U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today applauded the House’s approval of the bipartisan, bicameral Conference Report to H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA). The House overwhelmingly agreed to the report by a vote of 412-4.
“WRRDA is, first and foremost, a jobs bill, and the approval of a long-term WRRDA bill was overdue,” said Davis, a member of the House-Senate WRRDA Conference Committee. “Through this Conference Report we’ve been able to cut red tape and streamline the project approval process, moving from a 15-year process to a 3-year process, and provide increased oversight and transparency, all without earmarks.
“Passing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation, with the support of business and labor groups alike, is yet another great example of how Congress can put politics aside to work together and govern, and it should serve as a model as we begin work on a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill.”
“I have to commend Congressman Davis for his leadership and willingness to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find an agreement on the WRRDA Conference Report,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. “His background of assisting municipalities and local governments work through the red tape of the federal government on projects like locks and dams and levees made him a tremendous resource on this conference committee, and helped us find ways to streamline the approval process for projects to cut costs and increase transparency.”
Davis was a cosponsor of H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA), which was introduced in the House by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Committee Ranking Member Nick J. Rahall, II (D-W. Va.), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.). It was overwhelmingly approved by the House by a bipartisan vote of 417-3 on October 23, 2013.
Through WRRDA, Congress authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out its missions to develop, maintain, and support the Nation’s vital port and waterways infrastructure needs, and support effective and targeted flood protection and environmental restoration needs.
“As the Leadership Council continues to unite business, industry, government, education and labor for economic growth in Southwestern Illinois, much of our attention is focused on the opportunities we see here for multimodal job growth,” said Ellen Krohne, Executive Director of the Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois. “This measure is a key step forward in strengthening our water-based multimodal infrastructure, and ultimately our region’s position as a leading center for trade and distribution, and we salute its passage.”
“We are pleased with the outcome and expect the consolidation of projects, the work-in-kind language, and the modifications to the Wood River funding provisions to help achieve long term flood protection for the Southwestern Illinois region,” said Chuck Etwert, Chief Supervisor of Construction and the Works for the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council.
"Increasing navigation and freight transport on our nation's inland rivers is so important to the economic vitality and environmental sustainability of the U.S.," said Dennis Wilmsmeyer, executive director of America's Central Port, located in southwestern Illinois. "WRRDA provides for innovative approaches to financing historically federally-funded projects on our rivers, addresses our nation's most precious, natural resource as part of the overall transportation system, and looks to establish resiliency in the rivers during extreme weather events. The passage of WRRDA underscores the importance of our rivers for freight movement and exports, and reinforces that river barge movement of goods is the most environmentally-sustainable form of transportation."
Included in the report is language authored by Davis, U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and U.S. Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) that authorizes the creation of a pilot program that would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to identify water resources development projects eligible to be financed through public-private partnerships to help speed up repairs and upgrades.
“By offering unique solutions to invest in our water infrastructure we can ensure that the Mississippi River and other Illinois waterways will be reliable arteries to move goods and services for years to come, so I’m pleased that we were able to include our public-private partnership language in the final Conference Report,” said Davis. “Now that our work is almost complete, I hope that we can return to the regular two-year schedule and re-dedicate ourselves to developing our water resources, which is essential to trade, agriculture and jobs in Illinois.”
The report also includes language authored by Davis and Rep. Bill Enyart (D-Ill.) to help improve navigation along the Mississippi River during times of high and low water by giving the Army Corps more flexibility in maintaining navigation and improved forecasting technology along the river.
Additionally, the Conference Report includes the following provisions that will support the Metro East region’s efforts to repair and recertify its levees system:
- Authorize $25.66 million in funding to continue necessary upgrades on the Wood River Levee;
- Combine the several separately authorized Metro East levee projects into one project authority, giving the Army Corps of Engineers greater flexibility and efficiency in using federal funding to complete the projects;
- Allow communities working on projects like the Metro East Levees to receive work-in-kind credit, which can assist local efforts to rebuild the levees to the authorized level of protection; and
- Ensure that efforts to fix the portions of the Wood River Levee that have been negatively impacted by a design deficiency in the construction of the Melvin Price Dam are completed at 100 percent federal cost.
Davis was a part of the House-Senate Conference Committee tasked with resolving the differences between the House and Senate-passed Water Resources Reform and Development Acts. In early May conferees reached an agreement on a final measure, which requires both Houses of Congress to approve the Conference Report in order to send it to the President to be signed into law.
