December 23, 2022

Chairs DeFazio, Napolitano Celebrate President Biden Signing WRDA 2022 into Law

Washington, DC – Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) released the following statements after President Biden signed the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 into law, which included the Water Resources Development Act of 2022: 
 
“I applaud President Biden for signing the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 into law today. This WRDA bill, which is the fifth consecutive biennial and bipartisan WRDA to pass, will continue to build upon its predecessors by investing in our ports, harbors, and inland waterways and improving water infrastructure and flood protection across the nation,” Chair DeFazio said. “WRDA 2022 is the latest win in a historic Congress for reinvestment in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. It will help ease supply chain issues, create good-paying jobs, and promote environmental responsibility. WRDA 2022 also builds on my work in previous WRDAs to ensure that future Corps projects are more resilient in the face of extreme weather and are developed through increased partnership between the Corps and non-federal interests, especially Tribes and economically disadvantaged and rural communities. This is the most ambitious WRDA to date and I am proud to have continued this bipartisan tradition during my time as Chair.”
 
“WRDA is our Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's commitment to investing in and protecting our communities from flooding events, restoring our environment and ecosystems, and keeping our nation’s competitiveness by supporting our ports and harbors. I commend President Biden, the EPA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for recognizing that WRDA works and for prioritizing clean water for all, including economically disadvantaged and tribal communities. I thank Chair Peter DeFazio for his strong leadership of our committee, his unwavering commitment to clean water, and helping deliver a fifth consecutive bipartisan WRDA for our nation,” Chair Napolitano said.
  
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