The return to regular order (biennial) of the 2016 Water Resources Development Act was a welcome development, with the water resources legislation expected to pass in December 2016. In WRDA 2016, WCI hopes for two chief’s report authorizations of Calcasieu Lock (Louisiana) and of the Upper Ohio River Study (Pennsylvania) to be included in the water bill.
With a two-year budget agreement still in place, the path toward enacting a FY 2017 omnibus appropriations bill is clearer. Our organization’s appropriations goals for FY 2017 include full use of revenue into the Inland Waterways Trust Fund; Operations & Maintenance Funding of at least the FY2016 level ($3.14 billion); Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund appropriations of $1.25 billion; and urging $10 million for pre-construction Engineering Design for the Navigation Ecosystem Sustainability Program. NESP is the unique, multipurpose program authorized in WRDA 2007 that combines navigation improvements on the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway with eco-system restoration and marine habitat protection programs.
Ahead in the Trump administration and Congress, the Waterways Council will advocate for inclusion in a potential infrastructure stimulus bill that could be kicked off early. Industry’s wish list for that stimulus bill includes $7.1 billion for capital investment to fully modernize the nation’s inland waterways system for decades to come, and an additional $1 billion to fund the backlog of Corps of Engineers' maintenance.
With proper and efficient funding, America’s rivers can be great again.