Wicker says he’s hoping that the visit by federal officials will shed light on the plight of Delta residents and be a step toward completing long-awaited flood relief.
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) invited Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory to Mississippi for a series of briefings on flood control needs in the Mississippi Delta with a delegation of federal officials.
The first stop in Vicksburg at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters will provide stakeholders from the federal government an opportunity to hear from local elected representatives and brief legislators.
The second visit in Rolling Fork at the South Delta High School will provide federal stakeholders a listening session to hear from members of the public about their experiences with repeated flooding in the Mississippi Delta.
Senator Wicker told Y’all Politics that he has used every opportunity available to him to invite federal officials to the Mississippi Delta to see and hear firsthand the damage and pain that residents have experienced as a result of decades of repeated flooding.
“The federal government promised the people of the South Delta a flood control solution nearly 80 years ago, and it is past time that this promise be kept. I am hoping that this visit will shed light on the plight of Delta residents and be a step toward completing long-awaited flood relief,” Wicker stated.
Torrential rainfall yesterday did not stop us from visiting many of the areas along the Pearl River that have suffered from repeated flooding. At a pump station along the levee, we were able to discuss how the project being considered could make a major difference. pic.twitter.com/U1fmnaihaM
— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) August 24, 2022
U.S. Senator Hyde-Smith will also be participating in the briefings on flood control needs in the Mississippi Delta. The Mississippi Senator had been working to secure the project throughout her time in office.
In November 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stopped the effort to construct flood control pumps for the Yazoo Backwater Area of the Mississippi Delta.
The action came after Congressman Thompson, who represents much of the Delta area, sent a letter to the EPA requesting they investigate the agency’s handling of project during the Trump Administration.
“The government has made a promise to address the flooding problem in Mississippi. Today’s decision makes it harder to fulfill this promise and will delay a solution,” Wicker said in November 2021. “However, I intend to continue fighting to achieve approval of this much-needed flood control project.”
Hyde-Smith said she would continue to work for the people of the Delta to try to salvage this project.
“I do know we absolutely do not need empty platitudes from the EPA on a ‘path forward’ and environmental justice,” Hyde-Smith said. “We also do not need our own working against a project that will ultimately protect lives and the environment from repeated catastrophic flooding.”
Anne Summerhays
