Issue Category: Environmental Health

The Nation’s Public Health System is at an Inflection Point

New Report Provides the Next Administration and Congress a Policy Roadmap for Improving the Nation’s Health, Economy, and National Security

(October 8, 2024 – Washington, DC) – The public health system—responsible for protecting and promoting health in every community— needs sustained investment, policy support, and protection from political interference, according to a new report released today by Trust for America’s Health.

The report, Pathway to a Healthier America: A Blueprint for Strengthening Public Health for the Next Administration and Congress, identifies six priority areas and includes policy recommendations that, if adopted, will improve health outcomes and bolster the nation’s economic and national security.

Americans are living longer, thanks in part to public health. Public health interventions, such as improved sanitation, enhanced vaccination access and stronger infectious disease control, improved nutrition, tobacco use prevention, and addressing preventable injury, were the largest contributing factors to life expectancy increases over the last century.

However, too many Americans are still suffering from preventable health problems. Over the last few decades, increasing rates of chronic diseases and alarming levels of substance use disorder and suicides threaten the public’s health. Furthermore, weather-related emergencies are occurring more frequently, and population-level health disparities persist.

Public health is at risk on several fronts. Underfunding has weakened the public health infrastructure and its workforce. Mis- and disinformation and politicization have contributed to distrust of public health officials and guidance. Public health’s ability to protect communities is also at risk due to proposed or enacted policies that undermine the role of public health officials or access to preventive healthcare.

“This Blueprint Report provides a roadmap for the Administration and Congress taking office in January to improve the health and well-being of the nation. We know what works in public health and that when Congress and the Administration act in support of public health, the return is improved preparedness and individual and community health and safety,” said J. Nadine Gracia, M.D. MSCE, President and CEO, Trust for America’s Health. “The next Administration and Congress will have an important opportunity to enable all Americans to enjoy optimal health.”

2024 Blueprint Priority Areas and Highlighted Recommendations

This report includes recommendations across six priority areas to protect and strengthen public health, prevention, and our nation’s health security. The following are highlighted recommendations from the report. See the report for the inclusive set of recommendations.

Priority 1: Invest in Infrastructure and Workforce to Ensure Our Public Health System Can Meet the Challenges and Opportunities of the 21st Century.

  • Congress should protect and increase overall funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • Congress should ensure continuous improvement of public health infrastructure.
  • Congress should invest in public health data modernization and enact the Improving DATA in Public Health Act to better detect and contain health threats.
  • Congress and HHS agencies should support efforts to bolster recruitment, retention, and resilience of the public health workforce.

Priority 2: Strengthen Prevention, Readiness, and Response to Health Security Threats.

  • The White House should maintain coordination and leadership around public health emergencies and biodefense, and the White House and Congress should renew the nation’s Global Health Security Commitment.
  • Congress should expand public health emergency preparedness funding for state, tribal, local, and territorial jurisdictions.
  • Congress and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response should strengthen the emergency readiness of the healthcare delivery system.
  • Congress should enact legislation to ensure access to vaccines for uninsured and underinsured adults.
  • Congress should support nationwide efforts to protect against environmental and climate-related health threats, including extreme heat.

Priority 3: Promote the Health and Well-being of Individuals, Families, and Communities Across the Lifespan.

  • Congress should increase funding to CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
  • Congress should enhance benefits in and protect access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and should make healthy school meals for all permanent.
  • Congress should create a national standard requiring employers to provide job-protected paid sick, family, and medical leave for all employees.
  • Congress and HHS should address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by passing the Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences Act and increasing the investment in the CDC ACEs program.
  • Congress should fund the nationwide implementation of CDC’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program and support Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s efforts to bolster the continuum of crisis care.
  • Congress and the Administration should fund CDC’s internal capacity for healthy aging efforts and its support to build and sustain age-friendly public health systems in state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments.

Priority 4: Advance Health Equity by Addressing Structural Discrimination.

  • Federal agencies should regularly update and report progress on agency equity plans, ensuring metrics are inclusive of and extend beyond tracking disparities.
  • Congress and the Administration should ensure accurate and complete data collection to report health-related information by race/ethnicity, age, sex, disability, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and geography.
  • Federal health agencies should focus funding on populations at elevated risk for chronic disease and poor health outcomes due to the impact of structural discrimination and disinvestment.

Priority 5: Address the Non-Medical Drivers of Health to Improve the Nation’s Health Outcomes.

