House and Senate Release New Bills Calling for Improved Water Resources Infrastructure

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee recently released their new water resources bills titled, “America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018” (S. 2800), and “The Water Resources Development Act” (WRDA) (H.R. 8), respectively. Both pieces of legislation lay out improvements to be made to American ports, waterways, dams, and other water resources infrastructure. To achieve these goals, the bills adhere to the process laid out in the 2014 water resources law that call for much of this improvement work to be carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers. The House WRDA bill also directs the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to examine whether relocating the Civil Works Division of the Army Corps of Engineers from the Department of Defense "to a new or existing agency or sub-agency of the federal government" would have an impact on the division’s ability to carry out its mandated duties. The bill instructs the NAS to work with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of Management and Budget to come to a determination.

“WRDA positively impacts every single state and district in the country," Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) said in a statement. "This infrastructure is vital to moving goods throughout the country, from the products we all use in our daily lives, to the crops, resources, and goods we produce locally and send overseas in foreign commerce. WRDA works because it improves critical water resources infrastructure, strengthens the economy, and protects our communities."

To view Senate Bill S. 2800, click here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2800/text

To view House Bill H.R. 8, click here: https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hr8-wrda2018.pdf