LITTLE ROCK – Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statement after House passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080):
“This bill will authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete important water resources development projects, such as ports and navigation, flood risk reduction, and environmental restoration and protection. It includes no earmarks and will save hardworking taxpayers money, streamline the review process, eliminate red tape and upgrade and modernize our nation’s infrastructure. Creating jobs and improving our nation’s ability to compete is critical, and that’s why I support it.”
Arkansas has 1,860 miles of inland waterways. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, waterways and ports support 9,640 jobs in Arkansas and directly contribute $1.2 billion to the state’s economy.
H.R. 3080 also expands the ability of non-federal sponsors to contribute their own funds to complete studies and projects, and is supported by the Arkansas Farm Bureau, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Soybean Association, the American Waterways Operators, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Counties, the National Waterways Conference, the Water Resources Coalition, the Waterways Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
H.R. 3080 passed the House by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 417-3.
