Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee member, issued the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcing a $569 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan for flood protection efforts in the Fargo-Moorhead community:
“Proper flood protection is key to growing the economy and protecting the livelihood of North Dakotans in the Red River Valley. The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan announced today will go toward bolstering the water infrastructure in Fargo-Moorhead so they can be better prepared during flood seasons. I am grateful to Administrator Regan and the EPA officials who have been working on this effort for years, and I look forward to working with state and local leaders as the project progresses.”
The Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Stormwater Diversion Channel Project includes two components to manage uncontrolled stormwater that can affect the metro area. The stormwater diversion channel component includes the construction of a 30-mile channel to redirect and temporarily store surplus stormwater flows safely away from the metropolitan area. The in-town levee project includes modifications to 13 levees and 27 stormwater lift stations in the Cities of Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota. By managing the flow of spring snow melt and summer stormwater, the project will protect 245,000 residents from flooding risks.
In 2019, Senator Cramer joined the Trump Administration’s EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler as he announced in Bismarck that the EPA had streamlined the application process for this loan, allowing these funds to be delivered more quickly to the state.