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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).

Photo of Scott L. Shapiro Scott L. Shapiro

Scott Shapiro is known for his expertise in flood protection improvement projects throughout California’s Central Valley. He is helping clients with more than a billion dollars in projects in California’s Central Valley and issues involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the…

Scott Shapiro is known for his expertise in flood protection improvement projects throughout California’s Central Valley. He is helping clients with more than a billion dollars in projects in California’s Central Valley and issues involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) throughout the Western United States.

With a special focus on massive flood protection improvement projects, Scott advises clients through regulatory, contractual, financing, and legislative challenges. Acting as general or special counsel, he regularly interacts with senior management at USACE (Headquarters, South Pacific Division, and Sacramento District), the California Department of Water Resources, and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. He was named to the National Section 408 Task Force and has been invited to give testimony to the National Academies. Scott was instrumental in helping the first regional flood improvement agency that took a basin threatened by flood risk from less than 30-year level of protection to a level of protection approaching 200-year.

Having worked with FEMA on issues of floodplain mapping and levee accreditation for many years, Scott has developed collaborative environments in which he fosters win-win solutions for his clients. He is also currently serving as the lead counsel on a flood insurance rate map (FIRM) appeal and has drafted Federal legislation to modify the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) several times.

Scott is known throughout the region for his extensive litigation experience focusing on cases arising from levee failures. He has litigated levee failures resulting from underseepage, failed encroachments, and rodent burrows as well as briefing levee overtopping cases at the appellate level. Scott is one of the few attorneys with experience litigating flood cases on behalf of plaintiffs as well as defendant government entities.