[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 91 (Thursday, May 11, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 30267-30268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09930]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

24 CFR Parts 50, 55, 58, and 200

[Docket No. FR-6272-P-01]
RIN 2506-AC54


Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands; Minimum 
Property Standards for Flood Hazard Exposure; Building to the Federal 
Flood Risk Management Standard; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD).

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On March 24, 2023, HUD published in the Federal Register a 
notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Floodplain Management and 
Protection of Wetlands; Minimum Property Standards for Flood Hazard

[[Page 30268]]

Exposure; Building to the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard,'' 
which would revise HUD's regulations governing floodplain management 
and the protection of wetlands to implement the Federal Flood Risk 
Management Standard (FFRMS). The proposed rule provided for a 60-day 
comment period, which would have ended May 23, 2023. HUD has determined 
that a 14-day extension of the comment period, until June 6, 2023, is 
appropriate. This extension will allow interested persons additional 
time to analyze the proposal and prepare their comments.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published on March 24, 
2023, at 88 FR 17755, is extended. Comments should be received on or 
before June 6, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposed rule to the Regulations Division, Office of General 
Counsel, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street 
SW, Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410-0500. Communications must refer to 
the above docket number and title. There are two methods for submitting 
public comments. All submissions must refer to the above docket number 
and title.
    1. Submission of Comments by Mail. Comments may be submitted by 
mail to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 10276, 
Washington, DC 20410-0500.
    2. Electronic Submission of Comments. Interested persons may submit 
comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly encourages commenters to submit 
comments electronically. Electronic submission of comments allows the 
commenter maximum time to prepare and submit a comment, ensures timely 
receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to make them immediately available to 
the public. Comments submitted electronically through the 
www.regulations.gov website can be viewed by other commenters and 
interested members of the public. Commenters should follow the 
instructions provided on that site to submit comments electronically.

    Note:  To receive consideration as public comments, comments 
must be submitted through one of the two methods specified above. 
Again, all submissions must refer to the docket number and title of 
the rule.

    No Facsimile Comments: Facsimile (FAX) comments are not acceptable.
    Public Inspection of Comments. All properly submitted comments and 
communications submitted to HUD will be available for public inspection 
and copying between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at the above address. 
Due to security measures at the HUD Headquarters building, an advance 
appointment to review the public comments must be scheduled by calling 
the Regulations Division at 202-402-3055 (this is not a toll-free 
number). HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals 
who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with 
communication disabilities. To learn more about how to make an 
accessible telephone call, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs. Copies of all comments 
submitted are available for inspection and downloading at 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin L. Fontenot, Director, Office 
of Environment and Energy, Office of Community Planning and 
Development, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Room 7282, Washington, DC 20410-8000. For inquiry by phone 
or email, contact Lauren Hayes Knutson, Director, Environmental 
Planning Division, Office of Environment and Energy, Office of 
Community Planning and Development, at 202-402-4270 (this is not a 
toll-free number), or email to: [email protected]. 
For questions regarding the Minimum Property Standards, contact Elissa 
Saunders, Director, Office of Single Family Program Development, 202-
708-2121. HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from 
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals 
with speech and communication disabilities. To learn more about how to 
make an accessible telephone call, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 24, 2023, at 88 FR 17755, HUD 
published a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled ``Floodplain 
Management and Protection of Wetlands; Minimum Property Standards for 
Flood Hazard Exposure; Building to the Federal Flood Risk Management 
Standard,'' proposing to revise HUD's regulations governing floodplain 
management and the protection of wetlands to implement the Federal 
Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS). Consistent with Executive Order 
13690, ``Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a 
Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input,'' the 
rule proposes revisions to HUD's regulations to improve the resilience 
of HUD-assisted or financed projects to the effects of climate change 
and natural disasters and provide for greater flexibility in the use of 
HUD assistance in floodways under certain circumstances. Among other 
revisions, the rule would provide a process for determining the FFRMS 
Floodplain that would establish a preference for the climate-informed 
science approach (CISA), and it would revise HUD's floodplain and 
wetland regulations to streamline them, improve overall clarity, and 
modernize standards. This proposed rule would also revise HUD's Minimum 
Property Standards for one-to-four unit housing under HUD mortgage 
insurance and under low-rent public housing programs to require that 
the lowest floor in both newly constructed and substantially improved 
structures located within the 1-percent-annual-chance (100-year) 
floodplain be built at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation as 
determined by best available information, and it would revise a 
categorical exclusion when HUD performs environmental reviews, and 
update various HUD environmental regulations to permit online posting 
of public notices.
    While the proposed rule had a 60-day comment period, HUD has 
received feedback from multiple commenters requesting additional time 
to review and provide comments on this rule. Therefore, HUD is 
extending the deadline for comments for an additional 14 days.

Aaron Santa Anna,
Associate General Counsel for Legislation and Regulations.
[FR Doc. 2023-09930 Filed 5-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P