Press Releases

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that the West Shore Hurricane Protection Project will need approximately $1.27 billion in additional funding to complete the project. Specifically, the Corps says the funds are needed to deliver the project to its authorized levee elevations and complete the system’s pump stations and drainage structures.

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves secured the amount that the Corps said would fully fund the project – $760 million – in 2018, and secured an additional $453 million for resiliency features in 2022 after Hurricane Ida. Despite the fact that $1.2 billion has been sitting in the bank for this project, today’s announcement brings the total cost of the project to $2.47 billion.

Graves released the following statement:

“This is absolutely infuriating. We already secured the funds in 2018 and then within one month of Hurricane Ida making landfall in 2021, we were able to pass another law with billions of dollars in recovery funding and flood protection investments for Louisiana with a huge chunk dedicated to the West Shore Project.

“We are working to secure the funding, again, to complete the project, hold those accountable for the ridiculous cost increases, and turn over projects like this to the State, levee boards, and our parishes rather than the Corps.

“We promised the River Parishes they would finally get the flood protection they deserve. Residents in St. John the Baptist, St. Charles and St. James parishes are getting slammed today by flood insurance, record inflation, and pure government stupidity.”

Background:

In 2018, Graves secured $760 million - full federal funding - for the West Shore Project to provide hurricane protection for St. John the Baptist, St. Charles and St. James parishes. The first part of the legislative breakthrough for the 18-mile levee project to protect portions of St. John the Baptist, St. Charles and St. James Parishes was achieved in 2016 when Graves added a provision to federal law to kickstart the project by authorizing construction. Less than two years later, Graves secured full funding for construction.

The groundbreaking ceremony occurred in July 2021.

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