{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr8-115/featured_water-resources-development-act-of-2018-1527788091.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr8-115/featured_large_water-resources-development-act-of-2018-1527788091.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr8-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2018-05-18","title_override":"Authorizing Water Infrastructure Projects for Two Years","summary_override":"

This bill — the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 — would provide for improvements to America’s ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, and ecosystem restoration by reauthorizing related U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activities for two years through fiscal year 2020. It would also maintain the two year cycle of the Corps proposing, evaluating, and reporting potential projects to Congress so they can be vetted for inclusion in future WRDA bills.

It would authorize work on projects contained in the Corps’ Chief’s Reports received since the last WRDA law of 2016. Such reports detail water resources infrastructure projects that have been proposed at the local level in consultation with the Corps, provide national economic and environmental benefits, and have been vetted by congressional committees. A total of six water resources projects that have gone through this process would be authorized, including:

Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay (Texas): $2.16 billion in federal funding for hurricane and storm damage risk reduction;
Savannah Harbor Expansion (Georgia): $677.6 million in federal funding would be authorized;
Ala Wai Canal (Hawaii): $199 million in federal funding for flood risk management;
Mamaroneck-Sheldrake Rivers (New York): $53.5 million in federal funding for flood risk management;
Galveston Harbor Channel Extension (Texas): $10 million in federal funding to improve navigation;
St. Johns County (Florida): federal funds would total $5.7 million initially with $9.5 million renourishment for hurricane and storm damage risk reduction;
St. Lucie County (Florida): federal funds would total $7.1 million initially with $8.9 million renourishment for hurricane and storm damage risk reduction;
Kentucky River Locks and Dams (Kentucky): No funding would be required as this is a modification of an existing project.

All new authorizations would be fully offset by the deauthorization of inactive projects. Specifically, this bill would deauthorize $3 billion in projects that were authorized before November 8, 2007 but haven’t begun planning, design, construction or received funds in the last six years. There would be a 180 day period of congressional review, at which point they’d be deauthorized.

Additionally, the bill would:

Reauthorize the Levee Safety Initiative and the National Dam Safety Program through 2023.
Authorize the full use of funds from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for harbor maintenance purposes.
Allow the Corps to accept funds from non-federal sponsors to advance studies and project elements.
Require the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the current organizational structure of the Corps’ civil works functions, identify impediments to efficient project delivery, and provide recommendations to Congress.
Authorize studies for projects included in the Corps’ 2017 and 2018 annual reports to Congress.

","official_title":"To provide for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the United States, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Water Resources Development Act of 2018","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Water Resources Development Act of 2018\n\nThis bill reauthorizes, deauthorizes, and modifies various projects under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 and the National Dam Safety Program Act and provides for specified studies.\n\nThe bill extends the National Levee Safety Program and the National Dam Safety Program through FY2023.\n\nThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shall issue guidance on the use of mitigation banks (sites where resources such as wetlands or streams are restored, established, enhanced, or preserved to compensate for the impact of authorized activity) to meet specified goals.\n\nBefore developing implementation guidance for certain water resources development laws, the Corps of Engineers shall: (1) inform nonfederal stakeholders of the intent to develop guidance, and (2) provide an opportunity for such stakeholders to provide input and recommendations.\n\nThe Corps of Engineers shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to study: (1) the ability...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Communities impacted by water infrastructure projects authorized by this bill; and the Army Corps of Engineers.","argument_for":"This bipartisan bill would authorize water infrastructure projects that’d improve the nation’s ports, inland waterways, dams, locks, and nearby ecosystems. It’d ensure water infrastructure can continue to support economic activity and mitigate the risk of flooding to communities.","argument_against":"This bill may be bipartisan but it doesn’t do enough to invest in America’s water infrastructure. Funding for new projects shouldn’t come from deauthorizing previously approved but stalled projects.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr8-115","bill_id":"hr8-115","formal_id":"H.R. 8","chamber":"house","congress":115,"last_action_at":"2018-06-26T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2018-06-07T01:33:50.000Z","debated_on":"2018-06-04T00:00:00.000Z","congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/8","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-115hr8pcs/html/BILLS-115hr8pcs.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr8-115.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/8/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2018-06-26","related_bill_ids":["hres918-115","hr5432-115","hr4193-115","hr5726-115","hr5748-115","hr5827-115","hr5720-115"],"progress":"Passed House","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":211,"committees":[{"name":"Water Resources and Environment","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSPW02","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSPW","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr8-115","details":"/api/bills/hr8-115/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr8-115","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr8-115/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr8-115/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":32,"slug":"hr8-115-water-resources-development-act-of-2018","latest_chamber_votes_id":"hr8-115","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":1716,"yea_vote_count":1383,"nay_vote_count":325,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["government","water-resources-development","water-resources-development","water-resources-development","water-resources-development","water-resources-development","transportation-and-public-works"],"issue_ids":["public-works","public-works","public-works","public-works","public-works","federal-agencies","government","texas","texas","texas","texas","texas","texas","water-resources-development","water-resources-development","water-resources-development","water-resources-development","water-resources-development","states","states","states","states","transportation-and-public-works"],"sponsor_id":249}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"public-works","name":"Public Works","slug":"public-works","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Public Works. 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Since the day you were born, that’s always been on the cards. Most of us find it easier to bury our heads in the sand. Avoidance is the #1 most popular coping strategy in the world. We live in denial of the self-evident fact that we all die eventually. The Stoics believed that when we’re confronted with our own mortality, and grasp its implications, that can change our perspective on life quite dramatically. Any of us could die at any moment. Life doesn’t go on forever. If you say that you won't vote in the general election if your candidate doesn't win the nomination, you're saying to millions of people you think their suffering is an appropriate price for your righteous indignation.\nThere is NO moral justification for sitting out this election. IRL I am an environmental hydrogeologist. I specialize in municipal stormwater management and karst groundwater systems. You can deny the effects of anthropogenic forced global climate change all day, but when your water well salts up, your streets and yards flood, or your house falls in a sinkhole or gets crushed by a landslide you will be calling me for help like I am the GD Batman.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"burrkitty","issue_count":145,"is_following":null,"influence_score":15350,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":523,"following_count":41,"position_count":999,"id":"8mrvqvpm","partner_id":null},{"name":"Kimberly ","vote_count":809,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211363522751259/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211363522751259/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211363522751259/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211363522751259/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/4mKo1Rqm/following","followers":"/api/users/4mKo1Rqm/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":47,"is_following":null,"influence_score":1025,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":32,"following_count":35,"position_count":189,"id":"4mKo1Rqm","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"c1970f9a-ca38-4e9f-b81a-cd950594e1e0","argument_for":"Yep, good stuff. We need more on infrastructure projects, but this will keep the ACE running a while longer. We need a program like the CCC to do the more localized stuff. Bring back the CCC! ","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":1,"upvotes_for_count":1,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":1,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/c1970f9a-ca38-4e9f-b81a-cd950594e1e0"},"body":"Yep, good stuff. We need more on infrastructure projects, but this will keep the ACE running a while longer. We need a program like the CCC to do the more localized stuff. Bring back the CCC! ","stance":"yea","created_at":"2018-06-04T14:15:22.061Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/c1970f9a-ca38-4e9f-b81a-cd950594e1e0.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr8-115","user_id":"8mrvqvpm","endorser_ids":["4mKo1Rqm"]}}

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Authorizing Water Infrastructure Projects for Two Years