HOUSTON (AP) — Fourteen years after Hurricane Ike destroyed thousands of homes and businesses near Galveston, Texas — but the area’s refineries and chemical plants were largely spared — the U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday in favor of approval of the most expensive project ever by the US Army Corps of Engineers to weather the next storm.
Ike devastated coastal communities and caused $30 billion in damage. But with so much of the nation’s petrochemical industry in the Houston-Galveston corridor, things could be even worse. Proximity inspired Bill Merrell, professor of marine science, to first propose a massive coastal barrier to protect against a direct strike.
The NDAA now includes approval for a $34 billion program that borrows ideas from Merrell.
“It’s very different from anything we’ve done in the US, and it took us a while to figure it out,” said Merrell of Texas A&M University in Galveston.
The House of Representatives passed an $858 billion defense bill by a vote of 350 to 80. It includes major projects to improve the nation’s waterways and protect the public from flooding exacerbated by climate change.
In particular, the vote advanced the Water Resources Development Act of 2022. The law created an extensive set of policies for the army and authorized programs related to navigation, environmental improvement, and storm protection. It usually takes place every two years. He has strong bipartisan support and has now made it to the Senate.
The Texas Coastal Defense Project far surpasses any of the other 24 projects authorized by the Act. There is a $6.3 billion plan to deepen key shipping lanes near New York City and $1.2 billion to build homes and businesses on Louisiana’s central coast.
“No matter which side of politics you are on, everyone has a stake in making sure you have good water,” said Sandra Knight, president of WaterWonks LLC.
Researchers at Rice University in Houston estimated that a Category 4 storm with a 24-foot storm surge could damage storage tanks and release more than 90 million gallons of oil and hazardous materials.
The most notable feature of the coastal barrier is the lock, which consists of approximately 650 feet of locks, roughly equivalent to a 60-story building on one side, to prevent storm surges from entering Galveston Bay and washing out Houston’s shipping lanes. An 18-mile circular barrier system will also be built along Galveston Island to protect homes and businesses from storm surges. The program lasted six years and involved about 200 people.
There will also be projects to restore the ecosystems of beaches and dunes along the Texas coast. The Houston Audubon Society is concerned that the project will destroy some bird habitat and endanger fish, shrimp and crab populations in the bay.
Legislation allows the construction of the project, but funding will remain a problem – money still needs to be allocated. The federal government bears the heaviest burden of spending, but local and state organizations will also have to provide billions of dollars. Construction may take twenty years.
“This greatly reduces the risk of a catastrophic storm surge from which it is impossible to recover,” said Mike Braden, head of the Army Corps’ Galveston County Major Projects Division.
The bill also includes a number of policy measures. For example, when hurricanes strike in the future, coastal defenses can be restored to accommodate climate change. Designers will be able to take sea level rise into account when developing their plans.
“The future for many communities will not be the same as it used to be,” said Jimmy Haig, senior water policy advisor at The Nature Conservancy.
The Water Resources Act continues to push for wetlands and other flood control solutions that use natural water absorption instead of concrete walls to contain water flow. For example, on the Mississippi River below St. Louis, the new program will help restore ecosystems and create hybrid flood protection projects. There are also provisions for the study of long droughts.
Steps are being taken to improve tribal ties and make it easier to get work done in poorer, historically disadvantaged communities.
Researching projects, getting them through Congress, and finding funding can take a long time. Merrell, who turns 80 in February, said he would like the Texas portion of the project to be built, but he doesn’t think he’ll be there to see it completed.
“I just want the end product to protect my children and grandchildren and everyone else in the region,” Merrell said.
LEFT: PHOTO: A man walks through debris from Hurricane Ike being cleared from a road in Galveston, Texas, on September 13, 2008. Hurricane Ike swamped hundreds of people due to high winds and flooding, bringing down miles of coastline in Texas and Louisiana, cutting off millions of power and causing billions of dollars in damage. Photograph: Jessica Rinaldi/REUTERS
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