09.02.15

Hoeven Brings Army Corps Chief to Fargo to Hear Firsthand About Need for Flood Protection for Red River Valley

Senator Continues Pressing Federal Officials on Permanent Flood Protection for Fargo-Moorhead, Surrounding Region

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today hosted Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at a meeting with federal, state and local officials in Fargo to show him firsthand the importance of permanent flood control for the Red River Valley. Hoeven first invited Bostick to Fargo during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Energy and Water.

During the meeting, the senator pressed Bostick to support the project’s development as a public-private partnership (P3), emphasizing how this approach will help prevent delays in construction, leverage private investment and reduce costs to the federal government by an estimated $400 million. Hoeven continues working to provide the Corps a new start to fund construction of permanent flood protection projects with an emphasis on P3 projects in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Energy and Water appropriations bill.

“The Red River Valley is vibrant and growing, and in order to ensure the continued success of this region, our residents need to know that their homes and businesses are protected,” Hoeven said. “It is vital that Lt. Gen. Bostick and his staff have a firsthand understanding of what is at stake and the importance of this project, and that is why we invited them here today. We will continue working to bring all parties together, including upstream communities and our partners in Minnesota, to resolve outstanding issues, find solutions that meet the needs of various stakeholders and move this project forward.”

Throughout his time in the Senate, Hoeven has pushed Lt. Gen. Bostick and other Army Corps officials, including Commander for the Mississippi Valley Division Maj. Gen. Michael C. Wehr and Commander of the St. Paul District Col. Daniel Koprowski, to support flood protection projects in the Red River Valley and across North Dakota. Hoeven met with Bostick in 2011, just prior to his confirmation as Commanding General by the Senate, and subsequently during Senate Appropriations Committee hearings, including one earlier this year.

In the latest hearing, Hoeven urged Bostick and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy to consider the Fargo project as a candidate for the public-private partnership (P3). The senator did the same with Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan in a meeting the month before.

These efforts are a component of Senator Hoeven’s continued work toward a four-part approach to comprehensive flood protection for the Red River Valley, which includes:

  • Regional flood protection infrastructure,
  • Upstream flood protection through rural water management,
  • Permanent flood protection for Fargo-Moorhead,
  • Affordable flood insurance premiums for homes and businesses.

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