Thursday,
April 19, 2007
House Passes WRDA Bill
Source: US House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Similar legislation passed the House in the 109th Congress but stalled in House-Senate conference negotiations. No water resources authorization legislation has been enacted since 2000.
Rep. James L. Oberstar (MN), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said the bill's projects in support of waterborne transportation come from a long tradition, dating to the founding of the Republic.
"The nation was founded along the waterways," Chairman Oberstar said. "It has been the Federal government's task from the very beginning to ensure the movement of people and goods, first through, the waterways, then later the highways, railways, and, now, the airways."
"Last year, we came very close to resolving our differences with the other body in conference negotiations, but we ultimately ran out of time," said Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Tex.), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. "However, I hope H.R. 1495 can take us to that point and further, releasing this backlog of authorizations to fix our existing infrastructure and to authorize new flood control, navigation and environmental restoration projects."
Because many of the authorizations in H.R. 1495 have been awaiting action for six years, Chairman Oberstar and Chairwoman Johnson intend to pass two WRDA bills in the current Congress. Afterward, they hope to return the water resources authorization process to the traditional biennial cycle, because it provides stability to the program and assurance to the non-federal sponsors that support Corps projects.
"Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have greatly increased the need for investment in water infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region. This legislation authorizes significant funding to restore wetlands in coastal Louisiana and to improve hurricane protection in the region," said Chairman Oberstar. "It also authorizes funding for ecosystem restoration and seven new locks on the Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway, as well as the first three projects for the restoration of the Florida Everglades. I look forward to working with the Senate to enact WRDA legislation."
"In the 110th Congress, the Transportation Committee intends to move two water resources bills. This first one contains the logjam of six years of projects. The second bill would consider new projects and policy changes that we were not able to add to the legislation we considered today," concluded Chairwoman Johnson. "This approach may not be traditional, but it is necessary."
The bill:
- Reaffirms the commitment of
the Committee to the nation's water resources infrastructure, to
addressing new water resources needs and to fine-tune the Army Corps'
missions and responsibilities.
o Authorizes projects with Chief's reports relating to flood damage reduction, navigation, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and environmental restoration, including the navigation and ecosystem restoration project for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway system, an Everglades restoration projects, and the program for protecting, conserving, and restoring the Louisiana Coastal area. - Includes provisions for the improvement of the Army Corps' planning and project development process, including independent peer review of larger and more controversial studies and direction to the Corps to revise the Principles and Guidelines.
- Authorizes a number of smaller projects, project modifications, and investigations related to the Army Corps' civil works program.
Contact:
Mary Kerr, (202)225-6260