Record Extreme Weather Disasters Spur Mitigation Windfall In Omnibus

"The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill President Trump signed last week includes a record amount of funding to prepare communities for future extreme weather events that scientists say are being exacerbated by the impacts of global warming.

Republicans have been reluctant to discuss the role of climate change in fueling recent natural disasters, but there has been growing consensus that long-term recovery plans should address "future risks." And now lawmakers are putting taxpayer money where their mouth is.

The fiscal 2018 package includes $249 million for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program (PDM), which is an appropriation three times the average annual amount over the past 15 years."

Arianna Skibell reports for Greenwire March 27, 2018.