Sacramento Business Journal
From the article:
Conditions and approvals are lining up for the five-year building moratorium for the Natomas area of Sacramento to be lifted as soon as year’s end.
Within the next two weeks, both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are set to vote on a Water Resources Development Act bill from a conference committee thought to include authorization for upgrades and repairs to Natomas levees. Because previous versions of the bill passed both houses, those familiar with the bill think it will pass again.
In turn, once President Barack Obama signs the bill, it will kick off a process where the city of Sacramento and related agencies petition the Federal Emergency Management Agency to remap the Natomas area out of its no-build status.
Kathleen Schaefer, a regional engineer with FEMA, said city officials and others have begun some of the discussions necessary for that process to be completed.
“We have been working with the city and the county to front-load as much as possible,” Schaefer said. Once that’s complete and agency officials have met with locals to establish new base flood elevations, FEMA will release a preliminary map showing potential changes, including lifting a moratorium, and publish it in both the Federal Register and as public notices in local media.