House Committee Looks at Water Resources Development Act Proposals

Last November, in a show of bipartisanship, Congress overrode a Presidential veto of a water resources bill that authorized approximately $23.2 billion for more than 900 Army Corps of Engineers water projects in 23 states.

Normally, Congress considers a water resources bill every two years, but last year’s bill was the first water resources measured passed since 2000. The WRDA 2007 bill primarily focused on the backlog of project authorizations, modifications and studies that had accumulated since 2000.

The legislation this year is intended to address new project studies and authorizations that have arisen over the past two years. Subcommittee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) said she hoped the overwhelming bipartisan support for a new water resources bill would convince President Bush to sign it.

“Water related infrastructure should not be a partisan issue — these flood control, navigation, environmental restoration, and other water related projects are far too important to our constituents, our local economies and the American people’s lives and livelihoods,” said Johnson.

John Paul Woodley Jr., assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, cautioned against passing another large water resources bill.

“Last year, the Congress passed the most expensive WRDA bill ever at a time when the Corps was already facing a large backlog — well over $50 billion — of authorized, but unconstructed projects. WRDA 2007 added at least $15 billion of projects to the backlog,” he said.

Woodley’s comments drew a sharp rebuke from committee Chairman James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), who criticized the Administration for failing to fund water resource projects from last year’s bill in the FY 2009 budget request.

The subcommittee will gather information and individual project requests over the next several weeks in order to move a new bill later this summer, Johnson said.