[StBernard] House overwhelmingly overrides President’s veto of WRDA

[Westley Annis]

House overwhelmingly overrides President’s veto of WRDA   

WASHINGTON – By an overwhelming vote of 361–54, the U.S. House of Representatives voted tonight to override the President’s veto of the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA), legislation that authorizes billions of dollars for Louisiana flood control, hurricane protection, coastal restoration, waterway improvements, and ecosystem rehabilitation projects.  On the local level, WRDA provides an authorization of $187 million for flood control projects in East Baton Rouge Parish.   

U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, who serves as the ranking Republican member of the Water Resources subcommittee and served as a lead House negotiator on the House-Senate conference committee that authored WRDA, issued the following statement:   

“This is a battle I have waged for 7 years, and on behalf of the citizens of Louisiana , I am gratified to have finally won.   Louisiana has faced incredible challenges since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and today we are making the investments in coastal restoration and hurricane protection that our state so urgently needs. I commend my colleagues in the House for overriding this veto and urge the Senate to schedule a veto override vote very quickly.”   

On the authorization of $187 million for flood control projects in East Baton Rouge , Baker said:   

“Between raising the authorization level and changing the cost-share formula, we’re talking about a substantial increased federal investment and savings to the parish of $40 million for projects that mean greater safety for people and property.”   

The bill also includes language authored by Baker to allow the Corps, for the first time, to participate with other agencies to assess and seek solutions for the “hypoxia” problem or the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico impacting Louisiana fishing, which recent reports indicate is growing worse.  The provision would bring the Corps’ unique expertise in wetlands, specifically nutrient filters that mitigate against hypoxia, and waterways that deliver the nutrients, to bear on a unified plan to deal with hypoxia.   

Louisiana and Sixth District area projects in the WRDA bill include:   

St. Francisville Drainage: Authorizes the Corps to initiate improvements for flood-prone areas of the town. 

False River: Expedites Corps work to address the siltation problem harming this vital Pointe Coupee Parish lake.   

Intracoastal Waterway Stream Bank Restoration: Directs the Corps to address severe erosion problems on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near the Bayou Sorrel Lock in Iberville Parish.   

Louisiana Coastal Area: Authorizes $1.9 billion for Louisiana ’s coast, which represents the largest coastal restoration project in American history.   

Morganza to Gulf: Authorizes the $886.7 million project for the area between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers from the Morganza Floodway in Pointe Coupee Parish to the Gulf Coast and including the watershed area that makes up most of Acadiana. This project authorizes the Corps to conduct extensive flood and hurricane protection; wetlands, natural resource, wildlife habitat, and ecosystem conservation; and will facilitate recreational, commercial, and outdoor activities.   

East Baton Rouge Riverfront:  Expands a 1998 authorization for the Corps’ riverfront work in West Baton Rouge Parish now to include East Baton Rouge Parish and West Feliciana Parish.   

University/City Park Lakes: Authorizes the Corps to expedite this dredging and ecosystem restoration project.   

East Baton Rouge Parish Flood Control: Authorizes a new, higher level of $187 million for this important flood control project. The bill language also changes the federal cost share from 65/35 to 75/25.  The higher authorization, combined with the cost-share change, will provide a $40 million increase in federal investment and savings to the parish.   

Bayou Sorrel Lock: Authorizes the Corps to reconstruct the $100 million lock in Iberville Parish, a critical choke point for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway .   

Bayou Plaquemine: Saves the city of Plaquemine $400,000 toward a $2 million project that provides environmental enhancement of Bayou Plaquemine by increasing the level of dissolved oxygen and lowering the temperature of bayou waters, which are currently experiencing habitat degradation.   

Watershed Management programs: Provides technical, planning, and design assistance to non-federal interests for carrying out watershed management, restoration, and development projects at the Amite River Basin and East Atchafalaya River.   

Flood mitigation priority areas: Provides technical, planning, and design assistance to non-federal interests for carrying out flood mitigation, restoration, and development projects in Ascension, EBR, Iberville, Livingston, and Pointe Coupee parishes. The Corps is authorized to conduct projects that reduce flooding while trying to restore rivers to their natural condition.   

EBR, Livingston , and Ascension parish wastewater - Increases authorized funding level from $20 million to $35 million.   

Plaquemine sanitary, sewer and wastewater infrastructure improvements:  Authorizes funding level of $7 million.   

Hypoxia: Authorizes the Corps to begin working with federal, state, and other agencies to address the hypoxia situation in the Gulf of Mexico .   

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For more news about Congressman Baker, please visit 

www.baker.house.gov <http://www.baker.house.gov/>