The US Army Corps of Engineers spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year to repair, rehabilitate, and restore levees that are damaged by floods. Much of that money flows through the Rehabilitation and Inspection Program (RIP), a program governed by Public Law 84-99. The program was created by Congress in 1941 to ensure that communities affected by floods are able to restore flood protections quickly. However, over the years policymakers in Congress and communities across the country have seen the potential to do more with PL 84-99 than simply rebuild a levee system that has failed once and is likely to fail again.
Late last year, the Corps published a proposal to revise its regulations governing implementation of PL 84-99. We saw this as a prime opportunity to push for policy changes that will enhance the Corps’ analysis and implementation of levee setbacks. Our comments are detailed but boil down to one simple concept: Levee setbacks are an effective way to achieve the multiple objectives of flood risk reduction, environmental sustainability, and other social benefits that define the Corps’ modern mission.
Learn more here.