H. R. 133—1447 
Stat. 3787) is amended by striking ‘‘natural infrastructure alter-
natives’’ and inserting ‘‘natural feature or nature-based feature 
alternatives (as such terms are defined in section 1184 of the 
Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (32 U.S.C. 2289a))’’. 
(b) SUMMARY
OF ANALYSIS.—To the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the Secretary shall include in each feasibility report devel-
oped under section 905 of the Water Resources Development Act 
of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2282) for a project that contains a flood risk 
management or hurricane and storm damage risk reduction ele-
ment, a summary of the natural feature or nature-based feature 
alternatives, along with their long-term costs and benefits, that 
were evaluated in the development of the feasibility report, and, 
if such alternatives were not included in the recommended plan, 
an explanation of why such alternatives were not included in the 
recommended plan. 
SEC. 117. FEDERAL INTEREST DETERMINATION. 
Section 905 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 
(33 U.S.C. 2282) is amended by inserting after subsection (a) the 
following: 
‘‘(b) FEDERAL INTEREST DETERMINATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(A) ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES.—In 
preparing a feasibility report under subsection (a) for a 
study that will benefit an economically disadvantaged 
community, upon request by the non-Federal interest for 
the study, the Secretary shall first determine the Federal 
interest in carrying out the study and the projects that 
may be proposed in the study. 
‘‘(B) OTHER COMMUNITIES.— 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION.—In preparing a feasibility 
report under subsection (a) for a study that will benefit 
a covered community, upon request by the non-Federal 
interest for the study, the Secretary may, with respect 
to not more than 3 studies in each fiscal year, first 
determine the Federal interest in carrying out the 
study and the projects that may be proposed in the 
study. 
‘‘(ii) COVERED
COMMUNITIES.—In this subpara-
graph, the term ‘covered community’ means a commu-
nity that— 
‘‘(I) is not an economically disadvantaged 
community; and 
‘‘(II) the Secretary finds has a compelling need 
for the Secretary to make a determination under 
clause (i). 
‘‘(2) COST SHARE.—The costs of a determination under para-
graph (1)— 
‘‘(A) shall be at Federal expense; and 
‘‘(B) shall not exceed $200,000. 
‘‘(3) DEADLINE.—A determination under paragraph (1) shall 
be completed by not later than 120 days after the date on 
which funds are made available to the Secretary to carry out 
the determination. 
‘‘(4) TREATMENT.— 
‘‘(A) TIMING.—The period during which a determination 
is being completed under paragraph (1) for a study shall
H. R. 133—1448 
not be included for purposes of the deadline to complete 
a final feasibility report under section 1001(a)(1) of the 
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 
(33 U.S.C. 2282c(a)(1)). 
‘‘(B) COST.—The cost of a determination under para-
graph (1) shall not be included for purposes of the max-
imum Federal cost under section 1001(a)(2) of the Water 
Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 
2282c(a)(2)). 
‘‘(5) REPORT TO NON-FEDERAL INTEREST.—If, based on a 
determination under paragraph (1), the Secretary determines 
that a study or project is not in the Federal interest because 
the project will not result, or is unlikely to result, in a rec-
ommended plan that will produce national economic develop-
ment benefits greater than cost, but may result in a technically 
sound and environmentally acceptable plan that is otherwise 
consistent with section 904 of the Water Resources Development 
Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2281), the Secretary shall issue a report 
to the non-Federal interest with recommendations on how the 
non-Federal interest might modify the proposal such that the 
project could be in the Federal interest and feasible.’’. 
SEC. 118. PILOT PROGRAMS ON THE FORMULATION OF CORPS OF 
ENGINEERS PROJECTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES AND 
ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish and implement 
pilot programs, in accordance with this section, to evaluate 
opportunities to address the flood risk management and hurricane 
and storm damage risk reduction needs of rural communities and 
economically disadvantaged communities. 
(b) ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY FLOOD PROTEC-
TION AND HURRICANE AND STORM DAMAGE REDUCTION STUDY PILOT 
PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and 
implement a pilot program to carry out feasibility studies, 
in accordance with this subsection, for flood risk management 
and hurricane and storm damage risk reduction projects for 
economically disadvantaged communities, in coordination with 
non-Federal interests. 
(2) PARTICIPATION
IN
PILOT
PROGRAM.—In carrying out 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 
(A) publish a notice in the Federal Register that 
requests from non-Federal interests proposals for the poten-
tial feasibility study of a flood risk management project 
or hurricane and storm damage risk reduction project for 
an economically disadvantaged community; 
(B) upon request of a non-Federal interest for such 
a project, provide technical assistance to such non-Federal 
interest in the formulation of a proposal for a potential 
feasibility study to be submitted to the Secretary under 
the pilot program; and 
(C) review such proposals and select 10 feasibility 
studies for such projects to be carried out by the Secretary, 
in coordination with the non-Federal interest, under this 
pilot program.
