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Coos Bay council backs joining statewide coalition to challenge FEMA floodplain rules
Summary
The Coos Bay City Council voted to direct staff to pursue membership in the Oregonians for Floodplain Protection Coalition and explore financial support for a legal challenge to recent FEMA guidance that council members said would sharply raise development costs in floodplain areas.
The Coos Bay City Council on Jan. 9 unanimously directed staff to pursue membership in the Oregonians for Floodplain Protection Coalition and to evaluate potential financial support for litigation challenging recent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidance.
Council members said the dispute centers on FEMA’s new expectations for floodplain regulation that, they were told at the meeting, go beyond existing federal rules and could require local governments and developers to perform new environmental analyses and on-site mitigation for trees and other features when they propose construction or paving in floodplains.
City staff introduced the item and described the options. A city staff member said the coalition has organized potential legal action and that counsel had received notice that “a lawsuit’s been filed and a motion for a restraining order has been filed as well.” Councilor Troy moved the measure, saying, “I would like to…
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