Sen. Tom Carper Presses for WRDA Approval
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Approval of a comprehensive water infrastructure bill would improve connectivity at the country’s freight corridors and respond to threats from severe weather events, the leader of the Senate’s surface transportation committee said recently.
Environment and Public Works Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) renewed calls for colleagues to give bipartisan backing to this year’s Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
The Senate’s WRDA bill is likely to reflect dozens of policy proposals associated with minimizing the effects of extreme weather events as well as responding to climate change. Major storms, devastating floods and intense and frequent droughts have affected many congressional districts around the country. Also, Senate policymakers are likely to pursue flexibility and affordability for projects that operate in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers.
“To many of us, these are all too familiar topics,” Carper said Feb. 28 at a hearing. “That’s because in the past several reauthorizations, we have made historic changes to [Army Corps of Engineers] policy to address these very issues. We have made cost shares more favorable for underserved and tribal communities. We have given the corps authority to review their contracting procedures. And, we have directed the corps to consider the impacts of climate change in all that they do.”
📺 WATCH LIVE: Chairman @SenatorCarper leads a hearing to assist with the development of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024. https://t.co/FfFIH9Y7x2 — Senate EPW Democrats (@EPWCmte) February 28, 2024
Carper is not alone in championing flood mitigation and freight supply chain improvement proposals in the Senate’s upcoming WRDA measure. The measure’s committee consideration is expected this spring.
“It is important that any WRDA bill supports the timely and efficient delivery of water resources projects, while continuing to meet national priorities,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) at last month’s hearing. Capito is the panel’s ranking member.
“Flexibility, we’ve heard this over and over again, is key to ensuring that the corps can identify and carry out solutions that are tailored to address the needs of each individual community,” Capito went on. “We must also continue to preserve the role of nonfederal sponsors in this project and maintain the corps’ focus on its primary mission areas: navigation, flood and coastal storm risk management, and ecosystem restoration.”
Rouzer
On the other side of the Capitol, the House transportation panel plans to schedule approval of their version of the comprehensive water infrastructure bill.
Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) is the chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee and WRDA’s sponsor in the chamber. He recently detailed for Transport Topics a road map for clearing the legislation for the White House this year.
Pending committee approval this spring, the bill’s consideration on the House floor would occur either in late April or May.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing above or go here for more info
“I anticipate that we’ll have no issues marking up in the [House] subcommittee because of the work that’s going to be done ahead of time,” Rouzer told TT last month. “Obviously the Senate works on its own timetable and, you know, we’re two separate but equal bodies here in the legislative branch and so we’ll see where we are. But I don’t think WRDA is going to be holding anything up. There may be other bills that hold WRDA up a little bit just given the nature of the beast here sometimes.”
“But at the end of the day,” Rouzer emphasized, “I fully expect we’ll have this signed into law by year end.”
In recent years, the typical WRDA law has focused on approving funds and Army Corps of Engineers projects specific to flood mitigation, ports, dams, waterways, canals and locks. During a “Members’ Day” hearing at the beginning of the year, House lawmakers sought support for projects ranging from environmental reviews to expansion projects.
