Water Management
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Investments in water management and flood mitigation make our communities more resilient and produce long-term cost savings. My office will continue working with our local, state, and federal partners to prioritize investments and legislative solutions that improve flood control infrastructure in South Louisiana. Below is a timeline of actions that my office has taken on these issues.
Timeline of Efforts:
- April 10, 2017 - Met with officials in Morgan City to discuss funding for water infrastructure and flood control projects
- May 16, 2017 - Led the Louisiana Delegation on a letter to President Trump urging dredging funds for the Calcasieu Channel
- June 27, 2017 - Spoke against the Obama administration's injurious Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) regulations
- July 18, 2017 - Introduced legislation to reauthorize and reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
- August 2, 2017 - Met with officials from St. Mary Parish to discuss flood insurance, infrastructure, and mitigation efforts
- September 15, 2017 - Urged President Trump to issue a disaster declaration for Southwest Louisiana after flooding related to Hurricane Harvey
- September 21, 2017 - Worked with local officials to repair a breached levee in Gueydan
- October 9, 2017 - Addressed the Crowley Chamber of Commerce and discussed flood insurance reforms
- October 11, 2017 - Led the Louisiana Delegation urging support for a disaster declaration following Hurricane Harvey
- October 16, 2017 - President Trump approved Louisiana's request for a major disaster declaration in response to Hurricane Harvey
- November 9, 2017 - Spoke on the House floor in support of an amendment allowing proactive flood control measures ahead of a potential natural disaster
- December 14, 2017 - Urged House & Senate Conference Committee to include increased coastal funding through GOMESA in the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act
- February 12, 2018 - Supported President Trump's infrastructure framework
- February 20, 2018 - Acadiana Planning Commission announced a list of funded projects using $25 million in federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding
- March 15, 2018 - Questioned the FEMA Administrator on response efforts after Hurricane Harvey and other 2017 disasters
- March 20, 2018 - Urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize funding for Freshwater Bayou Lock
- April 5, 2018 - Worked with the Louisiana Delegation to secure $1.2 billion in federal flood-control funds for the state
- April 27, 2018 - Announced over $82 million for coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana
- May 7, 2018 - Announced over $141 million in funding for dredging and water management projects in Louisiana's 3rd District
- June 6, 2018 - Helped pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA) in the U.S. House of Representatives
- June 6, 2018 - Secured legislative language that prioritized the Southwest Coastal Louisiana project and improved the acquisition process for sediment deposit sites
- June 11, 2018 - Announced an additional $82 million for dredging and water management projects in Louisiana's 3rd District
- July 25, 2018 - Spoke on the House floor to urge reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
- August 22, 2018 - Surveyed water management infrastructure in Southwest Louisiana with the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- September 5, 2018 - Announced $3.36 million for flood mitigation in Calcasieu Parish
- September 12, 2018 - Announced $9.9 million for conservation efforts and wetland restoration in the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge
- September 13, 2018 - Helped pass America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, which included pro-Louisiana amendments
- September 27, 2018 - Announced $1.25 million for flood mitigation in Lafayette Parish
- October 24, 2018 - Hosted a watershed and drainage roundtable in Lake Charles with local mayors, elected officials, and regional planning commissions
- November 27, 2018 - Announced an additional $3 million for dredging in St. Mary Parish
- December 21, 2018 - Helped pass an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
- February 2019 - Staff met with local advocates supportive of Vermilion River dredging
- February 2019 - Secured $240K to conduct a hydrological and hydraulic analysis of dredging impacts on the Vermilion River
- April 19, 2019 - Announced FEMA approval for two retention pond projects in Youngsville
- April 25, 2019 - Announced $94.7 million for coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana
- May 2019 - Worked with state and local officials to get a temporary barge-dam flood control structure approved at Bayou Chene
- July 1, 2019 - Met with Vermilion Parish officials to discuss their concerns over Vermilion River dredging
- July 17, 2019 - Staff surveyed damages related to Hurricane Barry with the U.S. Coast Guard
- July 17, 2019 - Reintroduced legislation to reauthorize and reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
- July 17, 2019 - Announced $2.4 million for the Ile des Cannes flood control project in Lafayette Parish
- August 6, 2019 - Toured coastal restoration projects near Vermilion Bay
- September 19, 2019 - Announced $4.2 million for infrastructure improvements at the West Calcasieu Port
- October 9, 2019 - Examined the Lake Arthur flood gates and discussed rural infrastructure priorities in Jeff Davis Parish
- October 24, 2019 - Announced $101.3 million for coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana
- January 2020 - Worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI) to improve data and watershed model sharing
- January 23, 2020 - Commended President Trump's changes to the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, which granted greater control of water management on private property
- February 11, 2020 - Announced $94.9 million for dredging and water management projects in Louisiana's 3rd District
