NRDC’s Poticha Testifies on Communities and Climate

WASHINGTON – Our nation needs a robust investment in our communities to ensure greater resilience to climate change, a more equitable recovery and cleaner economy, an NRDC climate expert will tell Congress today.

Shelley Poticha, chief climate strategist for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), is testifying before the House Financial Services Committee’s housing subcommittee about the need for inclusive and community-led decision making in the siting, designing and building of resilient housing.

“The impacts of climate change are here, and they will continue to grow in severity and frequency, even under the most optimistic climate mitigation scenarios,” Poticha will say. “Faced with this reality, we must fundamentally change federal policies to prepare for a dramatically different future and to ensure we protect the people and communities who are most vulnerable.”

In her testimony, Poticha highlights key areas for congressional action, including:

• Support vital community-led projects that promote equitable transit, housing and green infrastructure; safeguard against the displacement caused by gentrification; and stimulate community-led local micro-economies. 
• Permanently establish in statute the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and use it to model community-led low-carbon development.
• Overhaul the National Flood Insurance Program to provide low- and moderate-income people with affordable coverage; expand access to flood mitigation and relocation assistance, and grant homeowners, home buyers, and renters a right to know the flood history and risks of their current or prospective homes.

Shelley Poticha’s written testimony is here: https://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hhrg-117-ba04-wstate-potichas-20210504.pdf

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.