WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) celebrated House-passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA 2024), bipartisan legislation to authorize critical investments in Northwest Washington ports, inland waterways, flood management systems, ecosystems and other water resources infrastructure.

WRDA 2024 passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support, 359 to 13, and now heads to the Senate for consideration. It is the sixth consecutive WRDA to pass the House with bipartisan support.

“In Northwest Washington, you cannot have a big-league economy with little league infrastructure,” said Larsen, the lead Democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. “The Water Resources Development Act builds on a proud tradition of bipartisan, bicameral support for ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of Northwest Washington ports, harbors and inland waterways, the resiliency of local communities, and the protection of Washington’s natural resources. The investments in WRDA 2024 will work to strengthen flood control, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure—keeping people healthy and communities protected.

“I look forward to the Senate passing WRDA 2024 and getting it to the President's desk to be signed into law.”

Key WRDA Wins for Washington

WRDA 2024 includes several of Larsen’s local priorities to boost federal resources for marine infrastructure and critical habitat restoration, improve accessibility for Northwest Washington ports, and boost resiliency in Northwest Washington communities:

·       Building better environmental infrastructure in Northwest Washington communities, including:

o   $8 million for the cities of Ferndale ($4 million) and Lynden ($4 million) to invest in water, wastewater and environmental infrastructure projects.

o   $242 million for environmental infrastructure assistance to Western Washington counties, including Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties.

·       Fostering a new partnership between Western Washington University (WWU) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) by designating WWU as research partner to the Army Corps to study water quality, aquatic ecosystem restoration and the resiliency of water resources projects in the Pacific Northwest to natural disasters.

·       Improving Oak Harbor’s maritime infrastructure by initiating an Army Corps review of the City’s channel to help determine if there is a federal interest and the Army Corps can assume future maintenance responsibilities for dredging and breakwater construction.

·       Expanding the Tribal Partnership Program (TPP) to allow the Army Corps to partner with Tribes on projects outside of Tribal property if the project primarily benefits the Tribe or helps meet treaty obligations such as sustenance fishing rights. Larsen also supported language to make TPP permanent and increase the per-project limit from $26 million to $28.5 million.

·       Increased funding for salmon recovery projects by increasing the per-project cost cap for the study, design and construction of aquatic ecosystem restoration and protection projects, including salmon recovery projects, from $10 million to $15 million, and expanding the federal cost share for anadromous fish projects from 65 percent to 85 percent.

Additional Wins for Washington

Larsen also championed additional priorities for Washington state in WRDA 2024, including:

·       Addressing flooding risks by authorizing the Army Corps to carry out comprehensive analysis of riverine and coastal flooding and risk reduction measures in Washington state.

·       Supporting ecosystem restoration at the Port of Seattle by deauthorizing a small portion of the Port’s East Waterway to allow for habitat restoration projects in the Puget Sound and Duwamish River.

·       Maintenance of the Columbia River Navigation system by clarifying that the Corps can participate in financing the replacement of the Dredge Oregon, which performs crucial routine maintenance work along the Columbia River.

·       Maintenance of pile dikes by clarifying that extension and reconnection of pile dikes to an authorized project should be considered maintenance, not a new project.

·       Ensuring efficient and effective use of Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund dollars unlocked by WRDA 2020 to dredge waterways and keep Washington state ports and harbors globally competitive.

·       Supporting local economic development in Skamania by including a land conveyance to the Port of Skamania for a 1.6-acre plot of unused Army Corps land. Earlier this year, Larsen joined Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) in introducing the PORT Act to approve this conveyance.

Larsen a Longtime Champion of Northwest Washington’s Maritime Systems

Larsen has long championed Northwest Washington’s maritime systems in previous WRDAs:

·       In WRDA 2022, Larsen successfully included provisions to fund and complete more Puget Sound environmental mitigation projects, initiate the Port of Everett’s boat launch connector channel project and authorize critical funding for water supply infrastructure in Snohomish County.

·       In WRDA 2020, Larsen successfully included provisions to expand funding availability for Puget Sound restoration, expedite future development at the Port of Anacortes and level the playing field for medium-size donor ports like the Port of Everett.

·       In WRDA 2018, Larsen successfully included language to significantly increase federal funding for the Puget Sound Adjacent Waters Restoration program (PSAW) to support ecosystem restoration in the Sound.

For more information about the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, click here.

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