Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress Page: 3 of 19
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06-09-06
Water Resources Development Act (WRDA):
Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues
in the 109th CongressSUMMARY
Congress generally authorizes new Army
Corps of Engineers (Corps) water resources
studies and projects before appropriating
funds to them. The 109th Congress is consider-
ing authorizing numerous Corps projects
through a Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA) - H.R. 2864 and S. 728. The
House passed H.R. 2864 in July 2005; S. 728
was placed on the Senate calendar in April
2005. Reportedly some Senators are pushing
for a floor vote by the July 2006. The last
WRDA was enacted in 2000; however,
WRDAs had followed a loosely biennial
schedule.
Hurricane Katrina increased support for
hurricane protection and flood control, and
Louisiana and other Gulf Coast projects, while
at the same time increasing interest in stream-
lining federal spending. The pending WRDA
bills have not been acted on since before
Hurricane Katrina; many observers anticipate
WRDA amendments that address water re-
sources projects that have arisen either directly
as the result of the hurricane or as the result of
policy issues raised by the hurricane.
The Administration has expressed con-
cerns both about the level of authorizations in
WRDA bills creating false expectations for
federal appropriations, and about WRDA bills
not addressing the backlog of authorized
Corps projects. The Administration's position
has been one factor shaping the debate on the
pending bills; authorization of a few contro-
versial projects (e.g., Everglades restoration
projects) and possible changes to Corps poli-
cies and practices have also been factors.
Project Development Reform. The
"reform" provisions in pending WRDA billsCongressional Research Service +
receiving the most attention are related to
independent review of Corps-developed pro-
ject proposals, fish and wildlife mitigation of
Corps projects, and the Corps' planning pro-
cess. Other legislation (e.g., S. 2288) pro-
poses more extensive changes to the Corps'
planning and review processes than is in-
cluded in the pending bills.
Coastal Louisiana Restoration and
Protection. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Con-
gress was considering authorizing coastal
Louisiana wetlands restoration projects.
Provisions in S. 728 and H.R. 2864 draw upon
a mid-2005 Corps report recommending $1.1
billion in immediate ecosystem restoration
actions, and estimated an additional cost of
$0.9 billion for future project authorizations.
Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, alter-
nate and more extensive proposals with com-
ponents focused more directly on storm dam-
age reduction are being developed. Addition-
ally, some measures proposed by the Adminis-
tration to fortify the structural elements of
southeast Louisiana's hurricane protection
system require congressional authorization
and may be included in either WRDA or other
legislation (e.g., H.R. 5461).
Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Wa-
terway (UMR-IWW). S. 728 and H.R. 2864
include authorization of UMR-IWW naviga-
tion and ecosystem restoration investments.
In contrast to the Corps' Chief of Engineers
who recommends proceeding with construc-
tion of the proposed navigation projects, the
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
supports the design of navigation locks, but
recommends waiting until additional eco-
nomic data and analysis are available before
initiating construction.
The Library of Congress CRS1B10133
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Nicole,T. Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress, report, June 9, 2006; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc817981/m1/3/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.