Amendment ID: S2196-11-R1

Redraft Amendment 11

Guaranteeing an Effective Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program

Mr. Tarr moves to amend the bill in Section 1 by striking out lines 154- 172, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following words:-

“Section 7. The secretary of energy and environmental affairs shall develop and support a municipal vulnerability preparedness grant program. The program shall consist of: (i) financial assistance to municipalities to complete a community-led resilience building process and vulnerability assessment report that enables climate change information and adaptation actions to be directly incorporated into existing municipal plans, policies, and spending programs; (ii) technical planning guidance to increase resilience in municipalities through climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation strategy development; and (iii) a statewide catalogue of municipal climate vulnerabilities and impacts identified through the assessment process that may be incorporated into the state plan. The grants shall be used to advance efforts to adapt land use, zoning, infrastructure, financial decision-making, policies and programs to reduce the vulnerability of the built and natural environment to changing environmental conditions that are a result of climate change. The secretary of energy and environmental affairs shall develop and implement an outreach and education program about climate change and its effects for low-income and urban communities to increase participation in the grant program. The department of energy resources may make available funding from monies collected pursuant to section 22 of chapter 21A with payments from the Fund being prioritized so that the first payments from the Fund shall be made under this section.

The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program shall include but not be limited to: (i) a climate vulnerability assessment and adaptation strategy development that identifies both municipal vulnerabilities and strengths; (ii) a demonstrated understanding of municipal characteristics, including environmental and socioeconomic characteristics; and (iii) prioritization of protecting identified inland and coastal vulnerable locations not yet built upon.

Municipalities that successful complete of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program shall achieve designation as an “MVP Community.”  Designated MVP communities may be entitled to advanced standing in state grant programs and shall be required to track adaptation and resiliency efforts to maintain their designation.” ;and further in Section 2 by striking lines 217-219, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following words:-

“SECTION 2.  Funds shall be expended from item 2000-7070 of section 2A of chapter 286 of the acts of 2014 for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program established in section 7 of chapter 21P of the General Laws.”.