{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/il-ia-members-of-congress-urge-committee-to-protect-provisions-promoting-public-private-partnerships-for-water-infrastructure", "IL-IA Members of Congress Urge Committee to Protect Provisions Promoting Public-Private Partnerships for Water Infrastructure", "2013-12-06", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Richard Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.06.13\n\t\t\t IL-IA Members of Congress Urge Committee to Protect Provisions Promoting Public-Private Partnerships for Water Infrastructure \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Program Could Benefit Modernization of Locks and Dams on Mississippi and Illinois Rivers\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t [WASHINGTON, D.C.]  U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today joined U.S. Representatives Bill Enyart (D-IL), John Shimkus (R-IL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Bruce Braley (D-IA) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA) today called for members of a House-Senate Conference Committee to protect provisions based on the Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act which would improve the nation's water infrastructure through public-private partnerships and help expedite projects  including lock and dam modernization along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers  while saving taxpayers money.\r\n\r\nThe Conference Committee - which includes U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) who both support the provisions - is tasked with working out the differences between the Senate passed Water Resources Development Act of 2013 and the House passed Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013.\r\n\r\nThe locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers were built in the 1930s. Industry has outgrown them and their structural integrity is rapidly deteriorating. With every passing day, the risk increases of a catastrophic failure that would choke the vital economic activity on the rivers. Under current project financing and delivery models, these improvements won't be finished until 2090, wrote the Illinois members. [The programs based on our legislation] could help reduce the estimated $60 billion Corps project backlog and greatly benefit nationally significant projects like the lock and dam modernization on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, authorized as part of the Navigation and Sustainability Program (NESP).\r\n\r\nIn March 2013, Durbin, Kirk, Bustos and Davis introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act - later cosponsored by Enyart, Shimkus, Quigley, Braley and Loebsack - which would create a pilot program to explore agreements between the Army Corps of Engineers and private entities as alternatives to traditional financing, planning, design, and construction models. The pilot program would authorize a pilot program for 5 years that would identify up to 15 previously authorized navigation, flood damage reduction, and hurricane and storm damage reduction projects for participation.\r\n\r\nFor the projects that are chosen for participation, the Army Corps of Engineers and private entities would enter into innovative new agreements to decentralize the planning, design, and construction processes in an effort to speed up project delivery while maintaining safety. Additionally, these agreements could bring more private investment in water infrastructure projects.\r\n\r\nText of today's letter is below:\r\n\r\nDear Chairmen Boxer and Shuster and Ranking Members Vitter and Rahall: \r\n\r\nWe write as supporters of the Water Infrastructure Now Public Private Partnership Act (S. 566 and H.R. 1153), which would create a pilot program to decentralize the design, rehabilitation, and construction of major water infrastructure projects and open the door to greater private investment. Similar programs were included in both the Senate (Section 2025) and House (Section 117) versions of the Water Resources Development Act.\r\n\r\nPrograms like Sections 2025 and 117 could help reduce the estimated $60 billion Corps project backlog and greatly benefit nationally significant projects like the lock and dam modernization on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, authorized as part of the Navigation and Sustainability Program (NESP). The locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers were built in the 1930s. Industry has outgrown them and their structural integrity is rapidly deteriorating. With every passing day, the risk increases of a catastrophic failure that would choke the vital economic activity on the rivers. Under current project financing and delivery models, these improvements won't be finished until 2090.\r\n\r\nThere is great interest up and down the Mississippi from shippers, agricultural interests, the mining sector and others in programs included in Sections 2025 and 117. It is important to include the following priorities as the two versions of the program are reconciled:\r\n\r\n \r\nMaintaining eligibility for inland navigation projects;\r\nMaintaining eligibility for projects that have not received federal appropriations;\r\nAllowing an authorized major rehabilitation project to qualify in addition to an authorized construction project;\r\nMaintaining as much flexibility as possible for the non-federal entity to finance both the non-federal and federal portions of the project; and\r\nEnsuring that design of the project falls under the program as well as construction\r\n \r\n\r\nAs the sponsors of H.R. 1153 and members of the Conference Committee  Representatives Cheri Bustos and Rodney Davis  have also advocated, we ask that you take these issues into consideration in the final conference report. Thank you.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t   \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t\n    \n   \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/il-ia-members-of-congress-urge-committee-to-protect-provisions-promoting-public-private-partnerships-for-water-infrastructure"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.005113987252116, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}