Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), ranking member of the Senate EPW Committee, today released a statement praising the Senate passage of S. 2848, the Water Resources Development Act of 2016:

 “Once again Congress has voted with broad bipartisan support for another major infrastructure bill. Once law, WRDA 2016 will give authority for the Army Corps of Engineers to move forward on 30 projects that will help grow our economy, protect communities from flooding, increase our global competitiveness, and restore our natural treasures.  This bill also provides critical support and reforms to help small and disadvantaged communities improve access to clean and safe drinking water and to repair aging infrastructure that contributes to lead contamination nation-wide.  A critical component of the bill is that we specifically addressed the long-standing lead contamination in Flint.  We appreciate our colleagues in the Senate for working collaboratively and around the clock to get this bill passed.”

In 2016, the EPW Committee held four hearings leading up to the introduction of WRDA 2016 to hear from a wide array of stakeholders. On April 28, the Senate EPW Committee passed WRDA 2016 out of committee by a vote of 19 to 1. Text of the legislation that passed the Senate can be found by clicking here. 

###