Durbin Meets With Chicago Army Corps Commander To Discuss Shoreline Protection
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Colonel Aaron Reisinger, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, to discuss funding to help address the impacts of climate change on the Chicago lakeshore. The Trump Administration did not fund the Great Lakes Resiliency Study or a reevaluation of the Chicago Shoreline Project in their Fiscal Year 2020 Corps Work Plan and Fiscal Year 2021 Budget request. In the meeting, Durbin urged the Corps to push the Trump Administration for funding for these two projects.
“In January, there were waves as high as 20 feet pummeling the Lake Michigan shoreline of Chicago and flooding our lakeshore communities,” said Durbin. “This will be a recurring problem for the Chicago shoreline, and the Trump Administration must commit to funding these critical infrastructure projects to help protect it. I’ll continue to work with Colonel Reisinger and the Chicago Army Corps to ensure these projects move forward.”
A photo of the meeting is available here.
In the meeting, Durbin also discussed the importance of preventing the spread of Asian Carp to the Great Lakes by moving forward with the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project. The Army Corps has finalized its plan to prevent the spread of Asian Carp to the Great Lakes at the Brandon Road Lock in Joliet. The next step will be for the Army Corps to begin preconstruction, engineering, and design (PED) for the project.
Durbin helped authorize the Great Lakes Resiliency Study in the 2018 Water Resources and Development Act, which would map out a comprehensive plan to manage and protect 5,200 miles of Great Lakes coastline. Durbin has also helped direct $185 million to the Chicago Shoreline Project, which built structural reaches to protect Lake Shore Drive and the Chicago Shoreline.
-30-