House Passes Rep. Mary Miller’s Mississippi Levee Safety Priorities

Washington – Last night, the House passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, which included Congresswoman Miller’s (R-IL) key levee safety priorities for the Upper Mississippi River region and Adams County. The legislation contains policy changes that give local levee sponsors along the Upper Mississippi River more flexibility to maintain their systems and allows them to better prepare for future floods by addressing the federal regulatory challenges that make levee improvements difficult. Congresswoman Miller released the following statement:

“This legislation is a critical step to ensure that levee operators have the tools and flexibility they need to do essential maintenance along the Mississippi River. The Mississippi levees protect countless homes and thousands of acres of farmland, and I’m proud that the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 included my priorities to protect Illinois communities from future flood threats. I will always be a strong advocate for Mississippi levee safety, and I urge the Senate to act on this important legislation.”

Among Congresswoman Miller’s priorities that were included in WRDA 2024 is an authorization for a new Upper Mississippi River System Flood Risk Study, which will be used to improve flood resiliency and reduce future flood risk. The bill also creates a new office of expertise at the US Army Corps of Engineering which will help streamline Section 408 permitting and allows more flexibility for the Corps to work with local levee systems for system-wide flood risk management.

Congresswoman Miller’s original bill, the Upper Mississippi River Levee Safety Act, has the support of stakeholders across the region, including the Upper Mississippi, Illinois & Missouri Rivers Association based in Quincy, IL.

“The Upper Mississippi, Illinois & Missouri Rivers Association (UMIMRA) wants to thank Congresswomen Mary Miller for her leadership in making improving flood protection for the Upper Mississippi River a priority,” said Mike Klinger, UMIMRA Chair. “The current House version of WRDA 2024 is a step in the right direction to reduce flood damages and improve resiliency in the Upper Mississippi River flood control system by streamlining the permitting process and provide a long-range planning approach with the Upper Mississippi River. UMIMRA will continue efforts to allow levee districts to maintain their original level of protection, for both FEMA accredited and non-accredited federal levees, as flood frequencies are updated along the Upper Mississippi River.” – Mike Klinger