Water Resources Development Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I rise today to speak in support of the Water Resources Development Act, the main vehicle for authorizing vital water projects developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and for setting Army Corps water resource policies. Water resource and flood control projects spur economic growth and create jobs. They fortify communities against storms and floods. They maintain our water and waste water systems. They help maintain our favorite outdoor recreational destinations. And they can protect America's cherished and economically important--fish and wildlife.

Unfortunately, in Rhode Island and across the country, aging water infrastructure is rapidly approaching the end of its useful life, and funding available for upgrades is far outpaced by the need. This bill will increase the Army Corps' capacity to address the dismal state of our water infrastructure while improving the agency's operations.

I want to express my gratitude to our chairman on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Boxer, as well as our ranking member, Senator Vitter, for their hard work in drafting a bill that addresses a number of national and regional priorities in a bipartisan fashion.

I particularly appreciate the inclusion of several provisions designed to clean up the process at the Army Corps, to clear the backlog of construction and maintenance projects, to improve transparency in developing and carrying out civil works projects, and to give local communities a better chance to understand what to expect.

According the Office of Management and Budget, "The Corps' enormous backlog of ongoing civil works construction represents a significant source of unrealized economic and environmental benefits. . . . This growth trend in the construction backlog unfairly penalizes both taxpayers and project sponsors.''

The bill before us establishes an independent commission to work through an estimated $62 billion backlog of projects and sets a timetable for downsizing the corps' burdensome to-do list. My colleagues on both sides of the aisle should appreciate the responsible use of corps resources and of taxpayer dollars.

This bill also makes the corps more responsive to communities and businesses, requiring the corps to make more information available to the public about projects under its Continuing Authorities Program, including available funding, cost estimates, and the criteria used to prioritize projects. States like mine and our communities and companies can't plan around water resource projects because they are so often left in the dark.

For example, Hope Global has manufactured textiles in Rhode Island since 1883. Today it makes fabrics that are used in everything from cars to parachutes to construction. During the historic 2010 floods in our State that clobbered Hope Global, I literally entered the building through the shipping bay in a boat. Hope Global survived, thanks to the dedication and quick thinking of its CEO and employees, but the risk of future flooding along the Blackstone River looms over this business and many others in the area.

The corps has partnered with the State of Rhode Island to conduct a feasibility study for flooding mitigation on the Blackstone River. The State used its limited resources to fund the study, hoping to solve the flooding problems once and for all. Three years later, due to lack of transparency in the corps budget, we still don't know where this project stands. This bill will change that, so communities like those in my State can make informed decisions about their future.

Episodes like the 2010 floods and, more recently, Superstorm Sandy underscore the need to keep communities safe in the face of a changing climate. The Army Corps of Engineers helps communities prepare for extreme weather events and addresses flood control hazards. In many places, these twin objectives can be pursued through the restoration of natural ecosystems. This reauthorization places greater emphasis on natural defenses like the wetlands and dunes that have protected our coastlines for millennia.

Coastal and freshwater wetlands act like sponges during floods, absorbing water and dissipating the impact of wave energy and storm surge. Shoreline vegetation, natural dune formations, and barrier islands do the same. This draft recognizes the benefits of natural resiliency.

This bill also reauthorizes the National Dam Safety Program, which is vitally important to my small State. Rhode Island has about 700 dams, some dating back to the colonial era. One hundred seventy-nine are rated a ``high'' or ``significant risk.'' Nationally, America's dams received a grade of ``D'' on the American Society of Civil Engineers 2013 Report Card. The Society cited more than 4,000 deficient dams, including more than 2,000 that would result in loss of life if they failed. The Dam Safety Program helps States monitor for deteriorating dam conditions that put communities in danger.

This legislation is not without its detractors, but I think it is important to recognize that both sides have had to make compromises to get this bill to where it is today. That is the hallmark of our legislative process.

For example, this reauthorization contains new measures to ensure the timely completion of environmental impact studies and reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. While this has raised concerns from some, ensuring prompt environmental review of projects does not mean we are disregarding these reviews entirely. Comprehensive environmental review of federal projects remains critical to protecting the environment and public health from harm, and this bill includes provisions that will prevent harmful projects from being expedited.

WRDA supports projects that protect communities and their water resources. I would have preferred to leave NEPA requirements unaltered; however, I believe the compromise the chair and ranking member negotiated on this issue was worth the price of being able to implement long-overdue improvements to our nation's water resources infrastructure.

As we grapple with the mounting effects of a changing climate, our towns, our rivers and ports, our beaches and bays rely on the safety and efficiency of modern and resilient water infrastructure. The Water Resources Development Act of 2013 gives the Army Corps of Engineers and its public and private sector partners the tools to provide and maintain that infrastructure. I urge my colleagues to support this important, bipartisan legislation.

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