This month, IRWA penned a letter advocating for an increase of MVP (Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness) funding from the $20 million it is today to the $100 million it needs to be. The MVP Program provides grants for cities and towns in Massachusetts to identify climate hazards, assess vulnerabilities, and develop action plans to improve resilience to climate change. The letter was sent to Environmental and Natural Resources Chair Cahill on behalf of the MVP Coalition, and was signed by Mass Rivers, Charles River Watershed Association, Mystic River Watershed Association, and Neponset River Watershed Association.
If you are a Massachusetts resident and would like to advocate for this increase in funding, you can copy and personalize the example below and send your email to [email protected], Chair of the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee.
Subject: Increase the MVP Budget
Chair Cahill,
I am a resident of [YOUR MUNICIPALITY] and I am writing to you in your capacity as the Chair of the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee. Recent events, from the 2022 droughts to the flooding of the Connecticut River, are only a preview of the environmental challenges communities will face in the future. To address this, I am writing to ask that you advocate for an increase in the MVP budget from $20 million to $100 million in next year’s Environmental Bond Bill. This money is sorely needed to protect the way of life of Massachusetts residents such as myself. Thank you for all of the work you do to protect our environment and our Commonwealth.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
Pictured above: In September 2023 IRWA, in partnership with the Ipswich Utilities department, Mass ECAN, the PIE-Rivers Partnership, Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, and MA Division of Ecological Restoration, hosted a field trip of approximately 30 ecological management professionals from around Massachusetts to tour project sites in Ipswich.