US Senate approves Texas Gulf Coast hurricane protection measure

The US Senate has passed a provision authored by Texas Senator John Cornyn that calls for the construction of the coastal barrier protection system known as the Coastal Spine as part of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

The Coastal Spine is a large-scale coastal storm risk management and ecosystem restoration project that will help protect Texas’s coast from storm damage. The passage of these provisions in the WRDA follows the introduction of standalone legislation on this from Senators Cornyn and Ted Cruz Cruz and Representative Randy Weber early last week.

Senator Cornyn said the project achieved eligibility for authorisation by Congress partly due to a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Chief’s Report signing of the Coastal Texas Study last year.

Senator Cornyn said that by authorizing the Coastal Spine, the government will help ensure Texas has the storm mitigation components it needs to be as prepared as possible for future hurricane seasons.