U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, said Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite has signed the Chief’s Report for the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levees project.

This Chief’s Report is the formal recommendation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the improvements necessary so the Tulsa Levees can continue to minimize the risk to life and property in communities they protect from flooding.

On average, once funded, it takes three years to complete a feasibility study and Chief’s Report. This one was completed in just 19 months.

Inhofe pushed to provide the funding for the Chief’s Report under supplemental appropriations in 2018 which gives the Corps flexibility to immediately begin funding preconstruction phases with existing funding.

“The Tulsa Levees have been rated unacceptable and high risk for far too long, and today we finally have the necessary approval to begin modernizing and upgrading the levees,” Inhofe said. “We’re now ready to move to the preconstruction engineering and design (PED) phase, bringing us a critical step closer to protecting the lives of the people and the hundreds of homes and businesses that rely on the levees.” 

“The signing of this report means Tulsans will be protected from flood like the ones we endured last year for years to come,” Todd Kilpatrick, District 12 Levee Commissioner, said.

“The news today that Lt. General Todd Semonite has signed the Chief’s Report for the Tulsa and West Tulsa Levee Feasibility Study is an enormous milestone in the approval process that will lead the way to the design and ultimate construction of critically needed levee improvements to the Tulsa levee system,” Rich Brierre, Executive Director of INCOG, said.

Here are the parts of the process:

1. Authorization for a feasibility Study. On December 9, 2016, the Senate authored S. 612, 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. 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.
2. 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 through supplemental appropriations 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.
3. 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, for a 33-day comment period. Inhofe praised the release of the study here. On October 21, 2019, Inhofe submitted a comment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the feasibility study for the Tulsa-West Tulsa Levee system.
4. Chief’s Report is considered. At the conclusion of the public comment period, the study is submitted to the Chief of Engineers (Lt. Gen. Semonite) for the U.S. Army Corps for his approval. Inhofe sent a letter urging the swift consideration of the Report.
5. Chief’s Report is signed.
6. Chief’s Report is submitted to Congress for authorization and appropriation. If the project is funded through previous supplemental appropriations, it requires no additional authorization. To ensure the U.S. Army Corps prioritizes funding for the construction of this project in future fiscal year budgets, Inhofe is working to ensure the WRDA 2020 bill includes an authorization for this project.

“I’m thrilled to learn that the Chief’s Report is signed and this project on the path for future funding,” Karen Keith, Tulsa County Commissioner, District 2, said.  “These levees are a safety net for all the families living along the river on Tulsa’s west side.  A dense industry corridor, including refineries vital to the economy of Tulsa and Oklahoma, rely on these levees to keep their doors open.”