After a successful floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives today to approve passage of a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) authorization bill, American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) President/CEO Kurt Nagle applauded committee and subcommittee leaders for championing the legislation, noting that this is a prelude to conference and final passage of one of the most critically-needed authorization bills of this session.
“America’s ports depend upon a regular, biennial cycle of new project authorizations to improve federal navigation channels to accommodate calls from a modern world fleet of deep-draft ships,” remarked Nagle. “This bill is critical to maintaining America’s position as a dominate world trading partner and ports as engines of the nation’s economic growth.”
Nagle said that AAPA and its U.S. member ports “are very appreciative” of the support provided by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Don Young (R-AK) and Ranking Member James Oberstar (D-MN), along with Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chair John Duncan (R-TN) and Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX).
The last WRDA bill was signed into law in 2000. In the intervening half-decade, as demand for critical
water resources projects has accumulated, so have the costs to implement them, making it more difficult to secure passage of a new WRDA.
Nagle noted that the most important thing HR 2864 does, in addition to needed project authorizations, is set the stage for timely
biannual authorization bills in the future. He said that approving a WRDA bill every two years ensures the competitiveness of America’s exports while permitting the country’s access to low-cost imports, which helps control inflation.
The American Association of Port Authorities was founded in 1912 and today represents 150 of the leading public port authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, the Association represents 300 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in the seaports of the Western Hemisphere.
AAPA port members are public entities mandated by law to serve public purposes. Port authorities facilitate waterborne commerce and contribute to local, regional and national economic growth.