Coastal Barrier Resources Act
Along with many others, we recently signed onto a letter of support for H.R. 5787, the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2018. Sponsored by Representative Neal Dunn, and joined by American Flood Coalition Member Representative Brian Mast, this bill aims to improve the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) by enacting more accurate digital maps from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). These improved maps will enable several communities to purchase flood insurance by removing them from the program, and add roughly 18,000 acres of undeveloped land into the system.
We are pleased to say that the bill has passed the House 375 to 1, and passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent. It now heads to the President for signing.
What is the Coastal Barrier Resources Act?
The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) is a bill signed in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan. It established the Coastal Barrier Resources System, a series of maps that outline undeveloped land areas along the Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes. These areas are prohibited from purchasing flood insurance and receiving Federal subsidies for new development. Thus, while new development is not prohibited, those who do so must bear the full burden of risk themselves.
“[The CBRA is] precisely the sort of imaginative environmental legislation this administration encourages — legislation that solves real problems in the stewardship of our natural resources.” -President Ronald Reagan, Signing Statement, Oct. 18, 1982
Impact of the CBRA today
Today the CBRA System accounts for roughly 3.3 million acres of land, split into two categories: Full System units, and Otherwise Protected Areas (OPAs). The 1.5 million acres in the Full System category are entirely prohibited from receiving any new federal assistance for almost any purpose. This means no federal subsidies for road construction, channel dredging, etc. The 1.8 million acres under the OPA designation are only prohibited from receiving flood insurance. More information and an extensive list of prohibitions can be found here, and here.
The results of this system are clear. According to a 2007 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, since the enactment of the CBRA, an estimated 84 percent of CBRS units remain undeveloped. Of the remaining 16 percent, only 3 percent have experienced significant development.
What is the issue with the CBRA?
While the system has been a powerful, market-based effort to protect the important lands that help protect our communities from flooding and other disasters, the information has long been found to be outdated. We know this because the USFWS was authorized to conduct a 10-year pilot program to review the CBRS maps and submit suggested revisions that should be made to them, which it did in 2016. These revisions, in addition to other maps that have been revised outside of the pilot program, suggest the need for significant inclusions and exclusions from the existing CBRS. These changes have yet to be enacted by Congress.
What does H.R. 5787 do?
H.R. 5787 codifies the recent mapping updates suggested by the USFWS. That’s it. It takes a common-sense program adjustment requested by Congress, fulfilled by the USFWS, and supported across party lines, and asks that it be approved.
What does this mean for you?
Updated information and corrected coverage areas for the CBRA System means that the public will have more accurate maps of which areas are not eligible for federal flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In addition, it will remove large sections of land from the program, meaning new parcels of land will be eligible for the NFIP, much to the relief of the communities inside and around these areas.
Our support
We are happy to see American Flood Coalition Member Representative Brian Mast leading the charge to provide the most accurate and up-to-date mapping of flood-impacted areas possible, as well as providing transparent information to potentially impacted individuals. There is still so much to be done to address our formidable nation-wide risk to flooding and sea level rise. Victories like this, which may not garner national news, still carry forward the increasing momentum we see all over the nation to fight rising sea levels and protect our communities.
As always, if you have any questions or comments on our policy agenda, let us know! Contact us through social, or email us at info@floodcoalition.org.
