April 22, 2025 - The Metro Mayors Coalition decries the Trump Administration’s decision to cancel $90 million in FEMA funding for Massachusetts communities, made available through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. Critical BRIC projects have been cut across the country, at exactly the time such projects are needed most. These projects are critical to protecting communities against the impacts of coastal storms, sea level rise, and other forms of extreme weather.

The Island End River Flood Resilience Project has been a decade in the making, and we are devastated to see nearly $50 million dollars cut overnight. The Island End River Flood Resilience Project includes a storm surge barrier, storm surge control facility, and nature-based systems; it is currently finalizing permits and is slated to begin construction in 2026.

While located in Chelsea and Everett, the $120 million project to address Island End has far reaching regional benefits given the critical built and economic infrastructure it aims to protect, including the wholesale food processing, storage, and distribution center that supports all of New England, and is currently under threat from flooding. In November 2017, an economic analysis by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council showed that severe flooding at Island End River site could result in a loss of $2.3 billion (2015 USD) in annual economic activity and 11,000 jobs. In addition to the food distribution center, a cluster of fuel storage and energy assets, as well as critical state and local facilities including schools, hospitals, federal buildings, and state buildings are also under threat within the floodplain.

The Metro Mayors Coalition Climate Task Force*, representing 17 cities and towns in the Inner Core of Greater Boston, came together just over a decade ago to make our regional commitment to climate preparedness after seeing the devasting impacts of Superstorm Sandy. Our mayors, managers, allies, and supporters are gathering at the Museum of Science on Monday, May 12 to reaffirm our commitment to climate mitigation and resilience, and to announce goals for upcoming years. 

The City of Boston also had $35 million in BRIC funding cut for coastal resilience projects along Moakley Park in South Boston and Dorchester, as well as Tenean Beach and Conley Street, all of which are critical projects for the people who live, work, and recreate in those areas.   

The Metro Mayors Coalition is dedicated to finding collaborative approaches and working together across our communities. Protecting our people and places from climate threats is a core value we all share. We echo Governor Maura Healey’s sentiment regarding the sudden revocation of BRIC funding, but the Commonwealth cannot possibly make up for all of these lost dollars.  We will not rest until this funding is restored, and we will continue our efforts to build a resilient and well-prepared region.

Mayor of Medford Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Metro Mayors Coalition Co-Chair

Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang, Metro Mayors Coalition Co-Chair

*The municipal officials in this group represent more than 1.6 million residents in the cities and towns of Arlington, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Watertown, and Winthrop.