[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 71 (Thursday, April 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25674-25676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07721]


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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY


Notice of Availability and Request for Comments; Federal Flood 
Standard Support website and Tool Beta Version

AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Flooding is the most common and costly natural hazard in the 
United States. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is 
requesting public comments on the beta version of the Federal Flood 
Standard Support website (available at http://floodstandard.climate.gov) and the Federal Flood Standard Support Tool 
(available at http://floodstandard.climate.gov/tool) to assist Federal 
agencies and applicants or recipients of Federal financial assistance 
in the implementation of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard 
(FFRMS). OSTP is seeking comments on the beta version of these digital 
resources.

DATES: Interested persons and organizations are invited to submit 
comments on or before May 28, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit 
comments electronically via to https://www.regulations.gov/. Due to 
time constraints, mailed paper submissions will not be accepted, and 
electronic submissions received after the deadline may not be 
incorporated or taken into consideration.
    Instructions: Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ to submit your comments electronically. 
Information on how to use Regulations.gov, including instructions for 
accessing agency documents, submitting comments, and viewing the 
docket, is available on the site under ``FAQ'' (https://www.regulations.gov/faq).
    Privacy Note: OSTP's policy is to make all appropriate comments 
received from members of the public available for public viewing in 
their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov/. Therefore, commenters should be careful to 
include in their comments only information that they wish to make 
publicly available. OSTP requests that no proprietary information, 
copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be 
submitted in response to this notice of availability and request for 
comments.
    Information obtained from this Request for Comments may be used by 
the Government on a non-attribution

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basis for planning and strategy development. OSTP will not respond to 
individual submissions. A response to this Request for Comments will 
not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project 
or ideas discussed. This Request for Comments is not accepting 
applications for financial assistance or financial incentives.
    Responses containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of 
or electronic links to the referenced materials. Responses from minors, 
or responses containing profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other 
inappropriate language or content will not be considered.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice are subject to the 
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Responses to this Request for 
Comments may be posted without change online. Please note that the 
United States Government will not pay for response preparation, or for 
the use of any information contained in a response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please 
direct questions to Dr. Kristin Ludwig, OSTP Assistant Director for 
Resilience Science and Technology, at 
[email protected] or (202) 881-7711.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Flooding is the most common and costly natural hazard in the United 
States. From 1980-2023, flood-related losses have cost our Nation an 
average of $4.3 billion per year,\1\ and a changing climate means that 
communities, homes, property, and critical infrastructure are 
increasingly exposed to more frequent and intense extreme events and 
sea level rise.\2\ Understanding the risks that flooding poses to 
communities, national defense, and our economy is critical for Federal 
agencies to effectively serve the public.
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    \1\ NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) 
U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2024). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/, DOI: 10.25921/stkw-7w73.
    \2\ USGCRP, 2023: Fifth National Climate Assessment. Crimmins, 
A.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, B.C. Stewart, and 
T.K. Maycock, Eds. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, 
DC, USA. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.
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    Executive Order (E.O.) 13690, Establishing a Federal Flood Risk 
Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and 
Considering Stakeholder Input,\3\ establishes a Federal Flood Risk 
Management Standard (FFRMS) so that Federal agencies can take actions 
to enhance the Nation's resilience to current and future flooding. E.O. 
13690, as reinstated by E.O. 14030, Climate-Related Financial Risk,\4\ 
amended and built upon E.O. 11988, Floodplain Management \5\ by 
directing Federal agencies to take action to reduce the risk of flood 
loss, to minimize the impact of floods on human safety, health, and 
welfare, and to restore and preserve the natural and beneficial values 
of floodplains. Under these Executive Orders, Federal agencies are 
directed to conduct a review of their proposed actions--including the 
development of key infrastructure projects and decisions to provide 
Federal financial assistance. The goal of this review is to avoid long- 
and short-term adverse impacts associated with development in or near a 
floodplain. When planning a new federally funded project such as a 
business building or key infrastructure, Federal agencies typically 
follow an eight-step process as described in the Guidelines for 
Implementing Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management, and 
Executive Order 13690, Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management 
Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering 
Stakeholder Input.\6\
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    \3\ 80 FR 6425, January 30, 2015.
    \4\ 86 FR 27967, May 20, 2021.
    \5\ 42 FR 26951, May 24, 1977.
    \6\ See, e.g., 24 CFR 55.1, and Guidelines for Implementing 
Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management, and Executive Order 
13690, Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a 
Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input 
(Oct. 2015), https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_implementing-guidelines-EO11988-13690_10082015.pdf.
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    Under E.O. 11988, floodplain areas to consider were the areas 
subject to flooding by the one-percent annual chance flood, also known 
as the base flood. These areas were typically identified by the 
Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency (FEMA) in their Flood Insurance Rate Maps.\7\ E.O. 13690 
expanded the floodplain of consideration for federally funded projects 
\8\ to a higher elevation to address current and future flood risk due 
to the effects of climate change and other future conditions. E.O. 
13690 also encourages climate-conscious resilient design. E.O. 13690 
directs Federal agencies to select from several different approaches to 
establish the FFRMS floodplain. The approaches outlined in E.O. 13690 
are:
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    \7\ See https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps.
    \8\ Federally funded projects are actions where Federal funds 
are used for new construction, substantial improvement, or to 
address substantial damage to structures and facilities.
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     Climate-Informed Science Approach (CISA)--The elevation 
and flood hazard area that result from using the best-available, 
actionable hydrologic and hydraulic data and methods that integrate 
current and future changes in flooding based on climate science. This 
approach also emphasizes whether the action is critical as one of the 
factors to consider when conducting the analysis.
     Freeboard Value Approach (FVA)--The elevation and flood 
hazard area that result from adding an additional two feet to the Base 
Flood Elevation (BFE; also known as the one-percent-annual-chance-flood 
or 100-year flood--a flood having a one percent chance of being equaled 
or exceeded in any given year) for non-critical actions and by adding 
an additional three feet to the BFE for critical actions.
     0.2-Percent-Annual-Chance Flood Approach (0.2PFA)--The 
area subject to flooding by the 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood or the 
500-year flood--a flood having a 0.2 percent chance of being equaled or 
exceeded in any given year.
     The elevation and flood hazard area that result from using 
any other method identified in an update to the FFRMS.
    Additional information, including an instructional video, on 
floodplains and the FFRMS is available at https://www.fema.gov/floodplain-management/intergovernmental/federal-flood-risk-management-standard and https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/environment_energy/ffrms.

