Environmental Defense Fund
About Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
Local leaders are the changemakers of their communities, dedicated to building a safe and healthy future for generations to come. To support them, EDF’s wealth of experts offer information, analysis, and insights on the toughest challenges facing counties. Our work cuts across economics, science, and policy to make even the most insurmountable challenges manageable. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your local grid, improve public health, or prepare for the future, our team at EDF will work with you to create transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems.
Resources for Counties
- Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI)
- Understanding what risks face your community is the first step to addressing them. The CVI uses 184 data sets to assess over 70,000 census tracts, giving local leaders the information they need to prioritize actions needed to strengthen community resilience. The CVI also filters by county, allowing you to identify the specific environmental risks that are most likely to affect your community.
- Beyond the Wires: Community Benefits from Transmission Projects
- Building out electric transmission lines is essential for meeting rising power demands, but communities need to be part of that process from the beginning. This report contains case studies exploring how counties, towns, and municipalities successfully constructed transmission lines by treating communities as partners, not obstacles.
- Inclusive Insurance for Climate Related Disasters
- Climate change is driving disasters that are causing serious financial shocks for households around the country. Insurance is a critical tool for mitigating those shocks, and counties can play a role in expanding coverage for their communities.
- Mapping Lead Service Line Replacement programs
- Millions of homes and buildings across the U.S. still get water from a lead pipe. Counties looking to accelerate replacement in their communities can use this tool to identify local replacement programs or submit their own.
- Navigating the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Process
- Across the country, flooding remains one of the costliest natural disasters. While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for managing flood risks, projects don’t always prioritize community engagement. This tool helps county officials navigate the Corp’s project planning process and how local leaders can influence projects.