{ "id": "R45212", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R45212", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 585949, "date": "2018-10-02", "retrieved": "2018-10-04T14:22:26.369677", "title": "Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (H.R. 8) and America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (Amendment to H.R. 8): An Overview", "summary": "Omnibus Water Authorization Legislation in the 115th Congress. The 115th Congress initiated deliberations on an omnibus water authorization bill with H.R. 8, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA 2018), and S. 2800, America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA 2018). The House passed H.R. 8 on June 11, 2018. On July 9, 2018, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (Senate EPW) posted on its website an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 8, also titled America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. \nThe Senate did not take up S. 2800 or the Senate EPW-posted amendment to H.R. 8. Instead, House and Senate committee leadership agreed on new legislative text. S. 3021, which the Senate passed as a courthouse-naming bill, was amended and passed in the House on September 13, 2018, to include the negotiated water authorization text. The negotiated text contains provisions from various pieces of legislation, most prominently H.R. 8, S. 2800, and H.R. 3387 (Drinking Water Systems Improvement Act of 2017). Like S. 2800, the House-passed S. 3021 is titled America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. If the Senate agrees to the House amendments to the bill, without proposing any further changes, the bill will be sent to the President. \nThis CRS report reflects H.R. 8 as it was passed by the House on June 11, 2018 (referred to herein as WRDA 2018), and the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 8 as it was posted by the Senate EPW on July 9, 2018 (referred to herein as AWIA 2018). Subsequent legislative actions on omnibus water resource legislation (e.g., House-passed amendments to S. 3021) generally are not reflected in this report. Enactment of the House amendments to S. 3021 likely would mean that both of the bills discussed in this report would not receive further attention in the 115th Congress. The House amendments to S. 3021 are discussed in CRS Report R45185, Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorization and Project Delivery Processes, by Nicole T. Carter, and CRS Report R45304, Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF): Overview, Issues, and Legislation, by Mary Tiemann.\nH.R. 8 and Senate EPW-Posted Amendment to H.R. 8. WRDA 2018 (H.R. 8) focused primarily on authorizing water resource projects and activities of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and dam and levee safety programs. AWIA 2018, as reflected in the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 8 posted by the Senate EPW on July 9, 2018, included USACE and dam and levee safety provisions. It also included provisions on clean water and drinking water infrastructure programs and regulatory authorities of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), tribal water-related authorities and programs, and water-related activities of the Department of the Interior.\nBoth WRDA 2018 and AWIA 2018 would have authorized USACE to conduct new studies and construct new projects, modified and extended existing project and program authorizations, and altered deauthorization authorities. Both WRDA 2018 and AWIA 2018 included provisions requiring studies of USACE civil works structure and efficiency. WRDA 2018 also would have required a study of the agency\u2019s budget processes; AWIA 2018 would have established a five-year budget process for the agency. Both WRDA 2018 and AWIA 2018 included provisions on nature-based alternatives and projects. AWIA 2018 included a larger number and broader set of provisions related to specific USACE projects than WRDA 2018.\nAWIA 2018, primarily Title V, addressed various EPA-administered water quality and infrastructure programs. Title V would have amended the Clean Water Act (CWA) for various purposes (e.g., to authorize grants for sewer overflow and stormwater management projects). AWIA 2018 also would have amended the Safe Drinking Water Act. It proposed several revisions to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program, and it would have expressly authorized EPA\u2019s WaterSense program. AWIA 2018 would have amended the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) to authorize special terms for loan assistance provided to state Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund finance authorities. Further, it would have required a study on WIFIA accessibility for certain communities. WRDA 2018 contained none of the EPA-related provisions and generally focused on USACE and dam and levee safety authorities.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45212", "sha1": "d5e74201cfdcc418bbb9fc7e3ffc19dc80414225", "filename": "files/20181002_R45212_d5e74201cfdcc418bbb9fc7e3ffc19dc80414225.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45212", "sha1": "9228882f09435360815e5c34bf919539f4b80507", "filename": "files/20181002_R45212_9228882f09435360815e5c34bf919539f4b80507.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4909, "name": "Water Resource Management" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4929, "name": "Water Quality" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 584323, "date": "2018-07-18", "retrieved": "2018-08-29T15:14:23.158156", "title": "Water Resources Development Act of 2018 and America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018: An Overview", "summary": "The 115th Congress is deliberating two omnibus water authorization bills\u2014H.R. 8, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA 2018), and the Senate\u2019s amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 8, titled America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA 2018). The House passed H.R. 8 by a 408-2 recorded vote on June 6, 2018. The original vehicle for AWIA 2018 was S. 2800, which the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works reported on May 22, 2018. The Senate\u2019s amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 8 reflects various changes from S. 2800 as reported. \nFor the 115th Congress, deliberations