The bipartisan Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, S. 4367, which authorizes water infrastructure studies and projects across the country, passed the U.S. Senate.  This bill includes language to instruct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to complete the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study (BBTRS) that Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX-07) and Congressman Wesley Hunt (R-TX-38) requested.  The completion of the BBTRS will allow for the full evaluation of an underground water conveyance tunnel concept to alleviate the potential for flooding around the Addicks and Barker reservoirs and along Buffalo Bayou.  Last week, S.4367 passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a bipartisan basis, by a vote of 399-18. After the bill’s favorable passage through the Senate today, it now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.  

“Since my first term in Congress, I have prioritized protecting our community from flooding by supporting water infrastructure studies and projects—including the Buffalo Bayou Tributaries and Resiliency Study (BBTRS),” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “This study is an important opportunity to find a project that aligns with community objectives, minimizes adverse environmental and community impacts, and prioritizes resilience.  I am glad that after years of advocating for the completion of this study and collaborating with community leaders across Texas’ Seventh Congressional District and with Congressman Wesley Hunt, the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 will include language to complete the BBTRS so that the identified solution in the study can be authorized in the future, and I was glad to vote for this bipartisan legislation.”

Since her first term in Congress, Congresswoman Fletcher has advocated for the completion of the BBTRS.  Following her advocacy, language that instructs USACE to complete BBTRS was included in WRDA package that passed the House in July.  In January of this year, she testified before the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and urged the Committee to include language to complete the BBTRS. 

In 2020, she successfully called on USACE to extend the public comment period for the BBTRS Interim Report.  She submitted a public comment on the interim report urging USACE to incorporate public feedback from residents of Texas’ Seventh Congressional District. In 2021, she wrote a letter to USACE supporting an exemption to allow USACE to complete the BBTRS.