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Court freezes BRIC funds as Oregon and other states sue; Columbia Memorial Hospital project paused
Summary
County counsel and staff said a coalition of 20 states filed suit after FEMA terminated the BRIC grant program; a federal court granted a preliminary injunction to freeze nearly $4 billion in BRIC funds, preserving the $13.9 million award for Columbia Memorial Hospital while litigation proceeds.
County counsel told the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners that the state of Oregon joined a coalition of 19 other states to sue the federal government after FEMA terminated the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and rescinded previously selected but unawarded projects.
Anthony (county counsel) said the county had been awarded a BRIC grant to assist Columbia Memorial Hospital with a multipurpose tsunami vertical‑evacuation refuge structure. The county expected FEMA to provide $13,897,122 toward a total estimated project cost of about $19.85 million. The administration’s abrupt cancellation of the BRIC program left the hospital project’s funding at risk and threatened planned ground‑breaking activity.
County counsel said the coalition filed suit on July 16 asking the court to declare the termination unlawful, restore the program and compel the federal government to make congressionally appropriated BRIC funds available for the projects for which they were allocated. The coalition also sought a preliminary injunction to prevent the administration from reallocating BRIC funds to other uses while the litigation proceeds; counsel reported that a court granted that injunction, which freezes nearly $4,000,000,000 in BRIC funds nationwide.
County staff and county council said they were pursuing both legal and administrative avenues — the lawsuit and direct outreach to FEMA and the administration — to protect the award and the hospital project. The county manager said the county and Columbia Memorial Hospital had been planning to begin work as early as mid‑September and that the unexpected termination created “a big hole” in project financing.
Commissioners emphasized the project’s role as a model for tsunami vertical evacuation structures the county hopes to replicate in other populated areas. One commissioner said the hospital project was intended as “the first, we hope, of many” such platforms to serve population centers and critical facilities.
County counsel said the injunction signals a favorable early showing on the merits because courts typically require a strong likelihood of success to grant preliminary relief, but he cautioned that litigation remains at an early stage and a final outcome is not guaranteed. County staff said they will continue to coordinate with Columbia Memorial Hospital and keep the board informed as the case and administrative discussions proceed.
