On Tuesday, the U.S. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment held a hearing titled: “Proposals for a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022: Stakeholder Priorities.” This was the second WRDA 2022 hearing the panel has held, with the first occurring in January on the topic of “Administration Priorities.” Next month the panel will hold a final hearing to receive testimony from congressional colleagues on their WRDA priorities. With WRDA up for renewal this year, this hearing provided testimony from state, local, and tribal stakeholders on how the legislation has been implemented in the past, and on future priorities for the 2022 iteration. The hearing also touched on funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the need for appropriations to finance the Corps’ full agenda. Witnesses spoke about the broad need for WRDA appropriations, as well as specific requests from their state or municipality. They also called upon Congress to encourage further support for “nature-based solutions” from the Corps in the 2022 WRDA.
Of note for RCRC was testimony by Wade Crowfoot, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. During his opening testimony, Secretary Crowfoot highlighted a technical request in the WIIN Act language in WRDA 2022, stating that if the language is not modified to eliminate the 2024 deadline and clarify how and when non-federal sponsor credits are transferred between authorized federal projects, California risks stranding over $200 million of investments in flood risk programs in the Central Valley. In closing, Crowfoot also expressed hope that the 2022 WRDA continues funding and support for the Corps at the Salton Sea, detailing California’s recent commitment to provide another $220 million over the next three years for habitat restoration and dust suppression at the Sea.