{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-booker-applaud-passage-of-water-resources-development-act-", "Menendez, Booker Applaud Passage of Water Resources Development Act", "2016-12-10", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Robert Menendez", "M000639", "www.menendez.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Menendez, Booker Applaud Passage of Water Resources Development Act  \n\t\t\t\n\t Menendez, Booker Applaud Passage of Water Resources Development Act  \n\t\n\t\t Bill fast-tracks Army Corps projects for flood mitigation along Rahway River, ecosystem restoration in Hudson Raritan Estuary; Approves storm protection from Hereford Inlet to Cape May Inlet \n\t\n\t\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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\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\t\n\tSaturday, December 10, 2016\n\t\n\t\n\t\u00a0  WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) today praised Senate passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA) which includes provisions they have fought for to authorize and expedite Army Corps of Engineers projects, improve the nation\u2019s drinking water infrastructure, enhance ecosystem protection, and make investments in the nation\u2019s ports and inland waterways.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThis is good news for New Jersey,\u201d\u00a0said Sen. Menendez.\u00a0 \u201cThis bill includes smart investments I\u2019ve fought for to protect New Jerseyans from the threats of river flooding and coastal storms, improve our aging water infrastructure, limit our children\u2019s exposure to lead-contaminated drinking water, and restore the environmental health of our waterways and estuaries \u2013 all while creating good jobs.\u201d\r\n\u201cI was proud to fight for these critical investments in New Jersey\u2019s water infrastructure and ecosystems,\u201d\u00a0said Sen. Booker. \u201cThis legislation will help protect New Jersey communities from flooding and extreme weather while creating jobs, rebuilding our aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and protecting our children from the threat of lead-contaminated drinking water in schools. Furthermore, this bill finally provides much needed funding to help address the Flint water crisis. While I helped shape this bill through committee and supported it through Senate-House negotiations, and I\u2019m proud of most of its provisions, I am disappointed that an unrelated measure included at the 11th hour will roll back certain Endangered Species Act protections that will put certain salmon fisheries at serious risk.\"\r\nWRDA includes several priorities of both Sens. Booker and Menendez to directly benefit the Garden State:\r\n \r\nRahway River Basin Flood Risk Management.\u00a0 Requires the Army Corps to expedite the completion of the Chiefs Report, and upon completion of the report, to proceed immediately to preconstruction, engineering, and project design to mitigate the flood threat along the entire 82-square-mile Rahway River Basin, affecting 24 communities in Union, Essex and Middlesex Counties.\r\n \r\n \r\nHereford Inlet to Cape May Inlet.\u00a0 Authorizes this project to provide enhanced storm protection through the creation of a new dune for the communities of North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Lower Township.\r\n \r\n \r\nHudson Raritan Estuary.\u00a0 A Booker-Menendez amendment requiring the Army Corps to expedite completion of the Chiefs Report, and upon completion of the report, to proceed immediately to preconstruction, engineering, and project design to address ecosystem restoration throughout the Hudson Raritan Estuary.\r\n \r\n \r\nDelaware River Basin Conservation Act.\u00a0 Based on legislation cosponsored by Sens. Menendez and Booker, this provision establishes a Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, under which the Fish and Wildlife Service would create a strategy to coordinate restoration and protection activities across the basin, in consultation with federal and state agencies and basin stakeholders.\u00a0\r\n\r\nRegional Intergovernmental Collaboration on Coastal Resilience.\u00a0 A bipartisan Booker amendment authorizing assessments of coastal vulnerabilities and opportunities for intergovernmental actions to increase resilience.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nWRDA also incorporates many of the proposals included in\u00a0The True LEADership Act of 2016, originally cosponsored by Sens. Booker and Menendez.\u00a0 Among these are a new grant program to reduce lead in drinking water, mandatory reporting of elevated lead levels, funding for lead testing in school and child care facilities\u2019 drinking water, and a requirement to use American iron and steel in drinking water infrastructure projects.\r\n \r\nDrinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).\u00a0 Includes $100 million to provide the assistance to states with emergency drinking water situations through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan program.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nReducing Lead in Drinking Water.\u00a0 Authorizes $60 million for a new grant program to replace lead service lines, a common source of lead in drinking water.\r\n \r\n \r\nLead Testing in School and Child Care Drinking Water.\u00a0 Authorizes $20 million a year for fiscal years 2017 through 2021, totaling $100 million, for grants to carry out a voluntary school and child care lead testing program.\r\n \r\n \r\nPublic Health Investments.\u00a0 Invests $50 million in public health and childhood lead poisoning prevention programs to address issues related to lead contamination in water.\r\n \r\nThe bill also includes provisions to clarify targets for spending from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which supports Army Corps dredging and maintenance projects at ports; creates a new grant program to support repairs of locally-owned high hazard dams; and provides technical assistance and support for research and development to improve water conservation and better handle droughts.\r\n###\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPress Contact\n\t\t\tTricia Enright (Menendez): Tricia_Enright@menendez.senate.gov\r\nJeff Giertz (Booker):\u00a0Jeff_Giertz@booker.senate.gov", 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.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-booker-applaud-passage-of-water-resources-development-act-"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.68070911988616, "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"}