A U.S. judge on Thursday rejected a request by 10 Republican-led states to temporarily block the Biden administration’s new federal flood insurance scheme, finding doing so could destabilize the program relied upon by millions of policy holders.
U.S. District Judge Darrel Papillion in New Orleans said that, while some local governments and states including Louisiana, Florida and Idaho that sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency last year may face increased costs under the new program, a preliminary injunction could cause much more widespread harm.
FEMA’s 2021 overhaul of the nation’s subsidized flood insurance program was the first major update to the system in 50 years, and aimed to more equitably balance costs among policyholders. New and renewed premiums under the program are based on a property’s value and flood risk, rather than solely on a property’s elevation in a flood zone.
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