The 111th Congress convened on January 6, 2008 amid promises to deliver economic stimulus legislation to President-Elect Obama by early February. Meanwhile, the President-Elect also arrived in Washington this week and wasted no time meeting with Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to discuss his ideas for the legislation. Members of the Water Resources Coalition have been meeting with Congressional leaders as well, and recommending that projects measurably improve public health, safety and quality of life as well as provide substantial and broad-based economic benefits.

 

The package should move through Congress quickly so stay updated through our website.
http://www.waterresourcescoalition.org/index.html

The Water Resources Coalition sent a letter along with an extensive Policy Document on December 17, 2008 to the Obama Transition Team introducing the Coalition's agenda and principles. The Policy paper offers several policy recommendations regarding areas of special interest to water resources investment. Subject areas discussed are: funding for the National Dam Safety Program, funding for the US Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works programs, funding for water recycling and rural water programs in the Bureau of Reclamation, and restoring funding to the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

 

 

 

House of Representatives
H.R. 54 - Rep. Kirk and Rep. Lipinski - A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a deadline for restricting sewage dumping into the Great Lakes and to fund programs and activities for improving wastewater discharge into the Great Lakes.
H.R. 113 - Rep. Fortenberry - A bill to provide for audits of programs, projects and activities funded through earmarks.
H.R. 135 - Rep. Linder and others. - A bill to establish the Twenty-First Century Water Commission.
H.R. 249 - Rep. Gene Green of Texas - A bill to direct the head of a Federal department or agency that is carrying out a project involving the construction of a culvert or other enclosed flood or drainage system to ensure that certain child safety measures are included in the project.

Senate
S. 8 - Sen. Reid and others - A bill to return the Government to the people by reviewing controversial "mid-night regulations" issued in the waning days of the Bush Administration.
S. 10 - Sen. Reid and others - A bill to restore fiscal discipline and begin to address the long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States.
S. 22 - Sen. Bingaman - A bill to designate certain land components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to authorize certain programs and activities in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture.
S. 90 - Sen. Vitter - A bill to preserve open competition and Federal Government neutrality towards the labor relations of Federal Government contractors on Federal and federally funding construction projects.
S. 162 - Sen. Feingold and others. - A bill to provide greater accountability of taxpayers' dollars by curtailing congressional earmarks. 

 

You can read about each of these bills further at:

 

Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) called upon their Senate colleagues to address the current issues with the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF). The fund was created to collect fees in order to pay for maintenance and operation costs of federal harbors and ports, however over half of these economically crucial ports are not maintained to their authorized dimensions.

 

Currently, the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) is being collected, but the levels of funding appropriated for harbor and channel maintenance is significantly below the annual HMT collections. This discrepancy has led to a $4.7 billion surplus for the fund and a considerable backlog of harbor maintenance projects. Therefore, both Senators are requesting that new legislation is enacted to more closely tie the trust fund expenditures and revenues.

The Water Resources Coalition has created a brochure that outlines our goals and objectives, activities, and top legislative priorities. The brochure highlights the need to increase federal investment in water resources infrastructure and will prove itself a useful tool when meeting with Members of Congress. To view an online version of the brochure please visit: 

Water Resources Coalition Brochure 

The American Shore & Beach Preservation Association, a Water Resources Coalition member, sent a letter to President - Elect Obama stating that the US currently has no national coastal policy, exposing the people and structures along America's eroding coastlines to unnecessary danger from storms. The group urged President - Elect Obama to develop a comprehensive coastal policy, in order to stop funding responses to erosion, dredging, and other coastal issues on a project-by-project basis. The group's letter also focused on the critical role that America's coastal ports play toward the nation's economic well being, as well as their use as invaluable environmental and recreational resources.