Victory for our Coasts! President Biden Signs Coastal Barrier Resources Act Expansion

It’s no secret, our coasts are overdeveloped. In some cases, they are so developed that the human-made development is contributing to the loss of our treasured beaches and coastal recreation areas, known as coastal squeeze. As our climate changes, sea level rise, tidal flooding increases, and storms become more frequent and severe, risky development in high hazard areas will result in the loss of vital coastal habitat. This will not only impact the ecological integrity of sandy beaches, dunes, wetlands, and mangrove habitats, but will also damage and irrevocably harm the coastal communities and economies in harm’s way.

Enter the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. First enacted in 1982 and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, this bipartisan legislation delineated 3.5 million acres of dynamic and storm-prone coastal barrier habitats and removed the availability of federal funding and financial assistance to those areas. To be clear, this legislation does not prohibit development in these vulnerable coastal ecosystems, but it does remove any federal safety net, meaning developers are fully on the hook for any climate-driven impacts. This market-driven approach has helped to keep our beaches and coasts intact, reduced flood risks, and saved US taxpayers billions of dollars since it became federal law.  

Surfrider Foundation is celebrating a major victory for our coasts with the passage of HR 5490 Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm Act. After unanimous passage in the House in September, the Senate passed the final version of the bill in November, and President Biden signed this legislation into law on November 25, 2024. This legislation adds nearly 290,000 new acres of coastal area into the system, including many areas that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2011, updates definitions so that upland areas could be included to accommodate for rising seas and migrating wetlands, and expands the types of coastal habitats that could be included in the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) in the future. 

Benefits of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act 

The impacts of climate change on U.S. coasts, including increasing flooding, sea level rise, and extreme weather events, were not fully anticipated when this legislation was first enacted. However, major hurricanes like Beryl, Helene, and Milton in 2024 exemplify the urgency of the threats of climate change, and how vulnerable coastal and inland areas are to their impacts. Incentivizing development in areas that we know are more prone to the impacts of climate change, even marginally through federal funding safety nets, all but assures that vital coastal buffers will be destroyed, and that taxpayer dollars will be wasted as impacts to these areas mount. 

Protecting Coastal Barriers, Ecosystems, and Communities

Beaches and coastal habitats are some of the most valuable players against the impacts of climate change. When healthy and protected, they serve as buffers to flooding and storm surge, prevent erosion, and even sequester carbon. They are also home to treasured wildlife, vibrant fisheries, and recreational opportunities that are the lifeblood of coastal communities and economies. With so many benefits from healthy coastal ecosystems, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) first and foremost helps to maximize those benefits by ensuring that development in these areas is disincentivized. Prioritizing healthy dunes, lush tracts of mangrove forest, and intact wetlands over coastal development and infrastructure yields countless environmental and risk reduction benefits in coastal areas for human and wildlife communities alike. As more acreage continues to be added to the Coastal Barrier Resources System, more beaches and coastal recreation areas will be protected from risky development.

The climate resilience benefits of this legislation cannot be understated. Our current coastal reality is one where our beaches are too often crowded with homes, condos, and high rise developments. As sea levels rise, erosion continues, and flooding and storms increase, our shorelines will continue to experience coastal squeeze and disappear. Coastal habitats naturally migrate upland and landward in response to changing climatic conditions, however, when there are structures such as homes, seawalls, or rock revetments blocking the natural path of retreat, these coastal habitats have nowhere to go. Those habitats are therefore ‘squeezed’ and ultimately lost. CBRA helps preserve the natural pathways for sandy beaches and coastal wetlands to be able to migrate and adjust to the growing impacts of climate change, ensuring the viability of these vital habitats for future generations. 

Tax Savings for All - On or Off the Beach

When it comes to the cost savings of the bill, the proof is in the pudding. CBRA has been shown to decrease development density upwards of 85% in designated areas, all the while increasing development by 20% and property tax bases by $911 million in nearby ‘spillover’ areas. In other words, CBRA helps keep communities and infrastructure out of harm’s way while protecting local property tax bases and encouraging development in safer locations. 

What’s economically important about CBRA for local communities has also contributed to significant cost savings to taxpayers nationally. It is estimated that between 1989-2013, CBRA saved taxpayers approximately $9.5 billion in federal coastal disaster expenditures, with further estimates that CBRA will save taxpayers up to $108 billion by 2068. Furthermore, CBRS generates $389 million in savings for the National Flood Insurance Program, with savings upward of $930 million with additional units added to the CBRS. CBRA is a sound fiscal policy that provides economic benefits and savings locally while saving taxpayers across the nation from subsidizing risky coastal development. 

A True Bipartisan Success Story

The co-benefits of tax savings, risk reduction, and coastal protection without federal mandate or prohibition have made the Coastal Barrier Resources Act popular on both sides of the aisle. The unanimous passage of the bill in both chambers in the 118th Congress, and its long history of bipartisan support since its initial enactment in 1982, is a testament to its popularity. The legislation has been strengthened and expanded under the administrations of Presidents George Bush, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and now, Joe Biden. In today’s polarized political environment, it is incredibly rare that members of both parties can come together and pass any policy, let alone one that helps to bolster coastal resilience and disincentivize development. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act is a case study for a market-driven approach to coastal policy that continues to enjoy support from Democrats and Republicans alike. 

Surfrider Foundation celebrates this incredible victory and is grateful for the leadership of the bill's sponsors, Representatives Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA) and Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-DE), and President Biden for prioritizing the future of nearly 230,000 acres of vulnerable coastline in light of the increasing impacts of climate change.