Disaster Policy – Environmental and Energy Law Program

Legal Analysis

SBA Claims Broad Legal Authority to Preempt State and Local Building Requirements for Disaster Loan Borrowers

Explanation of the new preemption framework and potential legal risks that may be raised if it is challenged in court.

May 11, 2026

Post

New Tools to Strengthen Tribal Access to Climate Adaptation Funding

Research from EELP and the Tribal Coastal Resilience Project helps streamline processes and unlock new resources to support climate adaptation and resilience.

February 21, 2026

Explainer

Proposed Changes to FEMA and the Future of Federal Disaster Response

How President Trump’s recent executive actions could reshape disaster response and the potential impact on affected communities.

February 27, 2025

Legal Analysis

Transfer of Development Rights as Climate Adaptation

A practical analysis for a state agency or local government interested in using Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programs.

May 23, 2024

CleanLaw Podcast

CleanLaw — Wicked Resilient: Climate Adaptation in Massachusetts

Hannah Perls and Deanna Moran walk through some of the surprising ways that law and policy drive adaptation decisions in Massachusetts and beyond.

May 5, 2024

EELP News

National Low Income Housing Coalition Hosts Event on FEMA’s Interim Final Rule Amending Regulations for Its Individual Assistance Program

The Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition hosted a webinar explaining significant changes in the interim final rule and key considerations for submitting comments.

January 30, 2024

CleanLaw Podcast

CleanLaw — Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm

Hannah talks with Susan Crawford, the John A. Riley clinical professor at Harvard Law School, and Michelle Mapp, an Equal Justice Works law fellow at the ACLU of South Carolina and former CEO of the South Carolina Community Loan Fund, about Susan’s most recent book, Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm.

June 26, 2023

CleanLaw Podcast

CleanLaw — Equitable Disaster Insurance & Climate Change with Hannah Perls, Carolyn Kousky, & Sean Hecht

The past, present, and future of disaster insurance.

May 5, 2023

Comments Filed

EELP submits statement on expanding flood insurance coverage to House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance

Flooding is the most common and costly environmental disaster in the U.S., causing more than $85 billion in damages in 2021 alone. Yet most standard insurance policies do not include coverage for flood-related damages.

March 9, 2023