Ernst Works to Mitigate Flood Risks

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, are working to mitigate flood risk and improve water quality by ensuring farmers, landowners, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) can work together to restore and maintain floodplains.

The bipartisan Restoring America’s Floodplains Act would make clear that the USDA can assist landowners in maintaining floodplain easements in the Emergency Watershed Protection Program by taking part in restoration activities like removing levees and replanting native species that are critical for reducing flood risk and improving natural habitat.  

“I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impacts flooding can have on our communities in Iowa, and my heart goes out to all those who have been impacted by destructive natural disasters,” said Senator Ernst. “I’m proud to be working on a bipartisan solution to proactively reduce these impacts that will use existing tools at no additional cost to taxpayers while also improving water quality and protecting our valuable land.”

“The Restoring America’s Floodplains Act will give USDA the tools it needs to help Colorado farmers and landowners reduce flood risk across the state,” said Senator Bennet. “The growing weather challenges we face are putting more pressure on our watersheds and farmland. Investing in natural infrastructure is a common-sense way to mitigate damage and improve our floodplains for future generations.”

“The Restoring America’s Floodplains Act is a real opportunity for farmers and landowners working to restore impacted floodplains and enhance stewardship of vulnerable landscapes to provide wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, and cleaner water,” said Anna Gray, Public Policy Director and Counsel at Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. “INHF supports the Restoring America’s Floodplains Act because it will provide producers critical relief in the face of flooding disasters and options for recovery and restoration that have cascading benefits for Iowa’s land, water, wildlife and communities.”

“As Iowans look for solutions to mitigate flood impacts and improve water quality, we need look no further than nature,” said Amber Markham, Director of External Affairs for The Nature Conservancy in Iowa. “Nature-based solutions like floodplain restorations provide countless benefits to Iowans and we support legislation that advances these goals.” 

“Floodplain easements are voluntary, incentive-based tools that enable landowners to restore natural floodplains that lower the risk of flooding, improve water quality and soil health, and preserve waterfowl habitat,” said Chris Fox, Ducks Unlimited Iowa State Policy Chair. “It’s a perfect example of natural infrastructure solutions that benefit people, our communities, and wildlife, and we thank Sens. Ernst and Bennet for introducing the Restoring America’s Floodplains Act.”

Background:

While in the Iowa National Guard, Ernst deployed multiple times to help Iowans recover from devastating floods and has long worked to cut government red tape so disaster victims can better access the tools they need. Most notably, she called for a one-stop shop that connects America’s rural communities to federal resources, now known as the Rural Partnership Network, a direct line of communication that helps coordinate hundreds of rural-focused federal support programs. Following last year’s flooding in Iowa, Ernst called for full resources to support thoseimpacted. She visited the Iowa communities affected and met directly with local leaders and emergency response officials to support recovery efforts. She also conducted oversight of FEMA to ensure recovery efforts remain free from politicization.

Ernst has long held that farmers are the original conservationists and pushed to remove red tape from USDA conservation programs to make these tools more accessible.

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