Rep. Calvert Supports Development of Water Infrastructure Projects
Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) voted along with a bipartisan majority of the House (412-4) to pass the Conference Report to H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). The bill establishes critical policies in support of our country's waterways and flood control management.
"Constructing critical water infrastructure projects around the country is good for our economy and necessary for strengthening the backbones of our communities," said Rep. Calvert. "The WRRDA bill being sent to the President reflects the importance of these projects and the need to implement key reforms to build projects faster and at a lower cost. The 42ndDistrict is home to a number of important Corps of Engineers project, including Murrieta Creek and the Santa Ana River Mainstem project. I am hopeful that the passage of this WRRDA bill will help the Corps and the local sponsors complete projects in a timely fashion. I am also pleased the bill includes a new WIFIA program, which I advocated for based on the success of TIFIA and our ongoing need for innovative financing options."
Highlights of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014:
(Provided by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)
The Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 is one of the most policy and reform focused measures of its kind in the last two decades. WRRDA streamlines the project delivery process, promotes fiscal responsibility, and strengthens our water transportation networks to promote competitiveness, prosperity, and economic growth. WRRDA contains no earmarks and makes major reforms to increase transparency, accountability, and Congressional oversight in reviewing and prioritizing future water resources development activities.
Reforms Bureaucracy, Accelerates Project Delivery, and Streamlines Environmental Reviews
- Sets hard deadlines on the time and cost of studies
- Consolidates or eliminates duplicative or unnecessary studies and requires concurrent reviews
- Streamlines environmental reviews and improves coordination
Fiscally Responsible
- Deauthorizes $18 billion of old, inactive projects that were authorized prior to WRDA 2007
- More than fully offsets authorizations with deauthorizations
- Sunsets new authorizations to prevent future project backlogs
- Reduces the inventory of properties that are not needed for the missions of the Corps
- Establishes a new, transparent process for future bills to review and prioritize water resources development activities with strong Congressional oversight
Increases Flexibility for Non-Federal Interests and Leverages Private Sector Investments to Multiply the Effect of Federal Funding
- Maximizes the ability of non-federal interests to contribute their own funds to move studies and projects forward
- Expands the ability of non-federal interests to contribute funds to expedite the evaluation and processing of permits
- Establishes a Water Infrastructure Public Private Partnership Program and new options to expand the local role in project implementation
- Creates innovative methods to invest in and finance water resources infrastructure and municipal drinking water and wastewater needs
Enhances Safety and Protects Communities
- Strengthens dam and levee safety
- Improves Army Corps of Engineers responses to extreme weather events
- Encourages resilient construction techniques and the use of durable, sustainable, and innovative materials
Improves Competitiveness, Creates Jobs, and Strengthens Water Resources Infrastructure
- Authorizes needed investment in America's ports, strengthens ports that move the majority of the Nation's commerce, and ensures equity for those ports that contribute the most to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
- Supports underserved, emerging ports
- Reforms and preserves the Inland Waterways Trust Fund
- Authorizes priority water resources infrastructure improvements recommended to Congress by the Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers to improve navigation and commerce and address flood risk management, hurricane and storm damage risk reduction, and environmental restoration needs
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