SC New York News

U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) announced that the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) has been voted out of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure with bipartisan support and will advance to the House Floor. Rep. Molinaro successfully advocated for the inclusion of strong conservation measures and flooding protections for Upstate New York.

The WRDA authorizes water development projects and studies carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address flood and storm control, ecosystem restoration, waterway navigation, water infrastructure, and improvements to ports and harbors.

"WRDA delivers big wins for Upstate New Yorkers," said Rep. Molinaro. "I'm proud to have fought for effective bipartisan measures in this bill that protect our ecosystems, improve climate resiliency, and prevent costly flooding. I'm happy to see such a crucial bill for our environment and drinking water advance to the House Floor with immense bipartisan support."

Rep. Molinaro highlighted several priorities within the bill:

- Improve flood preparedness in Upstate NY by directing the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a review of Army Corps disaster preparedness and response plans.

- Support workers in skilled trades by directing the Army Corps to partner with apprenticeship programs when implementing corrosion prevention projects.

- Improve response and prevention of coastal storm flooding in New York by expanding the NY-NJ Harbor and Tributaries Study.

- Require the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center to reduce microplastics in the environment.

- Direct federal funding toward flood and storm infrastructure to prevent costly flooding.

- Streamline Army Corps infrastructure projects by giving more flexibility to local project sponsors.