Proposed pump project in Mississippi has bipartisan support

VALLEY PARK, Miss. (AP) — A Democratic congressman who represents the Mississippi Delta is repeating his support for a flood control and drainage project that the Trump administration says it might revive more than a decade after another Republican administration killed it.

Rep. Bennie Thompson said Friday that a massive pump project could be part of a long-term solution for the rural flatlands, where floodwaters have been standing for weeks.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler confirmed Wednesday that his agency is reconsidering a 2008 EPA decision to kill the pump project, which proposes to drain water from the confluence of the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers in Mississippi.

The administration of President George W. Bush rejected the project amid concerns about the impact on wetlands and wildlife. Opponents say huge pumps could worsen flooding downstream.