The Senate passed a $9 billion water infrastructure bill that funds 29 Army Corps of Engineers projects and includes millions of dollars for Flint, Mich.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2016 passed the upper chamber after being one of the few bills on its legislative plate during the first two weeks after the summer break. Final passage took some finagling, including waiving a Budget Act point of order Wednesday and introducing an amended version of the bill the same afternoon.
Before the 95-3 vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the bill is a victory for the states where the projects will be done.
“Its passage will represent another bipartisan win for American transportation infrastructure,” McConnell said. “And, it’s another example of what’s been possible with a Senate that’s back to work for the American people.”
Passage of the bill is a major win for Sens. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. The bill will be the last major piece of the legislation the top two members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee work on together as Boxer is retiring and Inhofe is term-limited in his role as chairman.
Boxer praised her relationship with Inhofe and said it’s important for lawmakers to come together to address vital infrastructure upgrades.
“There’s a lesson there: In certain issues, we can bridge the divide,” Boxer said.
The bill funds 29 Army Corps of Engineers projects worth $4.5 billion that lawmakers already have authorized and would spend another $4.8 billion on water infrastructure updates throughout the country.
The bill also includes a deal for Flint, the eastern Michigan city where the water supply has been contamined with lead for more than a year, and other cities with water emergencies.
The deal would make $100 million available to any state experiencing a drinking water emergency, provide $70 million to back secured loans to upgrade clean water and drinking infrastructure, and authorize $50 million in funding for health programs to address and prevent the effects of lead exposure. It would be paid for by ending an advanced vehicle program in the Department of Energy popular among Michigan lawmakers.
The House is working on its own version of the legislation. The White House has not formally said if President Obama would sign the measure, but spokesman Josh Earnest recently urged Congress to take action to help Flint.
Inhofe said he’s hoping the House version of the bill could make it through the lower chamber by next week.
“We’ve talked to [Transportation and Infrastructure Committee] Chairman [Bill] Schuster in the House to make sure this gets done,” Inhofe said.
Michigan lawmakers have emphasized that the deal for Flint could end up being passed in a number of different ways, but they see the Water Resources Development Act is the primary legislative vehicle. The House version of the bill currently does not include the billions in drinking water infrastructure upgrades or the funding for Flint.
Inhofe sent a message to lawmakers who are thinking of voting against the House bill because it doesn’t include measures to help cities such as Flint dealing with drinking water crises.
“I promise to address this in conference,” he said. “I’ve been standing with my colleagues in Michigan to find a fiscally responsible solution for the Flint community, and I would continue to do so in conference.”
