# Plain Language Summary: The BEACH Act

This bill expands a federal program that protects undeveloped coastal areas from development and restricts certain types of federal funding in those zones. The program, called the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System, already covers some coastal barriers and wetlands along U.S. coasts. The BEACH Act adds new areas to this protected system and makes several changes to how the program works.

The main practical effect is that if your property gets added to this system, you'll face restrictions on federal money. This means you generally can't get federal loans, grants, or insurance for development projects on that land. However, there are important exceptions: if you already own a structure on the property before the one-year transition period ends, you can still get federal flood insurance. The bill also requires property owners and renters to disclose to potential buyers or lessees that their property is in one of these protected coastal areas, so people know what they're getting into when they buy or lease land in affected communities.

The bill also requires federal agencies to update their rules within one year to make sure they're following these restrictions properly. Additionally, it extends the funding authorization for managing this system through 2031. The bill includes specific map changes that add or reclassify certain coastal barrier units, particularly in Massachusetts, though the full list of affected areas would be shown on official maps maintained by the Interior Department.

For most people, this mainly affects those who own property in designated coastal barrier areas or plan to develop land in these zones. If you're in an affected community, you'll want to know whether your property falls within the system, as it could impact your ability to get federal funding for projects and will need to be disclosed when you sell or lease the property.

Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm Act

Kiggans, Jennifer A.

Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm Act or the BEACH ActThis act modifies the coastal areas belonging to the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS)&nbsp;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&nbsp;the CBRS, and requires a study relating to coastal barrier ecosystems.Specifically, the act updates and replaces existing CBRS maps with maps&nbsp;recommended&nbsp;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.&nbsp;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,&nbsp;the act creates&nbsp;new exceptions to the limitation on federal financial assistance&nbsp;for certain (1) aquaculture operations (e.g., shellfish production)&nbsp;and (2) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers coastal storm risk management projects.&nbsp;The act also provides that&nbsp;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.&nbsp;The act directs FWS&nbsp;to issue regulations&nbsp;requiring owners or lessors of real property in communities affected by the CBRS to disclose this information to prospective buyers or lessees.Additionally, the&nbsp;act provides that FWS shall develop and finalize guidance relating to the expenditure of federal&nbsp;funds in emergency situations that threaten life, land, and property immediately adjacent to a system unit. The act&nbsp;also generally requires agencies that are involved with the CBRS&nbsp;to revise or issue regulations or guidance as necessary within one year of enactment.Finally, the act directs FWS and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a scientific evaluation of the dynamics of coastal barrier ecosystems. FWS and USGS must provide related recommendations for the CBRS to Congress.