Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, the sixth consecutive bipartisan bill approved by Congress to address local water resources across the country.

Regular biennial consideration of WRDA, as we call it, is a proud bipartisan tradition of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It provides predictability to local sponsors and the Army Corps of Engineers in carrying out projects to improve the Nation's ports, harbors, and inland navigation systems and to protect communities from flood and storm risks.

These are locally driven projects that will create good-paying jobs for hardworking women and men by strengthening our global competitiveness and supply chains and ensuring the resilience of communities for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Graves, Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chair Rouzer, and their staff for their partnership, insight, and collaboration in developing this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank our Senate counterparts, Chair Carper and Ranking Member Capito, for their support in shepherding this bill over the finish line.

I specifically recognize Ranking Member Napolitano for her leadership on this WRDA, as well as the four previous WRDA bills. She has left her mark on this committee with her decades of visionary work to address the future water supply and drought resiliency needs of communities throughout the United States.

This final bill rightfully acknowledges her career as the ``Queen of Water'' by naming the section that encourages the corps to maximize opportunities for water supply, water conservation, and drought resiliency at its projects as the Grace F. Napolitano Priority for Water Supply, Water Conservation, and Drought Resiliency Act of 2024.

WRDA 2024 authorizes the construction of projects in 21 pending reports of the chief of engineers. It also provides over $5 billion in new and modified environmental infrastructure authorities to address local water and wastewater needs.

This bill also authorizes over 200 new feasibility studies for future water resources development projects, as well as modifies multiple existing projects to reflect current local needs.

Mr. Speaker, WRDA 2024 makes the Corps of Engineers Tribal Partnership Program permanent and expands initiatives to assist Tribal partners while also making projects more financially accessible to all communities.

It also provides communities with tools needed to face the threats posed by climate change, from enhancing drought resilience to combating harmful algal blooms and supporting flood control projects.

WRDA 2024 supports economic growth by investing in projects that create jobs, grow local economies, boost economic competitiveness, and strengthen supply chains in the United States.

Ships are getting bigger, and our ports need to get deeper to maintain America's competitive edge. Increased Federal investment in harbor-deepening projects will strengthen our supply chains and ensure that our ports and harbors can accommodate the world's largest ships.

Further, the WRDA legislation we are considering also includes provisions related to economic development and public buildings.

The bill authorizes activities for the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, or EDA, for the next 5 years. Congress is giving EDA clear direction about our priorities, which include clarifying EDA's responsibilities in disaster recovery efforts led by FEMA, adjusting the Federal and non-Federal cost-share levels, and prioritizing investments in critical infrastructure, workforce, innovation, entrepreneurship, economic recovery resiliency, and manufacturing.

The bill also includes provisions designed to improve the efficacy and accountability of the General Services Administration, or GSA, by improving the process for disposing of underutilized Federal buildings and making GSA's process for updating design and engineering requirements transparent.

This bill further gives States and local governments access to an additional $1.8 billion in contract authority that can be applied to critical transportation projects from amounts previously authorized under the TIFIA loan program.

This bill equitably redistributes these funds according to the highway formula, including a 10 percent set- aside for transportation alternatives, ensuring communities of all sizes in every State are guaranteed access to this funding.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Titus).

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Mr. LARSEN of Washington.

During this Congress, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has passed multiple comprehensive and bipartisan bills, including the FAA reauthorization. WRDA 2024 and other titles of this bill show we are finishing the Congress strong with a continued commitment from this committee to invest in our Nation's infrastructure and to grow our economy in regions across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Graves, Chair Rouzer, Chair Perry, Ranking Member Napolitano, and Ranking Member Titus for their partnership and dedication to navigating this comprehensive bipartisan and bicameral bill to final passage.

I also thank the Democratic staff, who worked very hard on this legislation: Ryan Seiger, Alexa Williams, Logan Ferree, Ann Jacobs, Jackie Schmitz, and Michael Bauman.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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