H. R. 133—1449 
(3) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In selecting a feasibility study 
under paragraph (2)(C), the Secretary shall consider whether— 
(A) the percentage of people living in poverty in the 
county or counties (or county-equivalent entity or entities) 
in which the project is located is greater than the percent-
age of people living in poverty in the State, based on 
census bureau data; 
(B) the percentage of families with income above the 
poverty threshold but below the average household income 
in the county or counties (or county-equivalent entity or 
entities) in which the project is located is greater than 
such percentage for the State, based on census bureau 
data; 
(C) the percentage of the population that identifies 
as belonging to a minority or indigenous group in the 
county or counties (or county-equivalent entity or entities) 
in which the project is located is greater than the average 
such percentage in the State, based on census bureau data; 
and 
(D) the project is addressing flooding or hurricane or 
storm damage effects that have a disproportionate impact 
on a rural community, a minority community, or an Indian 
Tribe. 
(4) ADMINISTRATION.—Notwithstanding the requirements of 
section 105(a)(1)(A) of the Water Resources Development Act 
of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2215), the Federal share of the cost of 
a feasibility study carried out under the pilot program shall 
be 100 percent. 
(5) STUDY REQUIREMENTS.—Feasibility studies carried out 
under this subsection shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 
incorporate natural features or nature-based features (as such 
terms are defined in section 1184 of the Water Resources 
Development Act of 2016 (33 U.S.C. 2289a)), or a combination 
of such features and nonstructural features, that avoid or 
reduce at least 50 percent of flood or storm damages in one 
or more of the alternatives included in the final alternatives 
evaluated. 
(6) NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall notify the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works of the Senate of the selection of each feasibility study 
under the pilot program. 
(7) COMPLETION.—Upon completion of a feasibility report 
for a feasibility study selected to be carried out under this 
subsection, the Secretary shall transmit the report to Congress 
for authorization, and shall include the report in the next 
annual report submitted under section 7001 of the Water 
Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 
2282d). 
(c) PILOT PROGRAM
FOR
THE RECOMMENDATION
OF FLOOD 
PROTECTION
AND HURRICANE
AND STORM DAMAGE REDUCTION 
PROJECTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVAN-
TAGED COMMUNITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and
H. R. 133—1450 
implement a pilot program to evaluate, and make recommenda-
tions to Congress on, flood risk management projects and hurri-
cane and storm damage risk reduction projects in rural commu-
nities or economically disadvantaged communities, without 
demonstrating that each project is justified solely by national 
economic development benefits. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out this subsection, the 
Secretary may make a recommendation to Congress on up 
to 10 projects, without demonstrating that the project is justi-
fied solely by national economic development benefits, if the 
Secretary determines that— 
(A) the community to be served by the project is an 
economically disadvantaged community or a rural commu-
nity; 
(B) the long-term life safety, economic viability, and 
environmental sustainability of the community would be 
threatened without the project; and 
(C) the project is consistent with the requirements 
of section 1 of the Flood Control Act of 1936 (33 U.S.C. 
701a). 
(3) CONSISTENCY.—In carrying out this subsection, the Sec-
retary shall ensure that project recommendations are consistent 
with the principles and requirements and the interagency 
guidelines, as such terms are defined in section 110 of this 
Act, including the consideration of quantifiable monetary and 
nonmonetary benefits of the project. 
(4) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary may give equivalent 
budgetary consideration and priority to projects recommended 
under this subsection. 
(d) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—In selecting feasibility studies 
under subsection (b)(2)(C) or in making project recommendations 
under subsection (c), the Secretary shall consider the geographic 
diversity among proposed projects. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 5 years and 10 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works of the Senate, and make publicly available, a report detailing 
the results of the pilot programs carried out under this section, 
including— 
(1) a description of proposals received from non-Federal 
interests pursuant to subsection (b)(2)(A); 
(2) a description of technical assistance provided to non- 
Federal interests under subsection (b)(2)(B); 
(3) a description of proposals selected under subsection 
(b)(2)(C) and criteria used to select such proposals; 
(4) a description of the projects evaluated or recommended 
by the Secretary under subsection (c); 
(5) a description of the quantifiable monetary and nonmone-
tary benefits associated with the projects recommended under 
subsection (c); and 
(6) any recommendations to Congress on how the Secretary 
can address the flood risk management and hurricane and 
storm damage risk reduction needs of economically disadvan-
taged communities. 
(f) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘State’’ means 
each of the several States, the District of Columbia, and each