City in Oregon Suing Over Restrictive Flood Map Recommendations

The city of Coos Bay, Ore. has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the National Marine Fisheries Service over its recommendation for more restrictive floodplain regulations, which would restrict development in most of downtown.

The World reported the suit was filed last weeek objecting to land-use restrictions recommended by the fisheries service to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood insurance program in an opinion issued last year.

Damien Schiff, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation which is representing the city, said the biological opinion from the fisheries service is an improper expansion of both FEMA and the agency’s authority.

Fisheries is asking FEMA to place high-risk floodplains off-limits to development because it says it will better protect endangered species such as salmon and steelhead.

Floodplains are areas along rivers, stream and shorelines that are regularly inundated with water.