Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Flooding Prevention, Assessment, and Restoration Act of 2023”.
Flooding Prevention, Assessment, and Restoration Act of 2023
A BILL
To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 with respect to the emergency watershed program, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Emergency watershed program
Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2203) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(c) Level of restoration—In carrying out this section, the Secretary may undertake measures that increase the level of protection above that which would be necessary to address the immediate impairment of the watershed if the Secretary determines that such restoration is in the best interest of the long-term health and the protection of the watershed from repetitive impairments.”
Sec. 3 National agriculture flood vulnerability study
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a national agriculture flood vulnerability report containing the results of a conservation effects assessment project studying flood risk on agricultural lands, including—
an analysis of economic losses of crops and livestock resulting from flooding under different recurrence scenarios;
an analysis of the downstream effects of mitigation activities carried out as part of a watershed management approach;
an analysis of available Federal and State data relating to flood risk, as applicable to agricultural land, including data relating to riverine flooding, coastal flooding, storm surge, extreme precipitation, and flash flooding; and
a description of ongoing producer-level conservation practices and broader government initiatives to manage flooding impact and flood risk within and across watersheds, and recommendations for additional practices and initiatives to further address such impact and risk.
Sec. 4 Rehabilitation of structural measures near, at, or past their evaluated life expectancy
Section 14(b)(2) of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1012(b)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
“(2) Amount of assistance; limitations
“(A) In general—The amount of Federal funds that may be made available under this subsection to a local organization for construction of a particular rehabilitation project shall be equal to 65 percent of the total rehabilitation costs, but not to exceed 100 percent of actual construction costs incurred in the rehabilitation.
“(B) Limited resource areas—Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the Secretary may contribute up to 90 percent of the total rehabilitation costs to a local organization for construction of a particular rehabilitation project that serves a limited resource area, as determined by the Secretary, but not to exceed 100 percent of actual construction costs incurred in the rehabilitation.
“(C) Costs of resource rights and permits—The local organization shall be responsible for the costs of water, mineral, and other resource rights and all Federal, State, and local permits.”