Inhofe Praises Senate Passage of WRDA, Highlights Victories for Oklahoma

Statement

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, praised the Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, which passed with a strong bipartisan vote of 95 to 3 and includes a number of provisions supporting Oklahoma's priorities.

"With strong bipartisan support, the Republican-led Senate has once again moved an economy-boosting infrastructure bill with the passage of WRDA 2016," Inhofe said. "Many provisions in this year's WRDA bill will benefit Oklahoma residents and job creators, and I am committed to seeing that these provisions and WRDA 2016 are signed into law before the end of this year. WRDA 2016 ensures that Corps projects in Oklahoma, including the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and the Tulsa and West Tulsa Levee System, continue to receive support and prioritization. Our ports, like the Port of Catoosa and the Port of Muskogee, will benefit by gaining the ability to provide funds, materials, or services to the Corps to prevent project failures and address the backlog of maintenance. WRDA 2016 will also empower the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to work with the Corps to change water storage policies to help the state, such as southwest Oklahoma, prepare for future droughts by increasing water storage and managing access to water. Since the introduction of the bill, I was able to secure additional Oklahoma provisions, to include language that gives the required Congressional approval for the water settlement recently reached by the state of Oklahoma, city of Oklahoma City, and the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations.

"When it comes to water and wastewater infrastructure, WRDA 2016 will serve Oklahoma's rural and small communities by providing a grant program to assist with compliance under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Cities and local municipalities will also be able to prioritize which unfunded federal mandates are most critical so that their resources can address the greatest needs first. I am proud of the bipartisan work that allowed for WRDA 2016 to move efficiently through the Senate and will continue working with my colleagues in the House to ensure that we are able to get another infrastructure bill signed into law to grow our economy and support water access across the country."

"I commend Congress for recognizing in 2014 that tackling the nation's woefully inadequate water infrastructure requires a bipartisan commitment to frequent, every-other-year funding directives and policy reforms," said J.D. Strong, executive director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board in support of Senate passage of WRDA 2016. "Senator Inhofe and his Senate colleagues followed through on this pledge with passage of WRDA 2016, and I know many other water managers join me in urging the House to do the same. Nothing could be more important to our nation's economy and safety than passage of WRDA 2016 and its comprehensive package of water supply, navigation, and other water infrastructure improvements, including Oklahoma's recently negotiated Indian water rights settlement."

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