§ 143-215.32B.  Dam Safety Grant Fund.

(a) Creation; Purpose. - There is created within the Department a special, nonreverting account to be known as the Dam Safety Grant Fund to issue grants from the Fund to eligible dam owners for the purpose of dam repair, modification, or removal, if the dam was damaged by a natural disaster. The Fund shall be administered by the Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources.

(b) Prioritization. - The Department shall assign priority for grants that serve as the State match to eligible projects based on the Risk-Based Prioritization Method established under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) High Hazard Potential Dams (HHPD) Rehabilitation Grant Program. Funds may also be used for dams not eligible for federal match under the HHPD Rehabilitation Grant Program if the dam was damaged by a natural disaster and classified as high hazard.

(c) The Department shall, when funding is available, administer grants from the Fund in a manner consistent with applicable federal and State law and regulations.

(d) The Department shall submit an annual report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources detailing the projects funded, federal dollars drawn from the HHPD Rehabilitation Grant Program for those projects, and locations, types, and justification of each project.  (2025-26, s. 2E.1.)