WASHINGTON -- Congress sent the White House a $12.3 billion water-projects bill that was half the size of its last one seven years ago -- before the economy sank into a deep recession that helped swell the government's debt and lawmakers swore off cherry-picking pet projects for constituents.
With a 91-7 vote Thursday, the Senate passed the bill authorizing 34 new projects over the next 10 years. The House passed it Tuesday after key lawmakers spent six months blending separate House and Senate versions approved last year.
Both of Arkansas' senators supported the bill, though U.S. Sen. John Boozman is recovering in Arkansas from heart surgery and could not vote.
In a statement, Boozman said he is pleased that Congress passed the infrastructure bill. He had worked to include provisions that extend free day passes to military families on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands and will require the Corps to better explain rates it charges utilities.
"[The bill] will improve our nation's water resources policy by reforming the Corps of Engineers to increase transparency, reduce flood risks and improve the reliability of our water supply and hydropower," the Rogers Republican said.
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor said in a statement he was pleased that the House and Senate agreed on the legislation.
"Arkansas is a powerhouse when it comes to waterway commerce, jobs, and exports. If we want to see continued growth then we must make smart investments to upgrade our water infrastructure," the Little Rock Democrat said.
The final bill allows the Corps to enter into cooperative agreements with local groups such as Friends of Lake Ouachita to maintain recreational facilities, which Pryor and Boozman helped seek.
The bill also authorizes big new flood-control projects for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Fargo, N.D., and dredging and harbor expansions in Boston and Savannah, Ga. But it puts an end to $18 billion in dormant projects that Congress had passed before the last round of $23.3 billion in water projects was approved in 2007.
The new measure's reduced cost reflects a conscious effort by lawmakers to rein in spending, particularly in the House, where Republicans first elected in 2010 or 2012 balked at new expenditures. All of the projects included in the legislation came at the Corps' recommendation.
Some conservative and watchdog groups complained the bill was still bloated with unnecessary spending. But it had widespread support from state and local officials and business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as legislation that will produce jobs and enhance commerce.
"This is a strong, bipartisan bill," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, R-Calif., hailed the bill's passage as a "good day" for a host of interests.
The seven votes against the bill were all cast by Republicans. One of those opposed, Arizona Sen. John McCain, said the bill did not do enough to rein in costs.
"It's still full of unnecessary and unwanted projects," he said.
Others who voted against it were Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Mike Lee of Utah and Pat Roberts of Kansas.
In Iowa, the bill authorizes roughly $73.1 million in federal spending to help build up flood protections in Cedar Rapids, which suffered devastating flooding in 2008. It also schedules $846 million for a flood-mitigation area around Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn.
The bill permits some $216 million for dredging and expansion in Boston Harbor and $492 million for expanding the fast-growing Port of Savannah in Georgia.
Besides authorizing projects, the bill makes changes to how future projects can seek funding and sets specific time and cost limits for studies on potential projects. Supporters say it eliminates unnecessary Corps reviews and speeds up environmental reviews for potential projects.
The bill also increases spending from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to pay for improvements to ports and creates a five-year pilot program to provide loans and loan guarantees for various projects.
Information for this article was contributed by Henry C. Jackson of The Associated Press and by Sarah D. Wire of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
A Section on 05/23/2014