  • Congress should increase funding to $150 million for the Social Determinants of Health program at CDC and pass the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act.
  • The Administration should continue to build on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) efforts to support Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage of patients’ health-related social needs.
  • CMS and Congress should explore opportunities to expand the capacity of healthcare providers and payers to screen and refer individuals to social services.
  • Congress should amend tax laws to increase economic opportunity for families by expanding access to the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.

Priority 6: Enhance and Protect the Scientific Integrity, Effectiveness, and Accountability of the Agencies Charged with Protecting the Health of all Americans.

  • The Administration and Congress should maintain the existing structure of federal health agencies, which have specific roles and expertise in protecting the nation’s health.
  • The Administration should protect the scientific integrity of public health agencies and leaders.
  • Congress and HHS should invest in and prioritize effective public health communications and reducing the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
  • Lawmakers and courts should reject laws that weaken or preempt public health authorities, which could threaten basic public health protections such as outbreak detection, vaccination, and response.

 

Read the full report

Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public health research, policy, and advocacy organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. 

 

 

Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism

The Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report identifies gaps in national and state preparedness to protect residents’ health during emergencies and makes recommendations to strengthen the nation’s public health system and improve emergency readiness. As the nation experiences an increasing number of infectious disease outbreaks and extreme weather events, the report found that while emergency preparedness has improved in some areas, policymakers not heeding the lessons of past emergencies, funding cuts, and health misinformation put decades of progress at risk.

 

Resource:

Ready or Not 2024: State-by-State Factsheets

Mind, Body, and Soul: Supporting Mental Health through Physical Fitness and Sports

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, a designation recognized each year by the President since 1983.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN) are highlighting how physical activity and sports benefit  both physical and mental health.

It is well documented that physical activity and sports participation help prevent chronic diseases, as well as reduce stress, anxiety and promote mental health and well-being.

Obesity and suicide  rates have increased over the last two decades, particularly among youth, certain communities of color, and people living in rural areas. Providing equitable access to safe places and opportunities to be active in every community would give more people the means to improve their health.

Earlier this year, the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition unveiled a landmark partnership with 14 major professional sports leagues and players associations to expand access to physical activity, bolster education on nutrition, and promote healthy lifestyle activities to millions of Americans.

“Every individual and community should have equitable access to opportunities to be physically active. Multisector collaborations, such as among public health, transportation, schools, sports leagues, and community-based organizations will improve access to physical activity for all,” said J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., MSCE, president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health and a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.

Several events are planned throughout the month, including Bike to Work Day on May 17.

Learn more about ways to be physically active by visiting the Move Your Way website.

Navigating Climate-Related Threats to the Public’s Health

The Urgency of Emergency Preparedness in Light of Extreme Weather Events

(August 29, 2023) In the first eight months of 2023, the United States confronted numerous climate challenges, indicating a pivotal moment for the nation and the planet. Hawaii faced the country’s deadliest wildfires in over a century, claiming more than 100 lives and leaving a staggering cost in their wake. In California, storms tested the state’s resilience through floods and mudslides, while in Phoenix, weeks of intense heat threatened its most vulnerable residents. In Vermont, rivers surged past their banks, while haze from Canadian wildfires degraded air quality in more than a dozen states. And all this as the year’s hurricane season is just getting underway.

These events demonstrate the escalating public health threats driven by climate change and the need for public health officials to play a role in addressing them. As global temperatures rise, we are seeing an uptick in heat-related illnesses and even fatalities, especially among individuals who are most at risk. Rising sea levels and intensified storms lead to flooding, which can contaminate drinking water and spread waterborne diseases. Meanwhile, wildfires, exacerbated by droughts and higher temperatures, compromise air quality, leading to a spike in respiratory problems, from asthma to chronic bronchitis. Furthermore, shifting climate patterns are expanding the range of many infectious disease vectors, like mosquitoes, exposing new populations to illnesses like malaria or dengue. The ripple effects of climate change touch nearly every aspect of public health, demanding policymakers’ attention and action.

Below is a partial round-up of the climate-related challenges that the country has already faced in 2023.

Wildfires in Hawaii. The U.S. grappled with its deadliest wildfires in over a century when fires that began as isolated brush incidents on the islands of Hawaii and Maui were intensified by the effects of Hurricane Dora and quickly escalated. Many public officials and residents were caught off guard by the size and rapid spread of the flames, leading to the tragic loss of more than 100 lives. Residents and officials now confront daunting reconstruction needs. Despite Hawaii’s reputation for lush greenery, its defenses have been compromised by significant reductions in rainfall. Diminished La Niña patterns, which traditionally bring cooler and wetter conditions to the region, have shifted, leading to warmer and drier trends. Furthermore, the proliferation of flammable invasive grasses, supplanting native vegetation, increases the fire risks.

