The House-Senate Conference Committee negotiators for the Water Resources Reform and Development Act released a conference agreement on Thursday, May 15, 2014. The Senate passed its version of the bill in May 2013, and the House in October 2013. The agreement between the two legislative chambers comes after nearly six months of negotiations. The House expects to vote on the agreement on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, with a Senate vote expected to follow by the end of the week. Highlights of the Conference bill include an expedited process for consideration of interim WRDA project authorization bills, which can speed up project starts.  It also  includes reform and set-asides of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund intended to direct more of the fees to harbor maintenance projects and spread them to smaller, emerging harbors. The agreement also: designates the Great Lakes ports as a navigation system; improves forecasting of droughts and floods on the Mississippi River; requires additional studies and protections against invasive species, including Asian carp; and mandates study and recommendations on ways to reduce severe storm damage, like that experienced during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. An NEMWI summary and side-by-side comparison of the final report and Chamber bills provides further details. Prior to release of the Conference Report, the NEMWI side-by-side of the two bills was featured in Politico.

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director, Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.