69–010 

Calendar No. 214 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 115–149 

A BILL TO REVISE THE BOUNDARIES OF CERTAIN JOHN 

H. CHAFEE COASTAL BARRIER RESOURCES SYSTEM 

UNITS IN DELAWARE 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2017.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. BARRASSO, from the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 1395] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 1395) to revise the boundaries of certain John 

H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in Delaware, 

having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 

amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. 

GENERAL STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) (Pub. L. 97–348), is 

a map-based law enacted in 1982 that recognizes certain actions 

and programs of the Federal Government subsidize and encourage 

development on coastal barriers. 16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Building on 

coastal barriers can contribute to the loss of natural resources and 

threaten human life, health and property. The CBRA system currently contains 859 geographic units in 23 States and territories 

along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico coasts. The CBRA units are depicted on 

maps that are maintained by the Secretary of the Interior through 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). 

While CBRA does not prohibit or regulate development, it removes the Federal incentives to build on these unstable and environmentally sensitive areas. CBRA seeks to save taxpayers’ money, 

keep people out of harm’s way, and conserve natural resources by 

restricting most new Federal expenditures and financial assistance 

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(e.g., beach nourishment, disaster assistance, and flood insurance) 

in areas designated within the CBRA system (CBRS). 

The FWS last revised the CBRA maps in 1990 using now antiquated manual cartographic technologies and paper base maps. 

Congress mandated a digital mapping pilot project in the 2000 

Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act (Pub. L. 106–514). 

The 2006 Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act (Pub. L. 

109–226) required a public review of the mapping results, finalization of the pilot project maps, and the preparation of digital maps 

for the remainder of the CBRS units. Delaware was part of the initial pilot project. 

In November 2016, the FWS released a report to Congress on the 

results of the coastal barrier islands digital mapping pilot project 

required by the 2006 Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization 

Act. As a result, the FWS recommended that the CBRA map unit 

for North Bethany Beach be modified to remove an area encompassing the South Shore Marina development that was erroneously 

included on the paper map. While the FWS may make technical 

modifications to a CBRA map to reflect changes resulting from natural forces, only Congress has the authority to make changes to 

correct mapping errors. 16 U.S.C. 3503(c). 

OBJECTIVES OF THE LEGISLATION

The objective of this legislation is to update the current paper 

map for a CBRS unit in North Bethany, Delaware with the new 

digital maps that remove the area encompassing the South Shore 

Marina development. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Replacement of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources Map 

This section updates the current CBRS paper map for a CBRS 

unit in North Bethany, Delaware with the new digital maps developed with stakeholders. These updated digital maps remove the 

area encompassing the South Shore Marina development that was 

mistakenly included in the CBRS unit when the existing map was 

created in 1990, thus removing the limitations on eligibility for federal assistance and expenditures, including FEMA federal flood insurance, DOT highway and airport funding, and Corps of Engineers navigation or flood protection projects. 

This section also requires the Secretary of Interior to keep the 

replacement map available for inspection in the Office of the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and other offices 

deemed appropriate. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 1395, to revise the boundaries of certain John H. Chafee 

Coastal Barrier Resources System units in Delaware, was introduced by Senators Thomas Carper and Christopher Coons on June 

21, 2017. The bill was referred to the Committee on Environment 

and Public Works. The Committee ordered S. 1395 to be reported 

favorably on July 12, 2017. 

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HEARINGS

No committee hearings were held on S. 1395. 

ROLLCALL VOTES

On July 21, 2017, the Committee conducted a business meeting 

to consider S. 1395. The Committee ordered the bill to be reported 

favorably by voice vote. 

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee finds that S. 1395 does not create any additional regulatory burdens, nor will it cause any adverse impact on the personal privacy of individuals. 

MANDATES ASSESSMENT

In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 

(Public Law 104–4), the Committee notes that the Congressional 

Budget Office found that S. 1395 contains no intergovernmental or 

private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA and would impose no 

costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

COST OF LEGISLATION

Section 403 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act requires that a statement of the cost of the reported bill, 

prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, be included in the report, if available. That statement follows: 

AUGUST 16, 2017. 

Hon. JOHN BARRASSO, 

Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works, 

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1395, a bill to revise the 

boundaries of certain John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources 

System units in Delaware. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jeff LaFave. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

S. 1395—A bill to revise the boundaries of certain John H. Chafee 

Coastal Barrier Resources System units in Delaware 

S. 1395 would update the map for a portion of the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) located in Delaware. Based on information provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have no significant 

effect on the federal budget. 

The bill would revise the CBRS map for several units within the 

system and would add, on net, about 800 acres to the system (increasing the size of the CBRS by less than 0.1 percent). Based on 

information provided by the agency, CBO expects that the new 

map would exclude lands containing 98 structures, which would enVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:48 Sep 08, 2017 Jkt 069010 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR149.XXX SR149
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able owners of those structures to purchase flood insurance from 

the federal government. CBO estimates that enacting S. 1395 could 

increase premium collections of the National Flood Insurance Fund 

by less than $500,000 annually. On an expected-value basis those 

collections, which are recorded as offsets to direct spending, would 

be roughly offset by new mandatory spending for underwriting, administrative expenses, and new flood insurance claims over the 

2017–2027 period. 

Because enacting the bill could affect direct spending, pay-asyou-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that any net 

change in direct spending would be negligible over the 2017–2027 

period. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues. 

CBO estimates that enacting S. 1395 would not significantly increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 

consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. 

S. 1395 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

Section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate requires changes in existing law made by the bill as reported to be 

shown. S. 1395 does not amend existing law. 

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