Press Release Baker-Polito Administration Awards Climate Vulnerability Preparedness Funding to 82 Communities

ORLEANS — The Baker-Polito Administration today announced over $2 million in grant funding has been awarded to 82 towns and cities across the Commonwealth to complete climate change vulnerability assessments and develop resiliency plans through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program. The grant and designation program, which builds on Governor Baker’s Executive Order 569 as well as other administration-led state and local partnerships, provides communities with technical support, climate change data and planning tools to identify hazards and develop strategies to improve resilience. The grant awardees, representing 43 percent of municipalities in the state, across all regions of the Commonwealth, were announced by Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton, as part of a tour of storm damage on the beaches of the outer Cape.

“The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program is the cornerstone of our administration’s efforts to work with communities on further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting residents, municipalities and businesses from the impacts of climate change,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Municipalities on the front lines of climate change, so we are proud to provide our communities the resources, data and planning tools they need to build resiliency to severe weather and other impacts.”

“These communities are stepping up to the challenge of climate change by working together to identify their vulnerabilities, strengthen resilience and help us build a stronger Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “We look forward to partnering with now over 40 percent of all cities and towns to ensure the safety of residents and the health of critical environmental resources.”

Through the MVP Program, municipalities work through a community-based workshop process to identify key climate-related hazards, vulnerabilities and strengths, develop adaptation actions, and prioritize next steps.  Results of the workshops and planning efforts will be used to inform existing local plans, grant applications, and policies, such as local hazard mitigation plans. 

These awards are part of a larger $5 million investment in the MVP program in 2018 by the Baker-Polito Administration, which represents a ten-fold increase over 2017 funding levels. Of that funding, $3 million will be awarded through MVP Action Grants, which will help communities implement priorities identified through their MVP planning process.

“The severe damage caused by this winter’s Nor’easters illustrates how incredibly important it is that we plan and prepare now for the impacts of climate change,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “We applaud the leadership and initiative of these 82 communities that are partnering with the Commonwealth to take vital steps towards building climate resilience for their residents, infrastructure, businesses and environment.”

The MVP program is led in each town by an experienced Project Coordinator from the town with a core team of town staff and volunteers representing town planning departments, emergency managers, conservation commissioners, economic councils, the business community and other key stakeholders. Technical assistance is delivered by state-certified MVP providers using a standardized toolkit for assessing vulnerability and developing strategies, and newly developed climate projections and data from the Northeast Climate Science Center at UMass-Amherst. Upon successful completion of the program, municipalities are designated as a “Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program community,” which enables them to compete in EEA’s MVP Action Grant program. 

The following communities will receive funding to complete the planning process:

“After the horrendous winter the Cape and Islands experienced, it only make sense to make sure that any new infrastructure improvements made here can stand the test of both time and the environment,” said State Representative William Crocker (R-Centerville). “The first step in that process will be planning those improvements and I am very happy to see the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded the Towns of Barnstable and Yarmouth funding to help make that possible.”

“It is important to achieve coordination between communities and the commonwealth’s administration with issues related to climate change and other coastal vulnerabilities,” said State Representative Randy Hunt (R-Sandwich). “Our communities appreciate the continued support and growing relationship to aid in developing plans that address local needs and preparedness.”

“After the battering that the Cape Cod coastline took this winter causing extensive erosion and property damage, these MVP grants are truly welcome, needed, and appreciated,” said State Representative Sarah Peake (D-Provincetown). “The Baker-Polito administration and Secretary Beaton are the real “MVPs,” helping our communities through this grant program to better prepare for climate change and future storm events.”

“I’m afraid that last winter’s coastal flooding and damage to our beaches was a stark reminder of how vulnerable Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are to climate change,” said State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro). “Our residents know firsthand that action is needed to improve our resiliency to protect our towns and beautiful coastal environment, and I commend the Baker Administration for working directly with our municipalities to provide state funding support.”      

To further assist communities in planning for climate change impacts, the Baker-Polito Administration recently launched a new website, the resilient MA Climate Clearinghouse, to provide communities access to the best science and data on expected climate change impacts, information on planning and actions communities can deploy to build resiliency and avoid loss, and links to important grant programs and technical assistance. The site, which was built with data developed through a partnership between EEA, the Northeast Climate Center at UMass-Amherst and the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, provides access to statewide climate change projections showing how temperature, precipitation and sea level rise will change through the end of the century, which any user can overlay with other data of interest, including information on emergency facilities, infrastructure and natural resources.

As part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s commitment to combat and prepare for climate change, Governor Baker recently filed legislation to authorize over $1.4 billion in capital allocations for investments in safeguarding residents, municipalities and businesses from the impacts of climate change, protecting environmental resources, and investing in communities. The legislation would put into law essential components of Governor Baker’s Executive Order 569, which established an integrated strategy for climate change adaptation across the Commonwealth, including the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program and the Statewide Hazard Mitigation and Adaptation Plan – a blueprint to protect residents, communities, and local economies. The funding available through these grant programs builds upon the Baker-Polito Administration’s ongoing efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

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