FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing: Missouri River Flood Management Oversight

Original title: FIVE YEARS FROM THE FLOOD: OVERSIGHT OF THE ARMY CORPS' MANAGEMENT OF THE MISSOURI RIVER AND SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

January 1, 2016

Missouri River flood management Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure disaster recovery

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing examines the effectiveness of federal river management policies that directly impact flood protection, infrastructure repair costs, and economic stability for residents and businesses across seven states in the Missouri River basin.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Residents of the Missouri River Basin

Residents are subject to the flood management policies and infrastructure decisions made by the Army Corps of Engineers.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The agency is responsible for implementing river management strategies and responding to congressional oversight.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2016.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript of a 2016 U.S. Senate held in North Sioux City, South Dakota. The hearing focused on reviewing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' management of the Missouri River five years after the catastrophic 2011 floods.

Key Facts

The 2011 Missouri River flood caused over $2 billion in damages.
The 2011 flood resulted in five fatalities.
Approximately 4,000 homes were flooded during the 2011 event.
The 2011 flood impacted seven states: South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Montana, and Kansas.
A 2014 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recommended improving hydrologic data to prevent future flooding.
The hearing was held on March 31, 2016, in North Sioux City, South Dakota.
The hearing was conducted by the Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

To conduct oversight of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' management of the Missouri River five years after the 2011 floods and to gather suggestions for improvement.

Who testified at the hearing?

Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, the Dakota Dunes Community Improvement Project, and the Izaak Walton League of America.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Post-Disaster Oversight

The hearing highlights a multi-year effort to translate the 2014 GAO recommendations into operational changes for the Army Corps of Engineers.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Government Accountability Office

Connected Entities

personJeff Dooley“Manager, Dakota Dunes Community Improvement Project.”Map →

organizationU.S. Army Corps of Engineers“Federal agency responsible for managing the Missouri River.”Map →

personDavid Ponganis“Programs Director, Northwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”Map →

personHarold C. Frazier“Chairman, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.”Map →

personSteve Pirner“Secretary, South Dakota Environment and Natural Resources.”Map →

personPaul Lepisto“Regional Conservation Coordinator, Izaak Walton League of America.”Map →

personMike Rounds“U.S. Senator from South Dakota and Chairman of the Subcommittee.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz5
Current news / social attention level

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