WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47403) on Feb. 2, 2023, entitled "Flooding and Federal Projects: Exposures and Limits to Liability" by legislative attorney Kristen Hite: * * * SUMMARY Over the past century, the federal government has undertaken a number of civil works projects to prevent widespread flooding damage. Congress authorizes these flood control projects and generally delegates design and construction to federal agencies such  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47403) on Feb. 2, 2023, entitled "Flooding and Federal Projects: Exposures and Limits to Liability:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Intentional Flooding by Design In some situations, damage occurs where a government action was expected to lead to flooding. As with negligence claims, intentional torts may be subject to the FTCA's discretionary function exception and FCA immunity. Similarly, takings  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47162) on Jan. 23, 2023, entitled "Overview of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Infrastructure Assistance" by natural resources policy analyst Anna E. Normand. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY Congress has authorized and appropriated funding for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) environmental infrastructure (EI) assistance for the design and construction of certain infrastructure in speci  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (Rep.) -- The Congressional Western Caucus issued the following news release and letter: Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) led a bipartisan letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore requesting information on the Forest Service's low timber harvest in FY22 which was down 11% from FY19--the last pre-pandemic year of timber harvests. The West continues to face the risk of catastrophic wildfire because federal forests have been poorly managed for d  more

MADISON, Wisconsin, Feb. 4 -- Gov. Tony Evers, D-Wisconsin, issued the following news release on Feb. 2, 2023: Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), today announced grants totaling $5.3 million for seven harbor maintenance and improvement projects to promote waterborne freight and economic development. "From the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, Wisconsin's unique geography provides our state opportunities to grow our economy and help our busin  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, Feb. 3 (TNSres) -- Louisiana State University issued the following news release: * * * LSU faculty experts are available for media interviews about Mardi Gras history and traditions. * * * A number of LSU faculty experts are available for media interviews about topics surrounding Mardi Gras history and traditions. To schedule interviews, contact Alison Satake 510-816-8161 / asatake@lsu.edu or Abbi Rocha Laymoun 817-938-6102 / abbirocha@lsu.edu LSU researchers availab  more

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Feb. 1 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources issued the following news release: Missouri and 11 other states bordering the Mississippi River are working together to address the different factors that together create seasonal dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico. Each partner state has developed and announced specific strategies that will be implemented over time using targeted federal funding. Last month, Missouri unveiled its state work plan to fight the dead zo  more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, Feb. 2 (TNSgov) -- The National Grain and Feed Association issued the following news release on Feb. 1, 2023: The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) today outlined recommended actions for Congress to incentivize better rail service, improve trucking capacity and continue modernizing U.S. inland waterways. NGFA submitted the comments for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Feb. 1 hearing on the state of transportation infrastructure and supply cha  more