Baird Announces Funding For Mount St. Helens Flood Control

Press Release

Baird Announces Funding For Mount St. Helens Flood Control

Today, Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA-03) announced funding for two key Cowlitz County projects has been approved by the House of Representatives as part of legislation (H.R. 3183) that will fund the Department of Energy, the Corps of Engineers, as well as other related agencies. Members of Congress were given an appalling 19 hours to read and study the almost 400 page piece of legislation. As a result, Congressman Baird voted against the bill.

"This is a case of good news bad news," said Congressman Baird. "While this funding will go a long way towards providing reliable flood control for the Cowlitz and Toutle River Valleys, the process by which the bill was passed cannot be defended. This conference report was filed in the dead of night, and there's no way that Members of Congress, nor the public as a whole had a chance to read it before the vote. That is wrong no matter which party is in power, and it is exactly why Congress must pass my 72 hour rule."

Congressman Baird is leading an effort to bring his 72 hour rule up for a vote. Currently the discharge petition that would force his legislation to the House floor has 181 signatures; 218 signatures are required.

Below are the projects that received funding in H.R. 3183:

· Mount St. Helens Sediment Control Construction ($1,417,000)

o The funding will be used to continue sediment monitoring and gradation analysis, continue analysis of potential long-term alternatives for system-wide flood and navigation protection, evaluate fish passage alternatives at the sediment retention structure and provide incremental dredging to maintain levels of flood protection.

· Mount St. Helens Sediment Control Operation & Maintenance ($265,000)

o The U.S. Army corps of Engineers was directed to maintain a certain level of flood protection for the Washington communities of Kelso, Longview, Castle Rock and Lexington. The funding is needed for routine activities connected with flood protection. This includes maintenance of the dam, reservoir, and service facilities.

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