Elizabeth Esty: WRRDA Gets Bipartisan Support in Congress

Op-Ed

Recently, after months of inexcusable dysfunction and discord-- including a reckless government shutdown and a debacle over potential default -- the House did something remarkable. In a nearly unanimous, bipartisan vote, the House passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA), one of the most significant infrastructure bills in years. You'd be hard pressed to find a whole lot of chatter about this bill on cable news channels and it didn't trend on Twitter.

WRRDA is not a flashy title or a flashy topic. Water infrastructure probably doesn't fit most definitions of a hot-button political issue. And the bill itself -- largely a reform of infrastructure authorization processes -- isn't what most folks would consider eye-catching.

But, WRRDA matters -- particularly right now, and in more ways than one.

Historically, Congress would pass legislation every two years to provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the authority to start new projects -- anything from harbor dredging, to flood management, to ecosystem restoration. But there has not been a water bill since 2007.

Army Corps' assistance is important to cities and towns like Torrington, Meriden, Thomaston, and many others in our district historically prone to flooding. In these communities, local officials and residents have worked hard, often in conjunction with the Corps, to develop and maintain infrastructure that mitigates flooding risks while maximizing economic potential.

Last spring, I visited some of these flood control and water infrastructure sites with local officials and representatives from the Corps. It's clear to anyone who visits these sites that these projects are critical for the safety and the prosperity of our communities. They are also a testament to the hard work of local leaders, residents, and partners at the state and federal level. But it was also equally clear that communities in Connecticut need a more effective and flexible process for starting new and necessary infrastructure projects with the Corps.

That's exactly what WRRDA offers. By cleaning out a $12 billion backlog of old, inactive projects and establishing a faster, more flexible process to seek Corps' assistance, WRRDA will help get flood control projects critical to local economic development and public safety off the ground.

WRRDA also matters for reasons beyond its policies. It represents something that has sadly become increasingly rare in Congress -- bipartisan consensus and cooperation. This bill was the result of months of serious bipartisan negotiations within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on which I serve. It passed out of committee unanimously, co-sponsored by members of both parties including our Republican Chairman Bill Shuster and our Democratic Ranking Member Nick Rahall, and me.

That quiet, responsible process stands in pretty stark contrast to the games and brinksmanship the American people were forced to endure from Congress during the government shutdown and debt ceiling debacle. It's also a testament to the bipartisan leadership of Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member Rahall.

Make no mistake, WRRDA isn't everything I want it to be. The same is true for many of my Republican colleagues for different reasons. Personally, I have real concerns with some provisions in the bill that could impact environmental reviews, and I'm hopeful this can be addressed when members of the House and Senate go to conference to iron out a final version of the bill.

But WRRDA is a true rarity in modern Washington. It's a bill that's bipartisan both in its development and in its result. It's commonsense and completely unglamorous. It addresses critical needs shared by nearly every part of our country. It's exactly the kind of work Congress should do more often to help create jobs in Connecticut.

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