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The Water Resources Coalition was established in
2007 to promote the development, implementation and funding of a
comprehensive national water resources policy. With member
organizations representing state and local governments,
conservation, engineering and construction, ports, waterways and
transportation services, the Coalition works to ensure that a
comprehensive, national water resources policy is developed,
implemented and funded to provide a sustainable, productive
economy; a healthy aquatic ecology; and public health and safety.
For more information, visit the Water Resources Coalition Web site
at www.waterresourcescoalition.org.
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The House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee approved a bill this week that would
authorize new water resources projects to be constructed by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
H.R. 5892, the Water Resources Development Act of 2010 (WRDA 2010),
would authorize 300 navigation, flood control and other projects at
a cost of approximately $6 billion.
The bill does not contain any provision to create a national levee
safety program five years after Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the
need for such a program. The committee ignored the
recommendations of the Committee on Levee Safety that was created
by Congress in 2007 and that strongly recommended in 2009 the
enactment of a comprehensive federal and state levee safety
program.
In other policy areas, the bill would alter the public-private
sector relationship significantly by defining all future operation
and maintenance work on navigation projects (floodgates, locks, and
dams) and hydroelectric power facilities as "inherently
governmental" and thus off-limits to private contractors,
including private engineering firms. The provision would not
disturb existing private-sector contracts, however.
H.R. 5892 also would require appropriations from the Harbor
Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to be equal to the receipts in the
HMTF each year. It would prohibit Congress from appropriating
any funds from the HMTF that were less than the full amount in
the Trust Fund. The provision is intended to pay down
the growing balance in the HMTF, which is expected to total
$6.2 billion by the end of fiscal year 2011.
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House &
Senate Begin Work on Energy & Water Appropriations
The House and Senate
this week began work on fiscal year (FY) 2011 Energy and Water
spending bills. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Energy and Water early this week approved the $34.6 billion bill by
voice vote, while the full Senate Appropriations Committee approved
a $35 billion Energy and Water Development FY 11 spending bill on
Thursday by a 17-12 vote.
The approved legislation in the House would provide the
Army Corps of Engineers with $5.2 billion. While the amount for the
Corps is a reduction of $165 million from fiscal year 2010, it is
$400 million more than the request from the Obama Administration.
The subcommittee felt that restoring $400 million to the
Corps' budget can preserve or create thousands of jobs, while
providing increased transportation efficiency on our nation's
waterways. The bill also recognized the increasing cost
of our aging water resources infrastructure and increased
funding for the operation and maintenance of existing projects by
$168 million over the president's request. Additionally,
under the House Subcommittee-passed bill, the Bureau of Reclamation
would receive $1.1 billion, a $22 million cut from FY 10, but equal
to the president's budget request.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a slightly
different version from the House. In the Senate bill, the Army
Corps of Engineers could expect to receive $5.3 billion, an
increase of nearly $100 million from the House subcommittee-passed
bill, while the Bureau of Reclamation's numbers remain the same as
in the House version.
View a full
summary of the Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development
spending bill.
View a full
summary of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and
Water spending bill.
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House
Subcommittee Trims Water Infrastructure Funds for FY 11
The House
subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies approved
a bill last week that calls for spending $10 billion by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Fiscal Year 2011.
The bill represents a reduction of $271 million for the agency from
FY 2010.
The bill provides nearly $1.9 billion for the Clean Water Act State
Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) to finance improvements to wastewater
infrastructure in FY 2011. This is a reduction of $202
million from the FY 2010 level. The legislation would spend
$1.2 billion for the Safe Drinking Water Act SRF, a cut of $181
million from 2010.
Additionally, the bill provides $473 million to protect major
American lakes and estuaries, and fully funds the $300 million
request for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This bill also
makes significant investments to protect other American great water
bodies including Puget Sound, Long Island Sound, the Gulf of
Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Mississippi River, and
increases funding above the request for the National Estuaries
Program.
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Senators Introduce Bill to Boost Ocean Protections
Senator Sheldon
Whitehouse (D-RI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) recently introduced
a bill (S. 3641) to create the National Endowment for the Oceans
which would promote the protection and conservation of U.S. ocean,
coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems. The goal would be to ensure
that present and future generations of Americans would benefit from
"the full range of ecological, economic, educational, social,
cultural, nutritional, and recreational opportunities" that
these environments can provide.
Funding would come from interest on the Oil Spill Liability Trust
Fund, Outer Continental Shelf Lease revenue, funds collected from
Offshore Renewable Energy Development, and fines collected from
violations of federal laws that occur in the exclusive economic
zone.
Grants would be made for programs and activities intended to
restore, protect, maintain, or understand living marine resources
and their habitats and ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources
(scientific research, ocean observation and other programs) carried
out with Federal and State departments or agencies.
