WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has provided full funding for the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levees Project. The Army Corps released the work plans to fund multiple projects in Oklahoma.
Phases of Approval for U.S. Army Corps Projects:
Authorization for a feasibility study.
On December 9, 2016, the Senate authored the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, which passed with a strong bipartisan vote of 78-21 and included a number of provisions integral to Oklahoma. Sen. Jim Inhofe included a provision in the WIIN Act that required the Corps to complete the feasibility study after inspections revealed that the Tulsa levees, originally built in the 1940s, were not compliant with federal standards.
Funding for the feasibility study.
On July 5, 2018, Inhofe announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted his request to fully fund the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levee system project for disaster relief and recovery funding. By including the feasibility study in the emergency supplemental, the Tulsa levees project can actually move forward faster than if it had been included in the annual work plan.
Feasibility study released for public comment.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Tulsa-West Tulsa Levees Integrated Feasibly Study Report and Environmental Assessment was released on September 16, 2019.
Chief’s Report is considered.
At the conclusion of the public comment period, the study was submitted to the Chief of Engineers (Lt. Gen. Semonite) for the U.S. Army Corps for his approval.
Chief’s Report is signed.
On April 23, 2020, Inhofe announced that Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite signed the Chief’s Report for the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levees project. Sen. Inhofe pushed to provide the funding for the Chief’s Report under supplemental appropriations in 2018, and because of this, the Corps had the flexibility to immediately begin funding preconstruction phases with existing funding.
Chief’s Report authorized by Congress.
On December 22, 2020, the Senate passed the year-end appropriations bill, which included the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 with numerous provisions important to Oklahoma. Inhofe included the authorization of the Tulsa and West-Tulsa Levees project and formalized that the non-federal cost share for this project be financed over a 30-year period.
This month, Inhofe said that the Chief’s Report was fully funded.
The Army Corps released the spend plans of supplemental funding provided by Congress in two recently enacted laws. In this spend plan, the Army Corps has committed funding to construct the full cost of the Tulsa and West-Tulsa Levees project ($137 million).
“With this funding from the Army Corps, we can finish modernizing and upgrading the levees from the unacceptable version we began with to levees that will protect our children and our children’s children,” Inhofe said. “This has been a priority of mine for as long as I can remember and I am grateful for the tireless work of Army Corps Chief of Engineers Lt. General Spellmon, his predecessor Lt. General Semonite, as well as Brig. Gen. Beck, Col. Preston and their staff.”
“I couldn’t believe the amazing news that, after years in the making, the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levees project is fully funded,” District 12 Levee Comm Todd Kilpatrick said.