Legislation to fund nearly $5 billion in Army Corps of Engineers flood control, coastal protection and other water projects is nearing the legislative mark, with approval by of the House of a new Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA.
The House passed the measure on July 22 by a bipartisan vote of 359-13.
The WRDA authorizes about $4.8 billion in federal funds for new or modified Corps projects. One caveat is that federal funds are subject to congressional appropriations. Competition for credit can be tough.
The next congressional action for the WRDA is a Senate vote. This chamber’s Environment and Public Works Committee approved its version of the legislation on May 22.
After Senate approval, House and Senate negotiators would meet to resolve differences between the two versions.
Marsia Geldert-Murphey, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, said in a statement that the bill will improve ports, inland waterways, flood risk management and storm risk reduction programs and would give priority to the restoration of ecosystems.
Geldert-Murphey also highlighted a provision to reauthorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Dam Safety Program through 2028. The authorization expired last September 30.
He said the House WRDA would cut restrictions on the level of funding states can receive in National Dam Safety Program state assistance grants.
Another bonus, he said, is a provision to extend the National Levee Safety Program through 2033
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), the lead author of the legislation, said he was “particularly proud” of several provisions that would benefit his region, which saw severely affected by the floods at the beginning of the year.
They include what Graves called “a new path forward for systemic flood control on the upper Mississippi River” and “significant steps to ensure that flood control and navigation are top priorities on the Missouri River.”
Lawmakers from both parties and both chambers are aiming to see a new water resource measure passed by the end of 2024.
If they meet this goal, it would continue a 10-year streak of enacting a WRDA every two years.
