Extreme weather to dictate future energy projects

Aug 19 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Ken Dixon Connecticut Post, Bridgeport

Large-scale infrastructure projects will be prioritized with extreme weather and climate change in mind, according to a new report issued this morning by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In particular, energy infrastructure proposals will be planned to minimize possible power outages and fuel shortages, while ensuring continued cellphone service in the face of weather events such as Superstorm Sandy that devastated the Connecticut coast last year.

President Obama's Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, led by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, who visited Connecticut last week, has nearly 70 policy recommendations to help property owners fix and remain in their homes.

"We have cut red tape, piloted cutting edge programs and strengthened our partnership with state and local officials," President Obama said in a statement accompanying the report. "While a great amount of work remains, we will stand with the region for as long as it takes to recover."

"This Rebuilding Strategy will protect families, small businesses and communities across the region, and the taxpayers' investment in them, from the risks posed by sea level rise and more extreme weather events -- risks that are made worse by the reality of a changing climate," Donovan said.

The purpose of the strategy is to cut down on delays in recovery; promote coordination among federal, state and local governments; and ensure that recovery efforts leave the region better able to withstand future storms.

"I commend the President for convening the Hurricane Sandy Task Force; and I applaud Secretary Donovan for his leadership developing a coordinated federal strategy to work with communities affected by Storm Sandy," Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement this morning. "It is not just a blueprint for the long-term federal response to this storm, but to future storms to come. The President, Secretary Donovan and I share the same goal -- to build back better. The strategy released today is another step towards achieving that goal."

kdixon@ctpost.com; 860-549-4670; twitter.com/KenDixonCT; facebook.com/kendixonct.hearst; blog.ctnews.com/dixon

http://www.ctpost.com/ 

http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=29680281