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North Carolina Executive Order No. 246: North Carolina’s Transformation to a Clean, Equitable Economy
January 7, 2022
On January 7, 2022, North Carolina's Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order (EO) No. 246 entitled, "North Carolina’s Transformation to a Clean, Equitable Economy. " EO 246 calls for the state to take several actions related to climate change to improve the health and well-being of North Carolina's residents, prioritize and advance environmental justice and equity, engage with stakeholders and incorporate public input into decisionmaking processes, increase awareness about the health impacts of climate change including the disproportionate effects on underserved communities, and build a diverse workforce that is prepared to address climate change.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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North Carolina Sea Level Rise Risk Management Project
August 5, 2021
North Carolina is significantly vulnerable to sea level rise due to its landform and unique coastal habitats. The North Carolina Sea Level Rise Risk Management Project evaluated the potential changes in coastal flooding hazards due to rising sea levels and increased storm frequency and intensity, including changes to human and natural systems. The project produced a final report in 2012 describing hazards and risks, as well as preferred mitigation and adaptation options.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Kathryn Braddock, Jessi M. Kershner
Resource Category: Assessments
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Mecklenburg County, North Carolina: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, Flood Risk Assessment and Reduction Community Guidebook
April 6, 2021
The Flood Risk Assessment and Reduction Community Guidebook was developed as part of an initiative led by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services (CMSWS) of North Carolina, with support from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Flood Apex Program, to help communities nationwide to adapt to flooding. Based on years of developing the CMSWS flood mitigation program and tools, the Community Guidebook details the process of acquiring data to assess flood hazards and risk, and to evaluate and prioritize strategies to mitigate that risk.
Resource Category: Planning
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Town of Princeville, North Carolina: Princeville Community Floodprint: Resilience Strategies for Greater Princeville, North Carolina
September 2020
The Town of Princeville, North Carolina, located in the Tar River coastal floodplain along the U. S. eastern seaboard, has become increasingly vulnerable to extreme flooding. Princeville has endured multiple catastrophic flood events brought on by powerful Atlantic hurricanes, including Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which flooded approximately 80 percent of the town. Part of the residential community is in the process of relocating to higher ground with hazard mitigation funding support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Resource Category: Planning
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Building a Just Climate Future for North Carolina
September 2020
Developed by the Center for American Progress, the report Building a Just Climate Future for North Carolina (report) provides state leadership in North Carolina with strategies to address the pressing public health and safety threats that stem from climate change. The authors recommend six actions for policymakers to take that -- alongside actions laid out in the state’s executive order (EO) 80 and EO 143, the state’s Clean Energy Plan, and Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan -- they argue will help the state address climate change while advancing conomic, racial, and environmental justice.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Cathleen Kelly, Rita Cliffton
Resource Category: Solutions
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Post-Disaster Community Investments in Lumberton Through the North Carolina State Acquisition and Relocation Fund for Buyout Relocation Assistance
2020
Lumberton, North Carolina provides one example of how state funding for relocation assistance can help support local buyouts and community investments in underserved areas. In 2016, the small community of Lumberton was devastated by Hurricane Matthew when the Lumber River flooded over 870 households, as well as a number of businesses. As the city was beginning to recover, only two years later, Lumberton was hit a second time by Hurricane Florence, resulting in damage to over 500 structures. As of 2019, Lumberton is seeking to leverage several grants and funding programs, including North Carolina’s State Acquisition and Relocation Fund (SARF), to rebuild the community and provide residents with relocation assistance to obtain new homes in Lumberton through a state-local partnership. Specifically, with funding from SARF, the local government is considering opportunities to invest in new homes in one existing, but underserved neighborhood of Lumberton that can offer safer homes for bought-out residents. As SARF and the ongoing work in Lumberton demonstrate, state and local governments can support voluntary, post-disaster transitions of people and minimize negative impacts to individuals, communities, and local tax bases from buyouts by reinvesting in underserved areas within their municipalities.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Annexing and Preparing Higher Ground Receiving Areas in Princeville, North Carolina Through Post-Disaster Recovery Processes
In 2017, the Town of Princeville, North Carolina engaged experts and communities in a long-term, comprehensive planning process to annex a 53-acre parcel of land located outside of the town’s 100-year floodplain to develop a safer, higher ground area where residents, structures, and infrastructure can be relocated. After experiencing flooding impacts from Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Princeville was selected as one of six municipalities in North Carolina to receive technical and funding support from the state through the Hurricane Matthew Disaster Recovery and Resilience Initiative. Princeville provides an example for other municipalities either in a pre-or post-disaster context for how to balance the preservation of original townships while dealing with flooding vulnerabilities, while increasing the resiliency of core community assets and services through adaptation actions. As done in Princeville, local governments may consider options for relocating vulnerable residences and community facilities and services, including by annexing new land where sufficient higher ground land within existing municipal boundaries is not available to reallocate critical land uses and maintain local communities, tax bases, and economies.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Managing the Retreat from Rising Seas — Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, North Carolina: Floodplain Buyout Program
July 15, 2020
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services (CMSS) — a county-wide regional utility in North Carolina — has been administering a Floodplain Buyout Program to relocate vulnerable residents out of floodplains and reduce long-term flood damage. The buyout program is focused on risk reduction and flood mitigation best practices, where once bought out, properties are returned to open space uses to restore their natural beneficial flood retention and water quality improvement functions and provide other community amenities, like parks and trails. CMSS has purchased more than 400 flood-prone homes and businesses and enabled over 700 families and businesses to relocate to less vulnerable locations outside of the floodplain. CMSS has also supported a number of leaseback arrangements on a case-by-case basis with property owners to increase participation in the buyout program and reduce the county’s property maintenance costs. The program has been funded through a combination of federal and local government sources, with leasebacks also supporting the recapture of some costs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Floodplain Buyout Program is an example of a nationally recognized approach to supporting voluntary retreat in a riverine floodplain. Other local governments could consider adopting a comprehensive buyout program like Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s or individual program elements, like local funding options or leasebacks, to help support voluntary retreat decisions in coastal areas experiencing sea-level rise, impacts from disaster events, and land loss. This case study is one of 17 case studies featured in a report written by the Georgetown Climate Center, Managing the Retreat from Rising Seas: Lessons and Tools from 17 Case Studies.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Duke Energy Progress Partners with RETI for Community Solar
Duke Energy Progress (DEP) worked with the nonprofit, Renewable Energy Transition Initiative (RETI), to increase access to renewable energy programs for lower-income residents. This program provides an example of how utilities can use equity considerations to inform the deployment of renewable energy programs and resources. RETI works to eliminate high energy costs and make renewable energy solutions more accessible through educational programs, community outreach, research, advocacy, and partnerships. RETI promotes income-based applications and brings awareness to this energy saving program through engaging with communities at local community events and churches. DEP and RETI also launched The Shared Solar program for its residential and non-residential customers to be able to share in the economic benefits from a single solar facility. The cost savings from this community solar program are allocated to low-income customers in the company’s territory.
Resource Category: Funding
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North Carolina 2020 Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan
June 2, 2020
The North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan is the state’s first climate change adaptation plan. It includes the results of vulnerability assessments within 11 critical sectors, climate justice concerns and strategies, and recommendations for nature-based solutions to enhance ecosystem resiliency and sequester carbon in the state’s natural and working lands. North Carolina Governor Cooper’s 2018 Executive Order 80 directed state agencies to integrate climate adaptation and resiliency planning into their policies, programs, and operations; and mandated that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) lead the development of this climate risk assessment and resiliency plan for the state.
Resource Category: Planning
