Natural Disaster Response

49 posts

A Coastal Conundrum: Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act and Coastal Insurance Policy

by CCCL Intern Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act just two months before Sandy scoured the northeast, and “requires rates to rise 25 percent annually on some repeatedly flooded houses, second homes and businesses,” and on properties where the costs imposed by past floods exceed the property’s selling […]

Panel Provides Insight on Challenges, Opportunities, and Legal Issues in Coastal Managed Retreat

Five months after Superstorm Sandy, the recovering northeast region continues to debate whether to rebuild in the most vulnerable coastal areas or whether to retreat and leave those lands as protective buffers.   A decision to engage in managed retreat would face significant legal, political, and practical challenges, but, according to […]

EPA Water Pollutant Discharge Rules Rely on Antiquated Rainfall Maps

By Shawna Ganley. While the Clean Water Act prohibits discharge of pollutants into waterways, EPA regulations make exceptions for certain discharges in the event of extreme weather events, such as 10-year and 25-year storms.  These exceptions run the gamut from toxic pollutants such as DDT, to waste from factory farm […]

Bloomberg’s Post-Sandy Redevelopment Program – Not a Buyout Program

by Anne Siders WNYC radio announced this morning that Mayor Bloomberg, as part of his post-Sandy recovery effort, is considering purchasing waterfront homes that were damaged by Sandy.   The plan would use some portion of the $1.8 billion in Community Development Block Grant funding that has been earmarked for New […]

In Sandy’s Wake, CCCL and Supporters Petition New York PSC to Require Utility Hazard Mitigation Plans

A coalition of energy, environmental and community interest organizations, led by Center for Climate Change Law, filed a formal petition with the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) requesting that the commission use its regulatory authority to require all utility companies within its jurisdiction to prepare and implement comprehensive natural […]

Seven Italian Scientists Charged With Manslaughter For Failing To Predict 2009 Earthquake, Sentenced to Six Years Prison

Monday, a regional Italian court convicted six scientists and a government official of manslaughter for failing to adequately warn local residents prior to the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake that killed 309 people.   Defendants have been sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay 7.8 million euros ($10.2 million) in […]