Garcia lauds bill to 'create the local authority to build the Coastal Barrier/Ike Dike'

Legislation pertaining to safeguarding the Texas Gulf Coast against natural disasters currently awaits Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's signature and is one step closer to becoming law.

Sponsored by Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood), Senate Bill 1160 would establish the Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD) which would have the authority to manage projects that would seek solutions for storm flooding on the Texas Gulf Coast. The entity would have the power to issue bonds, impose fees and taxes and grant the power of eminent domain.

The bill received bipartisan support and its sponsors mostly come from the hurricane-susceptible Greater Houston area. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) took to Twitter to commend the bill.

"SB 1160 creates the local authority to build the Coastal Barrier/Ike Dike," Garcia wrote in a May 29 Twitter post. "Thanks Sen. Larry Taylor for your leadership." 

The GCPD would bear the responsibility of raising money for the "Ike Dike" storm surge barrier, Houston Press reported. The entity would also be authorized to manage future federal funding for the project from infrastructure spending.

As the bill awaits Abbott's signature, Houston-area leaders on both sides of the aisle wait for much-needed Harvey funding after the Texas General Land Office (GLO) announced that Houston and Harris County would not be receiving any federal Harvey-related flood protection funding last month, according to Insurance Journal.

Since then, GLO Commissioner George P. Bush has announced that his office is requesting $750 million in federal funding for Harris County for hurricane and flood funding

“We believe all areas of the state, including Houston and Harris County, should receive the resources they need to recover from Hurricane Harvey,” Mike Burns, deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said, according to Insurance Journal.

Local officials have said that the GLO originally used a scoring system to determine funding recipients that puts counties with large populations and higher property values at a disadvantage. Houston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. and Harris County is the third-most populous county in the U.S. with more than 4.5 million residents.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey inundated Houston and surrounding areas with around 60 inches of rain and other massive storms flooded thousands of Houston homes in 2015 and 2016, reported Courthouse News.