Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of my bill, the Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm Act, nicknamed the BEACH Act, after the important role it will play in protecting our Nation's shorelines.

The BEACH Act would allow us to carry on the mission of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act.

Signed into law by President Reagan in 1982, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act bans most Federal tax dollars for development on storm- prone, ecologically sensitive coastal areas, helps conserve wildlife habitat, and maintains natural buffers against storms and flooding for coastal communities.

Importantly, this commonsense law does not prohibit or regulate development by State and local governments or by private landowners. It simply removes the Federal taxpayer from funding coastal development in sensitive areas, which is a conservative, market-based approach to conservation.

For 40 years, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act has not only protected millions of acres of beaches and wetlands along the East and Gulf Coasts, but it has also prevented billions of dollars in property damage from natural disasters like hurricanes and undoubtedly saved lives.

Virginia is home to over 7,000 miles of shoreline, a large majority of which falls within the Second District, which I am proud to represent here in Congress. These coastal areas play a crucial role in the Commonwealth's cultural identity and economic success.

In April 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified nearly 100,000 new acres in Virginia to include in the Coastal Barrier Resources System.

Keeping the maps in this system up to date is essential to reflect changes in barrier configurations, such as the ones off the coast of the Eastern Shore of Virginia; to identify new sensitive areas for inclusion; and to ensure the most effective conservation of our shoreline.

I introduced the BEACH Act to approve these updated maps so we can make our coastal communities more resilient while maintaining fiscal responsibility and critical environmental protections.

We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to take care of the world we live in. Responsible conservation policies like the BEACH Act are an important step in the right direction to accomplishing that goal.

Mr. Speaker, I hope those on both sides of the aisle recognize the need for the BEACH Act, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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