On Friday, December 17, 2021, Councilmember Mary M. Cheh, Chairperson of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, Councilmember Charles Allen, Chairperson of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, and Kenyan McDuffie, Chairperson of the Committee on Business and Economic Development, will hold a joint public hearing on Climate Resilience Planning in the District and B24-410, the Flood Resilience Amendment Act of 2021. The hearing will begin at 9:00 AM and be broadcast live on DC Council Channel 13 and streamed live at www.dccouncil.us, facebook.com/cmmarycheh, and entertainment.dc.gov.
The purpose of this hearing is to learn more about efforts underway to prepare the District for and, where possible, mitigate the effects of climate change, including plans for future climate resiliency initiatives, and to solicit testimony from climate and resiliency experts on how the District might expand or enhance its current resilience plans. At the hearing, the Committees will hear testimony from several of the agencies responsible for the District’s resilience planning, including the Department of Energy and Environment, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, and the Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency. The Committees will also hear testimony on B24-410, the Flood Resilience Amendment Act of 2021, which would authorize DOEE to designate certain areas as flood hazard locations and, consequently, require flood insurance as a condition of occupancy for new or substantially improved buildings in those locations.