Obama signs WRRDA bill
June 10, 2014 | 05:57 PM
President Barack Obama today signed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, a measure long sought by agriculture and public works groups, particularly because it authorizes repair and modernization of the locks and dams on the Mississippi River and in ports around the country.
WRRDA, Obama said, “will put Americans to work modernizing our water infrastructure and restoring some of our most vital ecosystems.”
The bill authorizes construction of 34 Army Corps of Engineers water resources projects for flood risk management, navigation, hurricane and storm damage risk reduction, and environmental restoration; modifies previously authorized projects; and contains numerous other water resources project‑related provisions, the White House noted in a news release.
“During my State of the Union address, I asked Congress to pass this bill by the summer, and I congratulate this outstanding crew for getting it done,” Obama said at at a White House ceremony.
Obama was referring to his guests at the ceremony: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and ranking member Sen. David Vitter, R-La.; House Transporation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa. and ranking member Rep. Nick Rahall, D-Va.; Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio ,and Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.
“As more of the world’s cargo is transported on these massive ships, we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got bridges high enough and ports that are big enough to hold them and accommodate them so that our businesses can keep selling goods made in America to the rest of the world,” Obama said.
“Meanwhile, many of America’s businesses ship their goods across the country by river and by canal, so we’ve got to make sure that those waterways are in tip-top shape.”
But Obama also noted that Congress still needs to pass a transportation bill to keep those projects running.
Martin Barbre
National Corn Growers Association Martin Barbre thanked the president for signing the bill and completing the WRRDA process.
“Our locks and dams transport our cargoes today, but were built in the 1920s and 1930s to accommodate far smaller loads and far less river traffic,” Barbre said.
“For farmers in particular, this is crucial, as more than 60 percent of the nation’s grain exports are transported by barge. The need is urgent; U.S. farmers and businesses rely upon this transportation channel to create economic opportunities at home and supply markets abroad. Now, it is imperative that we continue our momentum related to waterways improvements by passing the diesel user fee.”
Bob Stallman
American Farm Bureau President Robert Stallman said the law “puts America’s inland waterways and port infrastructure on a solid and sustainable foundation.”
U.S. waterways, Stallman noted, “transport 60 percent of the nation’s export-bound grain, supply American farmers with fertilizer for planting season and provide a competitive advantage against producers of farm goods outside the nation’s borders.”
The law, he added, contains the majority of Farm Bureau’s priorities, including improvements to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. It also establishes minimum authorization levels for the HMTF and requires 100 percent of funds to be spent on port infrastructure improvements by 2025.”
The American Public Works Association noted that the Senate approved WRRDA by a vote 91-7, and the House of Representatives approved the measure with a vote of 412-4.
Michael Toohey
The Waterways Council, Inc., also noted that House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee today approved, by a unanimous voice vote, the fiscal year 2015 appropriations bill that funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works program.
“Today is momentous for the inland waterways, but also for Americans who rely upon the critical cargoes that are transported on our rivers,” said WCI President and CEO Michael Toohey.
â–ª Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014
WRRDA, Obama said, “will put Americans to work modernizing our water infrastructure and restoring some of our most vital ecosystems.”
The bill authorizes construction of 34 Army Corps of Engineers water resources projects for flood risk management, navigation, hurricane and storm damage risk reduction, and environmental restoration; modifies previously authorized projects; and contains numerous other water resources project‑related provisions, the White House noted in a news release.
“During my State of the Union address, I asked Congress to pass this bill by the summer, and I congratulate this outstanding crew for getting it done,” Obama said at at a White House ceremony.
Obama was referring to his guests at the ceremony: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and ranking member Sen. David Vitter, R-La.; House Transporation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa. and ranking member Rep. Nick Rahall, D-Va.; Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio ,and Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.
“As more of the world’s cargo is transported on these massive ships, we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got bridges high enough and ports that are big enough to hold them and accommodate them so that our businesses can keep selling goods made in America to the rest of the world,” Obama said.
“Meanwhile, many of America’s businesses ship their goods across the country by river and by canal, so we’ve got to make sure that those waterways are in tip-top shape.”
But Obama also noted that Congress still needs to pass a transportation bill to keep those projects running.
National Corn Growers Association Martin Barbre thanked the president for signing the bill and completing the WRRDA process.
“Our locks and dams transport our cargoes today, but were built in the 1920s and 1930s to accommodate far smaller loads and far less river traffic,” Barbre said.
“For farmers in particular, this is crucial, as more than 60 percent of the nation’s grain exports are transported by barge. The need is urgent; U.S. farmers and businesses rely upon this transportation channel to create economic opportunities at home and supply markets abroad. Now, it is imperative that we continue our momentum related to waterways improvements by passing the diesel user fee.”
American Farm Bureau President Robert Stallman said the law “puts America’s inland waterways and port infrastructure on a solid and sustainable foundation.”
U.S. waterways, Stallman noted, “transport 60 percent of the nation’s export-bound grain, supply American farmers with fertilizer for planting season and provide a competitive advantage against producers of farm goods outside the nation’s borders.”
The law, he added, contains the majority of Farm Bureau’s priorities, including improvements to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. It also establishes minimum authorization levels for the HMTF and requires 100 percent of funds to be spent on port infrastructure improvements by 2025.”
The American Public Works Association noted that the Senate approved WRRDA by a vote 91-7, and the House of Representatives approved the measure with a vote of 412-4.
The Waterways Council, Inc., also noted that House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee today approved, by a unanimous voice vote, the fiscal year 2015 appropriations bill that funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works program.
“Today is momentous for the inland waterways, but also for Americans who rely upon the critical cargoes that are transported on our rivers,” said WCI President and CEO Michael Toohey.
â–ª Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014
