Via the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano applaud House passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022.
WRDA 2022 will improve the nation’s water infrastructure by authorizing water resources development projects in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). This legislation will strengthen America’s economy through investments in ports, harbors, and inland waterways; make communities more resilient in the face of extreme weather and climate change; and protect and restore our ecosystems.
The provisions of the WRDA relating to storm water:
- Allows for the Corps to rebuild and maintain hurricane and storm damage reduction projects to dimensions necessary to address sea-level rise, extreme weather, and other challenges posed by climate change;
- Clarifies the authority of the Corps to study the impacts of coastal storms on backbay and riverine flooding as part of an ongoing coastal storm risk reduction project study;
- Renews Congressional support for water resources projects that promote the beneficial reuse of sediment by establishing a strategic plan for reusing clean dredged materials for ecosystem restoration or storm damage reduction projects; and
- Continues to expand Corps authority to address the future water supply needs of communities, especially those communities in the nation’s arid regions, including review of sediment loadings that may limit available space for water storage and authority for aquifer recharge projects.
The full bill text can be found here.
“The Water Resources Development Act of 2022—the largest and most ambitious WRDA bill to date—demonstrates that when Congress works together, it can pass legislation on a bipartisan basis that benefits communities across the country," said Chair DeFazio in the press release. "WRDA 2022 helps provide much needed investment in ports, harbors, and inland waterways—easing supply chain problems—as well as flood mitigation infrastructure, and ecosystem restoration in both urban and rural communities alike. The bill also directs the Corps to carry out these projects in an economically and environmentally responsible manner, with an added emphasis on coordinating with state, local, and Tribal partners to execute projects equitably. I want to thank Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Chair Napolitano and Ranking Member Rouzer for their important work on this legislation. I urge the Senate to act quickly so we can send a final bill to the President’s desk to be signed into law."
“WRDA is our legislative commitment to investing in and protecting our communities from flooding events, restoring our environment and ecosystems, and keeping our nation’s competitiveness by supporting our ports and harbors. Through biennial enactment, our committee has addressed local, regional, and national needs through authorization of new U.S Army Corps of Engineers projects, studies, and policies that benefit every corner of the nation,” said Chair Napolitano in the press release. “We held four hearings in preparation for this bill, including a Member Day hearing, and had a formal process to receive legislative, policy, and project ideas from Members which resulted in over 1,500 ideas submitted, most of which were incorporated in the final bill. I am very pleased to join Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Rouzer in bringing WRDA to the floor, and I thank all Members for engaging with the Committee on this bill and advocating for the needs of your districts.”
