Bills
| 3.23.22

Should Federal Maps of Coastal Areas Be Updated? (H.R. 5787)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 5787?

(Updated February 25, 2020)

This bill — the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2018 — would codify the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) maps revised and digitized as part of the Digital Mapping Pilot Project. It’d also codify three digital maps developed outside the pilot project by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In effect, this bill would add thousands of acres to the CBRA system along Delaware, North and South Carolina, Florida, and potentially Louisiana by using the latest maps from the Congressionally authorized CBRA Digital Mapping Pilot Project. By revising the CBRS maps for 35 units within the system, it’d add about 18,000 acres to the system, increasing the CBRS’ size by 0.5 percent.

This bill would also make certain coastal communities that are currently ineligible for federal flood insurance able to purchase federal flood insurance by taking these communities out of the CBRA protection area.

Argument in favor

Updating the maps will protect environmentally sensitive wetlands and coastal areas. It’ll also move housing communities out of the protection area, allowing those homeowners to purchase federal flood insurance. This legislation benefits both homeowners and the environment.

Argument opposed

Moving housing communities currently in the CBRA protection area out and making those homeowners eligible to purchase federal flood protection will likely increase payouts from the federal flood insurance program, as these homes are in flood-prone areas.

Impact

Coastal communities; Delaware; North Carolina; South Carolina; Florida; Louisiana; CBRA; CBRS; and USFWS.

Cost of H.R. 5787

The CBO estimates that updating the CBRS maps would have no significant effect on spending. Since this bill increases the CBRS’ size, it could increase the National Flood Insurance Fund’s premium collections by less than $1 million annually; however, those collections would be roughly offset by new mandatory spending for underwriting, administrative expenses, and new flood insurance claims over the 2019-2028 period. Thus, the bill is largely revenue neutral.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) introduced this bill to help homeowners access disaster relief funds and preserve thousands of acres of coastline by updating existing coastal barrier maps under the CBRA. After a hearing on this bill before the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Dunn noted this bill’s importance to 198 homes in the coastal barrier system:

“What (the bill) does is it removes 198 homes from the coastal barrier system, which means they can receive a number of federal benefits, including access to federal flood insurance, disaster recovery and federally backed mortgages. If these houses were uninsurable they'd have no resale value at all, so these 198 homeowners would have been literally left with homes that were worth nothing."

Cosponsor Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) calls this bill a common-sense fix that benefits both homeowners and the natural environment:

“The Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2018 is a common-sense fix that grants homeowners...  the ability to access the same federal resources and assistance as others in the event of a natural disaster. I’m proud to introduce a bill that adds hundreds of acres of beach and wetlands to the protected coastal map area… and preserves our state’s natural beauty, while ensuring neighborhoods have access to critical federal benefits.”

Dr. Karen Hyun, The Audubon Society’s vice president of coastal policy, calls this bill an essential conservation initiative for birds and people:

“Conserving coastal environments is not only vital to protecting birds but is also key to preserving local communities and economies along America’s coastline. This bipartisan bill is a good first step, and Audubon thanks Representatives Dunn, Blunt Rochester and Rooney for their leadership on such an important conservation initiative for birds and people. We look forward to working with all members of the House in moving this legislation forward.”

The Audubon Society adds that the new CBRA maps will save taxpayer dollars, improve public safety, make coastal communities more resilient in the face of a changing climate, and protect habitats that support fish, wildlife and coastal economies.

This bill passed the House Committee on Natural Resources on a voice vote with an amendment. It has the support of three cosponsors, including one Democrat and two Republicans, as well as the Audubon Society and USFWS, both of whom spoke at the House Natural Resources Committee hearing on the bill.


Of Note: President Ronald Reagan signed the Coastal Barrier Resources Act into law in 1982. The CBRA prohibits most federal spending on certain undeveloped, high-risk coastal areas, including barrier islands, beaches, and wetland along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes.

In the most recent reauthorization of the CBRA, the Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act of 2005, Congress directed USFWS to finalize and submit a report on the digitization of CBRA maps. This report, which was submitted to Congress in November 2016, included final recommended boundaries for CBRS units. The recommendations in the report impact maps in Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. Since they’re significant changes to CBRA maps, the report’s recommendations must be codified by Congress in order for them to go into effect.


Media:

Summary by Lorelei Yang

(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / GabrielPevide)