Wednesday, June 4, 2025
TARR IN THE NEWS 5.26.25
TARR IN THE NEWS | 5.26.25
'Flooding in Massachusetts drains money, energy, and resources'
By Maya Mitchell | Commonwealth Beacon
"Sen. Bruce Tarr, a Republican from Gloucester, proposed a special commission to consider the creation of a loan program for properties prone to flooding. It would allow Massachusetts to create its own state buyout program, similar to the FEMA managed retreat program on the national level.
“This bill would provide an important means of access to the resources that homeowners would need to be able to be proactive, either by elevating the home [or] using other methods that make it more resilient,” Tarr said. The legislation would also allow the state to purchase property that can’t be made resilient, he added.
Tarr said this bill aims not only to fill the gaps left by FEMA’s program but to take pressure off the municipal tax base.
Tarr has filed this bill in every legislative term since 2019. He believes it’s not moving out of committee because “there isn’t the same sense of urgency with every legislator.”
“I don’t think we’ve come to the full realization of how much of a threat this situation is,” he said. “That is not to say that they are unsympathetic. I very much believe there’s an interest in trying to respond, but I don’t think there’s been a feeling or urgency, and maybe a feeling that these threats are far enough in the future that we don’t need to yet develop this type of a plan.”
“We need to shift the model that we currently have,” he added."
Read the full article here: https://www.gloucestertimes.com/.../html_39635c21-4b40...
