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WASHINGTON - The Senate Appropriations Committee on Energy and Water has approved Fiscal Year 2018 funding legislation supporting comprehensive flood protection for Minot and other communities in North Dakota, Sen. John Hoeven, a member of the committee, announced Friday.
"We have secured provisions that will help prevent bureaucratic delays in modifying projects and ensure public-private partnerships receive due credit for the private investment. This is important for a wide range of projects in our state, including bridges, water treatment and sewer systems, and will help the Corps work through its backlog," Hoeven said.
The bill includes the following provisions:
- Provides $125 million in funding for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control projects above the administration's budget request. This helps ensure efforts such as comprehensive flood protection in the Red River Valley are funded.
- Provides $400,000 for the Corps' feasibility study in the Souris River Basin. The study is a vital step in advancing the first four phases of Minot's flood protection project.
- Includes a provision, at Hoeven's request, directing the Corps to expedite processing of Section 408 packages, which are used to make changes to existing Corps projects, and find alternative ways to approve project modifications. The delays are affecting several North Dakota projects, including those in Minot and Cass County. Alternatives include delegating the decisions to regional divisions rather than headquarters and using private certifications from local engineers, the same process used by the Federal Highway Administration.
- Includes a provision directing the Corps to evaluate the total return on federal investment when a project secures private sector funds. This helps ensure fair treatment of public-private partnerships, such as flood protection for the Fargo-Moorhead region, during the Corps's analysis of a project's benefits and costs.
Hoeven has secured commitments from several administration officials to address inconsistencies in this policy, including Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, Army Corps Chief Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite and Neomi Rao, the head of the administration's central regulatory authority.
- Provides $60 million in funding for small water infrastructure improvements. This program has supported sewer upgrades for cities such as LaMoure and Petersburg.