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RRPC staff warn BRIC cancellations could delay local hazard mitigation planning and FEMA benefits
Summary
The commission’s executive director and emergency management planner said the cancellation of BRIC funding affects local hazard mitigation plan updates and could influence FEMA eligibility; staff said Vermont Emergency Management indicated an adopted or pending-adoption plan can qualify towns for certain benefits.
RRPC staff told commissioners on April 15 that recent federal grant changes, including cancellation of BRIC program awards for 2024, threaten updates and scoping work on local hazard mitigation plans that many towns rely on for FEMA and other program benefits.
Executive Director Devin (last name not stated) said the BRIC program cancellation affected both 2024 awards and some 2023 projects that had not yet been awarded, leaving several towns with local hazard mitigation plan updates in limbo. He said those plans are important for lowering FEMA’s expected rate and reducing payback obligations.
Maggie O’Brien, RRPC emergency management planner, clarified staff had received reassurance from Vermont Emergency Management that a municipal hazard mitigation plan begins to qualify a town for certain FEMA-related benefits once the plan has a pending Agency of Planning and Approval (APA) status or is adopted — it does not necessarily require final FEMA approval to obtain the specific ERAP-related qualification she referenced.
Why it matters: Local hazard mitigation plans are tied to federal funding and mitigation credits that affect municipalities’ recovery and insurance outcomes. The staff reported the cancellation also coincides with other federal shifts: RRPC staff said three federal grant programs were fully or partially canceled locally (health equity, energy efficiency and conservation block grant, climate pollution reduction) while two other federal grants (a Department of Labor Works grant and an EPA Brownfields grant) remained unaffected.
Staff said they are tracking how the changes may affect towns’ project timelines and noted they will communicate updates as they learn more from state agencies.
Ending: RRPC staff urged municipalities to remain engaged with emergency management planning and to watch for forthcoming guidance on how pending or adopted local hazard mitigation plans will be treated for federal program eligibility.
