Senate Committee Moves Forward on WRDA

On Nov. 15, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee moved forward on authorizing a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), holding a legislative hearing on draft legislation. Yesterday, EPW Committee Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and committee member David Vitter (R-La.), along with all the Republicans on the committee, wrote a letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) asking that  the WRDA bill reform the Army Corps of Engineers by streamline project delivery, enhance oversight and prioritize water projects. AGC sent a letter to Committee members thanking them for their work and urging bipartisan efforts to pass WRDA, as was done with the passage of the surface transportation reauthorization bill last summer.  Among other things, AGC praised Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) for including a provision that would explore innovative financing methods for funding water resources infrastructure construction. Innovative financing methods are a great supplement to federal funding. However, there remains no substitute for adequate and certain federal funding to maintain and improve our nation’s ports, inland waterways, flood control, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. AGC will continue to press for sufficient federal funding levels that would maintain and improve America's water resources infrastructure. For more information, contact Jimmy Christianson at 703-837-5325 or christiansonj@agc.org.