Creating a Climate Resilient America: Smart Finance for Strong Communities
WASHINGTON - The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will hold a hearing on “Creating a Climate Resilient America: Smart Finance for Strong Communities” on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 210 of the Cannon House Office Building.
The hearing will focus on resilience finance. Specifically, it will explore the actions Congress can take to better leverage federal funds, private capital, and insurance to increase resilience before disasters and to accelerate recovery in their aftermath, while ensuring that no community is left behind.
"We must level the playing field for vulnerable communities. We can’t let wealth determine how resilient our communities are." - Chair Kathy Castor
READ REP. CASTOR'S OPENING STATEMENT
The committee will receive testimony from:
Mark Gaffigan, Managing Director for Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office (@USGAO). Gaffigan and his team are tasked with keeping Congress informed on how taxpayer dollars are being used to protect our environment, whether it’s through managing our nation’s land and water resources, funding agricultural programs, or other federal initiatives. He has worked at the nonpartisan watchdog agency for over three decades.
Read Gaffigan's testimony.
Marion Mollegen McFadden, Senior Advisor for Resilience, Enterprise Community Partners (@EnterpriseNow). Before joining Enterprise, a national nonprofit focused on affordable housing, McFadden served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grant Programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). There, she oversaw multiple federal programs, including the Community Development Block Grant Program, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the CDBG-Disaster Recovery funds.
Read McFadden's testimony.
Damon Burns, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Finance Authority of New Orleans (@fano_nola). Burns leads a housing and development finance agency whose aim is to boost economic development and increase climate resilience projects in New Orleans. He has 15 years of experience in public finance, entrepreneurship, economic development and financial technology.
Chuck Wemple, Executive Director, Houston-Galveston Area Council (@HouGalvAreaCog). Wemple leads a voluntary, regional association of local governments and local elected officials from the 13-county Texas Gulf Coast planning region, which works to promote efficient and accountable use of local, state, and federal tax dollars. He has served on several state-level disaster recovery policy committees.