on the two bills include discussions of the scope of water issues to be addressed and how the legislation would influence federal and nonfederal investments in water infrastructure. Congressional discussions have included altering how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) delivers navigation, flood risk reduction, and aquatic ecosystem restoration studies and construction projects; USACE reports a $96 billion civil works construction backlog. There is some interest in altering how USACE is structured and in modifying its operations and delivery of projects. In the Senate, deliberations also have focused on drinking water and water quality issues facing communities. Issues include infrastructure needs and the federal role and options for funding projects, water quality regulatory compliance flexibility and affordability, and technology innovation, among others. \nWRDA 2018 is focused primarily on authorizing water resource projects and activities of USACE and dam and levee safety programs. AWIA 2018 includes USACE provisions and dam and levee safety provisions, as well as provisions on a range of other topics, including the following:\nclean water and drinking water infrastructure programs and regulatory authorities of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);\ntribal water-related authorities and programs; and\nwater-related activities and other authorities of the Department of the Interior.\nUSACE Provisions. Both bills would authorize USACE to conduct new studies and construct new projects, modify and extend existing project and program authorizations, and alter deauthorization authorities. Both bills include provisions that would require studies of USACE civil works structure and efficiency. WRDA 2018 also would require a study of the agency\u2019s budget processes; AWIA 2018 would establish a five-year budget process for the agency and its districts. Both bills also include provisions on USACE permissions and permits for nonfederal activities and nature-based alternatives and projects. AWIA 2018 would extend the innovative finance authority, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA; P.L. 113-121, Title V, Subtitle C), and would require a study of the existing impediments to USACE implementation. AWIA 2018 includes a larger number and broader set of provisions related to specific USACE projects than WRDA 2018.\nEPA Provisions. AWIA 2018, primarily Title V, would address various EPA-administered water quality and infrastructure programs. Title V would amend the Clean Water Act (CWA) for various purposes (e.g., to reauthorize grants for certain water treatment projects, authorize integrated compliance planning for municipalities, and require EPA to promote the use of green infrastructure). Further, it would specify that no CWA permit is required for discharges from a water transfer, with the exception of pollutants introduced by the water transfer activity itself. Among Safe Drinking Water Act amendments, AWIA 2018 would make several revisions to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program, and it would formally authorize EPA\u2019s WaterSense program. AWIA 2018 would amend the WIFIA to authorize special terms for loan assistance provided to state Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund finance authorities. Further, it would require a study on WIFIA accessibility for certain communities. WRDA 2018 contains none of the EPA-related provisions and generally focuses on USACE and dam and levee safety authorities.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45212", "sha1": "58dfd1320e5d5217bd947c28833ead0cd1070c11", "filename": "files/20180718_R45212_58dfd1320e5d5217bd947c28833ead0cd1070c11.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45212", "sha1": "ab122dc4280337e52f4604ce9a432174f8de56ee", "filename": "files/20180718_R45212_ab122dc4280337e52f4604ce9a432174f8de56ee.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4909, "name": "Water Resource Management" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4929, "name": "Water Quality" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 581972, "date": "2018-06-14", "retrieved": "2018-06-14T22:05:59.924956", "title": "Water Authorization Legislation in Brief: H.R. 8 and S. 2800", "summary": "The 115th Congress is deliberating two water authorization bills: H.R. 8, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA 2018), and S. 2800, America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA 2018). \nH.R. 8 is focused primarily on authorizing water resource projects and activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). H.R. 8 passed the House by a 408-2 recorded vote on June 6, 2018.\nS. 2800 includes provisions related to USACE water resource projects and activities, provisions related to water-related programs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and a few provisions on water-related activities and authorities of the Department of the Interior (DOI). S. 2800 was reported out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on May 22, 2018.\nFor the 115th Congress, some of the issues related to these deliberations on the two bills include the scope of water issues to be addressed, how the legislation would affect federal spending, and how the legislation would affect federal and nonfederal investments in water infrastructure. In addition, there is some interest in altering how the USACE is structured and in modifying its operations and delivery of water resource projects.\nBoth H.R. 8 and S. 2800 include numerous provisions that address USACE-related activities. For example, both bills would authorize USACE to conduct new studies and construct new projects, and both would modify and extend existing project and program authorizations. \nHowever, despite these similarities, numerous provisions in one bill have no counterpart in the other. In particular, many provisions in S. 2800 have no related provision in H.R. 8. For example, S. 2800 includes numerous provisions related to EPA-administered water quality and infrastructure programs. Most of these provisions occur in Title V, but other titles also include EPA-related provisions. Title V of S. 2800 would amend the Clean Water Act for various purposes (e.g., to reauthorize the appropriation of grants for sewer overflow projects and make stormwater management projects eligible, to authorize integrated planning to help municipalities comply with wastewater discharge mandates, and to require EPA to promote and integrate the use of green infrastructure into various agency activities). It also would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA); among other SDWA amendments, the Senate bill would (1) make permanent the requirement to use U.S.