Bruce Ritchie
A national news publication is reporting that a federal agency is making it tougher for governors including Rick Scott of Florida to deny man-made climate change.
Early this month, the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection under Scott had an unwritten policy against employees discussing climate change and sea level rise. Scott denied there was such a policy.
Now Inside Climate News, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for national reporting, says the Federal Emergency Management Agency will approve disaster preparedness funds only for states whose governors approve hazard mitigation plans that address climate change.
“This may put several Republican governors who maintain the earth isn’t warming due to human activities, or prefer to do nothing about it, into a political bind. Their position may block their states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA funds,” Inside Climate News reports. “Over the past five years, the agency has awarded an average $1 billion a year in grants to states and territories for taking steps to mitigate the effects of disasters.”
Inside Climate News cited the report about the unwritten policy on discussing climate change at DEP and said Scott’s office did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
A state Division of Emergency Management spokesman told Floridapolitics.com on Wednesday that Florida has an Enhanced State Mitigation Plan that is effective from 2013 to 2018.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has insisted there was no policy against discussing climate change and sea level rise. Scott has responded that he is focused on taking action on environmental issues.
“At our Department of Environmental Protection, there are lots of conversations about this issue,” Scott said after a March 10 Cabinet meeting. “From my standpoint like every issue, my goal is instead of talking about it let’s do something about it.”
The Department of Economic Opportunity maintains a website dealing with adaptation to sea level rise.
Bruce Ritchie (@bruceritchie) covers environment, energy and growth management in Tallahassee.
