"FEMA to States: No Climate Planning, No Money"

"Governors seeking billions of dollars in U.S. preparedness funds will have to sign off on plans to mitigate effects of climate change."

"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.

'If a state has a climate denier governor that doesn't want to accept a plan, that would risk mitigation work not getting done because of politics,' said Becky Hammer, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council's water program. 'The governor would be increasing the risk to citizens in that state' because of his climate beliefs."

Katherine Bagley reports for InsideClimate News March 18, 2015.