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The Transportation Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives will vote this month on a policy update for the country’s commercial waters.
Water Resources Development Act could be considered as early as June 24. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s bill markup is intended to pave the road for the measure to be passed in the chamber this summer. The bill aims to improve the connectivity of ports, dams and waterways and increase funding for locks, canals, and locks. These Army Corps of Engineers Projects are a mainstay in most congressional districts.
Senior Capitol Hill aides who are familiar with the timing of the bill told Transport Topics that a draft bill will likely be released days before it is sent to the committee.
Rep. David Rouzer, chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee (R-N.C.), anticipates bipartisan support for the measure. a co-sponsor, he said earlier in the year “I anticipate we’ll have an excellent bipartisan product.” I expect that we won’t have any issues with marking up in the [House] Subcommittee due to the work that will be done ahead of schedule.
In February, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves’ (R-Mo. ) The WRDA plays a key role in ensuring efficiency along supply chains. The chairman stated that it is important to maintain a two-year cycle of approving WRDAs in order to authorize projects such as ports, locks, dams, inland waters, flood protection and to provide direction to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Graves’ colleagues had reviewed proposals at a “Members’ Day hearing a month earlier. These ranged from port expansions to environmental surveys of dams and waterways. The Water Resources Development Act of 2024, the latest version of this biennial law that has been passed by previous administrations from 2014, is the latest version. The measure is one of the few items that will likely reach the president’s desk during this election year.
According to the background information provided by the committee, “WRDA project typically require two types of authorizations: the authority for studying the feasibility of a particular project, followed immediately by the authority for construction, operation and/or maintenance of the project.” The chief’s report of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineers is used to submit completed feasibility studies to Congress.
The Environment and Public Works Committee of the Senate has recently advanced its version on the water infrastructure measure. Tom Carper, the chairman of the committee (D-Del. ), said that he expects floor consideration to occur soon. WRDA’s co-sponsor and lead in that chamber is Tom Carper (D-Del.
“This year’s Reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act” directs the Corps, while creating jobs and making our communities more resilient against extreme weather, to construct important water infrastructure projects. Carper said, “I look forward to the hard work ahead to bring this important legislation to President Obama’s desk.”
According to the EPW panel’s background, the bill was unanimously approved and authorizes 81 studies of feasibility, as well as eight new or modified projects. This bill directs the Corps of Engineers to expedite completion of several ongoing projects and studies. The bill also creates or modifies certain environmental authorities of the Corps to address water and wastewater infrastructure in communities across the nation,” EPW stated.
According to the bipartisan nature of WRDA, EPW ranking member Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., noted: “Everytwo years, the Environment and Public Works Committee assists the Corps in carrying its civil works mission via the Water Resources Development Act.
“This year’s WRDA 2024 contains important wins for West Virginia and I appreciate the EPW Committee working together to advance this bipartisan legislation today.”
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