Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5314 - Water Resources Development Act of 1990

Sent to House Rules 9/19 and House 9/21

(House Rules)
(Anderson (D) California and three others)

Any new Water Resources Development Act must preserve the critical cost sharing principles and policy reforms established by the Water Resources Development Acts (WRDA) of 1986 and 1988. These reforms emphasize high priority urban flood control and commercial navigation water resources projects. They ensure that all projects have thoroughly documented economic and environmental justifications in accordance with long-standing Federal principles and guidelines. Finally, they guarantee that the beneficiaries of water resources projects pay for their share of project-related benefits.

H.R. 5314 fails to maintain these principles and reforms. Preliminary estimates indicate that the bill would create over $4.1 billion in future funding commitments. Given the demand to reduce current and future appropriations, this would preclude Federal funding of worthy, high priority flood control and navigation projects in the future. Thus, if H.R. 5314 were enacted in its current form at the House reauthorization levels, the President's senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill.

The Administration could support H.R. 5314 if were amended to delete:

—  18 projects which have not undergone environmental and economic feasibility studies, and five conditionally authorized projects;

—  numerous provisions which would require the Federal Government to assume various non-federal responsibilities. These responsibilities include the development of recreation facilities, replacement of a U.S. highway bridge, levee beautification, and agricultural land improvements, and;

—  numerous provisions which would weaken established cost-sharing reforms. These provisions include waivers of WRDA cost sharing requirements for specified projects and studies, and an unwarranted expansion of the "ability to pay" policy, which ensures that appropriate State and local resources are considered when calculating beneficiary financial means.

In addition, the Administration strongly objects to the bill's failure to include certain provisions contained in the Administration's Water Resources Development bill.