(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that
she has secured $44 million in emergency funding for critical repairs to the
Howard Hanson Dam. Murray included the funds, which will go to the Army Corps
of Engineers, in the Fiscal Year 2010 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations
bill.
“This is a big step in safeguarding homes, businesses,
and the economy of the Green River Valley,” said Senator Murray.
“It’s an investment in keeping one of the most economically vital regions in
our state protected, and in providing the families that live there with peace
of mind.
“The entire Green River Valley has told me with one
voice that this is their top priority. With the rainy season getting closer,
time is not on our side. People’s homes, jobs, and livelihoods are at stake. Waiting
for funding continues to put the region at risk. I have made absolutely clear
to my colleagues that this is a serious concern and I’m very proud to have
secured this funding.”
Since Howard Hanson Dam sustained damages during storms
in January of 2009 that weakened its structure, Senator Murray has spearheaded
Congressional efforts to provide support for protective measures (see
timeline below). In March 2010, the Army Corps of Engineers identified a
set of interim repairs costing $44 million that would further increase
protection against a major flood event. However, the Corps also indicated that
in order to move forward with those repairs it would have to have funding in
hand. This meant that funding would have to be found in the current Fiscal
Year budget.
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, Senator Murray today successfully included the $44 million in the
Fiscal Year 2010 Supplemental Appropriations bill which includes emergency
funding for the current fiscal year. Once passed, the funding will allow the
Corps to move forward with the repairs.
The funding Murray secured today has been a focal point
of intense lobbying efforts by state and local officials ads well as local
business leaders and homeowners. Last week Senator Murray invited a delegation
from Washington state to Washington D.C. that included Governor Gregoire, King
County officials, and four Green River Valley Mayors to meet with Corps and
FEMA officials to discuss the potential impacts of a flood. Murray hosted the
meeting to ensure that federal officials understood the grave threat that a
weakened Howard Hanson Dam presents to families, businesses, and the region’s
economy.
The economic effects of a flood in the Green River Valley
would be devastating. The region produces 12 percent of Washington state’s
total gross state product, includes 95,000 employees, and 90,000 commuters pass
through each day. A flood would affect approximately 170,000 residents living
in the area and in other areas due to highway closures, work stoppages, schools
closures, and disruptions in utility service. A flood event with levee failures
has been estimated to cause $3.7 billion in building-related damage in the
Green River Valley.
Howard Hanson Timeline
September 16, 2009: After Governor Gregoire sent a
letter to Army Corps requesting Advance Measures, Senator Murray along
with other members of the delegation sent a letter to the Corps supporting the
request (press release). Senator Murray then spoke to Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to push for the Advance Measures request
so that local authorities would have what they needed to stave off an imminent
threat. Senator Murray also discussed the Army Corp’s work on the grout curtain
and drainage tunnel. And she invited Darcy to tour the site, which she
ultimately did.
September 18, 2009: Senator Murray met with local
mayors to discuss their concerns and level of preparedness.
September 27, 2009: Senator Murray
holds a press conference in Kent with Col. Anthony Wright to announce the Army
Corps’ release of $3.45 million at the end of September to purchase sandbags
and supersaks to help the local authorities prevent flooding. When combined
with the Corps’ work on the grout curtain and drainage tunnel. These actions
reduced the estimated threat of flooding from 1in 4 to 1 in 33. (Kent Reporter story)
September 30, 2009: King County
Councilmembers Dow Constantine and Julia Patterson praised the efforts of
Western Washington’s Congressional delegation in securing a $3.45 million from
the Corps to purchase 400,000 sandbags and other flood-fighting materials for
use in the Green River Valley. “I asked Sen. (Patty) Murray for help in getting
increased federal support and she delivered,” said Constantine, chairman of the
County Council. “This short-term funding is important for the preparation
effort, but my goal is to see a permanent end to the flooding threat to Green
River Valley residents and businesses.” (Auburn Reporter story)
October 22, 2009: Senator Murray calls on the Departments
of Commerce and Interior to provide critical weather forecasting and river
monitoring resources from the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological
Survey to address the flood threat posed by structural damage to the Howard
Hanson Dam, in a letter sent October 21st. (Kent Reporter story)
November 2, 2009: FEMA delivers the flood
monitoring tools that Senator Murray requested (NPR story)
November 18, 2009: Senator Murray met with FEMA
Administrator Craig Fugate to make sure he understood the situation and was
prepared to respond should flooding occur.
February 4, 2010: Senator Murray, delegation send
letter to Corps urging it to continue working at full speed to complete
the study phase of the Howard Hanson Dam fix and move into the design and construction
phase of the project. The delegation called on the Corps to explain in full how
they plan to complete the study phase by June, 2010 in order to ensure that the
project can be considered for Fiscal Year 2012 construction funding (press release)
March 11, 2010: At an Senate Energy and Water
Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Murray pushed Lt. General Van
Antwerp, commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to assure her
that the Corps is doing everything possible to meet the critical June deadline
for completion of a Howard Hanson Dam study. Unless this study is completed on
time, the project will not be eligible for Fiscal Year 2012 construction
funding. Van Antwerp told Murray that the study would be ready. (press release)
March 18, 2010: Local officials continue to
request money for fix. Alex Glass, a spokeswoman for Murray, said temporary and
permanent repairs to the dam are “a top priority for her. We know that
this is important for the community and the economy, and she’s going to be
looking at every possible way to help get this funding. It is a tough budget
year and a tough lift.” (Seattle Times story)
March 23, 2010: Renton Mayor Denis Law comes to
D.C to request funding. Law pointed to U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria
Cantwell as taking the lead in fighting for federal dollars for dam repairs and
helping ensure that key timelines are met so the interim measures could be
finished in time for the next flood season. “They have heard us loud and
clear,” Law said of the region’s federal representatives. Dam repair is
the delegation’s priority, Law said.
April 21, 2010: Senator Murray sent a letter to
Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp urging the Army Corps of Engineers to
make unused funding available for short term fixes to protect the tens of
thousands of residents and 95,000 jobs of the Green River Valley from
catastrophic flooding while the study of permanent fixes to the Howard Hanson
Dam is underway. (press release)
May 6, 2010: Senator Murray invites
Washington state political and business leaders to Washington, D.C.to meet with
federal officials to stress the need to make speedy repairs at Howard Hanson
Dam on the upper Green River. (
SeattlePI story, press release)
May 13, 2010: Senator Murray secures $44
million in the Fiscal Year 2010 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill for
Howard Hanson Dam repairs.
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