[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 144 (Monday, December 1, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8190-H8192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  JOHN H. CHAFEE COASTAL BARRIER RESOURCES SYSTEM BOUNDARIES REVISION

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 3572) to revise the boundaries of certain John 
H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in North Carolina, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3572

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. REPLACEMENT OF JOHN H. CHAFEE COASTAL BARRIER 
                   RESOURCES SYSTEM MAPS.

       (a) In General.--The maps subtitled ``Lea Island Complex 
     L07''; ``Wrightsville Beach Unit L08, Masonboro Island Unit 
     L09''; and ``Masonboro Island Unit L09'', included in the set 
     of maps entitled ``John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources 
     System'' referred to in section 4(a) of the Coastal Barrier 
     Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(a)) and relating to certain 
     John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in 
     North Carolina, are hereby replaced by other maps relating to 
     the units entitled ``Lea Island Complex L07''; ``Wrightsville 
     Beach Unit L08, Masonboro Island Unit L09''; and ``Masonboro 
     Island Unit L09'', respectively, and dated March 12, 2014.
       (b) Availability.--The Secretary of the Interior shall keep 
     the replacement maps referred to in subsection (a) on file 
     and available for inspection in accordance with section 4(b) 
     of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(b)).

     SEC. 2. REPLACEMENT OF JOHN H. CHAFEE COASTAL BARRIER 
                   RESOURCES SYSTEM MAP.

       (a) In General.--The map subtitled ``Sachuest Point Unit 
     RI-04P, Easton Beach Unit RI-05P, Almy Pond Unit RI-06, 
     Hazards Beach Unit RI-07'', included in the set of maps 
     entitled ``John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System'' 
     referred to in section 4(a) of the Coastal Barrier Resources 
     Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(a)) and relating to certain John H. 
     Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in Rhode 
     Island, is hereby replaced by another map relating to the 
     units entitled ``John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources 
     System Sachuest Point Unit RI-04P, Easton Beach Unit RI-05P, 
     Almy Pond Unit RI-06, and Hazards Beach Unit RI-07'' and 
     dated September 16, 2013.
       (b) Availability.--The Secretary of the Interior shall keep 
     the replacement map referred to in subsection (a) on file and 
     available for inspection in accordance with the provisions of 
     section 4(b) of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 
     3503(b)).

     SEC. 3. JOHN H. CHAFEE COASTAL BARRIER RESOURCES SYSTEM 
                   GASPARILLA ISLAND UNIT, FLORIDA.

       (a) In General.--The map subtitled ``Gasparilla Island Unit 
     FL-70P'' included in the set of maps entitled ``Coastal 
     Barrier Resources System'' referred to in section 4(a) of the 
     Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(a)) and 
     relating to the Gasparilla Island Unit in Florida is hereby 
     replaced by another map relating to the same unit entitled 
     ``John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Gasparilla 
     Unit FL-70/FL-70P'', draft dated May 23, 2012.
       (b) Availability.--The Secretary of the Interior shall keep 
     the replacement map referred to in subsection (a) on file and 
     available for inspection in accordance with section 4(b) of 
     the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(b)).

     SEC. 4. REMOVAL OF PROPERTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA FROM JOHN H. 
                   CHAFEE COASTAL BARRIER RESOURCES SYSTEM.

       (a) In General.--The map subtitled ``Long Pond Unit SC-01'' 
     included in the sets of maps entitled ``Coastal Barrier 
     Resources System'' referred to in section 4(a) of the Coastal 
     Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(a)) and relating to the 
     Long Pond Unit in South Carolina is hereby replaced by 
     another map relating to the same unit entitled ``John H. 
     Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Long Pond Unit SC-
     01'' dated September 30, 2014.
       (b) Availability.--The Secretary of the Interior shall keep 
     each map revised under subsection (a) on file and available 
     for inspection in accordance with section 4(b) of the Coastal 
     Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(b)).

     SEC. 5. REMOVAL OF PROPERTIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA FROM JOHN H. 
                   CHAFEE COASTAL BARRIER RESOURCES SYSTEM.

       (a) In General.--The map subtitled ``Huntington Beach Unit 
     SC-03'' included in the sets of maps entitled ``Coastal 
     Barrier Resources System'' referred to in section 4(a) of the 
     Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(a)) and 
     relating to the Huntington Beach Unit in South Carolina is 
     hereby replaced by another map relating to the same unit 
     entitled ``John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System 
     Huntington Beach Unit SC-03'' dated September 30, 2014.
       (b) Availability.--The Secretary of the Interior shall keep 
     each map revised under subsection (a) on file and available 
     for inspection in accordance with section 4(b) of the Coastal 
     Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(b)).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lowenthal) each will control 20 minutes.

