ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 66
BY REPRESENTATIVE HODGES
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To continue the Comite River Diversion Canal Project Task Force that was created pursuant
to House Concurrent Resolution No. 51 of the 2014 Regular Session of the
Legislature of Louisiana to study and make recommendations on actions necessary
to complete the construction of the Comite River Diversion Canal Project.
WHEREAS, the Amite River and its tributary, the Comite River, are major causes
of catastrophic flooding in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Area, particularly in the
northeastern part of East Baton Rouge Parish; and
WHEREAS, during the flood of 1983, substantial portions of the parishes of East
Baton Rouge, Livingston, and Ascension were inundated with flood waters; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Comite River Diversion Canal Project is to divert
flood waters from the upper Comite River to the Mississippi River; and
WHEREAS, at its maximum capacity, the project will divert twenty thousand cubic
feet per second by gravity flow; and
WHEREAS, once completed, the Comite River Diversion Canal could divert fifty
percent of the flood waters from the upper Comite River, which would substantially reduce
flood stages along the lower Comite and Amite Rivers; and
WHEREAS, as a result, flood insurance premiums would be dramatically reduced
in the area, which would boost home ownership and the overall economy of the region; and
WHEREAS, this is a major reason why the task force should continue its work; and
WHEREAS, following the displacement of thousands of residents from the New
Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina, East Baton Rouge Parish has experienced an explosive
population growth and is now the most populous parish in the state, making the Comite
River Diversion Canal Project all the more important and urgently significant.
Page 1 of 3 HCR NO. 66 ENROLLED
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
extend the Comite River Diversion Canal Project Task Force to meet and make
recommendations to the legislature and the appropriate state and federal agencies on actions
necessary to complete the construction and maintenance of the Comite River Diversion
Canal Project, including strategies to comply with mitigation requirements and right-of-way
acquisitions.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be comprised of the
following members:
(1)One member shall be the member of the House of Representatives appointed
by the speaker of the House whose district is directly impacted by the Comite River
Diversion Canal Project and who shall be the chairman of the task force.
(2)One member shall be the member of the Senate appointed by the president
of the Senate whose district is directly impacted by the Comite River Diversion Canal
Project and who shall be the vice chairman of the task force.
(3)One member shall be appointed by the members of the Louisiana
congressional delegation representing the district in which the Comite River Diversion Canal
Project is located.
(4)One member shall be the district engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, New Orleans District, or his designee.
(5)One member shall be the secretary of the Department of Transportation and
Development, or his designee.
(6)One member shall be the executive director of the Coastal Protection and
Restoration Authority, or his designee.
(7)One member shall be a former member of the Amite River Basin Drainage
and Water Conservation District board of commissioners appointed by the chairman of the
task force.
(8)One member shall be a current member of the Amite River Basin Drainage
and Water Conservation District board of commissioners appointed by the chairman of the
task force.
(9)One member shall be the director of the Department of Public Works of East
Baton Rouge Parish, or his designee.
Page 2 of 3 HCR NO. 66 ENROLLED
(10)One member shall be a home builder within the area impacted by the Comite
River Diversion Canal Project appointed by the president of the Louisiana Home Builders
Association.
(11)One member shall be a realtor in the area impacted by the Comite River
Diversion Canal Project appointed by the Louisiana Realtors Association.
(12)One member shall be a representative of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) appointed by the director of FEMA's Louisiana Recovery Office.
(13)One member shall be a landowner in the area impacted by the Comite River
Diversion Canal Project appointed by the Louisiana Landowners Association.
(14) One member shall be the state representative representing District 63.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall meet at least on a biannual
basis and shall submit recommendations to the appropriate legislative committees, as
necessary.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this task force will continue to be staffed by the
House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works staff for all meetings of
the task force.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 3 of 3