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Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration cuts millions in disaster relief funds for Massachusetts
BOSTON (WWLP) – The Trump Administration is freezing more than $90 million worth of disaster relief funding in Massachusetts. Massachusetts sees first drop in emergency shelter cases since 2023 The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program, also known as BRIC, has been canceled, which provides disaster prevention aid to municipalities across Massachusetts. The cancelation revokes $90 million for 18 communities, a regional planning commission, as well as two state agencies. BRIC is an annual FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant that's funded by FEMA and administered through a partnership with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). The following municipalities and agencies are expected to be impacted by the cancellation: Boston: $22,894,600 for Resilient Moakley Park Acton: $67,500 for Jenks Conservation Land Culvert Improvements Chelsea and Everett: $49,999,999 for Island End River Coastal Flood Resilience Project Hull: $49,500 to enhance Hull's Existing Adopted Codes Hinsdale: $81,720 for Powering the Hinsdale Public Safety Complex Wilbraham: $150,000 for Glenn Drive Pump Station Generator Lynnfield: $80,302.50 for Implementation of Permitting System Longmeadow: $74,156 for Building Code Activities Grafton: $37,500 for Merriam Road Culvert Improvement Project Scoping Rockport: $320,000 for Thatcher Road Corridor Resilient Design Newburyport: $50,250 for Drinking Water and Watershed Regulations Assessment & Update Northbridge: $37,500 for Permitting Process Upgrade Whately: $63,750 for Christian Lane Stormwater Flooding Brockton: $124,050 for Keith Field Culvert Project Scoping North Adams: $144,000 for Galvin Road Culvert Improvements Project Scoping Taunton: $195,000 for Cobb Brook Culvert Study Project Scoping Gosnold: $75,000 for Protection of Cuttyhunk Island's Water Supply Project Scoping Rockport: $8,437.50 for Building Code Capabilities Enhancement Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission: $321,021 for Regional Building Code Inspection and Training Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR): $11,969,908 for Tenean Beach/Conley Street Resilient Waterfront Project in Boston and $505,516 for Building Code Higher Flood Standards Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA): $675,000 for Massachusetts Building Code Access, $300,000 for Statewide Voluntary Buyout Program Feasibility Study & Pilot Program, and $1,873,013 for State Management Costs 'In recent years, Massachusetts communities have been devastated by severe storms, flooding and wildfires. We rely on FEMA funding to not only rebuild but also take steps to protect against future extreme weather,' said Governor Healey. 'But the Trump Administration has suddenly ripped the rug out from under cities and towns that had been promised funding to help them upgrade their roads, bridges, buildings and green spaces to mitigate risk and prevent disasters in the future. This makes our communities less safe and will increase costs for residents, municipalities and businesses.' 'As a former Mayor, I know firsthand how cities and towns rely on FEMA funding to recover from disasters and prepare for the next storm. We urgently need to be making our communities more resilient, but the Trump Administration is undermining this important work,' said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. 'Our administration is here to support our local leaders as much as we can, and we have impactful resilience programming underway, but we need the federal government to uphold their end of the bargain.' 'Climate change cannot be ignored. For every dollar we invest in resilience today, we save $13 in avoided damages and economic impacts,' said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. 'At DCR, we were preparing to upgrade Tenean Beach, elevate Conley Street, and restore the nearby wetlands to provide important flood protection to nearby environmental justice communities and public transit. Each BRIC award represents a neighborhood that needs support. These are real costs our communities will bear with the loss of BRIC funding.' 'The Trump Administration's unlawful cancellation of nearly $35 million in federal grants for flood protection projects at Moakley Park and Tenean Beach will put jobs, people, and property at risk. These crucial projects follow years of community planning for critical access to open space while securing vulnerable flood paths so that thousands of families in the surrounding neighborhoods would be protected from storm surge and coastal flooding. We will fight to restore this funding to protect our communities.,' said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
16-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump administration's $90 million cut to disaster prevention aid to Mass. towns makes ‘communities less safe,' Healey says
Advertisement The words of Healey, a Democrat, were echoed by Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, who also criticized the Republican administration in Washington for the cuts. 'As a former Mayor, I know firsthand how cities and towns rely on FEMA funding to recover from disasters and prepare for the next storm,' Driscoll said in the statement. 'We urgently need to be making our communities more resilient, but the Trump Administration is undermining this important work.' Driscoll said state officials are 'here to support our local leaders as much as we can, and we have impactful resilience programming underway, but we need the federal government to uphold their end of the bargain.' Healey's office said the BRIC program is an annual FEMA grant administered through a partnership with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Advertisement Among the projects affected by the Trump cuts are $22.8 million for a 'Resilient Moakley Park' in South Boston, officials said. 'The Trump Administration's unlawful cancellation of nearly $35 million in federal grants for flood protection projects at Moakley Park and Tenean Beach will put jobs, people, and property at risk,' said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in a statement. 'These crucial projects follow years of community planning for critical access to open space while securing vulnerable flood paths so that thousands of families in the surrounding neighborhoods would be protected from storm surge and coastal flooding. We will fight to restore this funding to protect our communities.' The funding cuts also include a clawback of $49.9 million for the 'Island End River Coastal Flood Resilience Project' in Chelsea and Everett, according to Healey's office. 'Losing the FEMA funding that was initially approved in 2018 under the Trump Administration means not being able to address critical flooding that often threatens thousands of residential homes, access to our regional supply of fresh produce as well as a major and vital transportation corridor to the North Shore,' said Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria in a statement. 'In addition to crippling our regional economy, this flooding is expected to happen almost weekly within five years and would cause the release of petrochemicals and hazardous materials that had been isolated for public health and safety.' Chelsea City Manager Fidel Mantez also decried the cuts. 'Chelsea is an environmental justice community that supports a significant share of the region's essential infrastructure and services,' Mantez said. 'The loss of BRIC funding for the Island End River Flood Barrier project puts over $7 billion in annual economic activity—and the safety of more than 5,000 residents living in the floodplain—at risk. We urge the administration to reconsider and restore this critical investment in frontline communities.' Advertisement The Trump administration 'Climate change cannot be ignored. For every dollar we invest in resilience today, we save $13 in avoided damages and economic impacts,' said state Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper in a statement. 'At DCR, we were preparing to upgrade Tenean Beach, elevate Conley Street, and restore the nearby wetlands to provide important flood protection to nearby environmental justice communities and public transit. Each BRIC award represents a neighborhood that needs support. These are real costs our communities will bear with the loss of BRIC funding.' Travis Andersen can be reached at
Boston Globe
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Healey files $756 million supplemental budget to address ‘time-sensitive deficiencies'
The legislation additionally includes $15 million for grants and marketing related to the American Revolution 250th anniversary celebration, and $15.5 million for Advertisement 'This budget bill proposes targeted investments that improve quality of life in Massachusetts, such as ensuring access to health care, supporting families with child care costs, and making sure veterans get their benefits,' Healey said in a statement alongside the bill. 'We've also heard clearly from local officials and medical professionals across the state, especially in communities impacted by Steward Health Care's closures, that they need more support. That's why we're proposing significant funding for EMS providers that have faced extraordinary costs. Our administration remains committed to maintaining a responsible state budget that tangibly benefits the people of Massachusetts.' Advertisement Other sections of the 25-page bill would ratify collective bargaining agreements with public employees, raise procurement thresholds under public construction laws, and allow Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency vehicles to use red and blue lights when responding to emergencies. The Legislature's Joint Committee on Ways and Means is partway through a series of hearings about Healey's $62 billion fiscal 2026 state budget, and the panel
