This week, Congress officially opened its public process for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) for 2022. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Public Works Michael Connor and Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers appeared before House Transportation & Infrastructure Water Resources Subcommittee and the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee on Wednesday, January 12 to outline Biden Administration priorities for water infrastructure development in the coming year. The hearings represented the first public activity on the biennial legislation.
In both hearings, Assistant Secretary Connor and Lieutenant General Spellmon highlighted the importance of the WRDA process being carried out every two years. The predictability of a bill being passed every two years provides the opportunity to effectively plan new projects and for the implementation of new policies. It also ensures Corps has the authorities, policies, and regulations to ensure the Army’s mission to support engineering solutions to support the nation’s security, economy, and ability to respond to disaster.
House and Senate committee members posed numerous questions on a wide variety of topics, including implementation of water infrastructure projects in their districts, ranging from dam safety and removal projects, flood management, and port and inland waterway projects. Water Resources Subcommittee Chairwoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA) asked the witnesses about the Biden Administration’s priorities for the upcoming WRDA. Assistant Secretary Connor emphasized the Army’s broad focus on key areas such as improving infrastructure resilience, enhancing environmental justice, and addressing ongoing supply chain issues.
Connor also specified the administration’s focus on proposed Corps projects laid out in its 2021 Report to Congress on Future Water Resources Development. These projects include coastal zone management projects in Connecticut, improvements and increased resources for stormwater management systems in Mississippi, and other water infrastructure improvements in California, Florida, and Illinois.
Lieutenant General Spellmon expressed support for maintaining the Corps’ ability to continue monitoring the resilience of levees in New Orleans in the face of climate change. He expressed his hope that the 2022 WRDA would assist the Corps’ efforts to safely deliver quality projects on time and under budget.
In 2020, ASCE supported several WRDA priorities which were included in the final bill. These priorities included unlocking the full balance of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund balance, inclusion of resilience measures encouraging nature-based infrastructure solutions, and technical changes to the High Hazard Potential Dam Rehabilitation Grant Program.
This year, ASCE will continue to focus on priorities that strengthen the nation’s infrastructure, including building on recent success in improving dam safety. ASCE is continuing to advocate for technical improvements and increased resources for the High Hazard Potential Dam Rehabilitation Grant Program, as well as the National Dam Safety Program. Both of these programs received critical resources in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and ASCE continues to advocate for programs like these through its support of the Twenty First Century Dams Act.
ASCE is encouraged by Congressional support for dam safety through IIJA, as well as support from the Biden Administration, which recently announced the creation of a new Director position for the National Dam Safety Program within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and appointing Mr. Kayed Lakhia to serve in the position.
ASCE continues to remain engaged with Congressional offices, committees, and stakeholders to ensure the 2022 WRDA addresses critical priorities. In the coming weeks, ASCE will present Congress with various priorities for the upcoming bill that will support safety and resilience, efficient regulation, and modern and sustainable infrastructure.