Smoky skies. Canada, grappling with one of its harshest wildfire seasons, has seen tens of millions of acres of its landscape consumed by flames. The repercussions have been felt beyond its borders, with smoke significantly degrading air quality in several U.S. regions, including New England, the Southeast, and the Midwest. These conditions have led the Environmental Protection Agency to issue air quality alerts affecting millions of Americans. This sharp rise in fires is largely linked to the effects of global warming, which brings about drought and intense heat, rendering forests more vulnerable to blazes.

California storms. In early 2023, intense rains hit California. While they replenished reservoirs and snowpacks, they also caused flooding, mudslides, sinkholes, and tree damage that impacted infrastructure. A severe winter storm in late February trapped residents and led to the deployment of the California National Guard. Shortly after, another storm in the Sierra Nevada caused two fatalities and power disruptions. March saw the arrival of two bomb cyclones that brought tornadoes, heavy rain, and snow. These extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, underscore California’s oscillation between droughts and powerful storms. Such climatic shifts create atmospheric rivers that deliver heavy precipitation.

Notably, Southern California effectively weathered Tropical Storm Hilary’s record-setting rainfall in August, in part due to proactive measures like school closures and swift emergency response to road flooding and fallen trees. Despite the storm’s potential severity, no deaths were reported in major areas like Los Angeles and San Diego, highlighting the importance of preparedness.

Groundwater shortages in Arizona. Arizona officials sounded the alarm in June on groundwater shortages, signaling a potential halt to the rapid housing development in the Phoenix area, which is among the fastest-growing regions in the U.S. Although existing building permits will remain unaffected, the announcement underscores the urgent need for alternative water sources and conservation measures in future projects. Governor Katie Hobbs reassured that Arizona is not immediately running out of water, but shortages could have significant implications for the region’s future. Prolonged drought, combined with increasing water demand, have depleted the Colorado River and intensified water scarcity, posing a challenge for the region’s long-term sustainability.

Vermont flooding. In July, Vermont experienced severe flash and river flooding, leading to extensive damage to communities, roads, bridges, and causing significant property losses. This event broke several records, with Montpelier’s airport receiving the highest single-day rainfall since 1948. The destruction was comparable to the damage from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. In terms of impact, the destruction from the 2011 and 2023 events was only surpassed by the Great Flood of  November 1927, which took place before modern flood control measures were implemented in the state.

Hot water off the coast of Florida. A buoy off Florida’s coast this summer measured a sea surface temperature of 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit, potentially setting a new world record and far exceeding the typical range of 73F to 88F. This extreme heat, part of a concerning trend of warming waters in Florida, poses grave risks to marine life, ocean ecosystems, and human livelihoods. Increasing temperatures, intensified by phenomena like El Niño, could also boost the strength of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Extreme heat in Phoenix. Phoenix endured an unprecedented heatwave in July, with temperatures exceeding 110°F for 31 straight days, surpassing a 1974 record. This coincided with a global trend marking July the warmest month ever registered. Hospitals reported an uptick in heat-related cases, ranging from heat cramps to lethal heat strokes. The city’s medical examiner confirmed 25 heat-related deaths and is investigating many more. Critical infrastructure, such as air conditioners in shelters and medical buses, malfunctioned due to the extreme temperatures. With shelters at full capacity and public housing waitlists stretching for months, many unhoused residents were left without a haven from the oppressive temperatures.

President Biden announced initiatives in July to support communities suffering from extreme weather. To combat the rising heat, the primary weather-related cause of death in the U.S., he directed the Department of Labor (DOL) to issue its first-ever Hazard Alert concerning heat, with the intent to reinforce worker protections against heat-related dangers under federal law. This alert will educate employers on their responsibilities and help ensure that workers know their rights. The DOL has committed to intensifying its enforcement against heat-safety violations, focusing especially on high-risk sectors like construction and agriculture. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is allocating up to $7 million to enhance weather forecasting in collaboration with educational institutions, aiming to boost preparedness for extreme weather events. Additionally, the Department of the Interior is in the process of investing $152 million to bolster water storage and climate resilience in California, Colorado, and Washington, addressing the challenges of prolonged drought and ensuring access to clean drinking water.

