Connecticut has just launched the second round of an initiative to help communities get federal assistance for climate resiliency projects.
Katie Dykes, commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said it would help cities and towns come up with the 25% needed to qualify for federal matching funds.
“Municipalities might be sitting on some ideas that maybe they came up with but have not decided to put in an application because they don't have the cash,” Dykes said at a meeting with municipal leaders from across the state.
“So, let’s try to not have that be the issue. Because we want to bring those 75% of the cost covered by the feds, we want to bring that money into the state,” she said.
DEEP’s move comes after the flash floods that devastated parts of southwestern Connecticut last month.
She said state officials want towns and cities to ramp up plans for resiliency projects because Congress and the Biden administration have increased federal matching funds from $25 million to more than a billion dollars a year.
DEEP awarded its first round of climate resiliency funds last year, providing more than $8 million to help launch climate resilience projects in 17 communities across the state.
Before that, the state had helped fund the construction of 10 microgrids to provide backup power for critical facilities.