Texas Legislators See Path To Federally Funded, $26 Billion Coastal Barrier Project
The Biden administration’s interest in providing a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure package for the country has caught the attention of legislators in Texas, who are optimistic that a major stormwater management project for the state will now soon become a reality. They think the time is right to finance a $26 billion coastal barrier known as the “Ike Dike.”
“The project — named for Hurricane Ike, a Category 2 storm that devastated Houston in 2008 — calls for a series of coastal barriers, levees and dunes in the Gulf of Mexico that would work as a buffer, absorbing storm surge from incoming hurricanes and minimizing damage,” NBC News reported. “The Army Corps of Engineers, which has been working with the Texas Land Office to design the project, estimates the coastal wall would save an average of $2.3 billion in storm damages per year.”
While Biden’s proposed infrastructure plan likely will not include provisions for specific projects, it might fund grants that could in turn finance projects like the Ike Dike that are designed to protect communities and the environment. And although the massive infrastructure plan still faces some opposition from Republicans, the stormwater barrier in Texas appears to have the party’s support.
“In 2017, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, a Republican, sent a letter to then-president Donald Trump urging him to include funding for the Ike Dike in his long-promised infrastructure package, which never materialized,” per NBC News. “And in 2018, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote a bill that aimed to expedite the project.”
Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers is pursuing alternative avenues for funding the project. It is currently preparing a report on the coastal barrier, which may help it secure funding through the 2022 Water Resources Development Act.
“Corps officials said they are sorting through a final round of public comments as they target late August or early September for release of the final report,” The Houston Chronicle reported. “The agency will first submit the project for review to the governor’s office and federal and state officials. Then it goes to Congress for consideration.”
Regardless of how the ambitious project is funded, it’s clearly something that’s a top priority for legislators in Texas as they seek to better protect their state from stormwater damage.
To read more about how states protect themselves from increasing flooding risks and hurricane damage, visit Water Online’s Stormwater Management Solutions Center.