WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today pressed two top U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials to select Fargo and Minot flood protection projects for new construction and study starts. Heitkamp successfully pushed for new starts to be included in the year-end spending bill Congress passed last month.

In her first meeting with the Corps this year, building on multiple meetings over the past years, Heitkamp urged Army Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy and Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick – the head of the Corps – to prioritize strong, permanent flood protections in the Souris River Basin and the Fargo area as the Corps develops its 2016 work plan.

“There’s no question that Minot and Fargo need strong, permanent flood protections. The new construction and study starts I pushed for in the year-end spending bill were an important step, but we still have a lot of work to do,” said Heitkamp. “Now that we’ve moved the ball forward by securing new starts, it’s critical to keep up the pressure up so we can protect our state from devastating floods. As the Army Corps develops its work plan for 2016, I’ll keep engaging with local officials and Corps leaders like General Bostick and Assistant Secretary Darcy to make sure our communities are a top priority by including Fargo and Minot in the Corps’ work plan.”

After the spending bill passed last month, Heitkamp met with Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney, Moorhead Mayor Del Rae Williams, Fargo Diversion Authority Chairman Darrell Vanyo, and the rest of the congressional delegation to discuss the need to secure a new construction start for the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion. The year-end spending bill included $1.8 billion in construction resources for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nationwide – $690 million more than proposed in the initial budget – as well as new construction starts.

Heitkamp has consistently urged Congress to support a construction start for the flood project in Fargo, and new study start to pursue flood protections in Minot. She will continue to work closely with officials at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Army Corps, which will decide on the projects that get new construction starts.

For Fargo, Heitkamp has consistently worked to press for permanent, lasting flood protection by:

• Bringing local and federal officials together to support the Fargo-Moorhead diversion project. In May 2015, Heitkamp met with city officials from Fargo and Moorhead to discuss mutual efforts to push top officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and OMB on using public-private partnerships to advance the project. Soon after, Heitkamp spoke with OMB Director Donovan to urge him to take action so the diversion project could continue to move forward. Last fall, Heitkamp and Lieutenant General Bostick met with the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority to discuss permanent, comprehensive flood protections during his first-ever visit to Fargo.
• Passing legislation securing flood protection infrastructure projects. In June 2014, the President signed into law the bipartisan bill Heitkamp pushed for – the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) – which supports water infrastructure projects in North Dakota including permanent flood protection for more than 200,000 residents in Fargo and surrounding area through the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion project. Last month, the President signed the bill Congress passed to expand funding for new construction and study starts as well as existing projects by $690 million after Heitkamp pressed OMB Director Donovan for strong federal investments in permanent North Dakota flood protections.

For Minot, Heitkamp has also worked to press for lasting flood protection by:

• Bringing Minot officials to Washington to meet with OMB and the Army Corps in November. Heitkamp arranged for Minot City Mayor Chuck Barney and City Manager Lee Staab to meet in November with top officials at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as key Minority Appropriations Committee staff in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Heitkamp met with Barney and Staab to discuss the next steps in securing long-lasting flood protections for Minot.
• Inviting Minot officials to Fargo in September to make their case to the head of the Army Corps. Heitkamp brought together the leader of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and top Minot and regional officials in September, pressing the agency to partner with local and regional leaders as Minot and the Souris Basin pursue permanent flood protection. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commanding General Thomas Bostick was in Fargo to meet with Fargo officials about the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion, and Heitkamp asked Minot officials if they would be interested in coming to Fargo to meet with General Bostick about Minot.