To kick off efforts to move WRDA this session, NWC hosted a “Corps 101” briefing for Congressional staff. The event was held in conjunction with the Mississippi River Caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Ron Kind (WI), Rep. Betty McCollum (MN), Rep. Rick Crawford (AR), and Rep. Jason Smith (MO).
Our esteemed panel of experts discussed how investments in water resources address significant risks to public safety, build the foundation for long-term economic growth, and protect and restore the environment. Spanning the full spectrum of USACE non-federal partners and stakeholders, attendees heard from Rob Rash, Chief Engineer of the St. Francis Levee District in Arkansas; Nicki Fuller, Executive Director of the Southwestern Power Resources Association; Dave Mitamura, Executive Director of the National Water Supply Alliance; and Jimmy Hague, Senior Water Policy Advisor of The Nature Conservancy.
The panel described how the nation’s water resources infrastructure facilitates commercial navigation through a system of waterways, ports and harbors; provides life-saving flood control, needed water supplies, shore protection, hydropower production, environmental restoration, and water-based recreation.
NWC annually hosts a series of briefings in both the House and Senate. This briefing marked the first in the 116th Congress, and plans are underway for a similar briefing in the Senate in early May. Later in the fall, we’ll be hosting “WRDA 101” sessions to coincide with Congressional efforts to move a WRDA in 2020.