Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm Act

Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm Act or the BEACH Act This act modifies the coastal areas belonging to the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) and which are, therefore, ineligible to receive federal financial assistance for land development. It also expands exceptions to this restriction, establishes additional requirements for agencies administering the CBRS, and requires a study relating to coastal barrier ecosystems. Specifically, the act updates and replaces existing CBRS maps with maps recommended by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in a 2022 report to Congress titled John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Hurricane Sandy Remapping Project. Affected coastal areas are located in 13 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. In addition, the act creates new exceptions to the limitation on federal financial assistance for certain (1) aquaculture operations (e.g., shellfish production) and (2) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers coastal storm risk management projects. The act also provides that insurable structures (i.e., walled and roofed buildings) that are on the ground in areas added to the CBRS within one year of enactment remain eligible for federal financial assistance. The act directs FWS to issue regulation…

Congressional Research Service · 2024-11-25