The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2018, included as title I of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (S. 3021), was signed into law today. The new law provides the needed authorization for investment in harbor, waterway, flood protection, and other water infrastructure improvements throughout the country.
As
Amidst much fanfare, on Friday President Trump released a Presidential Memoranda (much like an Executive Order, yet different?) directing Federal agencies to work together to reduce regulatory burdens on Western water deliveries. It appears that the main thrust of the Memoranda is for NOAA Fisheries (which has Endangered
Great news for those of us tracking the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorizes specific projects, creates and modifies programs, and updates authorities for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: The Senate has scheduled a a cloture vote on Tuesday. For those with less background on the inner-workings of
Today the President signed an FY2019 “Minibus” into law (HR 5895) covering three of the twelve appropriations areas – energy and water, MilCon/VA, and legislative branch. The Energy and Water portion funds the activities of USACE’s Civil Works function. The agreement would provide a total of $7 billion to USACE
At last week’s Floodplain Management Association meeting in Reno, Nevada, the two of us planned and participated in a panel discussion on federal funding for flood control projects under the Trump administration. Attendees enjoyed a discussion on federal funding options for local entities that are ready to carry out a flood control
All joking aside about a gridlocked Congress, real progress has been made this week on flood risk reduction authorizations and appropriations. As explained below, it is looking like the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) may pass shortly, and the relevant budget subcommittees are ready to move an agreed-upon appropriations
We previously reported on and provided what appeared to be final drafts of the new 408 guidance. On Friday we received the formal version, and are providing access to it here: EC_1165-2-220.
Keep coming back for more helpful information on legal updates & commentary on flood risk and floodplain
We are happy to share the guidance on how USACE should be moving forward with projects funded under the Supplemental Appropriation. The guidance can be found here.
The appropriation provided an incredible $15 billion for construction:
Public Law 115-123 provides $15,055,000,000 in Construction funding (Supplemental Construction funds) to
In late June, President Trump unveiled his administration’s plan to reorganize the federal government. The proposed shakeup is entitled “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century: Reform Plan and Reorganization Recommendations.” On page 15 of the proposal you will find: “Move the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Civil Works out of the Department of Defense (DOD) to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of the Interior (DOI).” This proposal has left many people asking questions, such as how would it work? Would it be better? Does Congress need to approve it? And how is this different than every other proposal made in the past? Indeed, during a recent Senate hearing, Senators voiced inquiries about the Department of Defense’s views: