Florida Ports Council: Passage of WRRDA Report is Huge Step Forward

The Florida Ports Council congratulated the U.S. House of Representatives for approving the bipartisan Water Resources Reform & Development Act (WRRDA) conference report 412-4.

The next step will be for the report to be heard by the U.S. Senate. The Florida Ports Council has been in Washington D.C. this week for its spring Fly-In with the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity advocating for this important legislation.

“The passage of the WRRDA report by the U.S. House is a huge step toward having the first water resources legislation in six years. Florida ports are grateful for the immense amount of time and effort that our Congressional members and staff have spent in advocating for our system of ports and freight infrastructure,” remarked Doug Wheeler, president and CEO of the Florida Ports Council. “This bill contains improvements to the project approval process at the federal level, as well as other policy improvements, to assist Florida ports’ efforts in creating jobs, growing the economy and continuing to position Florida as a global hub for business.”

The conferenced version of WRRDA promotes the nation’s competitiveness, prosperity, and economic growth by upholding the seminal federal responsibility to maintain a strong transportation infrastructure and ensure the efficient flow of domestic and international commerce.

More specifically, the legislation reforms the U.S. Army Corps process to remove inefficiencies and add timelines for studies, and ensures the full utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund by 2025, so that 100 percent of the funds collected go towards their intended purpose of operation and maintenance activities.

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Press Release, May 21, 2014