Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FEMA Details U.S.' Vulnerability To Natural Disasters, Terrorism' In Annual Report
E&E News: Report Detailing U.S. Threats Ignores Climate Change
The Trump administration’s latest National Preparedness Report, which describes the greatest threats and hazards to the country, says nothing about climate change, drought or sea-level rise. The 2019 report is the eighth annual summary of U.S. vulnerability to threats such as disasters and terrorism but the first to eschew the word “climate,” except for one reference to “school climate” in a section on preventing school violence. (Frank, 1/7)
Wyoming Public Radio: Trump Administration's Latest Disaster Preparedness Report Omits Climate Change
The 60-page report, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, mentions the devastating wildfires that mostly destroyed Paradise, Calif., in 2017. It also nods at severe hurricanes and floods. But it omits the role climate change has played in exacerbating such disasters. Abigail Dennis, a spokesperson for FEMA, wrote in an email that emergency managers need to be prepared for disasters regardless of the reasons why the climate is changing. (Hegyi, 1/7)
St. Louis Public Radio: With More Flooding Possible This Year, FEMA Urges Residents To Get Flood Insurance
Since last spring, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has paid nearly $70 million to Missouri residents who filed flood insurance claims. Payments are likely to keep accumulating, as claims are still being processed and more flooding could occur this year. The National Weather Service predicts that above-average precipitation and abnormally moist ground conditions in the Upper Midwest this winter could increase the chance of major flooding in the St. Louis region in the spring. (Chen, 1/8)
NBC News: Trump's Former Pick To Lead FEMA Resigns From Agency
A top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency resigned in December, four months after a background investigation derailed his nomination to lead the agency, according to a letter obtained Monday by NBC News. In the Dec. 20 letter, the official, Jeffrey Byard said that he "had the privilege of leading the finest workforce during the most impactful natural disaster period in our nation's history." (Strickler and Stelloh, 1/6)
New Hampshire Public Radio: EPA Proposes Long-Awaited Permit Targeting Great Bay Water Pollution
Federal regulators are proposing a new way to limit water pollution from a dozen towns surrounding Great Bay. The draft general permit from the Environmental Protection Agency marks a big step forward in the years-long effort to clean up the degraded estuary. (Ropeik, 1/8)
The Associated Press: Last US-Wide Block On Trump Immigrant Policy Under Appeal
A federal appeals court is considering whether to lift the final nationwide temporary injunction against a Trump administration policy that would deny green cards to immigrants over their use of public benefits. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan heard arguments Tuesday over keeping or lifting the injunction issued in October by a federal district court in New York that prevented the policy from going into effect across the country while a lawsuit against it is proceeding. (1/7)
