{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://richmond.house.gov/press-release/rep-richmond-introduces-flood-protection-legislation", "Rep. Richmond Introduces Flood Protection Legislation", "2013-04-26", "2013", "2013-04", "Democrat", "House", "LA", "Cedric Richmond", "R000588", "richmond.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, Congressman Cedric Richmond (LA-02) introduced the Recognizing the National Benefits of Flood Protection Act of 2013, HR-1769. The bill would require the Army Corps of Engineers to calculate the national benefits of proposed flood protection projects.\n\u201cTo secure funding for flood protection in this tight fiscal climate, the Corps must understand how important Louisiana\u2019s most endangered communities are to the national economy,\u201d said Rep. Cedric Richmond. \u201cThere are a number of pending flood protection projects that would protect billions of dollars in infrastructure, including oil refineries and the homes of thousands of energy workers. When a hurricane threatens, workers are forced to evacuate their homes, refineries must shutdown, and as a result, gasoline prices jump nationwide. My bill makes sure the Corps understands the benefits the state of Louisiana provides to the U.S. economy.\u201d\nIn addition, the Recognizing the National Benefits of Flood Protection Act:\n Creates an appeals process for non-federal sponsors that disagree with the Corps\u2019 analysis of their project.\u00a0 A panel of economists and flood damage experts would review all evidence and direct the Corps on how to proceed.\n\tDirects the Corps to account for the benefits of evacuation routes that are vital to the public safety and economic stability of the region.\n\tRequires the Corps to give priority to projects that would protect areas that experienced flooding in the last ten years.\n\tDirects the Corps to submit a report to Congress analyzing the connection between Corps of Engineers projects for flood and hurricane damage reduction and the resiliency of maritime and energy infrastructure.\n \u201cAs we saw during Hurricane Isaac, when a hurricane threatens, the price of gasoline spikes \u2013 hurting every American at the pump.\u201d\nThe full bill can be viewed here.\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://richmond.house.gov/press-release/rep-richmond-introduces-flood-protection-legislation"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0557142086327076, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}