Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, and Rep. Suzan DelBene, WA-01, today pressed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for full funding of the Skagit River General Investigation Study. In their letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, the representatives asked the agency to commit $300,000 to the study this year.

“With each flood comes a new threat to the communities of Skagit County,” Larsen and DelBene wrote. “The sense of urgency behind the Skagit G.I. has never diminished. The communities of Skagit Valley are home to some of the most committed and responsive flood fighting organizations and volunteers. The people that provide the communities’ flood response need comprehensive flood solutions. The best way to deliver these needed solutions is the Skagit G.I.”

Larsen and DelBene met with county and city leaders in January to discuss the study and plans for long-term flood protection in the Skagit River valley.

“We appreciate the hard work of the US Army Corps of Engineers in helping our community fight many floods,” said Skagit County Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt. “Now when we are close to finishing this critical public safety plan, we can’t thank the Corps enough, our Congressional delegation and our many partners who are helping us meet our financial commitments to keep this project moving.”

The full text of their letter follows:

April 5, 2013

The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy
Assistant Secretary of the Army
108 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-0108

Dear Assistant Secretary Darcy:

We are writing to encourage the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to allocate funding to the Skagit General Investigation Study (G.I.) for the remainder of FY 2013 to adequately move the study through the next milestone.  We understand capability funding is around $300,000 for the remainder of this fiscal year.

On January 11 we met with elected officials from Skagit County, the cities in the Skagit Valley and stakeholder groups.  They had one clear and united message: the study must be completed.  The Skagit G.I. has been progressing for more than fifteen years, funded primarily by Congressional appropriations each eligible year. With a long history of devastating floods, the communities along the river have been looking to construct flood control projects that will increase safety for those living in the Skagit River valley.

With each flood comes a new threat to the communities of Skagit County.  The sense of urgency behind the Skagit G.I. has never diminished.  The communities of Skagit Valley are home to some of the most committed and responsive flood fighting organizations and volunteers.  The people that provide the communities’ flood response need comprehensive flood solutions. The best way to deliver these needed solutions is the Skagit G.I.

We applaud the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to fund the Skagit G.I. with agency discretionary dollars through FY 2012.  The Corps’ decision to continue forward progress on the Skagit G.I. sent a clear message that the federal government was committed to holding up its end of the agreement to produce tangible results for the people of the Skagit Valley, and the local communities responded by shoring up Skagit County’s funding with their own cities’ contributions.  We ask you to continue your efforts to see that the study is completed on time. 

On behalf of the residents of Skagit County, we urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to allocate capability funding to the Skagit General Investigation Study for the remainder of FY 2013 from agency discretionary funds. 

Sincerely,

Rick Larsen
U.S. Representative

Suzan DelBene
U.S. Representative