Rebuilding effort Presents Call To Climate-Proof Our Energy System
Washington secured a federal major disaster declaration in April after a months-long push by Gov. Ferguson and the state's congressional delegation, unlocking federal aid to address an estimated $182.3 million in damage to public infrastructure from the December 2025 flooding. Federal Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation funds will now prove vital to rebuilding the roads, levees, water systems and public buildings lashed by Mother Nature when three of the state's largest rivers — the Skagit, Snohomish and Cedar — reached their highest levels in recorded history.
But rebuilding should mean more than simply restoring what was — Washington can find a silver lining in disaster by rebuilding in a way that climate-proofs the systems on which our communities rely.
Renewable natural gas (RNG) can play a role in that effort.