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Blountstown, FL – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, urged the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, R.D. James, to fairly consider Florida’s critical water infrastructure projects in its Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Work Plan. The letter also specifically conveys Rubio’s readiness to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to “ensure that all emergency needs for USACE infrastructure repairs and navigation dredging along Florida’s Panhandle following Hurricane Michael are fulfilled expeditiously.”
The FY19 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill (H.R. 5895) was signed into law on September 26, 2018, and included key funding secured by Rubio that could be directed towards Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation, Everglades restoration and other critical water infrastructure needs for the USACE to allocate through its upcoming work plan.
Dear Assistant Secretary James:
As you finalize the planning and selection process for the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) Work Plan following passage of the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2018, I request that all proposed and ongoing Florida projects receive full and fair consideration of their value. To build on our advancements in FY18, I look forward to working with your office, as well as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Headquarters, South Atlantic Division, and Jacksonville and Mobile District offices, to ensure sufficient resources to fund feasibility studies, preconstruction engineering and design (PED) work, and construction, as warranted across the state. I specifically request your assistance in ensuring that the following projects achieve steady, measurable progress towards completion:
*Denotes those projects with expressed feasibility, PED, or construction capabilities in FY19 that could be fulfilled via a second tranche of disaster supplemental funds provided by division B, title IV of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) projects are critical to supporting local communities that may not otherwise have the means to complete water resources infrastructure projects on their own, or are not able to compete with larger national projects. I fully support the following proposed and ongoing CAP projects in Florida:
I also support the allocation of all necessary Operation and Maintenance funding in the FY19 Work Plan for the following projects:
Floridians depend on the efforts of the USACE, often in partnership with non-federal interests, to study, design, construct, maintain, and operate important water resources infrastructure across our state. All of the aforementioned projects will provide important benefits to local communities, our state, and our nation. Thank you for your continued efforts in support of these essential water resources infrastructure projects and the USACE’s ongoing critical partnerships with non-federal interests in Florida. Additionally, I stand ready to work with you to ensure that all emergency needs for USACE infrastructure repairs and navigation dredging along Florida’s Panhandle following Hurricane Michael are fulfilled expeditiously.
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