Stop, rather than subsidize, construction in high-risk zones

…Stop giving taxpayer protection, and indirectly encouraging development, to communities behind levees. We also need to actively protect our most valuable flood protection infrastructure – wetlands, barrier islands, and dune beaches. Similar opportunities lie in the nation’s wildfire "red zones," where the government is spending $3 billion a year on wildfire protection. "We ain’t seen nothing yet," says Ray Rasker, an economist and director of Headwaters Economics. Only 16 percent of private wildland now has homes, he says. "Put climate change on top of new development, and you have a crisis." He suggests cutting support for construction of at-risk homes, doing away with breaks like the federal mortgage tax deduction.…

Author:
Ben Alexander

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