Deluzio Locks in Water Infrastructure Wins for Western PA with House Passage of Water Resources Bill

Deluzio successfully included several provisions in the Water Resources Development Act that passed the House this week

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) joined with his U.S. House colleagues to pass S. 4367, the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (otherwise known as WRDA). Previously, this biennial, bipartisan legislation successfully passed out of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which Congressman Deluzio is a member of, 61-2. The bill now heads to the Senate for final approval, and then to President Biden for his signature. 

The WRDA bill is a comprehensive legislative package that provides for the conservation and development of water and related resources like the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterways, and flood and storm protection. It authorizes the Secretary of the Army, through the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, to conduct studies, construct projects, and research activity that can lead to the improvement of rivers and harbors of the United States.  

“Western Pennsylvania is deeply connected to its rivers, both in our way of life and in our economy," said Congressman Deluzio. “I am proud I was able to include several important provisions in this Congress’ water resources bill that will make a difference for us in Western PA. From supporting the locks and dam systems of the inland waterways in our region to improving community resources available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: we’ve got to make sure our water management systems are the best they can be and are built to last.” 

Specifically, the items that Congressman Deluzio successfully advocated for inclusion in this year’s WRDA bill are: 

Allegheny River Navigation, Environmental, and Economic Study  

• The Allegheny River is an important waterway in Pennsylvania that is currently underutilized. The federal investments from the IIJA, IRA, and other pieces of legislation have the potential to revitalize this waterway, but any reduction in lockage hours would stop this effort in its tracks. Additionally, it is critical to understand how the Allegheny River can best be used to support economic, environmental, and navigation needs.   
• This language would authorize a feasibility study to look at navigation and aquatic ecosystem restoration needs and to assess the impact of commercial operations to communities all along the river. This would create much-needed stability that could help support the findings of the study, while also ensuring that navigation and other operations can be balanced with preserving the ecosystem.    

Army Corps Community Outreach Funding Authorization  

• The Army Corps of Engineers are currently not authorized to expend funds to conduct community outreach. The Pittsburgh division would like to reach out to many of the smaller communities in the region to inform them what the Corps. can assist with – for example replacing sewer lines and getting rid of lead pipes. This outreach will allow the Corps to better assist our municipalities directly.   
• The final WRDA text requires the Secretary of the Army to designate a point person to assist non-federal interests in accessing federal resources related to water resources development projects.   
• Separate from this authorization, we’ll work to coordinate with the Corps in the future to conduct additional outreach.    

Require Corrosion Prevention Activities at Water Resources Development Projects  

• The provision requires corrosion prevention to be included at water resources development projects, particularly those carried out by the US Army Corps of Engineers. It requires contractors performing work for these projects use industry-recognized standards and corrosion mitigation and prevention methods when determining protective coatings, selecting materials, determining methods of protection, design, and engineering.   
• It also requires an apprenticeship utilization provision as a prerequisite for entities who do anti-corrosion work for the Corps. 
• The final WRDA bill includes much of this by encouraging the Secretary to coordinate with apprenticeship programs and utilizing National standard best practices when conducting corrosion prevention activities.  

While not included in this Congress’ WRDA text, Congressman Deluzio is also continuing to push for full funding for the Montgomery Locks and Dam Project, which received critical investments from President Biden’s Infrastructure Law and has grown in scope and cost since the grant was awarded in 2021. Additional funds are needed to keep the project on schedule, to ensure all needed improvements are made, and to avoid any further delays in its completion. Congressman Deluzio made funding for the Montgomery Locks and Dam one of his community project funding requests for Fiscal Year 2025. 

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