New proposed federal regulations could affect your property, your communities — and your ability to obtain essential flood insurance and financing.

With the intention to protect threatened and endangered fish, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has proposed a new plan affecting the National Flood Insurance Program in Oregon.

The current proposal, called the Draft Implementation Plan for NFIP-ESA Integration, requires local governments to develop new regulations before residents and property owners can be eligible for federal flood insurance. These new rules could change everything about what you can and cannot do on your own land in flood plains.

Required regulations could:          

• affect virtually every type of land use  – farms, housing, recreational businesses, industry, transportation, public facilities and much more in areas designated as flood plains,
• severely limit the amount of developable land in 30 of 36 Oregon counties,
• limit expansion, maintenance, repair or replacement of existing facilities and restrict the types of allowable land uses on many properties,
• add huge staffing and financial burdens to local government,
• conflict with state and local priorities, especially Oregon’s priority housing goals,
• and have many other unintended consequences.

A local government’s inability to fully comply with proposed regulations could mean federal flood insurance will not be available to you and your neighbors.

Oregonians for Floodplain Protection has organized to encourage involvement and collect community concerns about FEMA’s proposed implementation plan. We want to be sure FEMA, elected officials and others understand the potential risks it presents and help develop workable options.

To join Oregonians for Floodplain Protection or to receive ongoing information about the FEMA process, email us at Floodplainprotection@gmail.com.