WRDA and Infrastructure Take Center Stage at the 2018 Legislative Summit
When NWC members convened in Washington during the week of March 5th for the 2018 Legislative Summit, discussions centered around possible water resources legislation taking shape in Congress and the Administration’s recently-released infrastructure concepts.
U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster touted the ongoing work in the House to craft a bill and build consensus to move legislation out of committee by late spring, with floor action before the 4th of July recess, opening the door to conference negotiations over the summer. A similar timeline was supported by Brian Clifford, Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, who delved into the Senate’s process for moving forward with WRDA.
Support for the Administration’s infrastructure proposal came from Mr. Ryan Fisher, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, as well as Alex Herrgott, point man at the White House from his perch as Associate Director for Infrastructure at the Council on Environmental Quality. Maritime Administrator Mark “Buz” Buzby, USN Ret., commented on Marad’s priorities, as well as the pivotal role of Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao in developing the Administration’s proposal.
NWC’s federal partners at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played a central role in the Summit’s program, with budgetary and operational insight provided by Eddie Belk, Chief of the Programs Integration Division, and Tom Smith, Chief of Operations and Regulatory. LTG Todd Semonite, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, and NWC President Amy Larson reaffirmed their commitment to working together on issues of mutual concern by signing a 5-year extension to our Memorandum of Understanding.
Don McNeill from Caterpillar discussed the work of the Natural Infrastructure Initiative and sought common ground with NWC members on various initiatives, including beneficial use of dredged material.