- February 20, 2020 - Met with the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI) Task Force and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss regional drainage solutions and findings of Vermilion River dredging analysis
- February 21, 2020 - Worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release preliminary findings on Vermilion River hydrological and hydraulic analysis
- February 27, 2020 - Testified before the House Appropriations Committee on the importance of investing in critical water infrastructure projects in South Louisiana
- March 19, 2020 - Met with the Acadiana Planning Commission to discuss flood control priorities and the Louisiana Watershed Initiative
- March 30, 2020 - Announced $155.7 million for coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana
- June 24, 2020 - Met with the Acadiana Planning Commission and local officials to discuss regional watershed issues and flood mitigation priorities
- July 15, 2020 - Secured legislative language that expedites access to viable dredging fill sites
- July 29, 2020 - Helped pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA) in the U.S. House of Representatives
- August 3, 2020 - Announced $500K for the Freshwater Bayou Canal Shoreline Protection Project
- August 28, 2020 - Led the Louisiana Delegation urging support for a disaster declaration following Hurricane Laura
- September 8, 2020 - Requested a cost-share adjustment for FEMA public assistance programs, including hazard mitigation
- September 17, 2020 - Announced $2.6 million for flood mitigation in Lafayette Parish
- October 9, 2020 - Led the Louisiana Delegation calling for increased FEMA assistance ahead of Hurricane Delta
- October 14, 2020 - Delivered a letter to President Trump urging a major disaster declaration following Hurricane Delta
- October 16, 2020 - Met with officials at the Port of Lake Charles to discuss waterway restoration after hurricane damages
- October 30, 2020 - Announced that President Trump approved a 100% federal cost-share for 30 days of Hurricane Laura public assistance programs
- December 9, 2020 - Announced that our amendment to prioritize sediment disposal sites for Calcasieu Ship Channel dredging was included in the final WRDA legislation
- December 20, 2020 - Helped pass legislation that expands FEMA funding opportunities for disaster and hazard mitigation efforts
- January 19, 2021 - Announced $97.4 million for dredging and water management projects in Louisiana's 3rd District
- January 26, 2021 - Urged the Biden administration not to erase progress on the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule
- February 1, 2021 - Met with the Chenier Plain Coastal Restoration & Protection Authority and Louisiana's CPRA to discuss funding efforts for the Southwest Coastal Louisiana Project
- February 23, 2021 - Announced a 90% federal cost-share for Hurricane Laura public assistance programs, including hazard mitigation
- February 25, 2021 - Announced $2.2 million for flood mitigation in Vermilion Parish
- February 26, 2021 - Introduced disaster recovery amendments to Democrats' $1.9 trillion budget reconciliation package, which the Majority blocked
- March 10, 2021 - Announced $2.1 million for flood mitigation in Iberia Parish
- March 17, 2021 - Announced over $5.2 million for flood mitigation in Calcasieu, Vermilion parishes
- April 15, 2021 - Delivered an official letter to Speaker Pelosi urging support for a supplemental disaster bill in response to Hurricanes Laura and Delta
- April 28, 2021 - Requested robust funding for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program within FY22 appropriations
- May 4, 2021 - Staff met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to water infrastructure priorities
- May 18, 2021 - Delivered an official letter to President Biden urging him to issue a supplemental disaster request to Congress in response to Hurricanes Laura and Delta
- May 19, 2021 - Spoke on the House floor in support of long-term disaster recovery resources including block grant funding for hazard mitigation
- May 20, 2021 - Released a public service announcement asking citizens to report damages after a major rainfall flooding event
- May 24, 2021 - Announced over $6.2 million for flood mitigation in Lafayette Parish
- May 26, 2021 - Met with the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and emergency preparedness officials to discuss recent flooding and mitigation efforts
- May 28, 2021 - Announced $50 million for Vermilion River dredging in the Army Corps of Engineers FY22 Civil Works Plan
- May 29, 2021 - Urged President Biden to approve Louisiana's request for a major disaster declaration following recent flooding
- June 2, 2021 - Louisiana's request for a major disaster declaration in response to severe weather and flooding was approved by President Biden
- June 4, 2021 - Notified local officials and encouraged them to fully utilize disaster mitigation grant opportunities
- June 23, 2021 - Introduced legislation to protect Louisianans from insurance fraud after flooding
- July 13, 2021 - Secured funding for the Southwest Coastal Louisiana Hurricane Protection project and the Acadiana to Gulf of Mexico Access Channel (AGMAC) project in the House Energy & Water appropriations bill
- July 16, 2021 - Delivered another official letter to President Biden and Speaker Pelosi calling on them to support supplemental disaster relief for Southwest Louisiana
- July 21, 2021 - Delivered a Louisiana congressional delegation letter to the Office of Management and Budget calling for supplemental disaster relief
- August 12, 2021 - Notified local officials of disaster mitigation grant funding and asked President Biden to prioritize applicants affected by Hurricanes Laura and Delta
- August 27, 2021 - Again called on Biden to support supplemental disaster relief in response to Hurricanes Laura and Delta
- September 2, 2021 - Again urged President Biden to approve long-term recovery resources in response to Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Ida
- September 30, 2021 - Voted to pass disaster relief and mitigation resources for Louisiana in response to Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Ida
- October 6, 2021 - Called on FEMA Administrator Criswell to halt implementation of NFIP Risk Rating 2.0