U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) released the following statement highlighting key projects across Louisiana that will receive support through the funding bill recently signed into law. Graves has worked relentlessly to secure these resources, and sent a letter last week to the Army Corps and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to urge funding for specific priorities.
Graves statement:
"Today is a major breakthrough for projects that will advance the resiliency, economic productivity, and environmental strength of South Louisiana. We've had countless conversations with the Corps to address the management of our coastline protection, levees, dredging and environmental infrastructure, and I'm excited to say the ball is rolling in the right direction.
"In Washington, D.C., one of our objectives has been to expand the resources available to keep being proactive and the inclusion of these provisions accomplishes that. The Corps was the only game in town and that is not working. We have secured billions of dollars through five different agencies and increased the opportunities to pool resources to help break logjams on projects.
"We will keep working with stakeholders at all levels – our parish presidents, levee districts, local businesses, constituents and leaders in Washington, D.C. – to get the job done. And, these wins secured across South Louisiana builds on top of the confirmation we received this morning that the Morganza-to-the-Gulf Hurricane Protection project, a project in the works since 1992, will receive $12.46 million in New Start Construction funding from the Corps of Engineers. Couldn't ask for better news as we turn the page on the 2020 hurricane season and gear up to make these much-needed improvements to make Louisiana more resilient."
Provisions Included in the Work Plan:
Lower Mississippi Comprehensive Management Study
$8,010,000 to begin work on the Lower Mississippi Comprehensive Management Study, which Graves authored in WRDA 2020 and was passed into law last month.
It's clear that existing systems of managing the river are unable to handle the watershed burden of 32 states and two Canadian provinces, resulting in repeat and record numbers of days spent at flood stage. Graves has advocated for the Corps to rethink their management plans for the lower portions of the river, assessing new and more efficient operations for existing structures and identifying new opportunities to build additional capacity upriver.
This will complement the Old, Mississippi, Atchafalaya, and Red River study which was authorized by the Graves-authored Section 1224 Study in WRDA 2018.
Environmental Infrastructure Projects in South Louisiana
Ascension Parish: $3,750,000 for environmental infrastructure projects.
East Baton Rouge Parish: $750,000 for environmental infrastructure projects.
Bayou Lafourche and Lafourche Jump Waterway
$250,000 for dredging to restore channels at Port Fourchon following the 2020 Hurricane Season and to ensure channels meet authorized depth levels.
Houma Navigation Canal
$2,750,000 for dredging to restore the HNC following the 2020 Hurricane Season and to ensure the waterway meets authorized depth.
Atchafalaya River- Bayous Chene, Bouef, and Black
$22,992,000 for critical dredging needs following record levels of shoaling.
The condition of these waterways has resulted in navigational hazards and significant flood impacts to the surrounding areas. These impacts will likely increase if shoaling is not addressed in a meaningful way as soon as is practicable.
Atchafalaya Basin
$29,705,000 in funding to ensure habitat protection in the nation's largest river-basin swamp as well as adequate flood protection assets to support the needs of the MR&T project, including the completion of the Cherenton floodgate and construction of new floodwalls below the design elevation
$23,970,000 for operations and maintenance, including dredging in critical areas.
Mississippi River (Baton Rouge to the Gulf) Navigational Projects:
$113.5 million for dredging needs, including annual maintenance and dredging to the project's newly authorized depth.
$2,750,000 in additional funding for annual spring dredging in outlets south of Venice, LA.
Graves specifically advocated that we cannot rely on emergency and supplemental funding for predictable high-water events in this economically critical waterway.
Graves also requested that the Corps utilize existing authorities under Section 1111 of WRDA 2018 and the Gulf Coast Regional Dredge Demonstration Program established by P.L. 116-94 to award longer-term dredge contracts for regions which demonstrate regular navigational hazards.
Mississippi Delta Region, Davis Pond and Caernarvon Diversions:
$1,400,000 for annual operation and maintenance of these diversions.
These projects have resulted in tremendous benefits in areas which are under significant environmental strain but have received irregular funding in the past.
Morganza-to-the-Gulf
$12,460,000 to initiate construction
Earlier today, January 19, 2021, Graves and Congressman Steve Scalise announced that the Morganza-to-the-Gulf Hurricane Protection project will receive $12,460,000 in New Start Construction funding from the Corps of Engineers.
The funding will increase flood protection and further protect economic activity in South Louisiana. The project became eligible for funding in the government funding bill last month through language inserted by Graves and Scalise.
Graves has been working on reinvigorating the Morganza effort for several years, including with these specific initiatives:
On November 14, 2018, Graves met with US Army Corps officials to request that they reassess the Morganza project, the result of which was the Adaptive Criteria Assessment Report (ACAR), which reevaluated the project to align project cost and design expectations.
On June 20, 2019, Graves met with officials from CPRA, local project sponsors, and the Army Corps to review the ACAR, confirming that a reassessment of the project would result in cutting the project's cost by nearly two-thirds.
In October 2019, Graves and Rep. Steve Scalise met with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, R.D. James, to advocate for additional resources for Morganza-to-the-Gulf.
In January 2020, Graves and Scalise secured $1.25 million in federal funding to conduct pre-engineering and design (PED) assessments on the project. This was a critical step in preparing the project for eligibility to receive significant federal funding.
In February 2020, Graves and Scalise hosted a meeting with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director, Russell Vought, to advocate for federal funding for the Morganza-to-the-Gulf Hurricane Protection System.
In order for the project to qualify for federal construction funding, Graves and Scalise secured language in the Fiscal Year 2021 House Energy and Water Appropriations bill to allow New Start eligibility for the Corps Mississippi River and Tributaries account, which houses the Morganza-to-the-Gulf project and historically has not received New Start eligibility. Since this provision was not included in the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations bill, Graves and Scalise fought for the House position to be included in the Bipartisan-Bicameral Omnibus & COVID Relief Package. Their language was signed into law in late December.
Earlier this month, Graves and Scalise wrote a letter to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works and Director of the Office of Management and Budget to formally advocate for federal funding for Morganza. This letter was followed up with several calls with both agencies to discuss the significant national value of investments made to the project.
Baton Rouge Harbor
$560,000 to ensure the harbor remains accessible to marine traffic.
Old River Control Structure
$12,131,000 for operations and maintenance of the control structure including dredging.
Bonnet Carre Spillway:
$3,955,000 for maintenance of the spillway, including for pest and invasive species management
Sustainable Rivers Program (SRP)
$5 million for the Corps to partner with non-federal organizations to update guidance to better support ecosystems.
CPRA and The Nature Conservancy announced an SRP partnership with the Corps in November, 2020 to support a reassessment of environmental flows of the Atchafalaya River.
