A Congressional roundtable in New Orleans Friday will examine issues related to the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), legislation that authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out navigation, flood control, shoreline protection, hydropower, dam safety, water supply, recreation, environmental restoration and protection, and disaster response and recovery activities throughout the Nation.
Louisiana is home to a diverse portfolio of water resources projects, including levees, pumps, locks and dams, ports, surge barriers, sediment diversions, and wide-scale wetlands restoration - the types of projects the Corps undertakes under WRDA authorities. This roundtable will provide an opportunity for Members of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which will draft the WRDA legislation, to receive input from water resources stakeholders.
The roundtable, entitled “The Importance of Port, Waterway, Flood Control, & Ecosystem Restoration Improvements to the Nation’s Economy: Concepts for the Next Water Resources Development Act," is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, in the Formal Conference Room (4th Floor) of the Louisiana Supreme Court, 400 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.
The roundtable is a public event. Members of the news media please RSVP to Justin.Harclerode@mail.house.gov by email or phone (202) 225-9446.
Members of the Committee scheduled to attend (tentative):
U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman
U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman
U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN)
U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN)
U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY)
U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX)
U.S. Rep. Garrett Graves (R-LA)
Additional Roundtable Participants:
Kyle Graham, Executive Director, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Natalie Robottom, President, St. John Parish, Louisiana
Bob Turner, Regional Director, Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority East; on behalf of the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies
Amy Larson, President, National Waterways Conference
Paul Aucoin, Executive Director, Port of South Louisiana; on behalf of the American Association of Port Authorities
Matt Woodruff, Director Public & Government Affairs Kirby Corporation; on behalf of Waterways Council, Inc.
Michael Hecht, President and CEO, Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Source: House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
