Senate Passes Water Resources Bill, Moderates Environmental Streamlining

摘要

The Senate passed the Water Resources Develop-ment Act of 2013 (S. 601) on an 83-14 vote May 15 to authorize construction and maintenance proj-ects such as dams, locks, levees, and harbor and chan-nel dredging. The last significant change before passage was the addition of a sunset provision limiting to 10 years pro-visions to streamline environmental review of projects. That change pacified senators who feared the legisla-tion would pressure federal agencies into approving en-vironmentally damaging projects when better alterna-tives might exist.