Thomas Frank of E&E News reports that projects that the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) ruled as “ineligible” received millions in earmark funding.
- Congress earmarked $5.5 million for raising a flood-prone road in the Florida Keys and $10 million for repairing a pump station in Washington state.
- Earmarks allow for projects to circumvent the competitive bid process which takes money away from other projects that would have been more effective and sustainable long term.
- Congress must ban earmarks and competitively allocate funding to projects that will substantially reduce climate impacts.
“But earmarks remain controversial, particularly for programs such as FEMA mitigation grants that are highly competitive, have strict eligibility criteria and are central to addressing climate change. FEMA’s grants are separate from its emergency aid that helps communities recover immediately after major disasters.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