-produced iron and steel in all projects receiving Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) assistance, (2) formally authorize EPA\u2019s WaterSense program, and (3) impose certain contract negotiation requirements on SRF-assisted projects. S. 2800 would amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA; P.L. 113-121, Title V, Subtitle C) to authorize special terms for loan assistance provided to state Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF finance authorities. Further, it would require a study on WIFIA accessibility for certain communities. H.R. 8, in contrast, contains none of these provisions and generally remains focused on USACE activities.\nThis report provides an overview of H.R. 8 and S. 2800, including context related to the bills and the topics shaping deliberation associated with the USACE- and EPA-related provisions. Among the issues shaping deliberations are the extent to which the legislation improves delivery of water infrastructure, including USACE water resource projects, and the effect of the legislation on federal spending and nonfederal investments.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45212", "sha1": "d9c96311c06e6e24cb4996602432f1ee80376481", "filename": "files/20180614_R45212_d9c96311c06e6e24cb4996602432f1ee80376481.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45212", "sha1": "d21dbc08f43eafa0c2efc24f2027f3d3520fc4d0", "filename": "files/20180614_R45212_d21dbc08f43eafa0c2efc24f2027f3d3520fc4d0.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4909, "name": "Water Resource Management" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4929, "name": "Water Quality" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 581596, "date": "2018-06-01", "retrieved": "2018-06-12T14:10:12.656281", "title": "Water Authorization Legislation in Brief: H.R. 8 and S. 2800", "summary": "The 115th Congress is deliberating two water authorization bills: H.R. 8, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA 2018), and S. 2800, America\u2019s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AIWA 2018). Both bills were introduced and marked up by their respective authorizing committees in May 2018.\nH.R. 8 is focused on authorizing water resource projects and activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). \nS. 2800 includes provisions related to USACE water resource projects and activities, provisions related to water-related programs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and a few provisions on water-related activities and authorities of the Department of the Interior (DOI). \nFor the 115th Congress, some of the issues related to these deliberations on the two bills include the scope of water issues to be addressed, how the legislation would affect federal spending, and how the legislation would affect federal and nonfederal investments in water infrastructure. In addition, there is some interest in altering how the USACE is structured and in modifying its operations and delivery of water resource projects.\nBoth H.R. 8 and S. 2800 include numerous provisions that address USACE-related activities. For example, both bills would authorize USACE to conduct new studies and construct new projects, and both would modify and extend existing project and program authorizations. \nHowever, despite these similarities, numerous provisions in one bill have no counterpart in the other. In particular, many provisions in S. 2800 have no related provision in H.R. 8. For example, S. 2800 includes numerous provisions related to EPA-administered water quality and infrastructure programs. Most of these provisions occur in Title V, but other titles also include EPA-related provisions. Title V of S. 2800 would amend the Clean Water Act for various purposes (e.g., to reauthorize the appropriation of grants for sewer overflow projects and make stormwater management projects eligible, to authorize integrated planning to help municipalities comply with wastewater discharge mandates, and to require EPA to promote and integrate the use of green infrastructure into various agency activities). It also would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA); among other amendments to the SWDA, the Senate bill would (1) make permanent the requirement to use U.S.-produced iron and steel in all projects receiving Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) assistance and (2) formally authorize EPA\u2019s WaterSense program. S. 2800 would amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA; P.L. 113-121, Title V, Subtitle C) to authorize special terms for loan assistance provided to state Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF finance authorities. Further, it would require a study on WIFIA accessibility for certain communities. H.R. 8, in contrast, contains none of these provisions and generally remains focused on USACE activities.\nThis report provides an overview of H.R. 8 and S. 2800, including context related to the bills and the topics shaping deliberation associated with the USACE- and EPA-related provisions. Among the issues shaping deliberations are the extent to which the legislation improves delivery of water infrastructure, including USACE water resource projects, and the effect of the legislation on federal spending and nonfederal investments. As of May 31, 2018, no Congressional Budget Office cost estimates were available for H.R. 8 or S. 2800.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45212", "sha1": "ed77d53da1da5e72d75cc6c4f2d54ff56451771d", "filename": "files/20180601_R45212_ed77d53da1da5e72d75cc6c4f2d54ff56451771d.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45212", "sha1": "4fd2117eade3f7f92da86758df9f0c859184af82", "filename": "files/20180601_R45212_4fd2117eade3f7f92da86758df9f0c859184af82.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4909, "name": "Water Resource Management" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4929, "name": "Water Quality" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Energy Policy", "Environmental Policy" ] }