WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) and Congressman Josh Harder (D-CA) introduced the Safeguarding Our Levees Act, which would protect communities from severe flooding by repairing damaged levees as quickly as possible.
“From the north, Louisiana receives all the water from the entire Mississippi River basin, and the Gulf of Mexico itself presents endless threat of flood,” said Congressman Higgins. “Our levee systems have not been adequately modernized and maintained for decades, primarily because of unnecessarily complex bureaucracy and endless delays caused by government interference. This legislation forces the federal government to act in a very timely manner once Congress approves and funds a project. It’s a win for all of America.”
“Families in San Joaquin County are still dealing with flood damage from the heavy rain earlier this year and we need to do everything we can to prevent future catastrophic flooding before the next big storm,” said Rep. Harder. “The fact that there are broken levees that still haven’t been fixed simply because of red tape is unacceptable, and my bill aims to change that. The Central Valley is incredibly vulnerable to severe flooding, and this is an important step to protect homes, businesses, farms, and communities in our region.”
The Safeguarding Our Levees Act would:
- Require broken levees to be rehabilitated by the Army Corps of Engineers in 180 days; and
- Remove the financial burden on local communities by creating a 75% federal/25% non-federal cost share for levee improvements.
Read the legislation here.
