NAPOLITANO PRAISES COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF WATER INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

Washington, DC – (RealEstateRama) — Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-El Monte) praised the passage of H.R. 5303, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, by the full House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, releasing the following statement:

“I am proud of the work we have done with San Gabriel Valley and state water agencies to include provisions in this bill that improve drought resilience, address regional storm water challenges, and create environmental and recreational opportunities for our constituents,” Napolitano said. “I commend Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, and Chairman Gibbs for working in a bipartisan fashion, and I look forward to our continued efforts as we move this bill forward.”

Napolitano, the most senior California member of the Committee, successfully included her Donor and Energy Transfer Ports Amendment in the Manger’s Amendment to the bill. This would extend the current authorization of $50 million per year for donor and energy transfer harbors for expanded uses of berth dredging, environmental remediation dredging, and rebates to shippers. Donor harbors are harmed because their shippers are taxed much more than they receive back in harbor maintenance funding. This excessive tax diverts cargo away from donor harbors which leads to business and job losses in regions, such as Southern California, that are paying the most in taxes.

The full text of the Water Resources Development Act can be viewed here.

A full summary of H.R. 5303 can be viewed here.

Napolitano is the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, which oversees EPA’s Clean Water Act and US Army Corps of Engineers water programs.