Arkansas Flooding

Floor Speech

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the flooding back in my home State of Arkansas and the need for prioritized spending and more Federal investment in waterway infrastructure.

While national media attention is largely focused elsewhere, the Arkansas River has swollen to historic levels, flooding homes and businesses, breaching levees, and devastating farmland.

President Trump issued an emergency declaration last week allowing FEMA to provide immediate relief to 16 counties most severely affected. This Federal aid is extremely valuable as communities work tirelessly to save businesses and homes.

Arkansas is not alone in experiencing flooding. Our neighbors in Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Missouri, as well as South Dakota, Iowa, and Kansas have all been affected by flooding this year.

These disasters beg the question: What can Congress do to prevent future flooding?

More specifically, how can we improve infrastructure within our States to reduce the risk of dam and levee breaches?

As ranking member on the Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, I hope to add insight into that very question.

Waterways tend to be out of sight and out of mind, but widespread flooding has made navigable rivers impossible to ignore. In Arkansas alone we have seen an estimated $23 million in daily economic loss along the Arkansas River. When barges and boats can no longer navigate inland waterways, the entire State and surrounding areas suffer.

Much of the infrastructure along these rivers was initially installed in the 1960s and 1970s and is now reaching the end of its shelf life. A backlog of maintenance projects compounds the issues, and we can't just keep putting temporary patches on systemic problems.

For example, I recently cosponsored bipartisan legislation that would unlock billions of dollars in already collected fees to maintain our Nation's Federal ports and harbors. In many cases, we have the money for infrastructure projects, however, red tape and bureaucracy slow down the process and prevent necessary work from occurring.

The irony of delaying projects on our navigable waterways is that these projects often have tremendous economic returns--as high as 10 to 1 and 16 to 1. It makes economic sense and it is common sense to invest in waterways and infrastructure.

Unprecedented flooding such as we are observing should serve as a chance for us to reexamine infrastructure to ensure it is updated and capable of protecting life and property.

No doubt, as flood waters recede in the coming days, Congress' attention will turn elsewhere. But I urge my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to come together, address long-term projects that have been on the back burner for years, and keep WRDA on its 2-year schedule.

We can't control the weather, but we can and should do better than accepting as the norm to have outdated and failing infrastructure, flooded homes, and washed out farmlands. The American people deserve better than this.

Before I close, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge and thank the countless first responders and volunteers who have worked around the clock to fill sandbags, move livestock to higher ground, transport possessions from homes at risk of flooding, and rescue people trapped in moving floodwaters.

Governor Hutchinson, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, the Arkansas National Guard, the Corps of Engineers, and many other State and local officials have led an efficient and organized response, and their swift action has certainly saved lives and property.

Arkansas doesn't back down when challenged, and we persevere through the storms of life. I have heard so many stories of Arkansans rallying around one another in their time of need, and this gives me hope for the days ahead.

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