U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) highlighted Hoboken’s $230 million Rebuild by Design flood mitigation project at a Senate hearing on climate change earlier today.
“Flooding is one of the most expensive and most frequent natural disasters in the United States and climate change is only going to intensify these events and it is critical that our communities are prepared for the challenges that lie ahead,” Menendez stated.
“In New Jersey, we’re leveraging federal resources from Community Development Block Grants for state of the art infrastructure like Hoboken’s Rebuild by Design. This $230 million mitigation initiative, which I helped secure funding for, will help alleviate repetitive flooding and protect against storm surges. And for every dollar we invest in mitigation, the federal government saves $6 in disaster relief spending.”
Menendez is a sponsor of the bi-partisan National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization and Reform (NFIP RE) Act, which “supercharges billions of dollars for pre-disaster mitigation and resilience in the nation’s most flood prone areas.”
This would also extend federal relief for five years, while also implementing reforms to address, waste, abuse and mismanagement in the system.
The Senator also highlighted how mass transit and transit-oriented communities can play an important role in addressing climate change, such as through his Livable Communities Act which encourages local communities to develop bold, innovative solutions that reflect their unique character, while leveraging existing assets.
Those assets include access to transit to help revitalize neighborhoods, spur economic development, create jobs, and address their affordable housing needs.
Menendez also pushed back against the notion that Democrats are “overreacting” to climate change, pointing out massive flooding in Kentucky and crop shortages in the Midwest.
“These are tectonic shifts that are affecting our very lives and livelihoods and that’s an overreaction? I think Mother Nature is not overreacting, she is sending us a message.”
