Huffman Votes For Critical North Coast Water Infrastructure Projects

October 24, 2013

WASHINGTON­—Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) voted last night for the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA), a water infrastructure bill that makes critical investments on the North Coast, including the Russian River. H.R. 3080 is a strong bipartisan bill that authorizes Army Corps of Engineers funding for improvements to ports, waterways and projects tied to flood protection, drinking water, dams and levees, and environmental restoration.

"Last night’s vote was a stumbling step forward for water infrastructure, which I supported despite significant problems in the current version of the bill.  This legislation is very important to our country, including communities up and down my North Coast district that will benefit from better flood projection, dredging, harbor improvements, and environmental restoration," Congressman Huffman said. "But I’m disappointed with several of the bill’s provisions and believe it must be improved going forward.  The House version of WRRDA includes overreaching attempts to undermine environmental protections and thwart our National Ocean Policy.  These provisions should be removed as the bill goes forward to conference committee.  I will work to make sure the focus of the final WRRDA is water infrastructure and restoration projects, without environmental rollbacks."

H.R. 3080 allows the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to continue working with the Sonoma County Water Agency to enhance six miles of endangered coho salmon habitat along Dry Creek, located between Warm Springs Dam and the Russian River near Healdsburg. The work is required under the Russian River Biological Opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2008 to protect coho salmon, Chinook salmon and steelhead trout; all listed as endangered or threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

Despite this, the bill also includes several national environmental policy rollbacks. It allows the Army Corps of Engineers to bypass environmental and public review processes and set arbitrary deadlines, potentially limiting input and environmental review from other agencies, such as the Fish and Wildlife Service. It eliminates one of the public comment periods, reducing the opportunity for critical public input on proposed projects. During consideration of the bill, House Republicans narrowly added a partisan amendment that would delay President Obama’s National Ocean Policy, a program that improves coordination between the 27 federal agencies and departments that impact and manage our oceans.

The bill moves towards ensuring that California receives its fair share of funding, but more work needs to be done. It also dedicates more resources from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to addressing the needs of ports and harbors, and implements new levee vegetation policies that will protect important species and better address the specific needs of different regions.

The bill will now be conferenced with a Senate version of the legislation, S. 601, which was passed in May and contains similar language. 

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