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For Immediate Release
 
November 5, 2007

House votes to override veto of Harris County water projects

Washington, DC - U.S. Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) voted with a majority of the House of Representatives to override President Bush’s veto of the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA, H.R. 1495) today. The bill includes authorization to use federal funds to upgrade the Halls Bayou Federal Flood Control Project, which protects Harris County from potential flooding.

 

The House voted 361 to 54 to override the president’s Nov. 2 veto of the bill, which passed in August by a vote of 381-40 in the House and 81-12 in the Senate. The bill is expected to become law when the Senate votes on the override later this week, which will mark the first override of a presidential veto since President Bush took office in 2001. WRDA authorizes $23.2 billion for the construction of more than 900 water resource development projects and studies by the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, navigation, and environmental restoration.

 

“Now that WRDA will become law, residents of Harris County can feel more secure about what might happen in the case of extreme weather. Many people have lost homes in our area, and an improved Halls Bayou Flood Control Project will help prevent similar tragedies in the future,” Rep. Green said.

 

WRDA would authorize federal funds to pay for approximately 65 percent of the Halls Bayou Flood Control Project. The Harris County Flood Control District can begin work right away and receive federal reimbursement later.

 

For more information on the Harris County Flood Control District’s projects involving East Harris County, visit http://www.hcfcd.org/P_geninfo.html.

 

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