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| Coastal Barrier Resources System | |
|---|---|
| Name | Coastal Barrier Resources System |
| Established | 1982 |
| Governing body | United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Location | Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Great Lakes |
| Legislation | Coastal Barrier Resources Act |
Coastal Barrier Resources System is a federal network of undeveloped coastal barriers and associated wetlands and estuaries designated to reduce federal expenditures and promote conservation along the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes coasts. The system was created by statute and comprises mapped units that remove certain federal subsidies for development while coordinating with conservation programs administered by agencies such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It intersects with regional planning frameworks involving entities like the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, and state coastal programs.
The system links natural features such as barrier islands, marshes, dunes, and estuarine habitats across states including Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. It is related to conservation efforts by organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society, and Ducks Unlimited, and supports habitat protection for species listed under statutes like the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and agreements such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. The system’s objectives align with coastal resilience initiatives promoted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and climate research from institutions like the National Research Council.
The system originated in the early 1980s through bipartisan action in the United States Congress culminating in the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) enacted during the administration of Ronald Reagan. Legislative sponsors included members of committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the United States House Committee on Natural Resources. Early maps were prepared with input from the United States Geological Survey and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Subsequent amendments and expansions occurred in statutes and appropriations debates involving legislators from coastal delegations and were influenced by reports from the General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office). Related federal initiatives include programs under the National Flood Insurance Program and proposals from presidential administrations including those of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.
Unit designation employs cartographic work by the United States Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and state coastal agencies such as the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Maps identify unit boundaries and are published as amendments or revisions submitted to committees in the United States Congress and archived by the Library of Congress. Mapping disputes have involved cases before courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Technical contributors include academic departments at institutions such as Duke University, University of Miami, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Louisiana State University.
Administration of the system is primarily the responsibility of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service within the Department of the Interior, working with partners such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, state coastal zone management programs under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, and local entities including county governments and municipal planning departments. Federal agencies coordinate on disaster response and insurance matters with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Flood Insurance Program. Conservation funding and easements involve organizations like the Land Trust Alliance, Conservation International, and the Open Space Institute. Interagency memoranda and regulatory guidance sometimes reference standards from the American Society of Civil Engineers and reports by the United States Government Accountability Office.
The system conserves habitat for wildlife managed by bodies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and supports populations of birds recognized by the Audubon Society, fish studied by the National Marine Fisheries Service, and marine mammals referenced by researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. It protects resources connected to programs like the National Estuarine Research Reserve System and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Scientific assessments have involved researchers at the Smithsonian Institution, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. The system contributes to ecosystem services highlighted in reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Climate Assessment.
By restricting certain federal expenditures—particularly subsidies under the National Flood Insurance Program—the system influences housing markets in coastal districts represented in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Economic analyses have been conducted by institutions like the Congressional Budget Office, the Economic Research Service (USDA), and universities such as Harvard University, Princeton University, and University of California, Berkeley. The system affects real estate developers, coastal insurers, and financial stakeholders including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and private carriers regulated by state insurance commissions like the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Studies by think tanks such as the Resources for the Future and the Pew Charitable Trusts assess cost savings and market impacts.
Critiques have been raised by property owners, state governments, and development interests represented by bar associations and trade groups such as the National Association of Home Builders, with litigation filed in federal courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Legal scholarship from law schools such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center has examined constitutional claims, takings jurisprudence, and administrative procedures involving the Administrative Procedure Act. Debates involve policymakers from state legislatures, advocacy groups like the Property Rights Foundation of America, and environmental NGOs including the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council.