More than five years after the last Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, became law, it is increasingly likely that Congress will pass a successor bill this year. The outlook brightened on May 15, when the Senate passed a new WRDA by a strong 83-14 vote. The bill authorizes Army Corps of Engineers' projects, changes Corps project-review policies and boosts funding. Interest groups now are zeroing in on the House, mapping out lobbying plans for that chamber's not-yet-introduced WRDA.
The key House player on WRDA, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), says the bill is a top priority. He told reporters on May 16 he would like his panel to clear WRDA "sometime this summer."