October Advocacy Updates

Posted: October 7, 2021

Preservation Priorities Task Force Releases Climate and Sustainability Issue Brief
HCF Chief Advocacy Officer Cashion Drolet is currently serving on the national Preservation Priorities Task Force’s Sustainability and Climate Action Working Group, drawing from HCF’s extensive advocacy work in flood mitigation, adaptation, and sea level rise. Working collaboratively with colleagues from across the country, the working group is assembling resources, strategies, and ideas to address climate-related challenges ranging from flood to fire. The working group just recently published an Issue Brief to describe the challenges and opportunities through the preservation lens. The next phase of this project will be to develop a response plan to provide examples, tools, and resources for local and state preservation advocates.

The Preservation Priorities Task Force is a partnership between the National Preservation Partners Network and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The task force formed in 2020, and this two-year project brings together a diverse group of advocates to help state and local preservation organizations address four significant issues facing the preservation movement: Affordable Housing and Density; Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Justice; Preservation Trades and Workforce Development; and Sustainability and Climate Action.

FEMA Updates its Flood Insurance Rating
FEMA is changing the way it views flood risk and prices flood insurance. The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) new rating methodology, Risk Rating 2.0, prioritizes delivering flood insurance rates that are easier to understand, equitable, and better reflect a property’s flood risk. Rates will now consider variables like flood frequency and proximity to water, as well as take into account individual property characteristics like elevation. New policies issued on or after October 1, 2021 will be subject to the Risk Rating 2.0 methodology; all policies renewing on or after April 1, 2022 will become subject to Risk Rating 2.0. Contact your insurance company to understand how this new flood risk approach will affect your premium.

To learn more about Risk Rating 2.0, click here.