By Michael Bielawski

The Green Mountain State may have punted the majority of flood mitigation recommendations from its 2018 Hazard Mitigation Plan, and the state auditor is highlighting this fact.

A new report out of the State Auditor Doug Hoffer’s office states, “Although Vermont cannot prevent natural disasters from occurring, the State can reduce the impact of these events through the implementation of hazard mitigation efforts.”

These plans are continuously updated. The report states “Vermont’s State’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (the Plan), developed every five years by Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) based on federal requirements, is intended to identify the natural hazards facing Vermont, establish actions that reduce risk from those hazards, and serve as a resource for State agencies and stakeholders to implement those actions.”

During implementation the plan was stripped down by about two-thirds and therefore may not have had the impact that was intended, Hoffer’s report said: “The State has not implemented most of the mitigation actions identified by the Plan.” It continues that of 96 mitigation actions outlined, only 33% have been implemented.

The report states that “Even actions that the Plan identified as priorities were frequently not done.” It further notes that the plan was deemed “effective” by default without any assessment to back it up.

Passed over new building codes

For example, the State failed in “implementation of more flood-resistant building codes in future development. The study states, “FEMA notes that adopting and following hazard-resistant building codes is one of the most cost-effective ways to safeguard communities against natural disasters. If this action had been completed, it could have served as a resource for communities affected by recent floods to rebuild in ways that would help them better withstand future floods.”

State didn’t watch river corridor development

The State also failed to monitor development river corridors, as recommended. Again this is cited as a potential costly mistake.

“If ANR had completed this action, data about the amount and type of development happening in the State’s river corridors may have been useful in discussions about Act 121 (2024), since this established regulations for development in the river corridors,” the report states.

Other actions not completed

Other initiatives listed in the report that have not yet been implemented address planning and implementation phases of flood mitigation. One initiative states, “Develop strategic capital budgeting training and materials to incorporate mitigation and water quality projects, explain the cost of no action, and include municipal liability concerns.”

Another one states “Coordinate State programs to promote development, sharing, and maintenance of hazard-related data and mapping across a common platform.” Another says “Develop a common and consistent statewide platform for collecting local and regional response and recovery data.”

What can be done differently?

The report recommends that roles and responsibilities as outlined in current statute be enforced. It states, “Establish the membership, duties, and responsibilities of the Planning and Policy Committee in statute. This could include requiring the Planning and  Policy Committee to track and regularly report to relevant legislative committees on the overall effectiveness of the Plan. These reports should identify reasons why actions have not been completed.”

State spent big to reduce carbon

The state will spend by its accounting more than a half-billion dollars on climate-related initiatives in 2024, and 72 percent of that money is specifically for carbon emission reductions. A report on the state’s recent and ongoing climate investments can be read here.

These investments are made while a new study by Klimarealistene or “Climate Realists”  based in Norway indicates that human activity is irrelevant to fluctuations of carbon in the atmosphere. The study states, “atmospheric CO2 has fluctuated as natural phenomenon, regardless of human activity.”

The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle