Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013

Floor Speech

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the DeFazio/Blumenauer/Jackson Lee/Pingree/Edwards/Bonamici amendment to H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act. Our amendment would delay the so-called environmental streamlining provisions of the bill until the backlog of approved projects is meaningfully reduced. Environmental reviews are essential to the construction of better designed, more cost effective projects that meet important federal priorities like protecting public health and the environment. Unfortunately, the bill as written offers a false promise of expediting projects and reducing the backlog by paring back environmental reviews. The reality is that this will only lead to projects that damage the environment and ultimately cost more in the long run.

This WRRDA bill contains essential authorizations that will invest in our ports, waterways, and flood protection systems. The changes it makes to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund will benefit our nation's small ports and I am cautiously optimistic that we will soon be able to leverage all of the HMTF funds to the benefit of our ports both large and small. It also begins to reduce the project backlog by deauthorizing some older projects that have not yet begun. And even though I am disappointed in the environmental streamlining provisions of the underlying bill, it represents a bipartisan agreement that will keep us moving forward and allow House and Senate negotiators to bring this matter to a speedy resolution.

I urge my colleagues to support the DeFazio/Blumenauer/Jackson Lee/Pingree/Edwards/Bonamici amendment to improve this bill, and to support passage of H.R. 3080.

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