The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 (H.R. 7575)[1], authorizing at least $8.6 billion in federal funds for 38 new Army Corps of Engineers construction projects.
WRDA 2020 provides policy direction to the Army Corps of Engineers for its civil works missions. This includes flood and storm protection, river and port navigation, environmental restoration improvements, and other water resources infrastructure according to Engineering News-Record (ENR). The total cost of the projects is estimated at more than $13 billion.
The 2020 WRDA was passed by the House on Jul. 29, so WRDA will now move to the Senate. The Senate version would authorize $5.1 billion in federal funds for 26 Corps of Engineers projects, but the water measures have yet to come to the Senate floor for a vote, according to ENR.
Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman, was among those who steered the House’s passage of the bill. “WRDA 2020 authorizes critical Corps projects, which will strengthen our coastal communities, help keep us competitive in the global economy, restore our coastal environment, and create and sustain thousands of good-paying American jobs,” [2] DeFazio says. “This bill also transforms the Corps’ planning process to ensure that future water resources development projects are more resilient, fully evaluate ecological and societal benefits, and are accessible to all communities, including rural and economically disadvantaged communities whose needs are often overlooked.” If a new WRDA becomes law this year it would continue a six-year streak of enacting water resources legislation every other year, reported ENR.
[1] Tuser Cristina. “House Approves Water Resources Development Act of 2020” Water & Wastes Digest, 31, July 2020, https://www.wwdmag.com/funding/house-approves-water-resources-development-act-2020
[2] Yanik Kevin. “House passes bill addressing US water infrastructure” Pit&Quarry, 30, July 2020, https://www.pitandquarry.com/house-passes-bill-addressing-us-water-infrastructure/
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