Frankel Appointed to Negotiate Final WRRDA Bill

Press Release

Today Congresswoman Lois Frankel was appointed to help negotiate the final Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). Frankel will have a seat at the table as the House-Senate Conference Committee resolves differences between the House and Senate-passed WRRDA bills.

"Transportation moves our local economy, and our waterways play a critical role," Frankel said. "This bill is about jobs for South Florida and America, and I am honored to serve on the conference committee to promote our ports and restore our most precious wetlands, the Everglades."

As a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment, the committee that generated the WRRDA bill, Frankel worked with Democrats and Republicans to make sure it included a provision allowing Port Everglades expansion and Everglades Restoration to proceed. The House WRRDA bill authorizes planning, design and construction by a nonfederal interest, once a federal feasibility study is finalized. Most significantly, the non-federal interest will be eligible for a credit or reimbursement for any work carried out.

The House bill as passed, will allow the Port to progress towards the dredging that is needed to accommodate the larger post-Panamax vessels that will frequent the seas once the Panama Canal is widened in 2015. Once completed, the dredging project will surge economic growth in South Florida, creating 7,000 new additional jobs and 135,000 indirect jobs. That's a half billion dollars in economic impacts, far outweighing its potential costs.

The House WRRDA bill will allow four Everglades projects to break ground, one of which will be constructed in backyard of Frankel's district. The Broward County Water Preserve Area will help conserve water and boost water supply to South Florida.

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