Laws, Regulations, Policy Analysis, and Strategies
This tab includes strategies for serving communities on the frontline of climate change, including best practices, legal and policy analysis, laws, regulations, agency guidance, and executive orders relevant to equity and adaptation.
Resources are automatically presented by date. Apply additional filters to narrow the list by organization type of author, state, jurisdictional focus, region, or resource type.
214 results are shown below.
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Resource
2015
California’s SOMAH and MASH programs provide an example of how financial incentives can be used to support installation of solar energy photovoltaic (PV) systems on multifamily affordable housing properties. Assembly Bill 693 provides financial incentives for the installation of PV systems, prescribes criteria for participation in the incentive program, sets targets for installation of solar PV systems, identifies various required elements for the Program, and gives direction to the California Public Utilities Commission on the administration of the Program. The SOMAH program's goal is to encourage the installation of 300 megawatts (MW) of solar power to benefit affordable housing units by 2030. This program is funded through GHG allowance auction proceeds and is administered by nonprofits and electric utilities. Eligible building owners and tenants can receive solar credits through a virtual net energy metering system. The program provides direct economic benefits by allowing low-income renters to receive energy produced on the roof of their housing unit, which lowers monthly utility costs and helps “disadvantaged communities” reap the benefits of the growing California solar industry.
Resource Category: Funding
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2015
In 2015, Connecticut recognized that its standard solar incentive program for homeowners, the Residential Solar Incentive Program (RSIP), had successfully promoted residential solar development, but was serving very few low-income homeowners. To increase low and middle income (LMI) homeowner access to credit for solar, the Connecticut Green Bank (which was established by the Connecticut General Assembly), developed a model for providing these homeowners with cost-effective residential solar power and energy efficiency, and applied it to a partnership with solar provider PosiGen Solar (PosiGen). The Green Bank's Solar For All program provides financial support to PosiGen, which uses this financing to build solar panels on LMI homes. PosiGen retains ownership of the panels, benefits from the solar rebates provided under the RSIP, and leases the solar panels to homeowners. Homeowners benefit financially by avoiding large upfront payments for their solar systems, and by reducing electricity costs. Additionally, all PosiGen customers receive efficiency upgrades. The average PosiGen customer in Connecticut receives a net annual financial benefit of $450. For the first six years of solar panel operation, PosiGen owns and benefits from the Renewable Energy Credits – the excess power created by the panels. Ownership of these credits is then transferred to the Bank, which makes back some of the money it spends on the RSIP.
Resource Category: Funding
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2013
The Texas Title Project was a two-year program that began in 2013 after Hurricanes Dolly and Ike devastated Texas, and critically impacted lower-income communities. The purpose of the program was to help low-income families whose homes were destroyed during the hurricanes to acquire clear title to their property so that they could be eligible for government funding. In clearing any issues relating to these titles, homeowners then became eligible for federal government rebuilding assistance. The project's threefold mission was to: clear titles for those homeowners and families that participated in the program; develop a general model for providing these types of legal services that could be implemented in the future, when another disaster occurred; and to study the barriers that existed that prevented low-income homeowners from having a clear title, especially in areas that are disproportionately affected by disasters. In the two years it was operational, the Texas Title Project provided services for more than 350 families seeking disaster recovery assistance in East Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Resource Category: Solutions
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May 2015
From the Center for American Progress, this report discusses the role that social cohesion plays in preparedness and response to climate change induced extreme weather events, with a focus on the vulnerability of low-income communities. Methods to integrate community resilience into climate resilience, and specific recommendations to foster climate and social resilience are provided. In addition to the value of social cohesion in climate resilience, the report details how addressing the unique housing, economic and health vulnerabilities of low-income groups will in turn have benefits for the community at large.
Author or Affiliated User: Danielle Baussan
Resource Category: Solutions
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April 27, 2015
From North Carolina Sea Grant, this publication is designed for local government officials considering social vulnerability in coastal communities dealing with extreme weather events and increased flooding. Mapping Coastal Risks and Social Vulnerability: Current Tools and Legal Risks outlines available data sets for social vulnerability, their current and potential use, and the associated legal risks in using that information for climate adaptation planning.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Lisa Schiavinato, Heather Payne
Resource Category: Solutions
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April 2015
This report, from the Rutgers Climate Institute, focuses on the social vulnerability and climate-related risks faced by the elderly population in New Jersey, defined as those over 65 years old. The authors focus on coastal flooding and storm surges, present-day impacts that are expected to intensify with continued climate change. The report describes the three characteristics of social vulnerability experienced by many seniors: limited mobility; compromised physical and mental health; and sometimes reduced resources, including income and assistance.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Ai Yamanaka, Jennifer Whytlaw, Jeanne Herb , Michael Greenberg, Marjorie Kaplan
Resource Category: Assessments
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March 2015
This report explores the ways in which climate change, health, and equity are connected, and identifies many opportunities and recommendations for climate adaptation in the public health sector. From the Public Health Institute (PHI), the report analyzes the relationships between the social determinants of health, health inequities, and climate impacts - with an eye on how vulnerable populations overall are facing greater exposure. A number of examples are given of successful projects in which communities and public health organizations are taking action on climate change, health solutions, and social equity.
Resource Category: Solutions
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March 2015
From the Association of Bay Area Governments, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), this report describes the characteristics of housing and communities vulnerable to earthquakes and sea level rise in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Recommended strategies are provided with a focus on reducing housing and community vulnerability to help the region meet its resilience, sustainability, prosperity, and equity goals.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Dana Brechwald , Cynthia Kroll, Wendy Goodfriend, Lindy Lowe
Resource Category: Solutions
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March 2015
What Cities Should Do: A Guide to Resilient Power Planning is a series of guidelines and best practices for cities and towns preparing for widespread power outages from severe weather events. According to the authors, cities should have resilient power plans for critical public and private facilities in order to protect their most vulnerable citizens - but few cities have focused on risks and mitigation strategies associated with extended grid power outages for critical assets. This paper calls for a systematic approach to protect critical facilities with resilient power solutions, including solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage, combined heat-and-power (CHP), and fuel cells systems.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Lew Milford, Robert Sanders
Resource Category: Solutions
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February 16, 2015
This report presents the work of the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) from January 2013 to January 2015. The report (also “NPCC 2015”) documents current climate trends and climate projections for the New York metropolitan region up to 2100. It provides the City of New York with climate projections to the end of the century, both static and dynamic coastal storm surge modeling, and next steps in the development of a monitoring system for climate change impacts and adaptation. While specific to the New York City region, the approaches developed by the NPCC can contribute to efforts to enhance resiliency as they are undertaken in other locations.
Resource Category: Assessments
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