Sen. Roger Wicker
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) is cosponsoring legislation to restart the final stages of a flood control project in his home state.
“The recent flooding in the Yazoo Backwater area has been devastating for Mississippians who have seen their property destroyed and livelihoods disrupted,” Sen. Wicker said. “This tragedy could have been avoided had the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not vetoed the Yazoo Backwater Area Pumps Project over a decade ago.”
A 2008 EPA veto ended work by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to construct the Yazoo Backwater Pump Project authorized in 1941 by Congress, the last unconstructed feature of the Lower Mississippi Valley project, according to a statement issued by Sen. Wicker’s office.
“This legislation would help to right these wrongs by ensuring that important flood control projects — especially those approved by Congress — cannot be delayed indefinitely by government bureaucracy,” the senator said.
Sen. Wicker on July 31 introduced the Flood Reduction, Wildlife Habitat, and Water Quality Improvement Act of 2019, S. 2410, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) to reform section 404 of the Clean Water Act and prohibit the EPA from vetoing a Corps of Engineers flood control project authorized by Congress, according to a bill summary provided by his office.
If enacted, S. 2410 also would invalidate any prior EPA vetoes that resulted in severe flooding and damage to life and property, according to the summary.
Additionally, the senators said that S. 2410 adheres to directives in Executive Order 13807, issued by President Donald Trump in August 2017, and would establish better accountability in the environmental review and permitting process for infrastructure projects, the summary says.
S. 2410 is under review by the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.