Senate and House committees are laying the groundwork for a new water-resources bill this year that would authorize federal funds for new Army Corps of Engineers flood protection and other types of projects and might also include some policy changes.
目的是保持每两年通过新的水资源开发法或WRDA的时间表。经过长时间的目标，国会在2014年和2016年确实批准了新的水措施。
WRDAs traditionally have enjoyed bipartisan backing. The 2016 version, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, cleared the House 360-61 and the Senate 78-21.
But it’s unclear whether a new WRDA can survive the major partisan battles that continue to rage on Capitol Hill in the current Congress, particularly with elections looming and Republicans expected to lose seats in the House.
Another key WRDA-related question is whether legislators will pursue a stand-alone measure or seek to include it in a broader infrastructure package. House and Senate lawmakers and industry officials are still awaiting specifics of President Trump’s promised $1-trillion, 10-year infrastructure investment plan.
Whichever route the WRDA drafters take, they face a tight schedule. Besides the usual holiday and August breaks, the congressional calendar will be cut shorter by a recess in early October to allow lawmakers to campaign full-time for the Nov. 6 elections.
What's more, partisan battles seem heightened this year on Capitol Hill with Election Day on the horizon.
Lawmakers Weigh In
然而,在参议院环境和Public Works Committee leaders from both parties have said they want to produce a WRDA . Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)saidat a Jan. 10 hearing, “Unlike other contentious issues, historically, Republicans and Democratic members of the [committee] have been able to work together and pass WRDA legislation” he added, “To put it another way, this is legislation that moves.”
该小组的最高民主党人汤姆·卡珀（Tom Carper）也希望看到WRDA完成。卡珀在1月17日的一次委员会关于水基础设施的听证会上说，“我们可以一起工作的新wrda法案。这不是红色的状态蓝色国家。它并不是什么是democat-republican。这只是重要的东西。我们意识到这一点。”[查看听力网络广播here.]
In the House, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee plans a hearing on water-project delivery issues on Jan. 18.
Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) “intends to stay on track” regarding the two-year cycle, spokesman Justin Harclerode told ENR via email. Harclerode added: “WRDA 2018 is one the committee’s goals for the year. We are still in the process of gathering input for that bill and listening to what stakeholders have to say.”
舒斯特（Shuster）在1月2日宣布，他目前的任期后将离开房屋。法律和游说公司琼斯·沃克有限责任公司的特别顾问约翰·道尔（John Doyle）说：“我必须相信，他希望能够再有另一个WRDA法案，作为他委员会主席遗产的一部分。”
水资源咨询公司Dawson＆Associates的高级顾问Mike Strachn表示，新的WRDA“擅长于白宫以及国会正在谈论的基础设施的言论。”
在军团工作了23年的斯特拉奇补充说：“尽管政治是错误的，但政治是正确的。”
Strachn, who also was a senior House transportation committee aide, notes that the “cornerstone” of WRDAs has been authorizations of federal funds for new Corps projects. The 2016 measure authorized $10.3 billion for 30 Corps projects; the 2014 law provided $4.4 billion for 34 projects.
2018年的账单已经排队18luck官网了几个新项目。根据Corps, six projects- 在德克萨斯州有两个，佛罗里达州有两个，纽约和夏威夷各自在2017年收到了陆军工程师主任的有利报告。在授权之前，通常需要此类报告。
到目前为止，六个中最大的是从萨宾通行证到德克萨斯州加尔维斯顿湾的沿海风暴保护和环境修复项目。根据酋长的报告, dated Dec. 7, the project's estimated total cost is $3.3 billion, including a federal share of $2.16 billion. WRDA bills only authorize federal funding shares.
Nicole Carter, Congressional Research Service natural-resources policy specialist, told the Senate panel that 12 to 18 other projects also may get completed “chief’s reports” by the end of December. All of the authorized funding is subject to appropriations, however. Annual Corps civil-works construction appropriations fall far short of authorized amounts.
卡珀说：“许多军团的基础设施现在都超出了其有用的寿命。”他还指出，军团建设积压估计为960亿美元，“只能满足当前需求”，而不是未来的需求。
政策规定
除了项目外，利益18luck官网集团还有其他希望在2018 WRDA中看到的规定。For example, the American Association of Port Authorities is calling for full use of all of the revenue that flows into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, plus all of that fund’s $9-billion surplus, William D. Friedman, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority president and CEO,告诉the Senate committee.
信托基金得到对水上货运进口税的支持。
Friedman said ports also would like Congress to include further project “streamlining” provisions in the envisioned water bill.
前高级军事工程官员和众议院助手Doyle说，驳船公司和其他内陆地区行业官员正在寻求增加锁和大坝和其他内陆导航项目的联邦资金份额增加。18luck官网
In the 2016 WIIN Act, seaports won a hike in the federal share for dredging projects to 75% for depths of up to 50 ft. Previously, the federal share was 50% for depths from 45 ft to 50 ft.
Story updated on Jan. 20 with new information from the Corps on projects with Chief's reports.
