Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for yielding, but especially I want to thank Chairman Shuster for the hard work that he put in to putting together a bill that--and I will just read The Wall Street Journal today: ``A water bill shows what happens when Congress has to set priorities.'' They go on to say: ``This process puts House Members in control of spending decisions even as it requires them to choose on the basis of fact and analysis.''

Mr. Speaker, what this bill really does is ushers in some much-needed reforms, if you just look at the reforms to the Corps of Engineers process.

I want to also commend our Senator, David Vitter, who was on that conference committee, for fighting for this, as Chairman Shuster did, to put those process reforms in place, because so often we hear that the corps studies issues to death. Frankly, if you look at some of the limitations, the environmental review process, that can bog projects down, this bill contains important reforms that streamline the environmental review process so that we can finally focus on more building and less studying.

Let's actually put our money into building infrastructure, not on studying things to death and ultimately never getting anything done. This bill really ushers in some important reforms on that front.

The critical reforms to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund that the Speaker talked about are very important--long, long overdue--things that I think people all across the country will see great benefits from.

I know when we look at some of the things in Louisiana--just the ability to improve flood protection with the Morganza to the Gulf project that finally will be authorized, something that will protect not only homeowners all throughout south Louisiana, but the important energy infrastructure that provides over 20 percent of the Nation's oil and gas. That is going to be an important reform.

Then, of course, if you look at the dredging component--to authorize 50 feet of dredging in the Mississippi River, as you see the Panama Canal widening. We don't want the United States to be left out of the great economic opportunities that are going to be involved in moving more commerce through the United States and then exporting--exporting more American goods that are produced and made here in America throughout the world.

All of the reforms that I mentioned, and so many others, are critical steps forward in finally getting a WRRDA bill that answers the needs of our Nation.

Again, I thank the chairman for his hard work.

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