Press Room

探花精选 Supports New Bipartisan House Bill Protecting Undeveloped Coastal Areas, Saving U.S. Tax Dollars, Promoting Public Safety

Legislation expands environmental protections on coastal habitats and communities.
By 探花精选
Published May 17, 2018

WASHINGTON 鈥 鈥淐onserving coastal environments is not only vital to protecting birds but is also key to preserving local communities and economies along America鈥檚 coastline,鈥 said Dr. Karen Hyun, 探花精选鈥檚 vice president of coastal policy, in support of bipartisan legislation introduced by Representative Neal Dunn (R-FL), Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Representative Thomas Rooney (R-FL) that would strengthen and expand the Coastal Barrier Resources Act.

鈥淭his bipartisan bill is a good first step, and 探花精选 thanks Representatives Dunn, Blunt Rochester and Rooney for their leadership on such an important conservation initiative for birds and people. We look forward to working with all members of the House in moving this legislation forward.鈥

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1982 and expanded in 1990 with bipartisan support. CBRA prohibits most federal spending on certain undeveloped, high risk coastal areas, including barrier islands, beaches and wetlands along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes. 

Passage of this bill will add thousands of acres to the Coastal Barrier Resources Act System along Delaware, North and South Carolina, Florida, and potentially Louisiana by using the latest maps developed from the Congress-authorized CBRA Digital Mapping Pilot Project. This complete package of new maps will save taxpayer dollars, improve public safety, make coastal communities more resilient in the face of a changing climate, and protect habitats that support fish, wildlife and coastal economies.

To learn more about 探花精选鈥檚 Coasts programs, please click here.

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About the 探花精选

The 探花精选 protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. 探花精选鈥檚 state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, 探花精选鈥檚 vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. 探花精选 is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at  and @audubonsociety.

Media Contact: Chandler Lennon, clennon@audubon.org, (804) 832-0832