FEMA is seeking public comments on how the agency’s programs deal with climate change and underserved communities and populations.
Earlier this year, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. released three executive orders, 13985, 13990 and 14008, requiring agencies to assess existing programs and policies to determine the following:
- If agency programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups.
- If additional agency actions are required to bolster resilience to climate change.
- If agency programs, policies and activities address the disproportionately high and adverse climate-related impacts on disadvantaged communities.
In seeking input, FEMA posted in the Federal Register a Request for Information (RFI) including a list of questions. The answers will assist FEMA in identifying specific programs, regulations and/or policies that may benefit from modification, streamlining, expansion or repeal to better address climate change and underserved communities and populations.
With the increasing severity and number of large-scale disasters in recent years, that may in part be from climate change, it is essential to reevaluate the agency’s programs. These efforts may help to reduce unnecessary barriers to participation and effectiveness, to serve all communities, to increase equity and to promote preparedness and resilience.
FEMA encourages public comment on and responses to these questions and seeks any other data commenters have that may be relevant to these review efforts.
The type of feedback most useful to the agency identifies specific programs, regulations, information collections and/or policies that could benefit from reform. Additionally, feedback should refer to specific barriers to participation; address how to improve risk perception; offer actionable data; and specify viable alternatives to existing approaches that meet statutory obligations.
To help the public and stakeholders understand how to submit feedback, FEMA will be hosting a series of webinars to explain the executive orders and the RFI process. These webinars will also explain the type of information needed to respond appropriately and will be announced in the coming days.
Feedback on the executive orders will be open through June 21, 2021. Comments may be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Docket ID: FEMA-2021-0011. Participants should follow the instructions for submitting comments.
