Water Resources Development Act of 2020
Floor Speech
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, some of what I say today is going to be a little redundant, but I think it does bear repeating.
I do stand here in strong support of the amended version of S. 1811, which is the Water Resources Development Act 2020 or WRDA. The bill represents a bipartisan, bicameral compromise. It renews our commitment to regularly consider water resources infrastructure legislation.
And I remind my House colleagues and reiterate what the chairman said, we unanimously passed a bipartisan WRDA bill out of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and we unanimously passed it on the floor of the House in July. And now, 5 months later, we hope to do the very same thing after successfully negotiating with the Senate.
Madam Speaker, WRDA 2020 authorizes--and, again, as has been pointed out--60 critical water resource projects. This is the most authorizations in recent history. These projects are going to strengthen our global competitiveness, they are going to grow the economy, they are going to provide flood protection for our communities, they are going to safeguard the environment, and create jobs.
Additionally, WRDA is fiscally responsible and deauthorizes old projects to fully offset new authorizations. It advances inland waterway improvements by adjusting the Inland Waterways Trust Fund cost-share; it includes important considerations and set-asides for rural communities; and it provides relief to communities, such as those in my home State of Missouri that have experienced repetitive losses as a result of flood events.
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman DeFazio, Chair Napolitano, Ranking Member Westerman, and committee members and staff on both sides for their efforts in this very important piece of legislation.
On the Republican staff, I particularly want to thank the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment staff: Ian Bennitt, Jon Pawlow, and Victor Sarmiento. These folks have worked over weekends, they have worked over the recent holidays to help ensure that our priorities were intact, and we could move this bill prior to the end of Congress--at least this year's Congress.
I thank my general counsel, Corey Cooke, Tara Hupman, Tyler Micheletti, Justin Harclerode, Abby Camp, Nick Christensen, Jack Ruddy, and my full committee staff director, Paul Sass, for their hard work on this and getting it done.
Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill, S.
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment.
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast).
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of WRDA 2020.
This bill increases the authorized cost of the Cano Martin Pena Ecosystem Restoration Project, representing the fully funded cost estimate at fiscal year 2020 levels. This project was authorized in 2007, prior to completing the feasibility phase and without updated costs. That is the reason it is so important for me. This change reflects the reality of costs and supports the project moving forward.
This bill also authorizes flood risk management projects for Rio Culebrinas, Rio Guayanilla, and Rio Grande de Manati in the municipalities of Aguada, Aguadilla, Guayanilla, and Ciales. Authorization is a firm step in the right direction as we work with stakeholders to restore these rivers and improve flood protection and the health and economic opportunities of island residents.
I would like to thank Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves and their staff for working alongside my office to secure those provisions.
I also want to thank them for including the current mapping of all coasts that are experiencing rapid change. That means that Alaska, Hawaii, and many of the territories are going to be included in that provision.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the bill.
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin).
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jacobs).
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).
Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend, the ranking member. I didn't realize I was delaying his closing statement. I am interested in hearing it, too.
And then we are going to compare beards together after this; right? I am going to lose, I know, because he is the ranking member. That is what happens.
Madam Speaker, I do want to say a heartfelt thank-you and congratulations to Ranking Member Graves. This is a testament to his leadership for our side on this committee that we have come here to see such bipartisanship when it comes to the Water Resources Development Act.
Madam Speaker, I do also want to thank Chairman DeFazio for his hard work. This is something that we have seen over my time in Congress. My first term, I was blessed enough to be appointed to the conference committee that got us on track for getting WRDA together on a biennial process.
Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves, these are the guys who helped lead the teams to put this successful effort together.
And the chairman, I am sure, is probably surprised. I haven't been one to stand up and talk about bipartisanship in this Congress as much as I would have liked, but today is that day to celebrate, and he needs to be commended for his leadership, and I am excited that we see this success when it comes to WRDA.
This legislation is important to my district because I represent the Illinois and Mississippi waterways, the navigation projects that make sure that global commerce gets from my district out into the global marketplace.
Without proper policies governing the Corps of Engineers and projects that are so important to my district, we wouldn't be able to be as successful, economically. This is the reason why I am so excited that we see this bipartisan effort.
Madam Speaker, I urge a hearty ``yes'' vote and passage on this bill, and I thank every one of my colleagues who helped get us to this point. Madam Speaker, I certainly look forward to an overwhelming vote in the House today or later this week.
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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, in closing, let me note that WRDA 2020 will make America more competitive, grow jobs, foster a more robust economy, and, very importantly, it is going to protect our communities for years to come.
We passed a very similar bill by voice vote earlier this year, and this version reflects negotiations with the Senate that successfully maintained those strong principles and priorities from the House bill.
Madam Speaker, I would just like to say, as well, that it has been a pleasure working with Chairman DeFazio and his staff in this process, and this is the way that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure usually works; and when it does work this way, we produce really good products.
This is a good piece of legislation, and, hopefully, we will see much more of that in the future. I know I am committed to it, and I think it makes a big difference.
Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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