LaLota Votes to Improve Water Quality and Natural Disaster Preparation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Suffolk County) released the following statement after voting to pass S. 4367, the bipartisan Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024. This legislation will enhance the efficiency of natural disaster response, strengthen the nation’s ports and harbors, and provide essential upgrades to improve water quality.

“Long Island is no stranger to natural disasters, including catastrophic hurricanes like Sandy and major flooding this summer, that have devastated our communities. The Water Resources Development Act is an incredibly important and bipartisan bill that will drastically improve our critical infrastructure and strengthen our preparation for and response to natural disasters while addressing water quality and microplastic toxicity,” said LaLota. “This common-sense legislation strengthens disaster preparedness, enhances flood mitigation efforts, and ensures Long Island’s water infrastructure is equipped to handle future disasters. It contains important measures aimed at protecting drinking water and limiting environmental exposures. From safeguarding homes and businesses to improving our harbors and coastlines, I’m proud to continue to deliver real solutions to keep communities across Suffolk County safe and resilient.”

To read the full text of the legislation, click HERE.

Background:

The bipartisanWater Resources Development Act (WRDA) would:

• Authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to construct projects and conduct feasibility studies to improve navigation and flood management, mitigate storm and hurricane damage, and restore ecosystems. 

• Improve resiliency and flood mitigation by expanding access to materials for beach renourishment, restoring habitats, and codifying the beneficial reuse of dredged materials for non-Federal interests.

• Invests in projects that improve water quality, drainage systems, environmental infrastructure, and stormwater management.

• Requires a report on potential measures that may be implemented to reduce the release of microplastics into the environment, determine what can be effectively used to reduce the release of microplastics into the environment, and detail the costs-benefits analysis of implementing measures to reduce the release of microplastics into the environment.

• Increase the efficient use of federally-owned office space, including setting occupancy standards, strengthening congressional oversight and public accountability of federal real estate projects, selling certain unused federal properties, and saving money for the taxpayers. 

• Redistribute unobligated balances under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program to the states through the existing Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program. 

• Reauthorize and modernize the Economic Development Administration and other regional commissions whose mission is to spur economic development in distressed communities across the country.

WRDA authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program to carry out projects to improve the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation, flood and storm protection, and other aspects of our water resources infrastructure. The final version of WRDA follows negotiations over recent months to reconcile House and Senate-passed versions of the legislation. This will be the sixth consecutive Congress that has considered a WRDA bill since 2014.

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