These efforts build on past actions by the Biden-Harris Administration, such as channeling billions of dollars via the Department of Housing and Urban Development for energy-efficient building upgrades and the establishment of cooling centers. Additionally, in collaboration with Congress, it earmarked over $50 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to bolster climate resilience throughout the nation.

As Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) has previously highlighted, preparing for weather-related events is a critical element of public health emergency preparedness. Collaboration between public health officials and partners—such as federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies, emergency response teams, community-based organizations, and hospitals—is fundamental. Working together, they can pave the way for better preparation and response strategies, utilizing data to predict and lessen potential health impacts. Proactive measures are crucial in safeguarding communities from these escalating threats. For example, the nation needs significant investment in climate-resilient infrastructure — from storm-resistant housing to updated water management systems. To protect people from extreme heat, communities must prioritize public education on heat risks, establish cooling centers, and adapt urban infrastructure to reduce heat retention. It’s crucial to acknowledge that socioeconomic and health inequities have historically worsened the impact of extreme heat on communities of color, making targeted interventions in these communities even more essential. Strengthening early warning systems and ensuring equitable access to hydration and emergency healthcare resources are vital steps. It’s also imperative to bolster our health systems’ readiness to respond to the increasing burden of climate-related illnesses. This includes enhancing disease surveillance and training healthcare professionals to recognize and treat emerging health threats, especially in communities that face disproportionate risks.

In line with a comprehensive public health approach, the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a vital tool. This strategic framework empowers officials to develop and implement health adaptation plans tailored to their specific climate change challenges. By guiding health departments through a five-step process — from forecasting climate impacts and assessing vulnerabilities to developing and implementing a comprehensive adaptation plan — the BRACE framework ensures a data-driven response that accounts for local nuances. Recognizing the disparate effects of climate change on various populations, this approach emphasizes not just broad community safeguards but also targeted interventions to protect those most at risk. To more adequately support these crucial initiatives, TFAH recommends funding the CDC’s Climate and Health Program at a level of $110 million for Fiscal Year 2024. This program collaborates with state, local, tribal,  and territorial health agencies to address climate change impacts, primarily utilizing the BRACE framework. Additionally, it offers resources, funding, and support through various initiatives to enhance community preparedness and communication regarding climate-related health risks. As communities continue to witness the tangible effects of a changing climate, leaning into systematic and strategic frameworks like BRACE becomes paramount. The synthesis of proactive planning, community-specific interventions, and overarching public health strategies helps bring about a resilient and equitable response.

Acting to protect health and well-being by improving our systems’ readiness and enhancing protective measures—commonly termed climate adaptation—is a critical public health priority. Climate mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions or to remove them from the atmosphere, aiming to curb future global warming. Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a scientific body under the auspices of the United Nations that assesses climate change information, and the United States Global Change Research Program, which coordinates U.S. research on global environmental changes and evaluates climate change impacts, emphasize that mitigation and adaptation are complementary strategies crucial for reducing the human impacts of climate change.

 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Will Help Protect Communities from the Health Effects of Climate Change

On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. The legislation, in addition to addressing other vital priorities, represents one of the most significant—if not the most significant—federal actions to protect U.S. residents from health threats posed by climate change and weather-related emergencies. We increasingly experience longstanding threats that are being turbocharged by a warming planet, including heat waves that are becoming hotter and longer; severe storms that break records year after year; wildfires that outmatch traditional methods of control; pollution and contaminants increasingly endangering the quality of our air and water; pests bringing disease and threatening staple foods; and the trauma of it all on our mental health.

As with all health hazards, these effects are not felt equally, as a mix of environmental, social, and demographic factors influence people’s exposure and vulnerability. Some people are more vulnerable because of age (e.g., children, older adults) or preexisting medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, asthma). People who work outdoors or as first responders may face greater exposure. Large portions of other groups, such as immigrants, people of color, people living in poverty, or people experiencing homelessness may have less access to resources that would allow them to avoid exposures, seek care or treatment, or navigate long-term recovery. In many cases, vulnerability to the health impacts of climate change reflect existing health risk factors and disparities. In the United States, the legacy of colonization, slavery, and ongoing structural and systemic racism contribute to such inequities.

“Climate change and its impacts on health are a reality we must acknowledge and respond to,” said J. Nadine Gracia, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “The new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides critical direction and funding to do so. Also important to protecting the health of all U.S. residents is designing adaptation programs that are rooted in the recognition that some communities are at greater risk and that strive to promote health equity.”

