[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 86 (Thursday, May 18, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            INTRODUCTION OF THE FLOOD PREVENTION ACT OF 2017

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2017

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Flood Prevention Act 
of 2017. The bill would amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 
(CZMA) to include the nation's capital in the definition of ``coastal 
state.'' Our bill would correct an apparent oversight in the omission 
of the District of Columbia, and would make the District eligible to 
receive federal funding and provide oversight for federally issued 
permits/facilities/ actions that affect the coastal waters of the 
District. The District urgently needs the protection of the CZMA 
because of serious flood risks that currently affect both residents, 
businesses and federal assets, including the National Mall and the 
cluster of downtown federal agencies.
  In an effort to reduce coastal flood risk, Congress has authorized a 
number of programs to help states and territories respond to floods and 
mitigate risk through resiliency projects. Among these programs, the 
CZMA provides planning and technical services to assist states in 
protecting, restoring and developing coastal communities and resources. 
Once the federal government approves a state's coastal management plan, 
the state becomes eligible for grants. Federal actions must be 
consistent with the state plans and vice versa.
  Even though the District is located on two rivers and has suffered 
substantial coastal floods in the past, D.C. was omitted from the list 
of eligible states and territories in the CZMA. This oversight may have 
occurred because the CZMA was passed in 1972--before the District 
achieved home rule or had a Member of Congress. Under Section 304 of 
the CZMA, ``coastal state[s]'' include the states and the U.S. 
territories (Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands, the Trust Territories of the Pacific 
Islands, and American Samoa). Absent from this definition is the 
District, even though the District, including the federal complex, is 
under a serious threat from rising sea levels. Because the territories 
are included in the definition of ``coastal states,'' it appears that 
D.C.'s omission is a mistake, which only Congress can correct.
  Scientists have predicted that the tides on the Atlantic Coast could 
rise two to four feet by the year 2100, causing property worth as much 
as $7 billion in the District to be routinely under threat by 
floodwaters. This damage not only includes private homes and 
businesses, but the National Mall, federal buildings, and three 
military bases located in the District. The Anacostia and Potomac 
rivers are both tidally influenced, showing tangible salt water effects 
(and fish) and are part of an ``intertidal-zone'' existing between high 
and low maritime tides. In addition, the Maryland and Virginia coastal 
zones each include the tidal Potomac River, with Maryland's zone ending 
at the District line. Because of these factors, the District should be 
eligible for CZMA grants just like the states and territories already 
listed in the CZMA.
  I urge support for this bill.

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