Business Council for Sustainable Energy applauds proposed FAA disaster resiliency measures
Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) President Lisa Jacobson released a statement Monday, praising emergency preparedness and response provisions of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill recently advanced by the House of Representatives.
“The Council was pleased to see provisions included in the FAA Reauthorization bill that will advance electric grids, power supplies and building stock that are reliable, more resilient, agile, cost-effective, cyber-secure, and environmentally sound,” Jacobson said. “The legislation included two key pieces of legislation – the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, and the PREPARE Act – which will ensure that the United States does two things: better prepares for disasters and extreme weather events and rebuilds more resiliently for when disaster does strike.”
The Disaster Recovery and Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), would provide pre-disaster mitigation grants and give the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the authority to assist communities with rebuilding after disasters with more robust design and construction standards.
The PREPARE Act, introduced by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) would establish a council of relevant agencies to increase the government’s effectiveness in emergency management. The designated agencies would both develop their own disaster contingency plans and collaborate on regional emergency management
“The PREPARE Act is a useful tool to combat coordination failure, perhaps the most critical concern in the emergency management sector,” Jacobson said. “The Council applauds Congressman Cartwright and Congressman Barletta, and other co-sponsors, for their efforts to include these important pieces of legislation in the FAA reauthorization bill.”
The FAA reauthorization bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.
“As the legislation now moves to the Senate, the Council will continue to work toward even stronger resilience provisions,” Jacobson said.
