The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously advanced its bill to authorize new levee, harbor and ecosystem restoration projects and set policy at the red tape-laden Army Corps of Engineers.
Lawmakers are racing to advance the measure, S. 4367, in the coming weeks in hopes of keeping the popular, bipartisan infrastructure legislation from getting bogged down by election politics.
"As sea-level driven by climate change and extreme weather events increasingly threaten our communities and their economies, the Corps’ work will take on an even greater importance," Chair Tom Carper (D-Del.) said during the markup. "We must continue to equip the agency with the tools to invest in our nation’s water infrastructure and to make our communities more resilient."
The details: The bill would approve eight new or modified Corps projects and includes provisions to boost tribal authority over water resource projects and allow Western dams to store more water. A handful of technical changes were made to the bill before the vote.
Before approving the measure, the committee's top Republican, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, offered an amendment to rename it the "Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024" after the retiring chairman.
"This WRDA bill, being perhaps the last major infrastructure bill that we will mark up during this committee, I think it is fitting that it bear our colleague’s name," Capito said.
What's next: Leaders in the Senate are hoping to advance the measure to the floor in the coming weeks, but are awaiting a score from the Congressional Budget Office.
The House is still working on its WRDA bill. A spokesperson for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said the panel is looking to consider it in June.
Also approved: The EPW committee also advanced by voice vote S. 4359 to reauthorize the National Dam Safety Program as part of a package of noncontroversial bills.