Cornyn Praises Chief’s Report Signing of Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Study

I issued the following statement after the signing of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief’s Report for the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study, which I passed legislation to help expedite and fully fund, to examine how best to protect the Texas Gulf Coast:

As we saw last week, the Texas coast is no stranger to hurricane season and strengthening the lines of defense to protect our Gulf communities is a top priority. Ensuring our coastal infrastructure is resilient and robust is crucial to preventing the next devastating storm and I will continue fighting to ensure our state is prepared to weather future storms. 

With the Chief’s Report signed, the project will be eligible for authorization through the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Governor Abbott signed legislation creating the Gulf Coast Protection District to serve as the non-federal partner for the project. In Congress, I secured full funding in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to ensure the completion of this study. Additionally, I have introduced legislation to accelerate the study and worked to obtain a critical exemption from statutory costs and time limitations. In September 2020, I penned an op-ed discussing the authorization and funding process for the findings of this study.