According to the New York Times, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is drafting new federal floodplain rules to be mandated by Executive Order. These rules are to be followed by the federal government and likely by anyone using federal money for a project. It seems that the federal government, like state departments of transportation, has been having trouble following the rules put forth by the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the White House would like have it lead by example. For this reason, these proposed rules are likely to exceed the minimums mandated by the NFIP. For example, critical infrastructure is not to be located in the 500-year floodplain unless no alternative is available. If development does occur in the 100-year floodplain, it is to occur in consultation with state and local officials; thus making it follow their rules should they prove more strict.
Tags: civil engineering, FEMA, floodplain, New York Times, planning
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