Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the rule and the underlying bill, H.R. 3080.

This bill provides commonsense reforms to the construction of water infrastructure projects, which will help facilitate commerce and get this country back to work, and it does so without earmarks. It also addresses our regulatory framework amidst commonsense solutions that we can use.

Article I of the Constitution clearly spells out that the Federal Government has a role in regulating commerce, and when we talk about building ports and dams, these are the types of projects that the Federal Government can and should undertake, which will allow the private sector to thrive, as well as encouraging private sector participation.

I want to thank the chairman and the committee for their work on this bill, which also advances the cause of the Savannah Harbor expansion project, which is one of the many projects that can move forward under this bill. The Savannah Harbor deepening will allow the State of Georgia to begin construction on this much-needed project. When it is completed, consumers and businesses all across the country will benefit from the imports and exports that flow through Savannah.

The bill also provides residents across the country with a framework that advances long-term economic growth opportunities by expanding and improving our sources of water supply.

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