House Passes Critical Water Bill

Press Release

House Passes Critical Water Bill

The Water Resource Development Act of 2007, H.R. 1495 became a law as of November 9, 2007. The purpose of the law is to reauthorize the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to allow flood control, navigation, and environmental projects and studies by the Army Core of Engineers. I am proud to say that I was able to get some language in Section 3139 of the Act to keep Delaware River safe from debris.

The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 approves projects for navigation, ecosystem or environmental restoration, and hurricane, flood, or storm damage reduction in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

The language in section 3139 of H.R. 1495 especially reads "The Secretary may remove debris from the project for navigation, Delaware River, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, Philadelphia to the Sea."

Moreover, it amends the WRDA of 1986 to prohibit the Secretary from: (1) soliciting contributions from non-federal interests for costs of constructing authorized water resources projects or measures in excess of the nonfederal shares; or (2) conditioning federal participation on receipt of such contributions.

In addition, the law makes the Secretary responsible for maintenance of navigation channels and breakwaters constructed or improved by the non-federal interest, at their request, upon determining that such maintenance is economically justified and environmentally acceptable and that the channel or breakwater was constructed in accordance with applicable permits and engineering and design standards, with respect to specified bodies of water in Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

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