Sponsors (4)
The bill makes it easier and cheaper for communities to pursue ecosystem restoration by allowing modestly higher mapped flood elevations and waiving FEMA fees, but it trades off increased uncertainty and potential financial impacts for homeowners, administrative burdens on local governments, and some shifted mapping costs onto taxpayers.
Homeowners and essential services (utilities, energy companies) are protected because FEMA may not approve ecosystem restoration projects that would adversely impact insurable structures or critical infrastructure.
Local governments and rural communities can approve ecosystem restoration projects that allow modest increases to mapped base flood elevations (up to 1 foot, or more with FEMA approval), enabling wetland and floodplain restoration that can improve natural flood mitigation and ecosystem health.
Requesters (homeowners and local governments) are not charged FEMA review or processing fees for FIRM change requests tied to ecosystem restoration, lowering financial barriers to carrying out restoration projects.
Homeowners in affected floodways may face higher mapped flood elevations and possible increases in flood insurance premiums or development restrictions, raising financial and property impacts for residents.
Property owners and local governments face uncertainty because FEMA may approve increases greater than 1 foot at its discretion, making future flood elevation, insurance, and land-use outcomes less predictable.
Exempting fees for ecosystem-based FIRM changes could reduce FEMA fee revenue used to cover map processing costs, potentially shifting those costs to taxpayers or other FEMA users.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Exempts ecosystem restoration-based FIRM change requests from fees and allows communities to permit certain restoration projects that raise base flood elevations up to 1 foot if no insured structures or critical infrastructure are harmed.
Introduced May 1, 2025 by Patty Murray · Last progress May 1, 2025
Creates a narrow rule to help carry out ecosystem restoration projects in floodways while protecting insured buildings and critical infrastructure. It exempts certain flood insurance rate map (FIRM) change requests based on ‘‘ecosystem restoration projects’’ from fees, lets communities approve restoration projects that raise base flood elevations by up to 1 foot (or more if FEMA agrees) so long as no insurable structures or critical infrastructure are harmed, and requires communities to submit a post-project analysis to FEMA within 180 days. FEMA must consult natural resource agencies and issue implementing guidance within 180 days of the law taking effect.