U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) on May 20 proposed the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, which authorizes flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Sen. Capito is the lead original cosponsor of the bill, S. 4367, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE). The senators are ranking member and chairman, respectively, of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, which plans to mark up S. 4367 on May 22.
“This year’s WRDA 2024 contains significant wins for West Virginia and I’m proud of the EPW committee’s bipartisan work once again on this important legislation,” said Sen. Capito.
For example, some of the wins S. 4367 proposes for her home state include addressing the needs of areas harmed in West Virginia by the 2016 flood, as well as enhanced assistance for a Milton, W.Va., flood control project and a dam safety modifications project in Hinton, W.Va., according to a one-page summary released by the senator’s office.
Additionally, S. 4367 would improve the Corps’ outreach and education efforts to communities, including those in West Virginia, that are facing water resources challenges, and expand the Corps’ ability to partner with West Virginia University to conduct academic research on water resources issues critical to West Virginia, the summary says.
“The Army Corps of Engineers conducts critical work in communities across the United States by building out water resources infrastructure, including projects that manage risks posed by flooding,” Sen. Capito explained. “Every two years, the Environment and Public Works Committee supports the Corps in carrying out its civil works mission through the Water Resources Development Act.”
The overall 196-page bill would authorize the Corps to continue implementation of key projects and studies that address water resources challenges in communities across the country.
“I believe that bipartisan solutions are lasting solutions, and that’s why Sen. Capito and I worked together to consider the requests of all of our colleagues in the Senate while developing this legislation,” said Sen. Carper. “For more than a decade, the EPW Committee has led the effort to pass this biennial legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support, and my hope is that we once again replicate that pattern with WRDA 2024.”