Rep. Himes urges Congress to fund flood studies

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes called on Congress to remove legislative barriers he says are preventing flood mitigation projects that have already been approved from moving forward in southwest Connecticut.

Himes testified last week before the House of Representatives subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Appropriations at a hearing over the implementation of Sandy aid dollars, saying, “As we continue to recover from Sandy, it is clear there is more we can and must do to ensure our infrastructure can endure the next big storm.”

Despite helping to secure authorizations for the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct flood studies for all bodies of water in Fairfield and New Haven counties back in 2010, Himes, a Greenwich Democrat, said the studies have yet to take place due to the backlog of unfinished projects at the Corps.

As an alternative, Himes proposed that Congress delegate some of the storm relief funds approved earlier this year to flood projects in southwest Connecticut.

“I”™ve worked hard to secure funding for flood mitigation projects in Fairfield County that are being stalled by restrictions on how the Army Corps dispenses funds, but as Sandy reminded us, the longer we wait for action, the more we lose,” said Himes in the written testimony.