Katko praises House passage of Water Resources Development Act

U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) last week applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ voice vote passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020, which he said includes several beneficial provisions for his home-state constituents in Central New York.

“With our community still reeling from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and years of sustained flooding on Lake Ontario’s southern shoreline,” Rep. Katko said, “I’m proud to have worked on a bill that will support our local economy and deliver much-needed investment to our region.”

Rep. Katko, who serves on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, worked across the aisle to help develop H.R. 7575 and, on July 29, supported its voice vote passage in the House. The U.S. Senate received the bill on July 30 for consideration.

If enacted, H.R. 7575 would authorize federal funds for water resources development projects and studies carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The measure also would provide policy direction to the Corps regarding implementation of its civil works mission, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Katko’s office. 

H.R. 7575 also includes two Katko-authored bipartisan bills. The first is the Safer Harbors for Our Recreation Economy (SHORE) Act, H.R. 5832, which Rep. Katko sponsored on Feb. 10 with lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) to ensure that the Corps recognizes the local recreation economy in its project prioritization process.

The second is the bipartisan Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Act of 2019, H.R. 4032, which Rep. Katko sponsored in July 2019 with lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY) to encourage the deployment of coastal resiliency measures across the Great Lakes, according to bill summaries provided by Rep. Katko’s office. 

Additionally, H.R. 7575 includes provisions to help treat and prevent harmful algal blooms; would authorize specific resiliency projects on Lake Ontario’s southern shore; and would increase the availability of funding for critical water infrastructure projects in central New York, according to the summaries.

“WRDA will promote investment in local water infrastructure projects, support our outdoor recreation economy, improve the availability of federal resources for resiliency projects, and help treat and prevent harmful algal blooms in central New York,” said Rep. Katko.