It’s good to have friends, and West Virginians know they’ve got someone they can rely on in Washington, D.C. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., continues to use her experience and her rank to serve Mountain State residents wherever she can find the opportunity.
This week, she’s among those pitching the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, in her role as ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The bill would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to continue work on projects that include many right here.
Examples include addressing the needs of areas harmed by the 2016 flood; increasing funding available for work on smaller projects such as emergency streambank and shoreline protection, aquatic ecosystem restoration, and the removal of obstructions or debris to rivers and channels; increasing funding levels for drinking water and wastewater projects; and establishing “a new authority for the USACE to partner with communities in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to restore rivers and streams that have been impacted by acid mine drainage.”
The list is long — in fact, there was enough that Capito’s office had to put together a one-pager to summarize the benefits to West Virginia.
“The Army Corps of Engineers conducts critical work in communities across the United States by building out water resources infrastructure, including projects that manage risks posed by flooding. Every two years, the Environment and Public Works Committee supports the Corps in carrying out its civil works mission through the Water Resources Development Act. This year’s WRDA 2024 contains significant wins for West Virginia and I’m proud of the EPW committee’s bipartisan work once again on this important legislation,” Capito said.
Here’s hoping this year’s WRDA remains intact, as the committee was set to begin considering it Wednesday. Whatever happens, Mountain State residents know Capito won’t stop trying to get the job done. For us.