As the Winter Storms Wreak Havoc Across the United States, SmarterSafer.org Launches Effort to Include Mitigation Measures Within New Home Star Program

(Washington, DC) – After mudslides swept through California and blizzards continue to pound the East Coast, SmarterSafer.org today said it is lobbying Congress to amend new Home Star legislation that is being considered for inclusion in an upcoming series of jobs legislation to cover disaster resiliency measures. Developed in the Senate under the leadership of Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), the Home Star program in its current form only extends rebates to those who retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient but does nothing to incentivize measures that would protect homes from major weather events or earthquakes.

The group said it is urging Congress to expand Home Star to include measures to fortify homes against natural disasters. By expanding the rebates to resiliency measures, the Home Star proposal will both advance efforts to protect people from natural disasters while providing a needed shot in the arm for the economy. For every $1 million spent in the construction industry creates a total of 27 direct and indirect jobs, according to Economic Opportunity Studies. Disaster resiliency retrofits require materials to be purchased and contractors to be hired, just like energy efficiency retrofits. Florida’s mitigation program created 160 construction jobs for every 50 to 75 houses retrofitted.

The specific changes SmarterSafer.org would like to see include extending rebates for measures that reduce risks from tornadoes, fires, hurricanes, blizzards, floods, earthquakes, mudslides and other natural disasters. To get the rebates, homeowners would have to get a certified contractor to confirm that the measures were properly installed and used tested materials.

The rebates would be processed through either a state mitigation program or through a national rebate process and would be funded out of Home Star’s appropriation. Like energy efficiency rebates, homeowners would be eligible for up to $1,000 per mitigation measure, so long as the total rebate does not exceed $3,000. Disaster resiliency measures include strengthening roof attachments, creating water barriers and seals, constructing safe rooms, elevating electrical systems, and adding storm shutters.

“It only makes sense as we seek to improve the efficiency of our buildings also to improve their basic resiliency,” said David Conrad, Senior Water Resources Specialist for the National Wildlife Federation. “This is especially the case as our scientists are documenting that severe weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity as the effects of climate change are manifesting themselves in many areas. The savings in property damage and disaster assistance — often from making modest investments to mitigate vulnerabilities from storm damage — will far outweigh the costs. We hope the Senate will add these measures to the upcoming jobs bill and encourage such wise investments by homeowners and businesses in the months and years ahead.”

“In some parts of the country—like, say, the Washington, D.C. area—snow and cold are the major natural forces that people have to contend with. In other areas hurricanes and earthquakes are the major problems. Insofar as the government helps people reinforce their homes, it should pursue a balanced approach that helps people in cold weather areas deal with the cold through weatherization while simultaneously assisting those in hurricane and earthquake zones with proven mitigation measures.” – Eli Leher, Senior Fellow at The Heartland Institute.

“Congress can kill two birds with one stone by including mitigation in the Home Star program: It can both strengthen federal natural disaster policy by implementing a policy that improves efforts to protect homes before disaster strikes and can create jobs at the same time. Expanding Home Star to include disaster resiliency measures is the kind of smart and sound policy that Americans want Congress to enact into law.” - Andrew Fahlund, Vice Presdent for Conservation at American Rivers.

“It is a great opportunity to help people make themselves safer around the country. In Louisiana, for instance, building ‘green’ means more than just energy efficiency. It means you’ve got to build resiliently and add storm mitigation because the state gets more than 60 inches of rain a year, faces hurricanes and storm surge, and loses a football field of its coast every half hour.” - Brian Jackson Community Resiliency Specialist at the Environmental Defense Fund.

SmarterSafer.org is a national coalition made up of a diverse set of voices united to support environmentally-responsible, fiscally-sound approaches that promote public safety. The Coalition strongly opposes legislative proposals that encourage people to build homes in hurricane-prone, environmentally-sensitive areas by creating new programs that directly or indirectly subsidize their homeowner’s insurance.