Reports and publications

This study presents the first systematic literature review of academic research on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) program. The CRS is a voluntary program created in 1990 as a means to incentivize communities in the United States to implement floodplain management activities that surpass those required under the National Flood Insurance Program. As participating communities adopt additional flood mitigation measures, flood insurance policy holders in those communities receive reductions in their flood insurance premiums. To identity studies for inclusion, the authors searched three academic databases using the keywords “Community Rating System” and “Federal Emergency Management Agency” and “Community Rating System” and “FEMA.” We discovered 44 studies that met our selection criteria (e.g., peer-reviewed, focus on CRS, and are empirical) and are included in the review. The findings provide significant insights into the current state of research on the CRS. This paper concludes by providing some recommendations to policymakers aiming to enhance communities’ resilience to floods and by outlining a future research agenda for the academic and practitioner communities.

The push for clean energy must be supplemented by a suite of technologies known as carbon dioxide removal.

Protecting groundwater quality is an essential component of sustainable water management. However, active groundwater management often focuses on maintaining groundwater quantity – a target that does not always ensure groundwater quality goals are met.

EDF will be participating in a number of events during UN Climate week in New York City, September 21 - 26.

Article by Maurice Hall in CALMatters for the five year anniversary of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act on why groundwater and this legislation are so important.

States that embrace innovative new ways to finance on-farm conservation can deliver multiple benefits to farmers, state residents, taxpayers and the environment.

Car companies and clean air advocates don’t always agree. This time we do. 

If EPA is successful in adopting both proposals, it would result in an additional 5 million metric tons of preventable methane pollution annually — more than a third of total emissions from the oil and gas industry.

El Estándar de Bosques Tropicales (EBT) de California ofrece garantías sólidas de salvaguardas a la protección de los derechos humanos y de los pueblos indígenas, así como a elementos importantes de ecosistemas naturales, considerando las buenas prácticas internacionales y que van más allá con requisitos adicionales de verificación por terceros.