Below is an analysis of the law that highlights key adaptation-related measures. These range from programs to mitigate coastal and inland flooding to preparations for severe drought to proactive wildfire mitigation initiatives to innovative strategies for reducing urban heat islands and more.

For more information on the health impacts of climate change and the extent of states’ preparedness, see “Climate Change & Health: Assessing State Preparedness,” which Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) produced in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. And for examinations of concrete steps states and localities are taking to equitably protect their communities, see TFAH’s case studies series.

Coastal Storm and Flood Risk Management

  • $17.1 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to remain available until expended, for a range of priorities, including $2.55 billion for coastal storm risk management, hurricane and storm damage reduction projects, and related activities; and $2.5 billion for inland flood risk management projects, with a directive to prioritize projects in communities that are economically disadvantaged, or where the percentage of people that live in poverty or identify as belonging to a minority group is greater than the average such percentage in the United States.
  • $3.5 billion ($700 million annually over five years FY 2022-26) for the Flood Mitigation Assistance program, which is administered by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program provides competitive grants to states, local governments, Tribal governments, and territories to support projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program.
  • $2.611 billion for operational, research, and facility costs of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including $492 million for the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, established by NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to restore, increase, and strengthen coastal ecosystems (e.g., wetlands, dunes, coral reefs) that offer flood protection for coastal communities; $492 million for coastal and inland flood and inundation mapping and forecasting, and for next-generation water modeling activities; and $491 million for, among other purposes, protecting ecological features that help mitigate coastal flooding or coastal storms.

Wildfire Risk Reduction

  • $3.37 billion for the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support a range of wildfire risk reduction activities, including $600 million for the salaries and expenses of federal wildland firefighters; $500 million for conducting mechanical thinning and timber harvesting; $500 million to award community wildfire defense grants to at-risk communities; and $500 million for planning and conducting prescribed fires and related activities.
  • $50 million for NOAA to improve its capabilities related to wildfire prediction, detection, observation, modeling, and forecasting.
  • Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include wildfire within the hazard mitigation program so that recipients of FEMA grants may engage in such fire-prevention activities as replacing or installing electrical transmission or distribution utility pole structures and installing fire-resistant wires, infrastructure, and underground wires.

Water Infrastructure

  • $8.3 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, to fund western water infrastructure projects, including $3.2 billion for projects that rehabilitate or replace aging infrastructure; $1.15 billion for water storage, groundwater storage, and conveyance projects; $1 billion for water recycling and reuse projects, and $250 million for water desalination projects and studies.
  • $1.4 billion ($280 million annually over five years: FY 2022-26) to the existing Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants program, which is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Grants may be used to plan, construct, and design certain treatment works; to take measures to better manage, reduce, or recapture stormwater or subsurface drainage; and to implement notification systems to inform the public of overflows that result in sewage being released into rivers and other waters. At least 25 percent of the funds a state receives are to be used in rural and/or financially distressed communities.
  • $300 million for implementing the Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plan, a joint effort by the Department of the Interior and seven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) to reduce risks from ongoing drought and protect this shared water resource.
  • $250 million ($50 million annually over five years: FY 2022-26) to the new Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability program, to be administered by the EPA. Grants will be available to public water systems that serve communities with a population of 10,000 or more for the purposes of increasing resilience to natural hazards and extreme weather events, and for reducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Funds may be used to conserve water or enhance water-use efficiency, create desalination facilities, relocate or modify existing water systems that are vulnerable to natural hazards or extreme weather events (e.g., risks to drinking water from flooding), enhance water supply, and develop and implement measures to increase resiliency to natural hazards, among other permitted uses.
  • $125 million ($25 million annually over five years: FY 2022-26) to the new Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability program, to be administered by the EPA. Grants will be available to municipalities and other owners of publicly owned treatment works to plan, design, or construct projects that increase their resilience to natural hazards (e.g., extreme weather events, sea-level rise, extreme drought conditions) or cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Funds may be used to conserve water; enhance water-use efficiency; improve wastewater and stormwater management; and modify or relocate existing publicly owned treatment works, conveyance, or discharge systems that are vulnerable, among other permitted uses.
  • $125 million ($25 million annually over five years: FY 2022-26) to the existing Pilot Program for Alternative Water Source Projects initiative, which is administered by the EPA. The grants may be used to engineer, design, construct, and test alternative water source projects that conserve, manage, reclaim, or reuse water for groundwater recharge and potable reuse.

