It is the policy of the Council to provide leadership in floodplain management and the protection of wetlands. Further, the Council shall integrate the goals of the Orders to the greatest possible degree into its procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act. The Council shall take action to:
(a) Avoid long- and short-term adverse impacts associated with the occupancy and modification of floodplains and the destruction or modification of wetlands;(b) Avoid direct and indirect support of floodplain development and new construction in wetlands wherever there is a practicable alternative;(c) Reduce the risk of flood loss;(d) Promote the use of nonstructural loss reduction methods to reduce the risk of flood loss;(e) Minimize the impact of floods on human health, safety and welfare;(f) Minimize the destruction, loss or degradation of wetlands;(g) Restore and preserve the natural and beneficial values served by floodplains;(h) Preserve and enhance the natural and beneficial values served by wetlands;(i) Involve the public throughout the floodplain management and wetlands protection decisionmaking process;(j) Adhere to the objectives of the Unified National Program for Floodplain Management;(k) Continually analyze existing and new policies of the Council to ensure consistency between them and the provisions of E.O. 11988 and 11990; and(l) Improve and coordinate the Council's plans, programs, functions and resources so that the Nation may attain the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation or risk to health and safety.