05.06.16

Hoeven Celebrates Milestone in Advancing Permanent Flood Protection for Minot Region

Senator Secured Authorization for Flood Feasibility Study, Continues Efforts in Energy and Water Appropriations Committee to Secure Future Funding for Study

MINOT, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today joined federal, state and community leaders in Minot to mark the signing of the cost-share agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Souris River Joint Water Resource Board for the Corps’ flood protection feasibility study. As a member of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Committee, Hoeven secured authorization and $200,000 in federal funding for the study, which will help identify the best options for mitigating flood risks and is a critical step in advancing permanent flood protection for the region.

“Today’s agreement is another important step forward in ensuring that the families and businesses of Minot and the entire Souris River Basin are protected from the future threats of flooding,” Hoeven said. “We worked hard to give the Corps the permission it needed to move forward on this project, and we appreciate Colonel Koprowski and the many other Corps officials who worked with us to bring a study to the Minot region. We have already included another $500,000 for the study in the Senate’s Energy and Water Appropriations bill for the next fiscal year, and we continue our efforts to advance that measure through Congress to keep this project moving forward.”

In December, Hoeven successfully included language in the year-end funding bill to end the Corps’ moratorium on new flood studies and provide authorization and funding for the Corps to initiate new studies. In February, the senator announced that the Corps selected the city of Minot and the Souris River Basin for one of its new permanent flood protection studies in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 and provided $200,000 in funding for the study. The senator is now working through the Appropriations Committee to secure an additional $500,000 in FY2017 to advance the study.

Last October, Hoeven met with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy and Army Corps Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick to secure support for initiating a flood prevention feasibility study for the Minot region. The senator then followed up with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Donovan to urge support for the project, which required signoff from OMB to move forward.

-###-