WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), today attended the ground breaking ceremony for the Comite River Diversion Project where he spoke about the successful effort in Congress to secure full federal funding for the project.
“It was a battle in Washington to secure the $343 million to fully fund this project,” said Dr. Cassidy. “It’s been a decades-long process to begin construction, but we will keep working until it is completed. The Comite River Diversion is invaluable to protect Baton Rouge area families from flooding in future storms.”
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 included funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to complete flood control projects in areas hit by recent disasters. While the U.S. House of Representatives approved $10 billion for flood control projects, Cassidy was able to increase this amount to $15 billion in the U.S. Senate, thus ensuring there would be sufficient funding for the Comite Diversion and other projects in Louisiana.
After passing legislation allowing the Corps to direct this funding to projects like Comite without a new congressional authorization, Cassidy met with the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works and the New Orleans district commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to advocate for funding to construct the Comite River Diversion Project. The Corps announced funding for the Comite River Diversion Project last July, along with over $1 billion for other flood mitigation projects in Louisiana.
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