WASHINGTON (January 28, 2015) – Today, the Senate has the opportunity to support a proposal—Amendment 115, authored by Sen. Chris Coons (D–Del.), to Senate Bill 1, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act—aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change on local communities and states. The amendment acknowledges that new threats to infrastructure are costly and making preparedness a national priority is the right thing to do.
Below is a statement by Robert Cowin, director of government affairs for the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“From sea level rise to wildfires, flooding to drought, communities across the nation are feeling the impacts of climate change on local infrastructure, businesses and homes. Unfortunately, many local and state governments don’t have the funding and information needed to protect and prepare their communities.
“The public understands that preventative measures go a long way towards decreasing costs for everyone involved. It’s estimated that every dollar spent on hazard mitigation saves $4 on recovery costs. Continuing to pick up the tab on the back end, rather than supporting preventative measures, is just poor economic policy.
“We owe it to local communities and taxpayers to make climate change preparedness a national priority, and this starts with acknowledging these costs and risks.”