Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
AGENCY TESTIMONY
Funding challenges and cancellation of FEMA BRIC program
0:26:09
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68 sec
Deputy Commissioner Licata addresses the funding challenges faced by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in implementing stormwater management projects. The department constantly balances the need for better service and flood protection with the need to keep water and sewer rates affordable.
- DEP aggressively pursues outside funding, including federal funding, for its work.
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced the cancellation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Community (BRIC) program, affecting all applications from federal fiscal years 2020 through 2023.
- DEP is working with city and state partners to mitigate and minimize the impact of this funding loss.
Angela Licata
0:26:09
Most of DEP's work is paid for by water and sewer rates.
0:26:14
We constantly think about how to balance our needs, the demands of New Yorkers for providing better service, and especially floodwater protection, and the needs to manage our rates to be affordable.
0:26:28
DEP aggressively pursues outside funding for our work, and we have had strong successes receiving funding, including federal funding.
0:26:37
In particular, our CloudBrooks projects have been receiving Building Resilient Infrastructure and Community, BRIC grants, from FEMA.
0:26:46
The federal government recently announced that FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is ending the BRIC program and canceling all BRIC applications from federal fiscal years 2020 through 2023.
0:27:00
We are still figuring out what impact this may have.
0:27:05
We remain in close conversation with our city and state partners as it pertains to our federal funding streams, and we'll work with these partners to try to mitigate and minimize impact as much as possible.