SCOTT CITY, MO – U.S. Senator Kit Bond and Representative Jo Ann Emerson today joined members of the Southeast Missouri (SEMO) Regional Port Authority and local officials to celebrate the enactment of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

            “One of the chief functions of government – ignored by Congress for too long – is updating our economic infrastructure,” said Bond, who has fought for the passage of WRDA since 2002.  “Hurricane Katrina and the Minneapolis bridge collapse are extreme reminders of what can happen when we fail to invest in long-term infrastructure development.  Now we may finally be able to make some progress on rebuilding our water infrastructure.”

"Our nation’s waterways are essential corridors for commerce throughout the nation, but especially in the Heartland where the agricultural and manufacturing strength of our economy resides. Unless we invest in the infrastructure along our rivers, we will soon lose a crucial competitive advantage in Southern Missouri. River transportation is clean, economical and efficient, but we could be using more of it, and WRDA will help us achieve that goal," said U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson.

Enacted over a Presidential veto, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is finally law.  Bond and Emerson praised the broad coalition of agriculture, shipping, manufacturing, labor, and environmental groups that made today’s celebration possible. 

Bond and Emerson commended their colleagues in both the House and Senate for recognizing the importance of water transportation infrastructure. The House voted overwhelmingly to override the veto of WRDA with a vote of 361 to 54.  In the Senate, the vote was 79 to 14.  Bond and Emerson noted that the lopsided nature of the vote shows the strong bipartisan support for renewing and rebuilding our critical water infrastructure.

            WRDA authorizes the Corps of Engineers’ flood control, environmental restoration, and navigation projects.  For Missouri, the new law means trade competitiveness, reliable and affordable energy, drinking water, and protection from floods.  Bond and Emerson noted that WRDA also means jobs for our construction crews and other contractors working on these critical projects.             

 Bond and Emerson stressed that for farmers who depend on the lock and dam system to move their products, WRDA is critical.  The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are the Midwest’s arteries to world markets, the Southeast Missouri ports alone ship nearly 2 million tons annually.  Unfortunately, the current locks, which were built during the Great Depression, are outdated.  The new law includes Bond’s provision to modernize the lock and dam system, authorizing $1.95 billion in federal funds for seven new locks. 

            WRDA is an authorization bill.  Now that WRDA is law, Congress has the authority to spend money on critical water resources projects, but the money must still be appropriated.  As senior members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, Bond and Emerson pledged to use their positions to see the projects funded.  

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