On June 6, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the Water Resources Development Act of 2018. The bill authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers programs and projects.
One of the amendments proposed by U.S. Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.) that passed directs the U.S. Government Accountability Office to conduct a study of the Corps’ ability to comply with federal stormwater runoff requirements. Rep. Heck’s office obtained technical consultation from the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) when drafting the amendment.
On May 22, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed legislation that includes the Water Resources Development Act and other water infrastructure provisions: America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. This version of the bill includes a variety of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater provisions. Before the bill was officially presented to the Senate committee, WEF and three other water associations sent a letter of support for the legislation.
Differences between the two bills will need to be resolved in a conference committee after both pass their respective bodies in Congress.
June 27, 2018
Laws & Regs