Letter to Barbara Boxer, Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, Bill Shuster, Chairman, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, David Vitter, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, and Nick J. Rahall II, Ranking Member, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure - Protect Important Metro East Priorities

Letter

December 5, 2013

The Honorable Barbara Boxer
Chairman
Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works
410 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Bill Shuster
Chairman
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
2165 Rayburn House Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable David Vitter
Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works
456 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Nick J. Rahall II
Ranking Member
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
2165 Rayburn House Office Bldg
Washington DC, 20510

Dear Chairmen Boxer and Shuster and Ranking Members Vitter and Rahall:

As you continue your work to conference the Water Resources Development Act (S. 601) and the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080), we would like to direct your attention to issues related to flood prevention efforts in the Metro East region of Illinois.

Communities in the Metro East (Illinois communities surrounding St. Louis) have been working to improve their levee system since it was decertified by FEMA in 2007. The local residents have taxed themselves to raise money to make repairs to the system. These flood prevention projects have bipartisan, bicameral support in the Illinois Congressional Delegation.

Currently, work performed by the local non-Federal sponsor on the Metro East projects does not qualify for work-in-kind credit because the law requires the projects to be authorized after 1986. Section 2012 of S. 601 includes a fix that would make all projects eligible for such in-kind credits regardless of when they were authorized, thus including the Metro East projects. This will greatly assist local efforts to correct deficiencies to the levees and prevent flooding. The U.S. Army Corps St. Louis District supports this provision.

In order for the levees to be recertified, deficiency correction on wholly federal projects, like Mel Price Lock & Dam, also needs to be completed. Despite local taxation to raise money for the local portions and non-federal cost shares for the projects, federal appropriations have been slow and incomplete. Local communities that step up and tax themselves should not be
penalized. Section 3011 of S. 601 would turn the separately authorized Metro East projects into one project authorization. This would give the community and Corps of Engineers greater flexibility to make repairs where needed most when federal money becomes available.

As Illinois' two members of the Conference Committee -- Representatives Cheri Bustos and Rodney Davis -- have also advocated, these provisions are very important to finishing levee repair and recertification that will benefit thousands in southwest Illinois. We look forward to working with you to advance a final water resources conference report that improves our nation's water resources and benefits efforts to prevent devastating floods in Illinois' Metro East. Thank you for your consideration of our requests.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator
Mark Kirk
United States Senator

William L. Enyart
United States Representative
John Shimkus
United States Representative