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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />PPOO-23 <br /> <br />Richard Zingarelli, Program Manager <br />MA Flood Hazard Management Program <br />Dept. of Environmental Management <br />100 Cambridge Street <br />Boston, Massachusetts 02202 <br />(508) 820-1447 <br />RichardZingarelli@state.ma.us <br /> <br />A SURVEY: HOW DO STATES FUND MITIGATION PROJECfS? <br /> <br />The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is facing a challenge in effectively promoting and <br />implementing hazard mitigation in a time oflimited resources. Wetlands and other environmental <br />regulations, the state building code, and local zoning ordinances generally result in new <br />construction being conducted in a low-risk manner; however, there remains a sizeable installed <br />base of at-risk structures. Over 2000 structures are listed in the Federal Emergency Management <br />Agency's records as having had two or more flood insurance claims since 1978. An aging and at <br />times inadequately maintained infrastructure, including dams, seawalls, levees, river channels, and <br />storm drainage systems, poses an increased risk to this installed base. The challenge is to develop <br />effective hazard mitigation programs to support projects which will reOuce'risk, either through <br />repair or enhancement of the existing mitigative infrastructure, or by providing mitigation <br />measures directly to at-risk structures. <br /> <br />Federal funding for hazard mitigation programs has been limited and, due to the nature of <br />federally declared disasters, sporadic. Approximately $20 million has been made available in <br />federal hazard mitigation grant funding since 1991, but more than three-fourths of that funding <br />resulted from the disaster declaration in 1996. The only pre-disaster mitigation grant funding <br />received on a regular basis is FEMA's Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, which provides <br />approximately $400,000 annually in mitigation planning and project grants for the entire <br />Commonwealth. <br /> <br />It has become increasingly apparent that state and local programs must provide the foundation for <br />an effective hazard mitigation program. However, state and local community budgets are <br />typically stretched to the limit, and legislatures are not currently looking favorably on establishing <br />new taxes or other revenue sources for "discretionary" programs such as hazard mitigation. To <br />help us in identifYing potential mitigation funding sources, our office conducted a survey of other <br />states, through the Association of State Floodplain Managers. The survey was brief and direct: <br />How Does Your State Fund Mitigation Projects? We asked states what programs or methods <br />they use to obtain a steady funding stream for mitigation projects, whether taxes, surcharges or <br />fees, direct legislative appropriation, or other methods. <br /> <br />Replies were received from 17 states describing a wide variety of programs. A summary of the <br />survey responses will be provided, and representative programs will be described in some detail. It <br />is our hope that the panel and audience discussion will provide additional information on these <br />and other programs that are currently in use or could be implemented for the first time to promote <br />hazard mitigation. <br />