House Panel Approves Water Development Act

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday approved a new Water Resources Development Act, the vehicle that authorizes new projects to be carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers.

A provision that will make more money available to the Corps for maintenance dredging got praise from the industry, but the bill lacks authorization of any new large-scale harbor projects.

WRDA 2010 would allow the Corps to draw all revenue paid each year into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which now has a $1.4 billion surplus. The American Association of Port Authorities estimates that the change could result in up to an additional $330 million per year for maintenance work.

The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force praised the change, noting that the additional funds will allow the Corps to conduct long-overdue dredging at lake ports. The group said the Corps needs $180 million to clear 15 million cubic yards of silt to return channels to their authorized depth.

The bill authorizes four small navigation projects, but the South Carolina Ports Authority noted that a provision would expedite a study to deepen Charleston harbor beyond the 45-foot depth.

Lawmakers criticized the Corps for the lack of engineer’s reports coming out of the Corps that may have contributed to the dropoff in harbor proposals. Detailed analysis of proposed projects is a major tool Congress uses in authorizing new work. An appropriations report from the Senate Environment and Public Works noted that the Corps completed 26 reports in the two years before the 2007 WRDA, but since then has only completed one.

The bill also did not authorize a 20-year capital spending plan to complete a number of inland waterways infrastructure projects. The plan, put together by the Corps and the barge industry, had been widely endorsed by industry groups.

--Contact R.G. Edmonson at bedmonson@joc.com.