Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) favorably out of Committee, where it now heads to the House Floor for a vote. This legislation provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and studies, as well as policy direction to the Corps for implementation of its Civil Works missions.
“I am pleased that today the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed a bipartisan WRDA bill by voice vote, which is now headed the House Floor for a vote,” said Chair DeFazio. “One of my top priorities in Congress has been protecting the small ports and harbors that are the lifeblood of Oregon’s coastal communities. By doubling funding for small harbors, WRDA 2020 makes sure that maintenance dredging and other projects like the Coos Bay North Jetty are well funded, ensuring the safety of our mariners and preserving the viability of our ports. Additionally, this bill takes serious action to protect and restore the habitat of endangered salmon and steelhead by directly investing in habitat restoration, protecting water in the Willamette Basin exclusively for conservation purposes, and finding ways to restore salmon access to pristine spawning territory above Cougar and Detroit Dams. I am thankful to Chair Napolitano and Ranking Members Graves and Westerman for their work to move forward this important legislation that will help unleash the full potential of our nation’s ports and harbors, protect our communities and environment, sustain U.S. jobs, and provide critical authorizations and improvements to Corps projects.”
Congress has successfully enacted three consecutive bipartisan WRDAs, in 2014, 2016, and 2018. With WRDA 2020, we continue this positive track record and show that WRDA still works.
More information, including bill text, can be found here.
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