Congresswoman Matsui Statement on Army Corps' Vegetation on Levees Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 25, 2014

CONTACT: JONELLE TRIMMER
(202) 225-7163

Congresswoman Matsui Statement on Army Corps' Vegetation on Levees Announcement

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06) issued the following statement after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued interim guidance to local levee districts that determines if they are eligible for the PL 84-99 Rehabilitation Program. The PL 84-99 program provides federal funds to repair levees after a flood event. Importantly, the new interim guidance contains language that does not automatically disqualify a levee district for simply having vegetation on its levee.

"The Corps' announcement is a welcome step in the right direction that has been a long time coming. I am pleased that the Corps is acknowledging what many of us on the ground already knew and have been saying for years: that trees are not necessarily bad for levees, and in some cases their removal can actually weaken the structure. Now it is imperative that the Corps continues to work with Congress, the State of California and local flood protection agencies to ensure the final guidance truly works for everyone. The Corps must also ensure the vegetation policy works for all of their planning processes, not just for eligibility for disaster assistance in the event that a flood occurs.

"Since 2010, my colleagues and I have urged the Corps to resolve this issue, as local agencies should not have to spend their limited resources pulling vegetation out of their levees if it does not pose a threat to the safety of the levee. Both the House and Senate passed versions of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) legislation that contains language, which I introduced (H.R. 399), that forces the Corps to relook at the entire vegetation on levee policy. Congress will act if the Corps does not."

Congresswoman Matsui has been a leader in Congress advocating for the Corps of Engineers to revise its vegetation on levees policy. She was the first Member to raise concerns about the Corps policy, and has authored the Levee Vegetation Review Act (H.R. 399), bipartisan legislation that would require the Army Corps of Engineers to thoroughly review and reconsider their current position regarding vegetation on levees. She has continued to voice concerns in meetings with Assistant Secretary of the Army Jo-Ellen Darcy, and by spearheading three California Delegation letters to the Corps of Engineers.

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