Senator Murray Visits Skagit County Flood Wall to Hear From Local Leaders and First Responders

ICYMI: Senator Murray fought to include historic investment in climate resiliency for infrastructure, electrical grid in recently signed bipartisan infrastructure law – MORE HERE

Senator Murray: “Severe flooding like this must serve as a call to action: we’ve got to invest in more resilient infrastructure that will help protect against future natural disasters and we’ve got to take bold climate action that meets the full scope of the crisis at hand”

***SEE PHOTOS OF THE TOUR AVAILABLE FOR WIDESPREAD DISTRIBUTION HERE***

(Mount Vernon, WA) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), joined local elected officials, first responders, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials to visit the Skagit County Flood Wall in Mount Vernon. Following the severe flooding and weather that has devastated local communities in Western Washington, Senator Murray visited the site to hear directly from local leaders about how she can help Skagit County and all of Western Washington state recover as soon as possible. Joining her on the tour were Jill Boudreau, Mayor, City of Mount Vernon, Ron Wesen, Skagit County Commissioner, District 1, Peter Browning, Skagit County Commissioner, District 2, Lisa Janicki, Skagit County Commissioner, District 3, Don McDermott, Sheriff, Skagit County, Vince Maykovich, Acting Regional Director, FEMA Region X (10), Ryan Ike, Director External Affairs, FEMA Region X (10), Brian Harris, Assistant Fire Chief, City of Mount Vernon, and Tony Doersam, Army Corps of Engineers. Senator Murray originally secured funding for the City of Mount Vernon to make the city’s waterfront more resistant to flooding in 2006.

“The flooding here in Western Washington has been devastating but I am so grateful to our first responders for their important work. My first and foremost priority here today was to hear from local leaders, first responders, and constituents on the ground to figure out what I can do to help,” said Senator Murray. “In the other Washington, I will absolutely be fighting for federal dollars to help our communities recover. But severe flooding like this must also serve as a call to action: we’ve got to invest in more resilient infrastructure that will help protect against future natural disasters and we’ve got to take bold climate action that meets the full scope of the crisis at hand. That’s why passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law was so important for Washington state and I why I will be working hard to send Build Back Better—the largest investment in climate action in our country’s history—to President Biden’s desk as soon as possible.”

While Senator Murray’s immediate focus is on advocating for federal relief Governor Inslee has requested in the short-term, she has also been a strong and consistent voice for major federal investments in climate resilience and climate action. Murray was instrumental in passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes $50 billion to protect against wildfires, drought, floods, and other climate disasters. The largest investment in the resilience of physical and natural systems in American history, the infrastructure law will make communities safer by weatherizing infrastructure and investing in flood and other extreme weather protections in communities across the state and country.

As many communities across Western Washington have lost power due to the recent storms, and the energy grid buckled under historic heat waves this summer, the bipartisan infrastructure law will also help to keep the lights on for Washington state families through a $65 billion investment to strengthen and upgrade America’s energy grid by building thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy.

In addition to the bipartisan infrastructure law, as Senator Murray works to address the root causes of increased severe weather events, the Build Back Better Act currently being negotiated in the Senate includes even more resources dedicated to climate resilience and climate action and would deliver the largest effort to combat climate change in American history. From 2010 to 2020, Washington state experienced 10 extreme weather events, costing up to $5 billion in damages. The Build Back Better Act will set the United States on course to meet its climate targets—a 50-52% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030—in a way that creates good-paying union jobs, grows domestic industries, and advances environmental justice.

The bill represents the largest ever single investment in our clean energy economy—across buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, agriculture, and climate smart practices in our lands and waters. And the bill will create a new Civilian Climate Corps that will enlist a diverse generation of people from Washington state in conserving our public lands, bolstering community resilience, and addressing the changing climate, all while creating pathways to good-paying union jobs.