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PNWA Nor'wester Issue #369
House WRDA bill released
House WRDA bill released
 
Yesterday, House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Jim Oberstar (D, MN-8) introduced the Water Resources Development Act of 2010.  The bill is being marked up in full committee today.
 
Following is a summary of provisions in the bill that will be of interest to PNWA members.  It is important to remember that all project submissions from Republicans were dropped from the bill, at the request of Republican leaders.  Therefore, some PNWA-supported studies and projects have not been included in the bill, as they had been requested by Republican members of the Northwest House delegation.
 
Section 214
 
The House WRDA bill includes positive language with respect to Section 214.  It proposes a six-year extension of the authority to 2016, and also would make law some of the improvements that have been suggested by GAO and the Corps. 

Section 214 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 allows the Corps of Engineers to accept funds from non-Federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits.  Section 214 is currently being used by over 41 public agencies in 20 Corps districts.  PNWA leads a national coalition to advocate for making Section 214 authority permanent.
 
Section 214 is currently authorized through December 31, 2010.  As it is unlikely that a WRDA bill will be enacted this year, we will be working with our colleagues in the Northwest House delegation to put together an extension bill that will likely be introduced in the House in early September.  For more information, see PNWA's fact sheet on Section 214.
 
Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
 
The House WRDA bill includes a "fix" for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), guaranteeing that annual Harbor Maintenance Tax revenues will be passed along to the Corps of Engineers for harbor maintenance activities.  For more information on the HMTF, please see PNWA's fact sheet.
 
Peer review
 
The bill builds on peer review language that was in WRDA 2007.  This bill includes requirements for the Corps to explain why peer review is not used in certain instances, notification of House and Senate authorizing committees when peer review is initiated for a project, and publication of peer review documents on the web and notification to the committees.
 
Oregon jetties - Language is included for an inventory and assessment of the condition of jetties on the Oregon coast, with a report to Congress within two years of enactment of the WRDA bill. It also authorizes assistance from the Corps for jetties that may risk public safety, with 65% of the costs borne by the Corps.  These activities would be authorized at $7M.
 
Lower Columbia River & Tillamook Bay Ecosystem Restoration - The authorization for these programs would be increased from $30M to $45M.
 
Elliott Bay - A study would be authorized for deepening the navigation channel in Elliott Bay.
 
Vancouver Lake watershed - A watershed feasibility study would be authorized to review environmental quality and environmental restoration projects, with emphasis on salmon and steelhead recovery.
 
It is doubtful that a WRDA bill will be enacted in this Congress, which has relatively few legislative work days remaining in 2010.  However, PNWA will continue to advocate for our supported policies and projects as the House and Senate continue their efforts on this important legislation.  PNWA's WRDA policy and project requests may be found at http://pnwa.net/new/WRDA.aspx.
 
Staff contact: Kristin Meira