04.20.21

Hoeven Urges President Biden to Include Red River Flood Protection in FY2022 Budget Request

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven this week urged President Biden to include permanent flood protection for the Red River Valley in his Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request, which is expected to be released next month. Hoeven made the request during a bipartisan meeting he participated in on Monday to discuss infrastructure with the president. 

“We’re urging the president to include this critical flood protection infrastructure in his budget request, as it would provide important certainty for the project developers and help to keep construction on schedule,” Hoeven said. “This is all about delivering permanent flood protection for the Fargo-Moorhead region on time, fulfilling the federal funding commitment and helping to reduce costs for local taxpayers.”

The request comes as part of Hoeven’s ongoing efforts to ensure sufficient federal funding and flexibility to keep the project on schedule. To this end, the senator worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to accelerate the grade increase for I-29, resulting in a nearly $67 million contract to Industrial Builders, Inc. of West Fargo. This approach also allows for the excavation of the Red River Structure site, initiating construction on this critical aspect of the flood protection project.

This contract comes from funding that Hoeven worked to include in the Corps’ Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 work plan. The senator also recently announced that the FY2021 work plan includes $115 million for the project, which will further support construction of the Red River Structure. The project has received $310 million in federal construction funding to date. In addition, Hoeven’s efforts include:

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