West Virginia Introduces Bill to Reform Flood Protection Planning

The West Virginia House of Delegates last week introduced legislation to establish a State Flood Protection Planning Council and Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding.

“This council and committee would work to create a comprehensive and coordinated statewide flood protection planning program to save lives and reduce or mitigate flood damage,” the West Virginia Legislature’s release stated.

House Bill 2935, introduced on Friday, would create the planning council and joint committee to develop “a comprehensive and coordinated statewide flood protection planning program to save lives and reduce or mitigate flood damage while supporting economic growth and protecting the environment.”

The bill is sponsored by House Speaker Tim Armstead and Delegates Roger Hanshaw, Boogie Ambler, Jordan Hill, Brent Boggs and Stephen Baldwin.

The State Flood Protection Planning Council created by the bill would consist of the director of the Division of Natural Resources, the executive director of the state Conservation Agency and the secretaries of the Departments of Environmental Protection, Military Affairs and Public Safety, and Transportation, or their designees, according to the announcement.

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