NWC Hot-Off-The-Presses News

April 29, 2022

Senate releases draft text for WRDA 2022—EPW action next week

Good morning NWC members,

We’ve been hearing about it and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released their draft Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 22) text this morning with an expected markup next Wednesday in the committee. According to committee staff, the bill is very project focused, and lighter on policy than previous WRDA bills, since provisions are still being implemented/completed from prior WRDA measures. According to committee staff, it authorizes 15 projects; 21 chief’s reports (with four more potentially coming); and 26 new feasibility studies for a total of almost $40 billion in authorizations. As with previous WRDAs, the bill was carefully negotiated, is bipartisan, and contains no controversial provisions. Please be advised that committee staff indicated that no amendments in the committee or on the Senate floor will be accepted unless agreed to by both Democratic and Republican EPW leadership.

Preliminary WRDA 2022 Timeline: Senate EPW mark up on Wednesday, May 4, 2022; House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to release/mark up their bill several weeks afterwards; floor action for both chambers expected in the May/June timeframe; move to conference House and Senate WRDA 2022 bills to conference to work out the differences by mid-late June; and both chambers hope to finish conference by July before the August recess. However, this is only the first step of the process for WRDA, a biannual bill which authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studies, projects and policy changes. Once enacted into law, expected preliminarily later this year, the studies and projects must be funded through the annual appropriations process.

NWC will be releasing further WRDA 2022 highlights early next week in advance of the markup.

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