Sen. Ernst pushes for better flood project funding at US Capitol

WASHINGTON (KWWL) - One of Iowa's senators highlighted the importance of flood mitigation projects at the Capitol today, and received support in the form of action in return.

R.D. James agreed to reevaluate and improve the current system in place through the Army Corps of Engineers that determines which flood projects get funding so that money is more readily available to rural states like Iowa. James is the nominee to become the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

“It’s not right that there’s people in this country [who] will never, ever get any type of water infrastructure project under the current BCR analysis,” said James during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing today. Senator Ernst is a member of the committee, and questioned James during the hearing.

Senator Ernst used the examples from recent flooding in eastern Iowa to describe how projects to prevent future flooding have been hampered at times by the current funding system in place.