Sen. Hoeven: FEMA Determines That Fargo-Moorhead Regional Flood Protections Project Meets NFIP Requirements

FARGO, North Dakota, Sept. 9 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release on Sept. 8:

Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved Fargo-Moorhead's request for a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR), stating that the region's flood protection project meets the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Hoeven recently spoke with FEMA Region 8 Administrator Lee dePalo, urging for the letter to be issued. This represents an important step toward ensuring that more than 11,000 structures won't be placed in the 100-year flood plain when the region is re-mapped by FEMA, which would require the purchase of flood insurance for properties with a federally-backed mortgage and impose significant costs on local families and businesses.

"This is a key step in building comprehensive flood protection in the Red River Valley," Hoeven said. "We worked with FEMA to get this decision in place, as it recognizes the benefits of the project that is currently under construction and helps protect the region's residents from having their homes and businesses being re-mapped into the flood plain. That represents a substantial savings for our communities and helps keep the project's Plan B on track."

The decision comes as the latest in Hoeven's efforts to reduce local costs and ensure adequate funding to keep construction moving forward. This includes:

* Funding the Army Corps' construction account above the president's budget request to help ensure the project is included in the Army Corps' annual work plan.

-Hoeven's efforts helped result in $100 million being included for the project's construction in the Corps' Fiscal Year 2020 work plan.

-This helps to fulfill the federal government's increased funding commitment, which Hoeven helped secure under the new Project Partnership Agreement (PPA).

* Advancing Fargo-Moorhead's application for a $561 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan, which will serve as a low-cost, flexible funding source.