News

WRRDA goes to the President

On a 91-7 vote, the U.S. Senate passed the conference report on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) on Thursday. The House passed the measure 412 to 4 earlier this week so it now goes to the President for his signature.

The bill advances the modernization of America’s waterways and ports and streamlines the project delivery process for those projects.

It sets hard deadlines on the time and costs of studies; consolidates or eliminates duplicative or unnecessary studies and streamlines environmental reviews and improves coordination.

The plan deauthorizes $18 billion of old, inactive projects which were authorized prior to 2007, sunsets new authorizations to prevent future backlogs and reduces the number of properties no longer needed for projects. It establishes a new, transparent process for future bills to review and prioritize projects with strong Congressional oversight. There are no earmarks in the bill.

WRRDA expands the opportunity for non-government interests to contribute funds to expedite studies, evaluations, permits and projects. The bill also promises to improve the Army Corps of Engineers’ response to weather events.