad Fox | March 23, 2015
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making a big statement (policy) about its whole-hearted belief in man-made climate change. Starting next year, governors who do not have hazard mitigation plans that specifically include climate change (or global warming) will not receive disaster relief funds from FEMA. 

Governors who do not believe humans are detrimental to the planet will not have access to the billion dollars a year that FEMA has been handing out. 

"If a state has a climate denier governor that doesn't want to accept a plan, that would risk mitigation work not getting done because of politics," said Becky Hammer, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council's water program. "The governor would be increasing the risk to citizens in that state" because of his climate beliefs, wrote Philly Inquirer
 

Luckily, this funding doesn't include federal relief after a hurricane, food, or other natural disaster. 

This could potentially become a major conflict for several Republican governors," said Barry Rabe, an expert on the politics of climate change at the University of Michigan. "We aren't just talking about coastal states."

Climate change affects droughts, rainfall, and tornado activity. Fracking is being linked to more earthquakes, he said. "This could affect state leaders across the country, also writes the Philly.com. 

Chris Christie (R-NJ), Rick Scott (R-FL), Gregg Abbott (R-TX), Pat McCrory (R-NC), and Bobby Jindal (R-LA) are all prominent governors who could be in trouble. Could it be a political response to Govorner Scott banning the phrase climate change with this report coming the day after? What is certain is that officials in FEMA and many governmental agencies believe hazardous weather is directly related to climate change, which is of course, related to how states respond to it. 

Louisiana, Texas, and New Jersey were all in the top four recipients of FEMA funding between 2010 and 2014.
 

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