Congress Finally Passes A Water Bill, To Begin Rebuilding The Nation's Antiquated Locks And Dams

April 19 (EIRNS) -- The Water Resources and Development Act bill expired in 2000, and since then repair, maintenance, and new projects on the nation's waterways have been at a standstill. Not everything in the bill is good, but without it we'd be faced with mounting breakdown of the system. Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), the head of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said of today's 394 to 25 passage of H.R. 1495, "The nation was founded along the waterways. It has been the Federal government's task from the beginning to ensure the movement of people and goods ..." Passage of the bill allows for replacement of aged locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River-Illinois waterway and authorizes Gulf Coast water projects.

An associated Senate bill passed by voice vote in the Environment and Public Works Committee on March 29, and is expected to pass easily in the full Senate.