Capito: Senate Passes Bipartisan 2024 Water Resources Bill with Key WV Wins

To view Ranking Member Capito's floor remarks upon the bill's passage, click here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the bipartisanThomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, which authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to continue implementation of key projects and studies that address water resources challenges in communities across the country, including several in West Virginia.

WRDA 2024 is biennial legislation that authorizes flood control, navigation and ecosystem restoration projects for the USACE. The bill authorizes water infrastructure projects and programs that will impact all 50 states, including 83 feasibility studies and 13 new or modified construction projects.

U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the EPW Committee, Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ranking Member of the EPW Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Chair of the EPW Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, released the below statements celebrating the bill's passage.

"This year's bipartisan Water Resources Development Act supports the important work the Army Corps of Engineers does in states, cities, and towns across America," Ranking Member Capito said. "By passing this legislation, the Senate took a significant step toward strengthening our water infrastructure, supporting our national economy, better protecting communities from flood risks, and helping the Corps carry out its mission now and in the future. I appreciate Chairman Carper and Senators Cramer and Kelly for working together as we advanced the 2024 WRDA today."

"Today, the U.S. Senate passed crucial bipartisan legislation to invest in our nation's water infrastructure, protect our communities and support good paying jobs," Chairman Carper said. "This bill addresses the diverse water resources needs of our nation and directs the Army Corps of Engineers to continue its work to make our communities more resilient in the face of extreme weather. I am grateful to Senators Capito, Kelly and Cramer for their partnership in crafting this legislation and look forward to seeing it across the finish line."

"With today's Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act, we're supporting states like Arizona in preparing for and responding to drought conditions," Senator Kelly, Chairman of the Senate EPW Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said. "This bipartisan legislation includes provisions that will expedite critical Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure and flood control projects in Arizona. I'm proud to have worked alongside my colleagues to advance this bill, and I look forward to its swift enactment to better secure Arizona's water future and support our communities."

"Every two years we pass a bipartisan Water Resources Development Act to authorize Army Corps of Engineers projects and reform existing programs," Senator Cramer, Ranking Member of the Senate EPW Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure said. "From flood control to recreational access, North Dakotans are acutely aware of the importance of the Corps to our state. I am thankful for the partnership of my EPW colleagues who help make WRDA one of the few bills which is both bipartisan and passed through regular order. The unanimous passage of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act in the Senate is a win for regular order and for communities across North Dakota and the country which interact with or even depend on Army Corps operations."

Click here to view bill text.

Click here to view the one-pager of West Virginia wins.

Click here to view Ranking Member Capito's floor remarks upon passage.

WEST VIRGINIA WINS SECURED BY CAPITO:

Supporting Flood Control and Prevention Efforts, Ecosystem Restoration:

· Addresses the needs of areas harmed by the 2016 flood: adjusts the cost-share for any future projects in West Virginia that are identified by the feasibility study for flood risk management in the Kanawha River Basin.

· Increases the maximum amount of funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may contribute to small projects for emergency streambank and shoreline protection, aquatic ecosystem restoration, and the removal of obstructions or debris to rivers and channels.

· Urges the USACE to expedite completion of studies/projects in:

o Upper Guyandotte River Basin: feasibility study for food risk management

o Kanawha River Basin: feasibility study for flood risk management

o Milton, W.Va.: project for flood control

o Hinton, W.Va. - Bluestone Dam: project for dam safety modifications

Enhancing Assistance for Environmental Infrastructure Projects:

· Increases the authorized funding level for the USACE's Section 340 and Section 571 environmental infrastructure programs, which support drinking water and wastewater projects across the state of West Virginia, and adjusts the cost-share for projects in West Virginia communities that are carried out under these programs.

· Establishes a new authority for the USACE to partner with communities in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to restore rivers and streams that have been impacted by acid mine drainage.

Strengthening the Corps' Authorities to Address Water Resources Needs:

· Improves the USACE's outreach and education efforts to communities, including those in West Virginia, that are facing water resources challenges.

· Expands the USACE's ability to partner with West Virginia University to conduct academic research on water resources issues critical to West Virginia.

· Modernizes the USACE's ability to pay authority to account for the different needs of communities across West Virginia and the nation.

· Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a review of and prepare a report to Congress on the USACE's:

o Efforts to accelerate feasibility studies by implementing the environmental review provisions in the Fiscal Responsibility Act and other existing USACE authorities.

o Project partnership agreements for water resources development projects, emphasizing the indemnification clause and long-term Operations, Maintenance, Repair, Replacement, and Rehabilitation Responsibilities of the non-federal interest included in those agreements.

o Project cost estimates for completed and ongoing water resources development projects to improve fiscal responsibility and transparency in cost estimates for non-federal interests.

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