Fifty percent of grants will be allocated equally among coastal
states with a coastal management program approved under the Coastal
Zone Management Act of 1972. Twenty-five percent will be allocated
based on the ratio of tidal shoreline miles in the coastal state
compared to the tidal shoreline miles of all coastal states. The
remaining twenty-five percent will be allocated based on the
ratio of coastal population density of the state as compared to the
total population density of all coastal states.
Additionally, the legislation states that the Secretary of Commerce
will award grants to Regional Strategic Bodies to create and
implement Regional Strategic Plans which would assess the region's
ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystem health determined through
science based ecosystem assessments and monitoring, the cultural
and economic role of oceans, coasts or Great Lakes; examine
existing and emerging threats to the ecosystem health of the region
and establish short and long term goals for improving health of
region; economic sustainability resulting from improving
health and coordination between Federal and State agencies;
recommendations for long term observation plans; identify State and
Federal priority lists.
This would provide for a new grant: the National Grants for Oceans,
Coasts and Great Lakes which will be awarded on a competitive basis
to coastal state, non coastal state, local and affected Indian
tribal government and agencies, regional agencies, associations, or
organizations other than regional planning bodies, fishery or
wildlife management organizations, nonprofits working in this
sector, and academic institutions. A National Endowment for Oceans
Council will be formed to choose which applications best fit the
goals of the grant program.
In a related action ,
President Obama signed an executive order establishing the nation's
first National Ocean Policy. The Policy will attempt to
develop coordinated ocean governance, direct research and
restoration efforts, and create a process for implementing
effective coastal and marine spatial planning.
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House Committee Explores Job Creation Through Clean
Water Investment
The House
Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources
and Environment held a hearing this week on the impact clean water
infrastructure investment would have on the economy. Each of
the panelists, as well as Democratic and Republican committee
members agreed that water and wastewater infrastructure investment
will impact the country in several beneficial ways.
Panelists, including George Hawkins of the District of Columbia
Water and Sewage Authority, praised the investments made by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as crucial to solving the
problem of our nation's aging infrastructure as well as ailing
construction business and all relating industries. The Clean Water
Council (CWC), of which ASCE is a member, estimated that every $1
billion invested in water and wastewater infrastructure creates
approximately 27,000 jobs.
Dennis Vander Molen of the Associated Equipment Distributors urged
Congress, "to enact long-term Clean and Drinking Water SRF
reauthorization bills that dramatically upgrade our deteriorating
water infrastructure in urban and rural areas."
Visit the CWC's
website for the full economic impact report.
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House Subcommittee Reviews ARRA Spending at the
Bureau of Reclamation
On Thursday, July 15
the Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing to discuss the
progress of the Bureau of Reclamation's use of funds from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and how these
funds have shaped the agency's priorities for the future. ARRA
provided the Bureau of Reclamation with a total of $1 billion in
funding to preserve and create jobs and stimulate the
economy.
According to Michael Connor, Commissioner for the Bureau of
Reclamation, the agency has "obligated more than
$774,414,000" approximately 82% of its total appropriation and
begun work on the ground for 131 out of 178 projects. Reclamation
estimates that according to this figure these projects funded by
ARRA have created approximately 10,300 jobs throughout the economy.
Although these numbers are significant, more needs to be done in
the Western states to rehabilitate Reclamation's aging
infrastructure according to Dan Keppen, Executive Director of the
Family Farm Alliance. Keppen stated that of the $1 billion in
funding received from the Recovery Act, only about $130 million
went to the rehabilitation of Reclamation's aging infrastructure,
"which the agency estimates is in need of approximately $3 billion
worth of repairs." The investments made in our country's
infrastructure through the Recovery Act are well intentioned, but
examples like this show that far more needs to be done.
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Federal
Court Applies Superfund Law to State DOT Storm Water Runoff
Washington State
Department of Transportation (WSDOT) was found
"potentially liable as an arranger of hazardous waste disposal
under the Superfund law because the DOT's highway stormwater runoff
system" contaminated local water bodies.
WSDOT's ownership and operation of the highways was the federal
government's basis for holding it liable under Superfund law. WSDOT
argued that "it lacks sufficient control over contaminants or
other materials that enter the highway stormwater runoff." The
court countered that although this is true, the purpose of the
design was namely to discharge the highway runoff into the
environment.
The ruling does not set a precedent in the courts, but will likely
be examined by environmental groups throughout the country. This
shows the necessity for Water Resources departments and State DOT's
to work together in the future to develop an eco-friendly
infrastructure that limits environmental destruction.
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Brian Pallasch and Marco Giamberardino
Water Resources Coalition
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