Senate EPW passes WRDA bill

 

The Senate Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW) unanimously approved their Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that was made public last Friday.  The Committee held a markup of the bill early today and quickly advanced it with only a small number of modifications.  PNWA continues to analyze the bill, but released our preliminary thoughts in a Nor'wester newsletter this morning, highlighting the text for Section 214, the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and the Inland Waterways Trust Fund.  It has been announced that the bill will head to the Senate floor in April or May, at which time it would be open to amendments.     

 

On the House side, Chairman Shuster has noted that WRDA is also a priority for the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I).  As part of his efforts to educate Committee staff as they develop the bill, Rep. Shuster is holding roundtables with a diverse group of stakeholders.  As mentioned earlier today, PNWA President and Port of Skagit Executive Director Patsy Martin will be participating in a roundtable tomorrow morning with the Chairman and other leaders within the Committee, to represent the perspective of small ports.

 

PNWA will continue to send updates as WRDA moves forward, and we urge PNWA members and colleagues to contact us with any questions or feedback as they work through the bill themselves.