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The House successfully voted to override the veto by a 361-54 vote, followed by the Senate vote of 79 - 14 today (November 8). This is President Bush's first veto override allowing WRDA to become law without his signature.
WRDA's Critical Importance:
- H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA) will foster economic development, improve flood control, increase navigation capacity and ecosystem restoration.
- Several of the projects in WRDA include:
- A comprehensive plan to restore coastal Louisiana
- $1.948 billion for ecosystem restoration and navigation improvements in the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System
- $1.365 billion for restoration of the Florida Everglades
- WRDA will de-authorize nearly 60 projects previously authorized in an effort to better assess current needs and implement fiscal restraint.
- The 7-year gap in reauthorizing WRDA and the increasing need to invest in our nation's water resources accounts for the $23.2 billion in project authorizations.
AGC Involvement:
- Several AGC-backed provisions in WRDA improve how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prioritizes projects and how they will be developed in the future.
- During the reauthorization process AGC members from across the country played a key role in helping enact this legislation by continually contacting their elected officials.
- Many legislators acknowledged this involvement during multiple AGC national conferences on the important role that contractors play in water resources projects.
 
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