I am thrilled to be heading to Jackson Hole, Wyoming this afternoon to attend the annual conference of the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA). Susan Gilson and the Board always do a great job of putting together a conference that brings together the leaders from Federal, state, and local service to discuss where this industry is going and how we can better achieve our joint goals (see agenda here).
I am very excited to be speaking on a panel with legal experts, including Karin Jacoby, Chris Amantea, and Julie Lemon. I will be offering perspectives on non-Federal sponsor legal issues related to flood risk reduction projects, including: current challenges with cultural resources under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; local concerns with the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (see my comment letter here); issues of local enforcement; and a potpourri of other issues including an update on crediting reform and a discussion of the appropriate use of benefit-cost ratios in prioritizing projects for funding.
I’ll provide a summary of some conference highlights when I return to the office next week. Until then, I’ll be riding that sun across the sky (thanks to Delta Airlines).