The Mouse River flood protection plan was chosen as a project worthy of an Army Corps of Engineers permanent flood protection study. The study is the first step in the Federal authorization process that may one day lead to more significant Federal funding.
Senator Hoeven’s news release on the story follows below.
— Official News Release, Senator Hoeven —
Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has selected the city of Minot and the Souris River Basin for one of its new permanent flood protection studies in Fiscal Year 2016. The Corps’ work plan includes $200,000 in funding pursuant to a congressional appropriation to get the study started. This funding is in addition to $500,000 included in the administration’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget for Minot flood protection.
“This gets us over an important hurdle to secure comprehensive flood protection for the Minot region,” Hoeven said. “In the year-end funding legislation we passed, we secured authorization and funding for new project studies, so that Minot and other communities facing the long-term risk of flooding can now move.”
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven worked to include critical authorization and funding for Corps projects in the FY 2016 budget. The legislation provides an additional $690 million in the Army Corps of Engineer’s budget for new studies and construction activity that will help to advance the permanent flood protection project in communities like the Minot region. Hoeven also worked on the Committee to include language in the FY 2016 Energy and Water funding bill that supports flood projects for Fargo, Minot and LaMoure, which was also included in the year-end legislation. Hoeven also pressed for the new study last year during a hearing of the Energy and Water Appropriations Committee.
In October, Hoeven secured support for initiating a flood prevention feasibility study for the Minot region during a meeting with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy and Army Corps Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick The study will enable the Corps to aid the city in developing a comprehensive, multi-phase flood protection project for the Minot region. Hoeven then followed up with OMB Director Donovan to urge support for the Minot and Fargo projects, which required signoff from OMB to move forward.
