House advances Scalise’s bipartisan amendments to energy, water appropriations bill

U.S. House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) said on June 21 that his bipartisan work with U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) resulted in their three amendments to an energy and water appropriations bill receiving approval from the U.S. House of Representatives as part of a larger spending package, H.R. 2740.

“Today’s vote sends a strong message that restoring Louisiana’s coast and maintaining our waterways are funded as national priorities,” Rep. Scalise said last week.

Together, the amendments would ensure vital federal funding for coastal restoration and Mississippi River dredging projects in their home state of Louisiana, according to the congressman’s office.

“By including funding for the Louisiana Coastal Area program, coastal restoration projects that utilize dredged sediment are able to move forward ensuring that this material is used to rebuild our vanishing coast, not just wastefully dumped in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Rep. Scalise.

Specifically, their amendments would increase funding by $4 million to address dredging on the Mississippi River, according to a summary provided by Rep. Scalise’s office, and bump up federal funds by $5 million for the Louisiana Coastal Area program, which uses dredged sediment to rebuild coastal wetlands.

“Additionally, increased funding for dredging ensures that the 500 million tons of cargo in international trade that moves along the Mississippi River will continue to thrive,” the representative said.

Another amendment, according to Rep. Scalise’s office, would express the intent of Congress that an additional $75 million should be allocated to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for dredging activities.