Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, has kicked off the process of assembling the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) with a bipartisan letter asking Senators to submit their highest priority water infrastructure projects to the Committee for consideration. The April 20 letter, signed by EPW Committee Chairman Boxer and Ranking Member Inhofe, asks Senators to provide detailed information on priority projects for the civil works program of the Army Corps of Engineers no later than May 18, 2010.

Senator Boxer said, "I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move forward with a new Water Resources Development Act this year. Water infrastructure investment is a proven job creator. From trade to transportation, disaster prevention to rural recreation, the Water Resources Development Act and the projects, policies, and programs it authorizes are essential components of creating jobs and keeping our economy growing."

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to construct critical flood protection, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects nationwide. In 2007, Senator Boxer successfully led the effort to override President Bush's veto to enact the Water Resources Development Act with overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate. WRDA, which authorized hundreds of vital flood control and infrastructure projects nationwide, had not passed during the previous seven years.

Full text of the WRDA letter from Senators Boxer and Inhofe is attached below.

***