House Passes Kiggans’ Legislation to Preserve U.S. Coastlines

WASHINGTON, DC: Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Congresswoman Jen Kiggans’ (VA-02) bill, H.R. 5490, the Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm (BEACH) Act. This bipartisan legislation, which Congresswoman Kiggans introduced with Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), aims to protect Virginia’s coastline by approving new, expanded maps under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA). 

Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1982, CBRA employs a free-market approach to coastal conservation: banning most federal tax dollars from being used to develop or rebuild on storm prone, ecologically sensitive coastal areas, helping to preserve not only wildlife habitats, but also essential buffers against storms and flooding. Importantly, CBRA does not prohibit or regulate development by state and local governments or private owners. It simply removes the federal taxpayer from the equation, ensuring hard-earned tax dollars are not going toward funding risky investments in ecologically sensitive areas. 

“For 40 years, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act has not only protected millions of acres of beaches and wetlands, but also prevented billions of dollars in property damage from natural disasters and undoubtedly saved lives,” said Congresswoman Kiggans. “I’m proud that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle joined me in making our coastal communities more resilient by passing the BEACH Act unanimously. We owe it to ourselves and the generations after us to take care of the world we live in, and my legislation does exactly that. I urge the Senate to take up this legislation so that we can continue to be good stewards of our environment and taxpayer dollars.” 

In April of 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified 96,435 additional acres in Virginia to include in the Coastal Barrier Resources System, including 1,422 of land and 95,013 acres of wetlands and estuarine areas. Kiggans’ legislation would provide the congressional approval required for these maps and related protections to go into effect. Today, 163,589 acres along Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast are included in the CBRA system. This includes 974 acres of land and 42,192 acres of wetlands on which nearly all federal expenditures are prohibited. There are also 7,696 acres of land and 112,727 acres of wetlands in “Otherwise Protected Areas,” in which only federal flood insurance is prohibited. 

A 2019 economic study reported CBRA has saved U.S. taxpayers $9.5 billion and is projected to save another $11-108 billion over the next 50 years. Additionally, these protected coastal areas provide habitats for economically important fish and shellfish, recreational opportunities for hunters, and flood protection for nearby coastal communities. Areas in CBRA act as nature’s “speed bumps,” absorbing impacts from storms and hurricanes. It is estimated that nationwide, coastal wetlands provide more than $23 billion per year in storm protection services. During Hurricane Sandy in 2012, coastal wetlands prevented $625 million in property damages from Maine to North Carolina.

“As the lowest-lying state in the country, Delaware feels the impact of the climate crisis every day. That’s why I am committed to strengthening our communities against extreme weather events,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “The BEACH Act is a bipartisan effort to help us achieve that goal, not only in Delaware but nationwide. I am confident that the policies I authored in the House-passed bill, such as extending disaster loan eligibility to aquaculture businesses for the first time and authorizing a study on coastal barrier areas vulnerable to extreme weather, will protect Delawareans and our natural resources from hazards including flooding, storm surge, wind erosion, and sea level rise. I appreciate Congresswoman Kiggans’ collaboration on this bill, and I look forward to working with our colleagues to get it passed into law.”

“Congresswoman Kiggans’ BEACH Act is a critical step toward improving coastal resiliency and updating outdated mapping,” said House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “Modernizing our understanding of vulnerable coastal environments and communities is vital to safeguard these areas against natural disasters. I’m so pleased to see this legislation pass the House today and know it will increase government transparency and protect priceless coastal ecosystems from future devastation.”   

“Coastal barriers provide significant economic and ecosystem benefits,” said Dr. Derek Aday, VIMS Dean & Director. “There is clear scientific evidence that these benefits are enhanced through policies that allow coastal barriers and their associated estuaries, lagoons, tidal flats, and wetlands to remain in their most natural state. Based on the evidence, VIMS supports the BEACH Act.”

“By limiting risky federal expenditures in storm-prone natural areas along our coasts, the CBRA system helps keep the public out of harm’s way and saves taxpayer money,” said Morgan Butler, Senior Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “We thank Rep. Kiggans for her leadership in expanding the system and improving the resiliency of the nation’s coasts and communities.”

“The BEACH Act is a win-win for birds and people,” said Portia Mastin, Coastal Conservation Policy Manager at the National Audubon Society. “Expanding protected coastal areas not only ensures that shorebirds can nest, feed, and rest safely—it also provides a buffer of healthy beaches and wetlands to absorb storms and flooding that would otherwise put our coastal communities at risk.”

“Birds tell us we must act on climate, as increased storms, droughts, and sea-level rise puts pressure on both our wildlife and communities around the country,” said Felice Stadler, Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Audubon Society. “These important bills provide balanced solutions to the dual biodiversity and climate crises that we are witnessing, and we are pleased to see them move forward.” 

“Healthy coastal ecosystems provide numerous protections and benefits to both people and wildlife,” said Emily Donahoe, Policy Specialist for Resilient Coasts and Floodplains at National Wildlife Federation. “Expanding the Coastal Barrier Resources System is an important step to improve the resiliency of our coastlines, protect critical habitats, and save taxpayer dollars.”

You can view the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed changes to the CBRA System in Virginia’s 2nd District here.

You can read the full text of the BEACH Act here.

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