Congressional Action on Resilient Infrastructure: Areas of Progress and Future Needs

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines legislative progress made by the 115th Congress to improve the resilience of U.S. infrastructure against extreme weather and climate change. It details specific provisions in laws affecting disaster recovery, water systems, national defense, and natural infrastructure, while identifying remaining gaps for the 116th Congress, such as energy grid resilience and National Flood Insurance Program reform.

• The financial cost of inaction regarding extreme weather is increasing, with 2017 recording a historic $312.7 billion in damages from 16 'billion-dollar' climate disasters. Between 1980 and 2018, the United States experienced 238 weather and climate-related disasters that each exceeded $1 billion in damages, totaling more than $1.5 trillion.
• The Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA), signed October 5, 2018, shifts federal focus toward pre-disaster mitigation (PDM). It allows disaster-damaged structures to be rebuilt according to the most recent model codes and standards, rather than only those applicable at the time of the disaster, and permits the federal government to cover up to 75 percent of the cost of cost-effective hazard mitigation measures.
• The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 mandates that proposed Department of Defense (DOD) construction projects report if they are located within a 100-year floodplain. For such sites, 'mission critical' structures must be elevated by three feet and 'non-mission critical' structures by two feet above the projected 100-year floodwater level.
• Water infrastructure legislation includes the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, which contains the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) authorizing $3.6 billion for 12 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects and 65 feasibility studies. Additionally, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund was reauthorized at $4.4 billion over five years.
• To combat 'fire-borrowing'—the practice of reprogramming funds from regular forest management to cover wildfire suppression—the 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act established a Wildfire and Disaster Funding Adjustment. This creates a separate disaster cap starting at $2.25 billion in FY2020 and increasing to $2.95 billion by 2027, providing an additional $20 billion over 10 years.
• The 2018 Farm Bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018) provides $428.2 billion over five years, including a new Soil Health and Income Protection Pilot Program designed to establish cover crops to improve soil health and resilience to drought.
• The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 addresses aviation resilience by requiring the FAA to consider community emergency preparedness in airport master plans and directing a report on safety risks associated with airport power outages.
• The document identifies three primary areas for the 116th Congress: ensuring the full implementation and funding of passed laws (DRRA, NDAA, WRDA), increasing the resilience of an aging electric power grid, and reforming the financially insolvent National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2019). Congressional Action on Resilient Infrastructure: Areas of Progress and Future Needs. https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Resilient_Infrastructure.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Congressional Action on Resilient Infrastructure: Areas of Progress and Future Needs. 2019. https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Resilient_Infrastructure.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Congressional Action on Resilient Infrastructure: Areas of Progress and Future Needs |date=April 2019 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Resilient_Infrastructure.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2019congressional, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Congressional Action on Resilient Infrastructure: Areas of Progress and Future Needs}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Resilient_Infrastructure.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }