Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) on Tuesday slammed a new FEMA rule that could force states to recognize climate change in order to receive disaster preparedness funds.
“This preparation saves lives,” Jindal said in a statement to the Washington Times. “The White House should not use it for political leverage to force acquiescence to their left-wing ideology.”
FEMA recently updated its standards for the Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants to require that states address how climate change may impact their states.
“The risk assessment must provide a summary of the probability of future hazard events,” the new guidelines state. “Probability must include considerations of changing future conditions, including the effects of long-term changes in weather patterns and climate.”
The Hazard Mitigation Assistance program provides funds to help states prepare for disasters, and the new rule will not affect federal relief funds for states following a flood, hurricane or other natural disaster.
The new standards may pose a problem for governors who do not believe that human activity has contributed to climate change.
Last week, a Florida state senator questioned a state official on how Florida will respond to FEMA’s new standards. During his response, the official repeatedly dodged using the term “climate change,” which has reportedly been banned among state officials by the Florida government.
