02.10.14

Hoeven Working to Advance Permanent Flood Protection for Red River Valley

Senator Presses Army Corps to Support Funding for Long-Term Flood Protection in Fargo-Moorhead

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations Maj. Gen. John Peabody last week to secure funding for permanent flood protection project for the Red River Valley. The meeting today was in follow up to his recent discussions with both General Thomas Bostick, Chief of the Corps of Engineers, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Direct Sylvia Burwell regarding project funding. The senator believes the project will receive funding this year in an amount similar to the $7.4 million allocated in 2013.

“This year’s flood risks in the Fargo-Moorhead area reflect the continued need for permanent flood protection, which is why I continue to press the Corps and the Administration for the funding necessary to ensure permanent flood protection,” Hoeven said. “I believe we’ll get an amount similar to the fund the Corps allocated last year, which is good for the families and businesses in the Fargo-Moorhead area who have repeatedly mounted a flood fight during the past several years. It should be clear to everyone that we cannot afford to delay funding this important project.”

Hoeven is currently working to secure final passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorizes construction of the project and is expected to pass Congress in the upcoming weeks.

Hoeven worked to ensure that $7.4 million in funding was allocated for project development and design in Fiscal Year 2013. He is now meeting with the Corps to make sure FY14 funding for the project is allocated in an amount similar to FY13. He is also pressing for the project to receive funding in the president’s FY15 budget slated for release March 4.

The senator also continues working to get the Corps to address upstream concerns and is seeking to address these interests through other avenues such as the recently passed farm bill. The farm bill includes rural water management and flood protection provisions, such as $500 million for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) that can be used in part to support flood protection in the Red River Valley.