Monroe County Mayor Heather Carruthers To Testify Before U.S. House Committee On Transportation and Infrastructure

WASHINGTON – On behalf of the National Association of Counties, Monroe County Mayor Heather Carruthers will testify Wednesday before the U.S. House of Representative’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure at a hearing for “An Examination of FEMA’s Limited Role in Land Use Development Decisions.” The hearing begins at 10 a.m.

Carruthers will testify that advancing species protection efforts through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program adds another layer of federal review that is redundant and costly, while not increasing the strong protections that already are in place at the local level.

She will explain that the “careful balancing of a community’s unique needs and circumstances, carried out by its elected officials, should not be upended by one-size-fits-all federal regulations that are imposed without consideration of such factors.”

The Committee is having this hearing to sort out FEMA’s role in the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). FEMA’s position: It is not a land use regulatory agency. While this is consistent with the National Flood Insurance Program, other federal agency decisions with respect to the ESA are essentially compelling FEMA to regulate local land use decisions through the implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program, according to a news release from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. These other federal agencies include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Carruthers will testify that local governments already work daily to craft and enforce land use policies that protect their local endangered species. In Monroe County, the county’s land use regulations already comply with the Endangered Species Act.

While the National Flood Insurance Program is considered voluntary, a community’s participation in the program is necessary for residents who live in a floodplain to be eligible for federally guaranteed mortgages. Almost all of Monroe County is considered a coastal floodplain. There are more than 27,000 NFIP policies for residences and businesses in the Keys.

For more information about the hearing, including testimony, additional background information and a link to the live broadcast as it becomes available, go to this link of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee: http://transport.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=400684

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