Full Description

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007 became law November 9, 2007 after both houses of Congress voted to override a presidential veto. A pork-barrel bill by design, members of Congress seeking particular project authorizations exerted tremendous pressure to pass the bill. The legislation authorizes flood control, navigation,and environmental projects and studiesby the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (theCorps). If fully funded, WRDA 2007 is estimatedby the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) toresult in about $11.2 billion of spending from 2008to 2012 (CBO, 2007). An additional $12 billion wouldbe needed over the 10-year period beyond 2012, withsome construction and operations costs continuingor commencing even after the first 15 years. This article describes the WRDA as federal legislation that is the mainvehicle for authorizing water projects undertaken bythe Corps. It is also the vehicle used to implementpolicy changes in Corps water resource projects andprograms. The article discusses how WRDA legislation was developed, project funding, and the nine titles of the 2007 WRDA. Includes 3 references.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. 100 - No. 1 Published: 01/01/2008 Number of Pages: 7File Size: 1 file , 89 KB