[[Page H8191]]

  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  In 1982, Congress enacted the Coastal Barrier Resources Act and, 8 
years later, significantly expanded the number of acres contained 
within the Coastal Barrier Resources System.
  The fundamental goal of this law was to discourage development along 
fragile and shifting coastal barriers by prohibiting participation 
within the National Flood Insurance Program and to deny certain Federal 
development subsidies.
  To qualify for inclusion within the system, coastal land had to be 
undeveloped or conserved as part of a national wildlife refuge, Federal 
or State park, a national seashore, a military installation, or 
conservation land owned by private organizations.
  Inclusion in the system is through maps which historically were hand-
drawn by individuals who used Magic Markers to distinguish property 
lines--really, Magic Markers. As you might expect, mistakes were made, 
and Congress has corrected those errors by providing legislative relief 
to homeowners whose property was mistakenly incorporated within the 
Coastal Barrier Resources System.
  What we have before us today is a bill that corrects mistakes in 
certain coastal barrier units in Florida, North Carolina, Rhode Island, 
and South Carolina. This affects both Republican and Democrat 
districts.
  In total, the legislation affects maps in 10 of the 857 units of the 
system. Upon enactment, 156 acres of the 3.1 million acres would be 
removed from the system; however, because digital technology is now 
being used, 4,737 new qualifying acres will be added to the system for 
a net gain of 4,580 acres.
  Each of these changes have been exhaustively reviewed. There is no 
dispute that these lands were mistakenly included within the Coastal 
Barrier Resources System, there are no objections to correcting these 
mistakes, and the Congressional Budget Office has in each case 
stipulated that ``enacting the bill would not affect revenues.''
  Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on this bipartisan 
noncontroversial collection of changes to the Coastal Barrier Resources 
System, and I compliment the sponsors for their work on the 
legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, or CBRA, requires the 
identification of hazardous areas on the Atlantic and gulf coasts and 
makes Federal subsidies off-limits to people who choose to develop 
those lands. Particularly in this time of rising sea levels and 
increased storm surge brought on by global warming, CBRA is critical to 
helping protect American taxpayers and sensitive coastal ecosystems.
  H.R. 3572 would adjust the boundaries of several Coastal Barrier 
Resources System units in North Carolina, South Carolina, Rhode Island, 
and Florida. I am particularly pleased that long overdue remedies for 
the constituents of my friends, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. 
Cicilline) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre), are 
included in this package.
  These changes have been carefully mapped by the Fish and Wildlife 
Service and reflect improvements in technology that have allowed us to 
show with great accuracy which parcels of land do and do not constitute 
``coastal barrier resources'' under the law.
  As a result, numerous properties that were originally included by 
mistake will be removed, and other properties that have been identified 
as at-risk will be included. These changes to the Coastal Barrier 
Resources System are protective of private property rights, the 
environment, and the taxpayers. I support passage of this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3572, which 
includes a provision I introduced as H.R. 277, to revise the boundaries 
of Coastal Barrier Resources System units in Rhode Island. I want to 
begin by thanking Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member DeFazio for 
working with me to bring this important fix to the floor today.
  I want to extend a personal thank you to Chairman Hastings for his 
ongoing cooperation in helping to advance legislation to make the 
Blackstone River Valley, the birthplace of America's industrial 
revolution, a national park.
  I want to say, Mr. Speaker, this legislation represents the 
culmination of several years of evaluation, research, study, public 
input, and review regarding the existing map of the Coastal Barrier 
Resources System in my State.
  All four units in Rhode Island that would be replaced with a 
modernized, revised map under this legislation were included within the 
CBRS, according to the Coastal Barrier Improvement Act of 1990. It has 
been discovered that various private lands were inappropriately 
included in otherwise protected areas within the CBRS and that there 
were other technical inaccuracies.
  The proposed revisions in my bill were approved by local cities and 
towns and other stakeholders, including the Norman Bird Sanctuary and 
the Audubon Society, who would be impacted; furthermore, including 
identified wetland and upland areas of both Almy Pond and Lily Pond is 
essential for protecting local habitat.
  Importantly, the revisions would also remove eight privately-owned 
structures that were inappropriately included within the Coastal 
Barrier Resources System.
  The changes in this bill will positively impact my district and my 
constituents, particularly the ones whose private property was 
inadvertently included in the original map. The passage of this 
legislation will also benefit the surrounding communities that have 
long anticipated a more coherent, comprehensive system that protects 
critical aquatic habitat and coastal lands while protecting access to 
areas used for recreational purposes.
  I want to highlight the case of one constituent in particular. Philip 
Howell cannot obtain Federal flood insurance for his property that was 
incorrectly included in the CBRA map. As a result, his coastal property 
has gone without flood insurance during serious weather events like 
Superstorm Sandy.
  An inability to purchase flood insurance has also caused Mr. Howell 
to take on serious financial risks related to damages that he would 
potentially be unable to cover out of his own pocket; moreover, without 
flood insurance coverage, he has found it difficult to purchase regular 
homeowner's insurance from competing brokers at affordable rates.
  While Mr. Howell and most of my constituents support the intent of 
the Coastal Barrier Resources System to protect neighboring habitat and 
recreation, they also have been overly burdened by innocent mapping 
mistakes that were made more than two decades ago.
  As such, I urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 3572 to 
ensure that coastal barrier mapping irregularities are rectified and 
the system works as it was intended.
  I, again, thank Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member DeFazio for 
their assistance.
  Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3572, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas 
and nays.

[[Page H8192]]

  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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