Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017

To direct the Secretary of the Army to submit to Congress a report with respect to dams, reservoirs, lakes, and other water retention facilities in Texas, and for other purposes. 1. Short Title This Act may be cited as the Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017 2. Report on Dams, Reservoirs, Lakes, and Other Water Retention Facilities in Texas (a) Report Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a report with respect to covered facilities. (b) Contents The report under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) For each covered facility— (A) the maximum water capacity that would necessitate an unplanned release of water; (B) the water level at which the facility and each spillway of the facility will overflow; and (C) existing plans to notify first responders, local officials, and communities of flood emergencies and the projected water levels during such emergencies. (2) A description of steps taken by the Secretary to limit or prevent unplanned releases of water or overflows from covered facilities. (3) Recommendations of the Secretary for infrastructure improvements and dredging of existing covered facilities needed to limit or prevent unplanned releases of water or overflows from covered facilities. (4) Existing plans to coordinate among covered facilities during a flood emergency. (5) A list identifying the covered facilities under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that includes, with respect to each such facility, a description of the process for lowering water levels at the facility. (c) Security Exclusion The Secretary may exclude from the report information that the Secretary determines necessary to exclude for national security purposes. (d) Information from Non-Federal Entities (1) Requirement for Non-Federal Entities Upon the request of the Secretary, a non-Federal entity that owns, operates, or has jurisdiction over a covered facility shall provide to the Secretary the information described in subsection (b)(1) with respect to that facility. (2) Eligibility for Federal Financial Assistance An entity that fails to comply with paragraph (1) is not eligible for Federal financial assistance otherwise available to the facility owned or operated by or under the jurisdiction of the entity until such time as the entity complies with such paragraph. (3) Applicability Paragraph (2) shall apply with respect to Federal financial assistance made available on or after the date of enactment of this Act. (e) Covered Facility Defined In this section, the term covered facility

Summary: Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017 This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to submit to Congress and make publicly available a report with respect to dams, reservoirs, lakes, and other water retention facilities in Texas. The report shall include: for each such facility, the maximum water capacity that would necessitate an unplanned release of water, the water level at which the facility and each spillway of the facility will overflow, and plans to notify first responders, local officials, and communities of flood emergencies and the projected water levels during such emergencies; a description of steps taken by the Corps of Engineers to limit or prevent unplanned releases of water or overflows from such facilities; recommendations of the Corps for infrastructure improvements and dredging of existing facilities needed to limit or prevent such releases or overflows; plans to coordinate among such facilities during a flood emergency; and a list identifying the such facilities under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's jurisdiction, which shall include a description of the process for lowering water levels at each facility. The Corps may exclude information from the report for national security purposes. Upon the Corps' request, a non-federal entity that owns, operates, or has jurisdiction over a covered facility shall provide the maximum water capacity that would necessitate an unplanned release of water, the water level at which the facility and each spillway of the facility will overflow, and plans to notify first responders, local officials, and communities of flood emergencies and the projected water levels during such emergencies. An entity shall not be eligible for federal financial assistance until it complies with such request.