Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, on Friday sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking that the position of the retiring Southwest Washington section chief be filled.
With the upcoming retirement of Bob Thomas, Herrera Beutler wrote that a replacement is needed to continue working on issues in Southwest Washington such as backlogs of shellfish permits and Chehalis Basin flooding.
In the letter addressed to U.S. Army District Commander Colonel Alexander Bullock, Herrera Beutler cited several specific examples of how she believes local communities were being severely underserved by the Army Corps Seattle District prior to a local section chief being stationed in Southwest Washington.
“With Chehalis Basin flooding specifically — a priority for thousands of residents and businesses in this region — the history of the Army Corp Seattle District with Chehalis Basin flooding is not a story of success,” Herrera Beutler wrote. “This again changed when the Seattle District chose to focus more time and resources on Southwest Washington. Despite the improvement in recent years, more needs to be done; we urgently need the USACE to complete the NEPA process on the proposed water retention facility that is a potential component of the Chehalis basin strategy.”
A dam on the upper reaches of the Chehalis River continues to be considered along with millions of dollars in habitat restoration plans under the umbrella of the state Office of the Chehalis Basin.
In the letter, Herrera Beutler outlined difficulties in working with the Seattle-based office of the Army Corps, noting there had been discussions about moving Southwest Washington activities to the Portland office.
“I have been in Congress now for 11 years,” she wrote. “In my earlier years the complaints were many but random. The problem eventually became so acute that organizations including local governments joined together in a coalition against the Army Corps Seattle District. After the opposition became coordinated my office received dozens of letters from a tremendous number of organizations requesting dramatic pressure be placed on the Seattle District to quicken the unnecessary delays. These requests came from an extremely diverse group of organizations.”
