Wisconsin's natural disaster planning questioned

The Natural Resources Defense Council sent out this email notice today about states' emergency preparedness, the relationship of such plans to climate change, and federal financing.

Wisconsin - - and note also from the NRDC the rather gloomy prediction of a strong state plan emerging from the Walker administration - - is specifically referenced:

Governments of three states – Maryland, Wisconsin, and Wyoming – and one territory – Puerto Rico – are currently drafting plans to help keep citizens, property and infrastructure as safe as possible the next time a natural disaster (blizzard, anyone?) strikes. These plans are important.

They help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) identify how to best allocate millions of dollars in pre-disaster mitigation funding. And for the first time ever, the four plans scheduled to be submitted to FEMA in 2016 must include expected impacts from climate change.

As plans are being drafted, we encourage you to check in on their progress. What will Maryland say about blizzards? How will flooding affect Wisconsin? Is Wyoming properly accounting for climate change? What about sea-level rise Puerto Rico?

I've noted several times on this blog that Wisconsin these days shows little official interest in climate change. Here is one recent summary posting:

Gov. Walker's corporate-friendly Department of Natural Resources has scrubbed virtually every link and word about climate change from what had been a very useful and comprehensive web page - - noted often on this blog back to 2012 - - and the agency is poised to undergo another round of budget and personnel cuts aimed by Walker at scientific research, policy-making and field work. 

Wisconsin's forests and the wetlands and waters they protect are vulnerable to a changing climate's drought, rising temperatures and disruptive, heavier rain events: the state's agricultural and tourism sectors can prosper only with the best science available - - regrettably not a current administration priority. 

Walker's DNR is giving but a cursory official look at a cross-state tar sand oil pipeline from the Canadian north that will enable the shipment of far more tar sand oil daily than is envisioned for the higher-profile Keystone XL - - a look being managed without a comprehensive environmental review of the route. 

Walker is also coordinating opposition by his Public Service Commission and the Attorney General to new clean air greenhouse emission rules proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and Walker signed a public pledge sought by the Koch brothers opposing governmental actions against climate change.