Report States Three Mississippi River Levees Are at Risk of Failing

The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) just released a report detailing a high number of levees that are at risk of failure in the Upper Mississippi River. Using data from the US Army Corps of Engineers' National Levee Database, the ELPC report examined levees in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. In those three states, six levees in total were classified as having a "high-risk" of breach. The high-risk status of those six levees puts a collective 1,854,718 people and a total of $31.18 billion worth of property in danger of flooding damages.

In addition to these high-risk levees, twelve levees were classified at a "moderate-risk," and concerningly, 60 levees in these states have not had proper safety assessments, meaning their risk level could not be determined. This is especially worrisome given the 2019 floods in the Upper Mississippi River. ELPC reports that in Illinois, 41 out of 54 levees in the St. Louis District alone filed damage reports. In the Missouri side of the St. Louis District, 30 out of 39 levees reported damage. With flooding events projected to increase in both frequency and size due to climate change, the risky status of levees along the Mississippi River is a major concern that warrants action from state and federal governments to increase climate resilience by prioritizing levee repair and the development of more natural infrastructure for flood mitigation.

To read the full report from the Environmental Law and Policy Center click  here. For more information, please contact Senior Policy Analyst,  Chris Askew-Merwin.

Senate, House Committees Examine Water Quality Issues

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held hearings on Tuesday to discuss Clean Water Act Permits by rewriting Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Republicans on the committee took the position that states have abused Section 401 to block important energy projects. For instance, Washington has used Section 401 to block the export of Wyoming coal by not granting permits to build the Millennium Bulk Terminal Project. Governor Mark Gordon of Wyoming testified to the committee that while he recognized the importance of Section 401 to protecting water quality, he advocated for reform of Section 401 to prevent states like Washington from effectively blockading the exports of other states such as Wyoming's coal. 

The testimony led to a discussion among the Senators about whether this is an issue of protecting the nation's economy or whether or not states should have the ability to safeguard their own water supplies under Section 401. Senate Democrats and some states' groups like the Western Governors' Association oppose these reforms as they say it greatly limits the ability of states to manage and protect their own waters. Currently Section 401 is the primary method states have to approve or deny projects permitted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or the Army Corps of Engineers such as oil or natural gas pipelines. Environmental groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council have held up Section 401 as a key statute in states' efforts to protect their water resources.

This proposal sets up a very interesting debate with Senate Democrats arguing for states' rights and autonomy while Senate Republicans are effectively arguing to strengthen the federal government's ability to force states to accept major infrastructure projects regardless of whether the state approves.

Chairman John Barrasso's (R-Wyo) bill, S.1087 and the Trump Administration's proposal would prevent states from considering things other than water quality in their reviews and would limit the amount of time they have to conduct such a review.

In addition to the Senate hearing regarding water quality policy, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, heard from an expert panel to get more insight into what the panel members believe should be incorporated in the next version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), including natural infrastructure and the environmental justice.

For more information, please contact Senior Policy Analyst, Chris Askew-Merwin.

NEMWI at Work for the Region and You!

 

Lead in Drinking Water Examined in NEMWI Study

 

As we continue our NEMWI campaign seeking your financial support as a NEMWI contributor, here is another example of one of our successes from 2019 that we hope to continue in 2020 with support from our constituents such as you:

 

Building on its longstanding engagement in safe drinking water policy and in particular the issue of lead in drinking water, NEMWI last year released a study on state policies and the prevalence of media coverage of the lead issue in drinking water post-Flint in Congressional districts throughout the northeast and midwest.  The study highlighted the widespread impact of the lead crisis in the NEMW region, and while noting that some states are taking steps toward addressing the issue, the state response is incomplete and uncoordinated, and the federal government is proving to be extremely slow in its response.  

 

Additional information on this NEMWI lead in drinking water study and a link to the study report is available here.  

 

Your support during NEMWI's year-end campaign is critical to continuing this safe drinking water policy work and to all of NEMWI's research and policy education initiatives planned for the year ahead.  Use the donate link below to make your year-end contribution to NEMWI now:

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Thank you for helping to ensure that NEMWI continues to advance the northeast-midwest region and its policy priorities.

This Week in Washington

There are no House or Senate hearings this week, Nov. 25 - Nov. 29.

NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation