WASHINGTON, D.C.— New bipartisan legislation would expand and improve resources available under the already successful Coastal Barrier Resources Act. The Strengthening Coastal Communities Act, introduced by Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), would add approximately 292,000 additional acres under the protection of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, and support a pilot effort to examine how the CBRA system could be adapted to provide better protection in the face of climate change.

“For decades, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act has effectively protected coastal habitats, while keeping people out of harm’s way and shielding taxpayers from footing the bill for short-sighted development in risky areas. However, with sea level rise and worsening erosion and extreme weather events affecting our coastlines, it is important that we adapt this program for the future,” said Jessie Ritter, associate vice president for water and coasts at the National Wildlife Federation. “We are pleased to see this bipartisan effort to update the successful CBRA system, which will better protect coastal communities and ecosystems in the years to come.” 

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA), signed into law by President Reagan in 1982, helps to protect undeveloped areas on the coast by prohibiting federal subsidies for development in areas at risk of environmental crises, saving both at-risk habitats and millions in taxpayer dollars.