Number: RL32574
Title: Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway Investments: Proposed Authorization Legislation in the 108th Congress
Authors: Nicole T. Carter and Kyna Powers, Resources, Science, and Industry Division 
Abstract: Three bills in the 108th Congress - H.R. 4785, S. 2470, and S. 2773 - would have authorized many of the UMR-IWW investments recommended by the Corps; they would have authorized $1.73 billion for navigation, and $1.46 billion for ecosystem restoration. No action was taken on H.R. 4785 or S. 2470. Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is the traditional legislative vehicle for authorizing Corps projects. On August 25, 2004, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported S. 2773 - WRDA 2004. The Senate did not hold a floor vote on the bill. The House passed a WRDA 2003 (H.R. 2557) without a UMRIWW authorization on September 26, 2003. (That vote took place before the Corps' UMR-IWW feasibility report was available). A fourth bill - H.R. 4686, the Mississippi River Protection and Restoration Act of 2004 - would have expanded ecosystem restoration under the existing Environmental Management Program (EMP) for the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS); it would not have authorized navigation investments. No action was taken on H.R. 4686.
Pages: 19
Date: April 5, 2005