FEMA flood relief grants for Whatcom property owners delayed indefinitely, Sourdough Fire now at 25% containment, Birch Bay Water and Sewer District to receive $1.5 million from state, Changes made to Whatcom conservation program will affect salmon habitat preservation, Judge upholds Washington’s $17B transportation package, US Gov announces $1.4 billion to improve rail safety and boost capacity ______________________________
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STORY: FEMA flood relief grants for Whatcom property owners delayed indefinitely
Millions of dollars in federal grants allocated for 2021 flood recovery in Whatcom County have been indefinitely delayed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Whatcom County had been working with FEMA to secure over $12 million in grants to acquire damaged homes, elevate structures, and assist residents affected by the floods of November 2021. The county was planning to buy out around 15 homes and elevate 14 others that were on the list. However, the Agency’s disaster fund is running out of money– in a year that’s already set records for billion-dollar disasters.
The relief fund is almost depleted, says FEMA chief Deanne Criswell, and the agency had no choice but to limit spending to emergency needs. According to another FEMA official, there’s now growing concern inside the agency that funding could lapse entirely if the Republican majority in the House of Representatives shuts the government down on October first.
County Executive Satpal Sidhu expressed frustration with FEMA’s failure to fulfill its commitments, noting that property owners in the grant application had been waiting for assistance for over 21 months. A potential government shutdown could also leave homeowners without flood insurance just as the rainy season approaches Whatcom County.
According to Adam Smith, a NOAA climatologist who tracks natural disasters, there have been 139 separate billion-dollar disasters since 2016 that killed at least 5,200 people and cost over $1 trillion dollars in damage across the United States.
STORY: Sourdough Fire now at 25% containment
The Sourdough fire has reached 25 percent containment, after growing 1,000 acres last week.
Now spanning over 7,300 acres, the fire has been burning near Diablo Lake since late July. Current containment is focused around state Route 20 and around at-risk structures. Firefighters are moving equipment like hoses and pumps away from the remaining areas, and are monitoring the wildfire for any additional changes. According to a National Park Service press release, a change in containment is unlikely until a season ending event like significant rain or snow.
STORY: Birch Bay Water and Sewer District to receive $1.5 million from state
The Birch Bay Water and Sewer District will receive over $1.5 million dollars in construction loans to improve the domestic water supply at Birch Point.
The loan is part of a $220 million package approved by the Washington State Public Works Board to repair decaying and damaged infrastructure around the state. In total, 61 projects throughout 51 communities received funding. Water quality and conservation has been a frequent concern for Birch Bay residents as of recently.
The board also approved an $800,000 loan for a reservoir replacement project by the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District.
STORY: Changes made to Whatcom conservation program will affect salmon habitat preservation
The Farm Service Agency is cutting payments to dozens of Whatcom County farmers and rural landowners.
The agency states landowners were wrongly being paid as part of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. In return for payment, the owners were to leave their land unsown and plant trees and other habitat along the Nooksack River and its tributaries, where critically endangered salmon species live. About 200 landowners were affected, including 1,500 acres of land and 120 miles of stream “buffers” for salmon habitat. After October 1st, some landowners will be removed from the program while others will see changes in their contracts.
The cuts have led to agricultural and environmental interests appealing to Governor Jay Inslee in an effort to replace funding the landowners receive from the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. A letter to Inslee was signed by the Whatcom Family Farmers, the Washington State Dairy Federation, and the Nature Conservancy, among others. Owners like former County Councilman Rud Browne worry about how they can maintain conservation efforts, stating that they may need to return the land to agriculture to afford to pay property taxes.
STORY: Judge upholds Washington’s $17B transportation package
On Friday, a Thurston County Superior Court Judge dismissed a case attempting to invalidate a $17 billion transportation law.
The motion to invalidate the 2022 law came in January from the Citizen Action Defense Fund, who argued that that legislation contains multiple unrelated topics which would violate a state requirement that bills only cover one subject. The attorney general’s office argued that the law doesn’t violate the rule because it works as an omnibus bill that compiles a range of transportation topics. Thurston County Judge Mary Sue Wilson agreed, stating that “each of the challenged sections have some incidental or rational relationship to one another.” The conservative advocacy group disagreed with the ruling, and plans to appeal to the State Supreme Court.
The law, called Move Ahead Washington, is a blueprint for spending $17 billion through 2038 on road projects and maintenance, transit expansion, fish-barrier removal, and more. It was signed into law by Governor Inslee in March of 2022.
STORY: US Gov announces $1.4 billion to improve rail safety and boost capacity
In an effort to improve railroad safety and increase passenger capacity nationwide, the United States Government will spend $1.4 billion on track remediation to restore passenger travel in parts of the country.
Washington state will see a large portion of that money, as the Palouse (puh-LOOSE) River & Coulee (COO-lee) City Railroad in Washington state will get nearly $73 million to upgrade the track and related infrastructure that will allow the rail line to handle modern railcars.
The funding is spread out across 35 states, and efforts to improve railroad safety come after the East Palestine (pal-uh-STEEN) train derailment that resulted in major contamination in Ohio.
The national funding also goes towards increasing connectivity among railroads and making sure the railroads are less vulnerable to extreme weather.
WX: Showers and rain
Today is expected to be rainy, with a 100% chance of showers. The high will be 67*, dipping to an overnight low of 56 degrees. We are likely to get some wind tonight as well. The rain may dissipate somewhat in the evening but the storm will be with us for a few days.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Susan Lindsey, Emma Toscani and Carlos Braga. Tune in to local news on KMRE weekdays at 3, 4 and 5 p-m. For news tips and feedback, send us an email at news@kmre.org or call 360-398-6150. KMRE is a nonprofit community radio station, powered by listener donations. I’m ________________ and thanks for listening.
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