Energy Infrastructure

  • $5 billion over five years (FY 2022-26) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to administer grants to states, Tribal governments, electric grid operators, electricity storage operators, and other eligible entities for the purposes of preventing power outages and enhancing the resilience of the electric grid. Recipients may use grants to reduce the risk of power lines causing a wildfire or to reduce the likelihood and consequences of disruptive events—an event in which operations of the electric grid are disrupted, preventively shut off, or cannot operate safely due to extreme weather, wildfire, or a natural disaster.
  • $5 billion over five years (FY 2022-26) for the new Program Upgrading Our Electric Grid and Ensuring Reliability and Resiliency initiative, to be administered by the DOE. Grants will be available to states, Tribal governments, local governments, and other eligible entities to coordinate and collaborate with electric sector owners and operators for the purposes of demonstrating innovative approaches to enhancing the resilience of transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure, and to demonstrate new approaches to enhancing regional grid resilience. In addition, the DOE is directed to assess the resilience, reliability, safety, and security of energy infrastructure in the United States, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
  • $3 billion for FY 2022, to remain available through FY 2026, for the new Smart Grid Investment Matching Grant program, to be administered by the DOE. The program would facilitate the deployment of technologies to enhance electric grid flexibility and mitigate impacts of extreme weather or natural disasters on grid resiliency, among other purposes.

Transportation Infrastructure

  • $8.7 billion over five years (FY 2022-26) to the new Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) program, to be administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The law makes $7.3 billion available for formula grants to states and $1.4 billion ($250 million annually from FY 2022-23; $300 million annually from FY 2024-26) available for competitive grants to states, local governments, public authorities, Tribal governments, and other eligible entities for the purposes of making transportation infrastructure assets more resilient against weather events, natural disasters, and changing conditions, including sea level rise.
  • $550 million ($55 million annually over 10 years: FY 2022-31) for the DOT to designate 10 regional Centers of Excellence for Resilience and Adaptation and one national Center of Excellence for Resilience and Adaptation to advance research and development that improves the resilience of regions of the United States to natural disasters and extreme weather by promoting the resilience of surface transportation infrastructure and infrastructure dependent on surface transportation.
  • $500 million ($100 million annually over five years: FY 2022-26) to the new Healthy Streets program, to be administered by the DOT. Competitive grants will be available to states, local governments, Tribal governments, and other eligible entities to utilize cool pavements and porous pavements, and to expand tree cover, for the purposes of mitigating urban heat islands, improving air quality, and reducing the extent of impervious surfaces, storm water runoff and flood risks, and heat impacts to infrastructure and road users. (For more information on urban heat islands and how some places are working to protect their residents, see TFAH’s case study on Philadelphia’s Beat the Heat program.)
  • Directs the DOT to conduct a study on permeable pavements to gather existing information on their effect on flood control in different contexts and to develop models for their performance in flood control and best practices for designing them.
  • Directs the DOT and EPA to offer to partner with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on a study on stormwater management practices to estimate pollutant loads from stormwater runoff from highways and pedestrian facilities, provide recommendations of stormwater management and total maximum daily load compliance strategies within a watershed, and examine the potential for the DOT to assist state departments of transportation in carrying out and communicating stormwater management practices for highways and pedestrian facilities.
  • Directs the Federal Highway Administration, a division of the DOT, to update within one year and at least every five years thereafter two previously issued reports on stormwater management practices: ‘‘Determining the State of the Practice in Data Collection and Performance Measurement of Stormwater Best Management Practices” and “‘Stormwater Best Management Practices in an Ultra-Urban Setting: Selection and Monitoring.”

Cross-cutting

  • $1 billion ($200 million annually over five years FY 2022-26) for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which is administered by FEMA. The program provides competitive grants to states, local governments, Tribal governments, and territories to support pre-disaster hazard mitigation projects.
  • $500 million ($100 million annually over five years FY 2022-26) for the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act (STORM) Act, which authorizes FEMA to enter into agreements with states or Tribal governments to make capitalization grants for the establishment of hazard mitigation revolving loan funds. Such funds are meant to support local government projects to reduce disaster risks for homeowners, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and others.
  • $216 million ($43.2 million annually over five years FY 2022-26) for the S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to distribute to tribes and tribal organizations for climate resilience, adaptation, and community relocation planning, design, and implementation of projects which address the varying climate challenges facing tribal communities across the country. Of the total, $130 million is set aside for community relocation and the remaining $86 million is for climate resilience and adaptation projects.