Water Resources Development Act of 2016

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. YOUNG of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, first, I would like to thank the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Chairman Shuster, and members of the staff for working so hard on this bill.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment seeks to address situations where community-owned levees and federally owned U.S. Army Corps of Engineers levees are hydraulically connected. These hydraulically connected levees are close enough to one another in the same water system and can have a huge impact on each other. So when a local flood protection system is in need of repairs, we cannot allow Federal inaction to stand in the way. Without action from the Corps, improvements to local levees have limited effect and are insufficient, making it difficult to achieve accreditation.

Why is this important? Not only does it put people and property in flood zones at risk, but it also increases costs for individuals and businesses in our communities, mandating flood insurance and classifying any development as ``high risk.''

I am seeing this in my district, where the City of Des Moines has been working with the Corps since 2011. I know my district is not alone. I see it in other districts as well.

Mr. Chairman, we cannot continue to have local governments be hindered by Federal inaction, inaction on property the Federal Government took responsibility for years ago.

In the end, this amendment will establish a policy that will reduce and, ultimately, negate the negative impacts to community-owned flood protection system accreditation caused by the Army Corps of Engineers' failure to act.

I urge adoption of my amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. YOUNG of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, first, I would like to thank the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Chairman Shuster, and members of the staff for working so hard on this bill.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment seeks to address situations where community-owned levees and federally owned U.S. Army Corps of Engineers levees are hydraulically connected. These hydraulically connected levees are close enough to one another in the same water system and can have a huge impact on each other. So when a local flood protection system is in need of repairs, we cannot allow Federal inaction to stand in the way. Without action from the Corps, improvements to local levees have limited effect and are insufficient, making it difficult to achieve accreditation.

Why is this important? Not only does it put people and property in flood zones at risk, but it also increases costs for individuals and businesses in our communities, mandating flood insurance and classifying any development as ``high risk.''

I am seeing this in my district, where the City of Des Moines has been working with the Corps since 2011. I know my district is not alone. I see it in other districts as well.

Mr. Chairman, we cannot continue to have local governments be hindered by Federal inaction, inaction on property the Federal Government took responsibility for years ago.

In the end, this amendment will establish a policy that will reduce and, ultimately, negate the negative impacts to community-owned flood protection system accreditation caused by the Army Corps of Engineers' failure to act.

I urge adoption of my amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source