ANR seeks more time to implement Flood Safety Act mapping; committee discusses related budget priorities

Rebecca Pfeiffer, manager of the river corridor and floodplain protection program at the Agency of Natural Resources, told the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee that deadlines in the Flood Safety Act (Act 121) and associated rulemaking are being pushed back because the agency diverted staff to flood response and recovery after several major 2024 flood events.

"One of the key pieces that we underscored is that these deadlines ... hadn't been our preferred deadlines. They were passed," Pfeiffer said, explaining that post‑flood recovery work required much of the same staff needed for mapping and rule updates.

Rob Evans, rivers program manager at ANR/DEC, told senators the scope of work is large: "It's 5 buckets of work that subdivides out into almost 30 subtasks," he said, adding that updates to the general permit, public notice and comment processes, database upgrades and the potential recommendations of a National Flood Insurance Program study committee will all take time.

The agency proposed pushing most deadlines by roughly one year but recommended an 18‑month delay before beginning to issue permits under an updated rule. Several senators questioned why that item required 18 months rather than 12 months; agency staff said the longer gap provides time for public outreach, updating general permits and undertaking database and fee‑schedule work that will be needed before new permits can be issued.

Senators also asked whether additional staff would speed implementation. Evans said new hires are essential but senior staff must oversee much of the rulemaking and that new junior positions would not necessarily shorten the timeline.

Committee members then moved into a related budget discussion. Committee staff and agency witnesses outlined several funding requests and gaps that senators considered for the committee's budget letter to appropriations. Items discussed included:

- Land Use Review Board (LURB): testimony described a request of about $145,000 per position per year through 2029 for two positions and roughly $100,000 for digital infrastructure to handle incoming tiered land‑use applications and mapping intake. Committee members discussed converting one of the temporarily funded positions to permanent and funding a limited‑term position through 2029.

- Conservation districts: witnesses requested an increase in base funding; testimony cited a current base described in testimony as approximately $612,000 and proposals ranging up to $3,000,000 to provide staff at district offices. Committee members discussed a compromise near $1.2 million to increase district capacity.

- Climate Superfund/PCB remediation: the agency requested additional consulting and treasurer‑office work to advance the Climate Superfund and PCB remediation efforts; staff discussed a one‑time appropriation in the $500,000–$700,000 range for modeling, scoping and consultant contracts.

Committee members asked ANR to provide clearer cost estimates, implementation schedules and an updated project list. Senators said they hoped to finalize a draft budget letter promptly; the committee planned further follow‑up with agency staff and additional witnesses the next day.

Ending: The committee recessed after the budget discussion and scheduled follow‑up on mapping and staffing questions.