The Senate Committee on Surroundings and Public Works has voted to advance the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2023, a invoice launched by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). This bipartisan laws will replace and modernize the Coastal Barrier Sources Act, a legislation that for greater than 40 years has protected undeveloped seashores, wetlands, and different coastal areas whereas saving taxpayers billions of {dollars}.
“Birds and other people urgently want extra safety on our coasts from storms and flooding. This invoice meets that problem by extending the advantages of the Coastal Barrier Sources Act to extra areas alongside the coast,” stated Portia Mastin, coastal conservation coverage supervisor at Nationwide Audubon Society. “It should additionally establish the areas the place marshes and seashores can naturally migrate inland as sea ranges rise. With out this, we danger shedding a lot of our wetlands, our birds, and the buffers that shield our coastal communities.”
Established in 1982, the Coastal Barrier Sources Act (CBRA) prevents most federal spending in flood-prone coastal areas. The present CBRA system contains 3.5 million acres of undeveloped barrier islands, seashores, inlets, and wetlands alongside the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Nice Lakes, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Final yr, the Division of the Inside really helpful that Congress add over 277,000 acres to the CBRA system in 9 states hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy to save lots of federal tax {dollars} supply and higher shield the Atlantic Coast from New Hampshire to Virginia towards future storms.
American Oystercatcher, copyright Glyn Sellors, from the surfbirds galleries
The Strengthening Coastal Communities Act will implement these suggestions and add new protected areas to the system in different states which might be susceptible to storms and sea-level rise, together with South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. It should additionally authorize a pilot challenge to establish new upland areas the place seashores and marshes can naturally migrate as sea ranges rise, and broaden the definition of coastal landforms included within the system.
A latest research discovered that CBRA is extremely efficient at reaching its supposed objectives—decreasing growth by 85% in flood-prone areas, decreasing flood harm in close by communities by 25%, and including ecologically vital layers of safety This safety ensures that coastal birds like American Oystercatchers and Piping Plovers that depend on these areas can nest, feed, and relaxation safely. These wholesome, protected habitats additionally act as nature’s pace bumps, buffering close by communities from storms and floodwaters. By eradicating taxpayer-funded subsidies for growth in hazardous coastal areas, CBRA promotes public security and has saved federal taxpayers almost $10 billion over 25 years.
