Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program Katie Theoharides, Assistant Secretary of Climate Change October 2017
Overview 1. Executive Order 569 2. Climate Strategy 3. Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program 2
Executive Order 569: An Integrated Climate Change Strategy for the Commonwealth Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change Protecting life, property, natural resources and our economy from the impacts of climate change 3 3
I. Climate Strategy Vision Lead the nation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and safeguarding our Commonwealth from the impacts of climate change through citizen engagement, science, and cost-effective policy. Clean Energy & Climate Plan Energy Legislation 3D Regs GWSA NEG/ECP EO 569 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program Statewide Climate Projections State Climate Adaptation Plan RGGI U.S. Climate Alliance State Agency Vulnerability Assessments Mitigation Green Communities Coastal Resiliency Grants Adaptation 4
I. Climate Strategy GOALS 1. Reduce emissions 25% below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 while continuing to grow the economy 2. Protect life, property, natural resources, and the economy from climate change impacts and extreme events Mitigation Adaptation 5
I. Climate Strategy Principles Use the best science to track climate change impacts, develop solutions, and employ metrics Employ consistent, cost-effective, and outcome oriented policy solutions Government leads by example Utilize partnerships, leverage existing resources, engage diverse stakeholders, and coordinate within and outside MA 6
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II. Report on Progress Transportation Listening Sessions **Tuesday, October 31 st at 9AM for the Boston session (Secretary Beaton& Pollack) Thursday, November 2 nd at 5PM for the Worcester session (Secretary Pollack & Beaton) **Monday, November 6 th AM, Umass-Amherst (Secretary Beaton) Thursday, November 9 th, 6pm, Brockton (Secretary Pollack) Themes: 1. State and regional policies to reduce transportation sector emissions 2. Strategies to increase deployment of zero-emission vehicles 3. Infrastructure resiliency 4. Environmental justice populations, low-income and rural drivers 8
II. Report on Progress Adaptation Highlights: State Plan (www.resilientma.com) Integrated Plan: First in the nation Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation plan Vulnerability Assessments: State agency vulnerability assessments will begin in October 2017 and will inform state plan Climate coordinators: Each Executive Branch Secretary has designated a CC. CC s are responsible for leading vulnerability assessments and incorporating state plan into agency operations, policies and programs Stakeholders: In 6 months over 200 stakeholders have been directly involved in plan development with more to come. Thank you for sending your staff! Mainstreaming climate change: Throughout planning, focus is on utilizing staff and resources that already exist and incorporating climate change into current planning, budgeting, and policy frameworks 9
II. Report on Progress Adaptation Highlight: Climate Data Climate science to inform state and municipal planning Northeast Climate Science Center Peer reviewed and stakeholder vetted Climate data forms the basis for understanding vulnerability Open Access Science-based tools to understand risk Vulnerability assessments Mass Climate Change Clearinghouse will allow climate data to be overlaid with other spatial and non-spatial datasets 10
DRAFT NOT FOR 11
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Climate Data 13
Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) State and local partnership to build resiliency to climate change 1. Engage Community 2. Identify CC impacts and hazards 3. Complete assessment of vulnerabilities & strengths 4. Develop and prioritize actions 5. Take Action
Empowering Communities & Informing Statewide Action Community-led process that employs local knowledge Accessibility Partnerships and leveraging existing efforts Mainstream climate change Communities as local innovators Frame coordinated statewide efforts. 1. Engage Community 2. Identify CC impacts and hazards 3. Complete Assessment of Vulnerabilities & Strengths 4. Develop & Prioritize Actions 5. Take Action
DRAFT NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
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IV. MVP Program Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program 2017-2018 20% of cities and towns, $1.1 million 18
www.communityresiliencebuilding.com
Tried, tested and trusted by over 100 communities Anywhere at Any Scale approach Large/Small; Urban/Rural; Wealthy/Disadvantaged Local/Clusters/Region(s); State/Federal Agencies Unique community-driven process Partners/Stakeholders Municipalities, Businesses, Academia, NGOs, etc. Wildfire, drought, flooding, heat, hurricanes, tornado, earthquakes, etc. Safety, Health, Sustainability, Equity, etc. www.communityresiliencebuilding.com
Community Resilience Building in 100 moves 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 permutations (43 quintillion)
Participatory Mapping Examples
Nuts and Bolts: 2017-2018 Responses to the RFR for communities may be submitted by any Massachusetts municipality or groups of municipalities All projects are required to provide quarterly reporting as well as a Final Report Next RFR will be open in spring of 2018 (probably April) 25
IV. Criteria MVP Program Eligibility Criteria An in-kind staff time match is required of approximately 80 hours Municipalities must work with a state-certified technical service provider 26
All Proposals Must Provide the Following A signed letter of support from the chair of the board of selectmen, mayor, a town administrator, or similar city or town official; A short statement of the community s commitment to taking on this grant and planning for the impacts of climate change in the city or town; The name of a qualified employee of the municipality, committee member or volunteer who can serve as the local project manager and point of contact for the grant; A summary of community support and any project partners and letters of support A description of any ongoing planning efforts such as local hazard mitigation plans, open space plans, master plans, etc.; A description of any ongoing climate-change related projects within the community or region; 27
Workshops In the workshop approximately 30 town staff, residents and volunteers will work to: Understand connections between ongoing community issues, hazards, and local planning and actions in the municipalities Identify and map vulnerabilities and strengths Develop and prioritize actions and clearly delineated next steps Identify opportunities to advance actions that further reduce the impact of hazards and increase resilience across and within municipalities. 28
MVP contracts REPORT: All workshop outputs and background materials must be compiled into an easily accessible Community Resilience Building final report or summary of findings, based on a template provided by the state. LISTENING SESSIONS: As an immediate next step, each community must complete at least one public listening session with the whole community invited and should have a clearly articulated list of priority next steps and actions and how to implement these. 29
Maintaining MVP Designation Each municipality must provide the Commonwealth with a yearly progress report outlining the steps they have taken towards implementing their priority actions. Steps may include (but are not limited to): 1. applying for grant funding 2. working to implement local changes to policies or bylaws 3. updating existing local plans using the outcomes of the workshop, etc. A progress report template will be provided to the municipality to help them complete this requirement. 30
Thank you Kathleen.Theoharides@state.ma.us https://www.mass.gov/municipal-vulnerabilitypreparedness-program www.resilientma.com www.communityresiliencebuilding.com 31