|
In this
issue: WRDA bill moves a step closer to
completion Yesterday,
the House named their conferees for the 2007 Water Resources Development Act
conference that will resolve differences between the House and Senate
versions of the bill.� Many WRDA-watchers
view this as a signal that staff-level negotiations may be successfully
drawing to a close, and anticipate the possibility of House and Senate floor
votes of a conferenced WRDA bill either just prior
to Congress� annual August recess, or, more likely, when legislators return
in early September. In April,
the House passed their version of the bill by a margin of 394-25, and the
Senate passed their bill in May by 91-4.�
The Senate immediately named their conferees, which includes Sen.
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who is the chairwoman of the Senate Environment &
Public Works Committee.� The House has
waited to appoint their conferees, but today we are pleased to note that Rep.
Brian Baird (D, WA-3) is among those who have been selected. PNWA has
lobbied for Northwest priorities in this bill for several years, and we
eagerly anticipate the final passage of this long overdue legislation.� We are especially grateful to our Northwest
Congressional delegation, who have been great
champions of the WRDA provisions that will impact our region�s trade and the
environment.� Specifically, PNWA has
worked with our Northwest delegation on four letters of support that have
been sent to the committees in the past few months, as staff-level conference
activity has transpired.� Following are
brief descriptions of the issues that have garnered high levels of Northwest
Congressional support: West
coast hopper dredges Both the
House and Senate versions of WRDA contain PNWA�s
supported language that would remove operating restrictions from the Essayons and Yaquina.
We are pleased that both chambers are in agreement on the Essayons and Yaquina, with
matching language to lift arbitrary restrictions on the number of days these
federal hopper dredges may perform work.�
Twelve Northwest House members and five Senators recently sent letters
to the House and Senate committees in support of this WRDA language.� These letters can be viewed at www.pnwa.net
under �Water Resources Development Act�. Section
214 �Section
214� was first authorized in WRDA 2000, and has been the subject of a great
deal of PNWA and stakeholder efforts to avert sunset over the last few
years.� This authority allows
non-federal government entities to provide additional funding for Corps
regulatory activities, and is currently authorized through December 31,
2008.� PNWA strongly supports the
Senate WRDA bill language that would make this authority permanent.� The House version of WRDA included an
extension of the authority through 2010.�
PNWA worked with our Northwest delegation to spearhead letters in
support of Section 214 permanence, which garnered the signatures of sixteen
Congressmen from A full
listing of all PNWA-supported provisions contained in the House and Senate
WRDA bills can be found at www.pnwa.net.� Once the WRDA conference is complete, and a
compromise bill is produced, it will still need to be approved again by both
chambers, and only then would it head to the President�s desk to be signed
into law. PNWA
Staff Contact: Kristin
Meira Pacific Northwest Waterways Association www.pnwa.net |
|
|
