Today, Congressman Dave Loebsack, joined by the other four members of the Iowa House Congressional delegation, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters respectfully requesting additional assistance to repair the critical highway infrastructure destroyed by the recent floods.  Specifically, the letter requests the U.S. Department of Transportation to waive the requirement of matching local funds, streamline administrative processes, and provide relief of regulatory provisions.

“Iowa’s transportation infrastructure is critical to residents, businesses, and emergency responders throughout our state, and we must act quickly to repair the devastating damages caused by the recent floods,” said Congressman Loebsack.   “I am committed to working closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other federal agencies to ensure continued federal assistance is available as needed so our communities, economy, and businesses can recover from this disaster.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation has already provided $1 million in funding to assist with emergency repairs, but more assistance is necessary for a full and swift recovery.  Damage to highway infrastructure was so extensive, that the Iowa Department of Transportation is still working to complete damage assessments.  

In an effort to expedite repairs to critical infrastructure and ensure Iowa’s economy remains strong following the record flooding, the letter sent to Secretary Peters requested the following from the U.S. Department of Transportation:

Increasing the Federal Share of Emergency Relief Funds
•    Currently, the state and local governments are required to pay for 10-20 percent of the repairs to federally supported transportation infrastructure including interstates and U.S. highways.  By increasing the federal share to 100 percent for permanent repairs and long-term mitigation, critical local funds can be freed up and used in other critical recovery efforts.

Streamlining the Emergency Relief Administrative Process
•    When seeking Emergency Relief funds for repairs of damaged federally supported infrastructure, States must provide a comprehensive statewide Damage Survey Summary Report that is used to determine the amount of funds needed for all repairs following a disaster.  By streamlining this process and allowing approval of individual projects, fewer temporary repairs will be needed and more permanent repairs can be made, saving taxpayers’ money and expediting the recovery process.

Accelerating the Approval of Project Improvements
•    On a case-by-case basis, Emergency Relief funds can be used to make repairs that exceed pre-disaster conditions.  By accelerating the approval of such allowances, the state can streamline repair plans and more quickly complete necessary construction work.


The text of the letter is below:

July, 17, 2008

The Honorable Mary E. Peters
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave SE
Washington D.C. 20590

Dear Secretary Peters,

We are writing to request action on several programs that will help restore critical infrastructure in Iowa and ensure that our economy will remain strong following the recent disasters. The past month has been a challenging time for Iowa. The state has suffered catastrophic losses from the recent devastating flooding, storms, and tornados.

As recovery efforts continue, Iowans are anxious to rebuild safer and stronger than before. Federal financial assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief (ER) Program is critical to Iowa’s recovery.

Thank you for the Department’s recent quick release of $1 million to make emergency repairs to Iowa’s roadways and bridges. In order to further assist Iowa regain transportation access and services essential to restoring personal and commercial mobility, we respectfully request additional help from your agency. Specifically, your support is sought in streamlining administrative processes, providing relief of regulatory provisions and waiving the requirement of matching local funds.  By granting this request, the federal government will be supplementing the commitment of resources by the State of Iowa, its political subdivisions, and other federal agencies. In addition this relief is needed in light of greatly increasing input, materials, and construction costs.
Your urgent consideration of the following assistance is appreciated:

•    Increasing the federal share of ER funds: We urge an increase in the share of federal funding to 100 percent for permanent repair work to all federal-aid facilities damaged by the flooding that is completed within 180 days; and 100 percent federal assistance for long-term mitigation work justified and approved by FHWA as betterment to the facility, which cannot be completed within the 180-day period.

•    Streamlining the ER administrative process: We urge streamlining of the review and approval process of the FHWA by allowing the Division office to approve funding for individual projects as they are submitted, rather than waiting for the comprehensive Damage Survey Summary Report (DSSR) to be completed.  

The FHWA Iowa Division office has been very helpful and cooperative in dealing with the disaster, and has staff working in the disaster areas assisting the Iowa DOT with necessary site visits. With the availability of E-mail, digital photos and electronic documentation, FHWA staff is provided the rapid access to the information they need to make quick project-specific decisions.  

By streamlining this process and reviewing projects as they are received, fewer temporary repairs will be needed and more permanent repairs can be made, saving taxpayer monies. In addition, waiting for the DSSR consumes valuable recovery time during Iowa’s peak construction season and the limited seasonal rebuilding window.  

•    Accelerating approvals of project betterments: We urge approval of project betterments on a case-by-case basis as the damage assessments are completed, rather than waiting until the DSSR is submitted. We also urge expedited review of the need for environmental assessments (EA) or environmental impact statements (EIS) on project betterments. This will allow more time-intensive work on design, engineering and environmental activities to begin in a timely manner and provide for quicker completion.  

Thank you for your prompt attention and consideration of these requests. Your actions will have a significant impact in how quickly the state’s transportation resources are repaired and reconstructed, which will help place our businesses and families on the road to recovery.  

Sincerely,


Dave Loebsack                    
Member of Congress

Tom Latham
Member of Congress

Leonard Boswell
Member of Congress

Steve King
Member of Congress

Bruce Braley
Member of Congress