TEMPLATE FOR INTERAGENCY CBRA CONSULTATIONS The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) (16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) encourages the conservation of hurricane prone and biologically rich coastal barriers. No new expenditures or financial assistance may be made available under authority of any Federal law for any purpose within the System Units of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) including: construction or purchase of roads, structures, facilities, or related infrastructure, and most projects to prevent the erosion of or otherwise stabilize any inlet, shoreline, or inshore area. However, the appropriate Federal officer, after consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), may make Federal expenditures and financial assistance available within System Units for activities that meet one of the CBRA’s exceptions (16 U.S.C. 3505). The CBRA imposes no restrictions on actions and projects within the CBRS that are carried out with State, local, or private funding. Any response from the Service to a CBRA consultation request is in the form of an opinion only. The Service has not been granted veto power. The responsibility for complying with the CBRA and the final decision regarding the expenditure of funds for a particular action or project rests with the Federal funding agency. There are two types of units within the CBRS, System Units and Otherwise Protected Areas (OPAs). OPAs are denoted with a “P” at the end of the unit number (e.g., “FL-64P”). Most new Federal expenditures and financial assistance, including Federal flood insurance, are prohibited within System Units. The only Federal spending prohibition within OPAs is on Federal flood insurance; other Federal expenditures are permitted. Consultation with the Service is not needed if the proposed action or project is located within an OPA. However, agencies providing disaster assistance that is contingent upon a requirement to purchase flood insurance after the fact are advised to disclose the OPA designation and information on the restrictions on Federal flood insurance to the recipient prior to the commitments of funds. The Service has developed the attached template to help facilitate the CBRA consultation process. This form, and any additional documentation, may be submitted to the appropriate Ecological Services Field Office to fulfill the CBRA’s consultation requirement. Additional Resources: CBRS Mapper: https://www.fws.gov/cbra/maps/mapper.html CBRS shapefile and Web Map Service: https://www.fws.gov/cbra/maps/Boundaries.html CBRA consultations: https://www.fws.gov/cbra under “Project Consultations” CBRS in/out property determinations: https://www.fws.gov/cbra/Determinations.html Ecological Services Field Office contact information: https://www.fws.gov/offices DATE NAME TITLE OFFICE STREET ADDRESS CITY, STATE ZIP The AGENCY NAME requests a consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) (16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) for the proposed NAME OF ACTION/PROJECT. Project Location Insert project location. The CBRS Mapper can be used to identify the CBRS unit number(s) at: http://www.fws.gov/cbra/Maps/Mapper.html. The action or project is located in COUNTY, STATE within (or partially within) Unit(s) UNIT NUMBER(S) of the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS). Description of the Proposed Action or Project Provide a brief description of the action or project, including the Federal funding source. Applicable Exception(s) under 16 U.S.C. 3505(a) Identify the appropriate exception(s) for the action or project under the CBRA (16 U.S.C. 3505(a)). General Exceptions ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ 16 U.S.C. 3505(a)(1): Any use or facility necessary for the exploration, extraction, or transportation of energy resources which can be carried out only on, in, or adjacent to a coastal water area because the use or facility requires access to the coastal water body. 16 U.S.C. 3505(a)(2): The maintenance or construction of improvements of existing Federal navigation channels (including the Intracoastal Waterway) and related structures (such as jetties), including the disposal of dredge materials related to such maintenance or construction. A Federal navigation channel or a related structure is an existing channel or structure, respectively, if it was authorized before the date on which the relevant System unit or portion of the System Unit was included within the CBRS. 16 U.S.C. 3505(a)(3): The maintenance, repl