House of Representatives authorises US water projects

The US House of Representatives has approved the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA), authorising 34 water projects across the country.

Through the WRRDA, congress authorises the US Army Corps of Engineers to develop, maintain, and support the country’s major port and waterways infrastructure needs. In addition, the legislation will support effective and targeted flood protection and environmental restoration needs. It also streamlines the project delivery process, promotes fiscal responsibility, and strengthens water transportation networks to encourage competitiveness, prosperity and economic growth.

Projects to be exectued under the $12bn bipartisan legislation range from flood protection in California and North Dakota to deepening the Port of Savannah and widening a Texas-Louisiana waterway that services the oil industry.

The bill was originally introduced in the House by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Bill Shuster, committee ranking member Nick Rahall, II, Water Resources and Environment sub-committee chairman Bob Gibbs, and sub-committee ranking member Tim Bishop.

Bill Shuster said that the legislation supports the water transportation network to keep the nation competitive, improve the flow of commerce, and provide a foundation for job growth.

"WRRDA is also the most policy and reform-focused measure of its kind in decades, and the most fiscally responsible water resources bill in history," Shuster added.

"It cuts red tape, reforms the federal bureaucracy, accelerates project delivery, and more than fully offsets authorisations for needed infrastructure improvements by deauthorising unnecessary, outdated projects."