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Flood protection funding
bill headed to governor’s desk
Legislation would provide $50 million for Chehalis
River basin
A $50 million flood
protection package for the Chehalis River basin won unanimous approval
in the state Senate today and is now headed to the governor’s desk where
it is expected to be signed into law.
House Bill 3375, prime sponsored by
Rep. Gary Alexander,
R-Olympia, would provide a significant portion of funding needed to
implement flood-control measures in Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor
counties.
Within the $50 million provided by state bonds, the legislation would
set aside $2.5 million for the local Chehalis Basin Flood Control
Authority to participate, or form another locally authorized group to
participate, in the development of a flood-mitigation plan. Under the
language of the bill, no funds could be spent on construction until
there is an agreement among all parties.
Alexander and his 20th District seatmate, Rep. Richard DeBolt,
R-Chehalis, said the bill provides two important elements – local
participation and flexibility.
“This was my number one priority coming into the legislative session,
and I’m so happy for the communities of my district that this bill is
headed to the governor for final approval. We are clearing the way for
an important partnership with the state, the affected counties, and
local governments to develop a plan that meets the areas’ needs,” said
Alexander. “The bill is structured in a way that no funding can
be used until there is approval from local communities and an agreement
on a final plan. By doing this, we ensure all concerns are vetted and
addressed, and all needs are met. We hope this approach can serve a
larger purpose as a viable model for flood-mitigation planning around
the state.”
“We’ve been given the tools to create a long-term, basin-wide solution
to protect our communities from future flooding,” said DeBolt.
“We got exactly what we asked for. The bill gives us the resources and
the authority to develop a flood-mitigation plan that is driven by local
decision-makers and ensures nothing moves forward without buy-in from
local leaders. There’s a lot of work ahead, but this is a chance to
control our own destiny. Failure is no longer an option.”
The 20th District lawmakers said because the project is funded with
bonds, it helps ensure the money will remain available when construction
begins. Providing flood-project funding in a separate bill turned out to
be a wise approach since negotiations on the state capital construction
budget have stalled with only two days left in the 2008 legislative
session.
“No one in the Legislature or the governor’s office has hesitated over
our request for flood mitigation funding,” said Alexander. “This
is the one part of the capital budget everyone agreed was needed. By
authorizing it in a different bill, we were able to separate it from the
politics of other funding requests. That’s looking like a pretty
fortunate move right now since the capital budget talks appear to have
hit a snag.”
The 2008 legislative session is scheduled to end March 13.
# # #
For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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