Posted November 8, 2013
This week, the U.S. Senate named the legislators who will negotiate and reconcile the Water Resources Development Act, which passed both the House and Senate earlier this year, according to a Farm Futures article available here.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2013, S.601 and H.R. 3080, authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out waterways infrastructure projects, improving conditions for commercial shippers and agricultural trade. The legislation also “de-authorizes old construction projects to alleviate the Corps’ $60 billion project backlog and allows non-federal funding of waterways projects.”
Senators appointed to sit on the committee include Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), David Vitter (R-LA), John Barrasso (R-WY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Max Baucus (D-MT). Sen. Boxer will chair the committee.
Sen. Vitter said the bill represents “one of the single most significant pieces of infrastructure legislation we’ve voted on this year.”
The House bill passed with overwhelming support, 417-3, but it has not yet appointed conferees. A key difference includes an alteration of the EPA on-farm fuel storage regulations mandated by the agency’s Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure in the Senate bill.
Lawmakers are expected to reach an agreement by the end of the year, according to an article by The Hill available here.
For more information on water law, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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