II. Resources for Implementing the Federal Flood Risk Management 
Standard

    A number of resources have been developed to help users learn about 
and implement the FFRMS. The 2023 FFRMS Floodplain Determination Job 
Aid \9\ was developed to help Federal agencies charged with identifying 
whether a federally funded project will take place in the FFRMS 
floodplain. Building on the FFRMS Floodplain Determination Job Aid, 
members of the Flood Resilience Interagency Working Group \10\ have 
developed the Federal Flood Standard Support website to help Federal 
agencies and their non-Federal partners implement the FFRMS. The 
website includes a Federal Flood Standard Support Tool to help users 
determine if a proposed federally

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funded project will be located within an FFRMS floodplain, based on the 
CISA or FVA. The website also includes a number of resources that have 
undergone interagency review:
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    \9\ https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_ffrms-floodplain-determination-job-aid.pdf.
    \10\ See https://www.fema.gov/floodplain-management/intergovernmental/white-house-flood-resilience-interagency-working-group.

 a video on determining the FFRMS floodplain
 Federal Flood Standard Support Tool User Manual
 FFRMS Interim Flood Mapping Data Development Methodology 
report
 2023 CISA State of the Science Report
 2023 FFRMS Floodplain Determination Job Aid
 information on nature-based solutions that Federal and non-
Federal partners could use in their efforts to identify practicable 
alternatives and minimization techniques.

Request for Comment

    While OSTP invites all comments responsive to this request for 
comments, of key interest are: (a) feedback on the functionality of the 
Federal Flood Standard Support Tool in providing a user-friendly visual 
representation and actionable information on FFRMS approaches for 
federally funded projects; (b) insights on potential training and/or 
technical assistance needs associated with use of the Federal Flood 
Standard Support Tool; and (c) suggestions for clarifying the 
communication of the flood mapping data development methodology. Please 
be specific in comments provided and/or recommendations for changes to 
the digital resources.
    Response to this Request for Comments is voluntary. Comments on the 
beta version of the Federal Flood Standard Support website and Tool 
will be considered as modifications are made to the website and Tool. 
Please note, as this is the beta release, over the course of the coming 
months, additional data will be incorporated to provide more expansive 
coverage.

    Dated: April 8, 2024.
Stacy Murphy,
Deputy Chief Operations Officer/Security Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-07721 Filed 4-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270-F1-P