Dear Chairs Paul and Graves and Ranking Members Peters and Larsen:
The undersigned organizations —representing leaders from business, conservation, environment, and open space interests, as well as state and local government—urge you to prioritize resilience and preparedness as you advance your committee’s legislative agendas.
To build smart, modern, and resilient infrastructure, communities and companies alike require the resources and technologies needed to assess and address natural and manmade hazards. A recent study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Allstate and the U.S. Chamber Foundation, concludes that for every $1 invested in predisaster mitigation and preparedness, there are $13 in reduced losses and economic savings.[1]
We were pleased to see the President’s Executive Order on state and local preparedness included a national resilience strategy, and we believe legislation will provide additional structure and ensure greater durability. The following are principles we recommend for your consideration:
- Affirm the importance of a federal role in making investments in preparedness and disaster response and recovery. The federal government is able to align and leverage the resources of all levels of government to help ensure a more effective and efficient approach to tackling the growing risks to our communities.
- Include resilience policies in any upcoming disaster supplemental to prepare for the next crises, with a particular emphasis on the urgent need for improved wildfire resilience policies and approaches.
- Increase efficiency and elevate resilience as a national priority by establishing a chief resilience officer to be housed at either the National Security Council (as in the Executive Order), at an appropriate lead agency as called for in national disaster declarations, or at FEMA. A chief resilience officer could oversee interagency coordination, oversight, and the development of a national resilience strategy.
- Provide meaningful funding for preparedness and pre- and postdisaster mitigation and response (e.g., retrofitting older homes, structures, and infrastructure; updating the most recent editions of building/construction codes; restoration activities; and/or watershed infrastructure).
- Promote incentives, including tax credits for individuals and small businesses, for resilience measures and expenses, and creating parity between state and federal tax treatment of predisaster grant funding for all consumers.
- Offer public and private technical assistance, increased clarity, and greater coordination among state, federal, and private sector resources to help access predisaster mitigation funding. These efforts would also increase access to public data and private sector expertise to improve and accelerate project implementation for the most vulnerable, at-risk communities, so economies recover more quickly.
Resilience is, simply put, good public policy to save lives, protect infrastructure, and bolster our natural resources and advance our economy.
Please contact Chuck Chaitovitz with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce if you have questions, or please feel free to contact any of our organizations.
Sincerely,
Alliance for Global Water Adaptation
American Council of Engineering Companies
American Property Casualty Insurance Association
American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Landscape Architects
Association of State Floodplain Managers, Inc.
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
City Parks Alliance
Ecological Restoration Business Association
Future Proofing America Collaborative Geos Institute
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
International Code Council
Interstate Council on Water Policy
Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative
National Association of Counties
National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies
National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
National Hazard Mitigation Association
National League of Cities
National Recreation and Park Association
Reinsurance Association of America
The Nature Conservancy
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Conference of Mayors
cc:
Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee
Members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
[1] https://www.uschamber.com/security/the-preparedness-payoff-the-economic-benefits-of-investing-in-climate-resilience
