Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, introduced the bipartisan Restoring America’s Floodplains Act to mitigate flood risk and improve water quality by ensuring farmers, landowners, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) can work together to restore and maintain floodplains.
“The Restoring America’s Floodplains Act will give USDA the tools it needs to help Colorado farmers and landowners reduce flood risk across the state,” said Bennet. “The growing weather challenges we face are putting more pressure on our watersheds and farmland. Investing in natural infrastructure is a common-sense way to mitigate damage and improve our floodplains for future generations.”
“I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impacts flooding can have on our communities in Iowa, and my heart goes out to all those who have been impacted by destructive natural disasters,” said Ernst. “I’m proud to be working on a bipartisan solution to proactively reduce these impacts that will use existing tools at no additional cost to taxpayers while also improving water quality and protecting our valuable land.”
This bill will make clear that USDA can assist landowners in maintaining floodplain easements in the Emergency Watershed Protection Program by participating in restoration activities like removing levees and replanting native species that are critical for reducing flood risk and improving habitats.
“Floodplain easements are voluntary, incentive-based tools that enable landowners to restore natural floodplains that lower the risk of flooding, improve water quality and soil health, and preserve waterfowl habitat,” said Chris Fox, Iowa State Policy Chair, Ducks Unlimited. “It’s a perfect example of natural infrastructure solutions that benefit people, our communities, and wildlife, and we thank Sens. Ernst and Bennet for introducing the Restoring America’s Floodplains Act.”
Bennet has long fought to help farmers and ranchers access the resources they need to mitigate flood damage and improve Colorado’s floodplains for future generations. In March of this year, Bennet reintroduced the Increased TSP Access Act to address the shortage of Technical Service Providers (TSPs) who help farmers and ranchers access USDA conservation programs. In April 2024, Bennet welcomed $38.6 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help Colorado flood control projects. In August 2023, Bennet introduced the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act to help American agriculture and communities become more resilient to drought and flooding by improving the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program. In March 2022, Bennet welcomed $350 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill for flood risk reduction and aquatic ecosystem restoration projects along the South Platte River.
The text of the bill is available HERE.