FEMA To States: Admit Climate Change Is Real To Get Preparedness Cash

It isn't George W. Bush's FEMA for sure. Now they're playing hardball with those climate-denying conservative states that suck up the disaster money like it's candy while continuing to deny the impact of global warming.

FEMA says no more.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making it tougher for governors to deny man-made climate change. Starting next year, the agency will approve disaster preparedness funds only for states whose governors approve hazard mitigation plans that address climate change.

This may put several Republican governors who maintain the earth isn't warming due to human activities, or prefer to do nothing about it, into a political bind. Their position may block their states' access to hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA funds. Over the past five years, the agency has awarded an average $1 billion a year in grants to states and territories for taking steps to mitigate the effects of disasters. READ MORE