Graves Sponsoring Water Infrastructure Bill

Northern Missouri Republican Sam Graves has introduced the Water Resources Development Act, which he says will play a key role in any water infrastructure project, including flood control, navigation, ports, locks and dams. The legislation would facilitate commerce through ports and inland waterways, improve flood control infrastructure, and help develop flood control plans that Graves says would “actually work.” The legislation will give the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers new construction authority for communities facing repetitive flooding events. One of the more significant roadblocks to ensuring a project can be done quickly is getting construction authority expeditiously, and Graves says his bill will allow those communities to be protected more quickly. The bill also makes an important change in the cost-share for Inland Waterways Trust Fund projects on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois River systems. This change will accelerate the timeframe for funding and completion of projects to modernize outdated locks and dams on these rivers.