On June 10, 2014, President Obama signed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA), which was passed by Congress in May. According to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), the bill “promotes investment in the nation’s critical water resources infrastructure, accelerates project delivery, and reforms the implementation of Corps of Engineers projects.”
Congress has not passed a water resource bill in over 7 years, so this bill signifies incredible progress for our Nation’s transportation infrastructure. WRRDA is especially significant for Georgia as it allows the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project to move forward. This week’s action on the bill authorizes Georgia to enter a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the Corps of Engineers, and to identify how the state and federal government will share the costs of the project. Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz expects this agreement to be binding within 90 days.