Billions for climate protection fuel new debate: Who deserves it most?
The new infrastructure law signed by President Biden includes almost $50 billion to protect communities against climate change … But historically, it is wealthier, white communities — with both high property values and the resources to apply to competitive programs — that receive the bulk of federal grants. … More than half the money went to California, New Jersey and Washington State. The largest single recipient was a $68 million flood-control project in Menlo Park, Calif., where the median household income is more than $160,000, the typical home costs more than $2 million and only one in five residents are Black or Hispanic.