Q: What is the Water Resource Development Act?
A: The Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) authorizes and reauthorizes projects undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers. Traditionally, Congress has passed a new WRDA bill every two years but right now, a Water Resources Development Act hasn’t passed since 2000. WRDA’s purpose is threefold. The bill approves Army Corps projects for recreation, the environment, and commercial activity. Previous WRDA’s have streamlined commercial boat traffic and created some of the largest environmental restoration projects in history. Last week, the Environment and Public Works Committee presented the 2007 version of WRDA to the Senate. The House of Representatives has already passed similar legislation, and it is my hope the Senate will move quickly to pass our own version, so a final bill can be completed and sent to the President for his signature.
Q: Why is WRDA important to state of Iowa?
A:
Passage of this year’s WRDA is vital to Iowa and particularly, Iowa agriculture. Physically, the Mississippi forms Iowa’s eastern border, but the Mississippi’s impact extends well within and beyond Iowa’s borders. Iowa serves as the nation’s largest corn producer and a breadbasket to the world. The Mississippi allows Iowa to move agricultural commodities and value-added products to U.S. and international destinations. In order to maintain our status as a major food exporter, we need modern locks and dams along the Mississippi River. One project authorized within this year’s WRDA not only brings the Mississippi’s locks and dams up to date, but also provides for important environmental benefits. It’s titled the Enhanced Navigation Capacity Improvements and Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Waterway System. Low transportation costs are key to keeping Iowa agriculture competitive. To maintain our global edge, we need to make major investments in our infrastructure just as our competitors are doing. I saw the importance of this first hand last year when I lead a Congressional delegation to Brazil. Brazil’s surface transportation- highways and railroads- lags behind ours, but the country has made significant investments in its river structure. I saw facilities on the Amazon that put ours along the Mississippi River to shame. So when Brazil improves their surface transportation infrastructure as it eventually will, then we’ll have a hard time competing unless we’re proactive. By passing WRDA and its updates to the Mississippi River, we’ll preserve the low transportation costs for the two-thirds of the nation’s grain and soybean exports that travel along the Mississippi. The environmental stakes are also high for the Mississippi River. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, towboats emit 35 to 60 percent fewer pollutants than locomotives or trucks. Furthermore, a gallon of fuel in a barge gets you 2.5 times farther than rail car, and nine times farther than trucks. With overwhelming support of the Senate, House, as well as environmental, agriculture, and commerce groups, the Water Resource Development Act is expected to pass and the Mississippi River will receive its much needed modernization.