U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker yesterday said that Senate confirmation of Rickey Dale James to be Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works is important for the future of navigation and flood control works in Mississippi.
The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm James, who was recommended by Cochran and Wicker early last year to lead the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In his new position, James will supervise all Department of the Army functions relating to water resources infrastructure carried out by the Corps of Engineers. He will also be responsible for the operation, maintenance and improvement of the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) Project, which was authorized by Congress following the devastating flood of 1927.
The MR&T comprehensive system of levees, floodways, channel and tributary basin improvements in the lower Mississippi River Valley is the largest navigation and flood control project in the world. It protects approximately 4 million people in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, and Illinois.
James’ confirmation was also supported by the Mississippi Levee Board and the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board.