HDOT Climate Resilience Action Plan | May 2021

APPENDIX D. PARTNERSHIPS TOWARD IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERSHIPS TOWARD IMPLEMENTATION Planning for and effectively responding to disruptions often requires alignment among Federal, State, and county agencies, as well as interaction with the communities they serve. As one of the most effective government agencies in project delivery, the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) already collaborates regularly with many such groups. These existing and additional partnerships must remain strong to ensure that the transformative changes required to adapt to climate change occur proactively and routinely during project planning and development in a way that also respects local community values and priorities. Examples of these partnerships are provided below. Partnerships can lead to: » Collaborative assessment of probable climate-related effects on Hawai‘i » Development and implementation of statewide climate adaptation strategies » Mutual and collaborative investment to reduce climate-related effects across shared systems » Institutionalization of climate adaptation and system resilience into standard operating procedures » Education of other stakeholders and the public on the need for, and challenges of, climate adaptation and system resilience strategies D.1 FUNDING AGENCIES As the primary Federal funding agency for highway projects, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) remains a critical partner to HDOT. In addition to making regular highway funds available through Federal-aid programs, the U.S. Department of Transportation annually offers the Better Utilizing Infrastructure to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program (formerly Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grants). This program supports road, rail, transit, ports, and multimodal projects that promise to achieve national objectives to build and repair freight and passenger transportation networks. These Federal funds can be used for climate adaptation and system resilience. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is another critical partner to HDOT in taking proactive action. Its new Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, established by the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018, is one of its pre-disaster hazard mitigation programs designed to incentivize innovative infrastructure projects with the potential of promoting adaptation and resilience prior to a major disaster (see Appendix B 4.4). BRIC aims to shift Federal spending from a reactive, post-disaster approach toward proactive, pre-disaster investments, which presents an opportunity for HDOT and other state partners. D.2 BOND-RATING AGENCIES Climate-related effects and adaptation will play an increasing role in bond ratings, affecting the ability of governments to borrow and invest funds in capital improvements. Governments at higher risk of climate effects will be asked by bond-rating agencies to explain how they are prepared to reduce these probable effects. This

HAWAI‘ I HIGHWAYS | CLIMATE ADAPTATION ACTION PLAN ( D-1 )