Letter to the Hon. Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the Hon. R.D. James, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Ciivil Works, Army Corps of Engineers - Provide Additional Funding for the Caño Martín Peña Ecosystem Restoration Project

Letter

Dear Director Mulvaney and Assistant Secretary James:

We write to strongly urge you to provide funding for the Caño Martín Peña project in Puerto Rico. Authorized in Section 5127 of the 2007 Water Resources Development Act (Public Law 110-114), this flood protection and environmental restoration project is critical to alleviating the ongoing public health risks and environmental problems caused by the blocked Martín Peña Channel.

The once navigable channel connecting San Juan Bay to the San José Lagoon is severely polluted from years of accumulated debris, mismanaged residential and commercial development, and continued discharge of raw sewage directly into the water. The resulting blockage of natural water flow has degraded habitat in the San Jose Lagoon, and poses a public health threat exacerbated by the channel's frequent flooding of the surrounding communities.

We understand the Army Corps and the Corporación del Proyecto Enlace del Caño Martín Peña (ENLACE) are currently in the preconstruction engineering and design phase of this project. We support full funding to expedite construction and completion of this important project following the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,