Things just might be looking up for the National Flood Insurance Program. Even though Congress reauthorized the program for a mere 60 days last month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is taking the next step on the long but steady course of program improvements.

FEMA’s stride comes in the form of a notice that it will prepare an environmental impact statement considering the potential effects of various program changes on the “human environment,” including environmental planning, historic preservation, and threatened species and habitats.

“This effort will result in a comprehensive series of policy recommendations designed to transition the NFIP toward a more resilient, sustainable, and comprehensive approach to flood risk management,” the notice, published in the May 16 Federal Register, states.

The elimination of subsidies and cross subsidies for insurance policies will also be considered, according to the notice. Increased elevation standards for new construction, floodplain management standards for critical facilities, and restrictions on floodway development are also on the table, according to Northeast-Midwest Institute's Mississippi River Basin Blog.

Recommendations for the scope of the EIS come from a lengthy effort to reform the NFIP that began in 2009 and included extensive input from the public and stakeholders. While FEMA plans to engage other federal agencies in crafting the scope of the EIS, no public scoping meetings will be held. The EIS notice is open for comments until July 16, 2012.

The latest improvement efforts aren’t the only bright spot on the NFIP horizon, though. Even the quality of the latest reauthorization holds promise of a more functional and longer approved program.

While Congress has been issuing short-term program authorizations since 2010 like most people use the snooze buttons on their alarm clocks, the latest re-up—which extends the NFIP until July 31—also comes alongside plans to discuss a longer extension through 2016, according to Insurance Journal.

Those planned discussions are in part thanks to a provision in the short-term authorization that ends NFIP payouts for second homes and vacation properties. While the provision is indicative of new levels of cooperation regarding the fraught program, those familiar with NFIP don’t seem to be holding their breath.

“We are pleased that the House voted to concur with the Senate’s 60-day NFIP extension,” Ben McKay of Property Casualty Insurers Association told Insurance Journal. “However, this only delays the fundamental debate over the future of the flood insurance program. We remain hopeful that the Senate will schedule floor time for their long-term NFIP reauthorization and reform bill in June.”