After the House’s overwhelming approval of a $9-billion measure authorizing a large batch of new Army Corps of Engineers projects—plus funds to upgrade the lead-tainted Flint, Mich., water system—construction and water industry officials are shifting their focus to House-Senate negotiations to hammer out a final water resources bill during the post-election congressional session.
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which the House passed by a convincing 399-25 margin on Sept. 28, authorizes about $9 billion for 31 Corps flood protection, harbor dredging, environmental restoration and other projects that have received favorable reports from the Army’s Chief of Engineers.
接下来，众议院议员必须调和他们的立法和95-3票通过95-3票的参议院通过的更广泛措施。这些讨论的场地将是一个室内培养会议委员会，预计将在11月8日选举后的一次la脚鸭子会议上召集。业内官员欢迎最近的WRDA进展，他期望众议院和参议院工作人员举行会议前的讨论，以解决一些争议性较低的问题的差异。
There should be little controversy in conference about the traditional Corps projects: the two bills’ lists of authorizations are nearly identical.
这两个版本都为弗林特和其他饮用水基础设施困扰的地方都有钱。这所房子通过军团授权提供了1.7亿美元的弗林特饮用水。在商会投票之前的几天，将这种语言纳入其WRDA之前，两党的谈判进行了艰难。
Steve Hall, American Council of Engineering Companies vice president for government affairs, says the aid for Flint was the last obstacle to a House WRDA floor vote. He says, “Now that they’re over that hump they can work out those details and turn around a final package quickly in a lame duck.”
The Senate bill includes $220 million in drinking water aid for Flint and other areas, through an Environmental Protection Agency authorization. Of that sum, $100 million is for drinking-water state revolving funds and $70 million would cover federal subsidies for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. Those subsidies could support at least $700 million—and maybe up to $4.2 billion—in federal loans.
但主要区别是参议院版的广泛规定授权约60亿美元的环境保护局饮用水和废水处理计划。房子新近通过的WRDA没有这些规定。
观察者同意，Conferees将同意将Flint的援助包括在最终版本中。法律和游说公司琼斯·沃克（Jones Walker LLP）的特别顾问约翰·道尔（John Doyle）说：“在我看来，弗林特将获得资金。数量和机制将取决于同盟国。”
But the Senate legislation also has much more for drinking-water programs, including $1.4 billion over five years to help small and disadvantaged communities meet Safe Drinking Water Act requirements, plus $300 million to replace lead service lines and deal with related issues.
Moreover, the Senate measure also includes $1.8 billion for EPA’s combined sewer overflow program, $1.5 billion for a Great Lakes restoration program and a total of $1 billion for restoration programs for other watersheds, including Long Island Sound, and the Delaware and Columbia river basins and Lake Tahoe.
也许最吸引人的参议院EPA相关的规定是新的清洁水和饮用水信托基金，并得到“为自愿标签系统收集的费用”的支持。这些标签将来自EPA，每个EPA的成本为3美分，并且可以固定在软饮料和洗涤剂等产品上。
建筑，工程和水集团也将推动军团项目，饮用水和废水规定。新利18备用网址全国清洁水机构协会高级立法主任Pat Sinicropi说：“我们肯定会非常努力地维护尽可能多的资金计划授权，并尽可能多地进行政策改革（尽可能）的政策改革。参议院法案，通过会议。”
美国基础设施促进高级总监肖恩·奥尼尔（Sean O’Neill）指出，众议院通过了授权大湖计划的立法，并表示，水信托基金在该会议厅也得到了两党的支持。奥尼尔说，他们是参议院的规定，“我们认为房屋可以并且应该同意将最终版本包括在最终版本中。”
关于他们是否将其纳入Conferees的最终包裹的意见是有分歧的。华盛顿特区Dawon＆Associates的高级顾问Mike Strachn说：“如果我不得不猜测，我会说参议院法案中的许多非传统[水]规定最终将进入最终产品。。”
But Jones Walker’s Doyle, a former top House transportation panel aide, predicts that most of the Senate drinking-water, wastewater and watershed restoration provisions won’t be in the final bill, because they would require several billion dollars for programs whose current appropriations already lag far behind those sectors’ estimated funding needs. He adds, “It’s just hard for me to imagine that the conferees will decide to create a set of expectations through authorizing a host of new programs that aren’t likely to be funded (through appropriations).”
人们普遍认为，新的WRDA今年将成为法律。斯特拉奇（Strachn）也是高级众议院运输和基础设施委员会的工作人员，他说：“我的猜测是，他们将找到一种弥合差距的方法。”
美国港口当局协会导航政策与立法协会吉姆·沃克（Jim Walker）说：“领导人，委员会主席真的很想看到这一情况。”
Sinicropi说：“我认为我们会看到最后的法案很有机会。”她补充说：“我的意思是，有95名参议员和399名众议院议员并不总是同意任何事情，他们都同意WRDA是应提出的重要立法。”
The lame duck session is expected to be brief, lasting perhaps only into early or mid-December, with a break for Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, Walker says, “Looking at that limited calendar versus [House and Senate WRDA leaders’] abilities, I’d probably put my money on them making it happen.”.
沃克说，进入最终新利18备用网址WRDA的项目将是“这一过程中的一个主要里程碑”，“但这不是终点线。”授权必须遵循年度拨款。即使拨款实现，它们也将在多年内分散。
Strachn observes that a 2016 WRDA-authorized project first would need to win an appropriation for preconstruction design and engineering. That design stage isn’t short. He says, “It’ll be literally several years before many of these projects start to turn dirt.”
Walker notes that of the eight port projects in the last WRDA, signed in 2014, only three are underway—and only one of those has received federal appropriations. State money launched the other two.
尽管如此，压倒性的房屋投票还是为WRDA支持者提供了电梯。他们指出，如果WRDA今年成为法律，它将标志着过去几十年来大约每两年制定水资源的练习恢复。最后一个WRDA出现在2014年，但前一年七年前成为法律。
Strachn指出：“ [WRDA]过程又回到了两年的轨道上，或者似乎是这样 - 这就是重要的。”如果房屋培养会议崩溃，今年没有新的水资源措施，那么新的国会将不得不重新开始以起草新的WRDA。而且，2016年账单中的所有新利18备用网址项目都必须等待才能获得设计资金。
AGC的O'Neill指出，如果WRDA在1月份之前登上终点线，这将是2015年12月《 FINE AMERICE Surtrant Transport Act》之后大约12个月内制定的第二项主要基础设施法案。他说：“要采取快速行动，我认为现在的WRDA法案非常适合国会，以表明他们实际上可以在重要的基础设施立法上以两党方式工作。显然，这对我们的会员和整体经济都是有益的。”
