Water Resources Development Act

ASA Calls on Congress to Support Transportation and Infrastructure

Soybeans move by truck, by barge, and by rail, and with approximately 50 percent of the crop exported, soybean farmers are especially impacted by the state of U.S. transportation infrastructure. The soybean industry is one of few U.S. sectors that provide a positive trade balance and is responsible for a significant number of jobs and economic development, especially in rural America.

“First and foremost, funding must be provided to allow the Lower Mississippi River to remain fully open for commerce,” Kemper said. “The inland waterways navigation system, especially the Mississippi River, is a vital asset in the movement of important commodities such as grain, coal, steel, petroleum and aggregate materials.”

In 2010, approximately 850 million bushels of soybeans were exported from the Mississippi Gulf region. This year, unprecedented levels of high water on the Mississippi River are carrying silt and debris to the mouth of the River. As water levels begin to recede, an emergency situation has developed with significant silting and shoaling at the River’s mouth that imminently threatens the ability of vessels to enter and exit the river.

“Dredging of this critical artery must happen immediately, and it is our hope that the Administration and Congress will work together to ensure that sufficient funding for dredging is available, including the expeditious enactment of Emergency Supplemental Appropriations funding, if necessary,” Kemper said.

To modernize lock and dam infrastructure on the Upper Mississippi, a long-term plan, such as the Capital Development Plan, which was formulated by the waterways industry and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is needed to improve the program management and provide a sufficient and reliable funding mechanism.

“ASA urges that the Capital Development Plan be included in a Water Title of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill or in a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that is enacted this year,” Kemper said.

H.R. 1495 [110th]: Water Resources Development Act of 2007 ...

When you sign up, your trackers are stored permanently and you can access them from any computer. Otherwise they are stored in a "cookie" on your computer and could get erased. When you are signed in, your personal tracked events RSS feed will update with your tracker settings, and you can get email updates on tracked events sent to you automatically. Aug 1, 2007: After passing both the Senate and House, a conference committee is created to work out differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. A conference report resolving those differences passed in the House of Representatives , paving the way for enactment of the bill, by roll call vote. The totals were 381 Ayes, 40 Nays, 11 Present/Not Voting. Vote Details . Sep 24, 2007: After passing both the Senate and House, a conference committee is created to work out differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. A conference report resolving those differences passed in the Senate , paving the way for enactment of the bill, by roll call vote. The totals were 81 Ayes, 12 Nays, 7 Present/Not Voting. Vote Details .

Water Resources Development Act, implementing the Omnibus Project reforms

Water Resources Development Act, hearing before the Subcommittee on Taxation and Debt Management of the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, Ninety-eighth Congress, second session, on S. 1739, June 5, 1984

Water Resources Development Act of 2004, report of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, to accompany S. 2773

Water resources development act of 1979, hearings before the Subcommittee on Water Resources of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session on S. 703 ... and S. 1241 ....

Omnibus water resources development act of 1976, hearings before the Subcommittee on Water Resources of the Committee on Public Works, United States Senate, Ninety-fourth Congress, second session ....