Convenience Big Store: Former rivals team up to battle the scars of Harvey

Increasing bipartisan pressure

After six years of delays, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is under new bipartisan pressure to complete the study of a massive underground tunnel system in Houston that could prevent catastrophic flooding like what happened during Hurricane Harvey.

U.S. Reps. Wesley Hunt and Lizzie Fletcher — once political rivals who ran against each other in 2020 — have joined forces and inserted language into pending federal legislation that demands the Army Corps speed up a long overdue review of the project and submit it to Congress by the end of 2025.

"The Corps, basically, they've been dragging their feet a little bit on it," Hunt, a Republican in his first term, said of what has been called the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study.

Hunt said he and Fletcher, a Democrat, have met with Army Corps officials and written numerous letters in support of the study but feel they need to push the bureaucracy more for the long-talked-about project that has broad community support.

Fletcher said it is easy to work across the aisle on something like flooding.

"Flood waters don't discriminate," Fletcher said. "They're not asking if you are a Republican or Democrat before they come through your door. This is a problem that everyone experienced together and everyone wants a solution to."

More details here on the project and the history between these two former combatants.

Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter

jeremy.wallace@houstonchronicle.com

Who's up, who's down

Up: Lizzie Fletcher and Wesley Hunt.

In 2020, Hunt tried to unseat Fletcher in one of the most competitive races in Texas. Yet, that all looked like ancient history as the two worked together to get language included in a key bill on Wednesday that could force the Army Corps to speed up a study into a key flood mitigation project in Harris County.

Down: Troy Nehls.

More than a year ago, the Army revoked the Fort Bend Republican's Combat Infantry Badge that he was awarded in 2008 while serving in Afghanistan. They did so because he didn't really serve in combat as an infantryman in 2008. Nehls, however, kept wearing it until today when public pressure finally pushed him to stop wearing it but not before lashing out at "vultures" in the media who kept asking him about the pin.

What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.

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Pick of the day

Photo by: Jeremy Wallace

That's when the first debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump is scheduled to get underway. Here's where to watch and check out the Texas flash points I'll be watching for here.

What else I'm reading

There are plenty of Tom Petty tribute albums out there, but how about a country version with George Strait, Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson on the lineup? Strait's version of You Wreck Me with fiddles and steel guitars is fun stuff, but Parton's version of Southern Accents had me almost convinced she could have written it.