Webinar | October 2020

Flood Planning and Mitigation: Lessons from South Carolina and Texas

Nick Bowman

In recent years, Southern states have been inundated by major flood events. The impacts of these events can create significant and long-term strain on states' economies, both in terms of tangible losses and damages, as well as lost productivity. A study by the National Institute of Building Sciences found that every dollar spent on disaster mitigation saves $6 in future disaster costs. Southern states are beginning to take a more proactive approach to flood planning, pivoting from a recovery-oriented approach to one focused on resiliency and mitigation. This program highlights flood mitigation planning and policies undertaken in South Carolina and Texas.

Presentations:

Thomas Mullikin, Chair, South Carolina Floodwater Commission
Kathleen Ligon, Program Manager and Special Assistant, Texas Water Development Board

Webinar | July 2020

Stranded Investments in the Energy Sector

Nick Bowman

SLC Energy & Environment Committee Virtual Program

Presiding Officer: Senator Ed Emery, Missouri; Chair, SLC Energy & Environment Committee

Stranded investments, sometimes called stranded costs or stranded assets, are the historic financial obligations incurred by utilities that, due to changes in market conditions, are rendered unrecoverable. As natural gas, renewable resources and battery storage increase their share of the energy generation market, a growing number of utilities are opting for the early retirement of existing coal-fired plants, resulting in millions of dollars in stranded investments. With energy use down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this program focuses on the implications of stranded investments and explores possible policy solutions.

Presentation:

Emily Sandford Fisher, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Edison Electric Institute, Washington, D.C.

SLC Regional Resource | January 2020

The Netherlands Model: Flood Resilience in Southern States

Anne Roberts Brody

In recent years, Southern states have been inundated by major flooding events. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), annual flood records are expected to be broken again in 2020 and beyond. Taken together, these repeated flood events can create a significant and long-term strain on states’ economies, both in terms of tangible losses and damages, as well as lost productivity. This SLC Regional Resource reviews recent flooding data in Southern states and explores how the Netherlands’ model of “living with water” may help states strengthen their resilience while reducing the cost of recovery for future flood-related disasters.