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Sen. Cornyn Urges Senate Leader to Help Pass Levee-Repair Bill to Protect Valley Families
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
WASHINGTON—As Tropical Storm Dolly gains strength and heads for South Texas, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, today wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging him to pass legislation Sen. Cornyn introduced in April that would allow county governments in the lower Rio Grande Valley to make immediate repairs to their outdated levee system, and be reimbursed by the federal government at a later date.
The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) reported 5 years ago that the levees along the Rio Grande River were inadequate to protect Texas communities in a 100-year flood event, and a number of levees in the Lower Rio Grande Valley would have to be raised to protect against flooding.
Sen. Cornyn is hopeful Sen. Reid will grant his request and move his legislation swiftly, so families and business in the Valley can be secured and protected against the threat of future flooding.
On a related note, Senator Cornyn said today that his office has been in close contact with FEMA and is monitoring federal preparations in advance of Tropical Storm Dolly’s expected arrival on the Gulf Coast. “As we have learned from past storms, preparation and coordination between the federal, state and local levels of government is critical. I will continue to monitor this situation and stand ready to do what I can to ensure all needs are met,” Sen. Cornyn said.
The full text of Senator Cornyn’s letter to the Senate Democratic Leader is below:
The Honorable Harry Reid
Senate Majority Leader
528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Majority Leader Reid,
As Tropical Storm (soon to be Hurricane) Dolly approaches South Texas, I urge you to help advance legislation I introduced in April of this year to allow the counties of the Lower Rio Grande Valley to quickly make much-needed flood control improvements to local levees.
The levees along the Rio Grande River are managed by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), a federal entity that is solely responsible for their maintenance and repair. In a 2003 report, the IBWC concluded that the existing levees were inadequate to protect Texas communities and property in a 100-year flood event, and numerous levees in the Lower Rio Grande Valley would have to be raised or improved to mitigate flood risks. The Commission estimates that it will cost a total of $125 million to fully repair the levee system.
Unfortunately, Congress has been slow to provide the Commission with the funding it needs to make these repairs. While I was able to help secure $10 million in this year’s budget for levee improvements, we cannot afford to let the people of South Texas go unprotected.
A reasonable solution would be to allow local governments in the Valley to fund the repairs and upgrades of the levees themselves, and then be reimbursed for that expense by the Commission at a later date. While Rio Grande Valley government leaders have expressed interest in this proposal, the IBWC lacks the statutory authority to make such arrangements. My legislation (S. 2832) would allow local governments to immediately fund levee repairs, while ensuring that Valley taxpayers are not left on the hook for what is properly a federal responsibility.
I would greatly appreciate your support in quickly moving this critical flood control measure through the Senate for consideration.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
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