U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, recently joined a bipartisan effort led by Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-North Carolina, to urge the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
Early last month, FEMA announced the termination of the program and the rescission of all grants from 2020 to 2023 that have not yet been distributed. The program was congressionally authorized and signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2018.
In Washington state, these actions will affect 13 already-selected projects and $130 million in federal funding for projects like levees that will help protect communities from flooding. Roughly 72 percent of BRIC funding in Washington state supports small towns and rural communities, according to the release.
Cancelled BRIC awards in Southwest Washington include:
• $12.8 million for the Graveyard Spit Dune Restoration and Community Resilience Project in Pacific County, appealed by the governor this week.
• $714,000 for Washington State Vertical Evacuation Structure Scoping in Pacific County.
• $160,000 for Ocean Beach School District Tsunami Tower Feasibility in Pacific County.
Additionally, the City of Long Beach was in the process of applying for $24 million from the program to construct a tsunami tower near the Long Beach Elementary School, the release stated.
Funding for a levee project in the Chehalis River Basin of Grays Harbor County was also revoked.
“We should always fight for a more effective and efficient government, but ensuring our kids and seniors have a safe space to evacuate nearby isn’t politics or waste — it’s common sense. Our rural communities want predictability in funding, a level playing field when applying for federal grants, and our federal government to honor its commitments,” Gluesenkamp Perez stated. “The BRIC program has an incredible return on investment not only in dollars saved by preparing for emergencies before they hit, but also in ensuring folks remain out of harm’s way.”
Full text of the letter can be found at https://shorturl.at/TBgnl.
