Washington, D.C. - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Rep. Becca Balint (Vt-AL) today announced several important provisions in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) to help Vermont repair and maintain its flood control infrastructure and build resiliency against the global crisis of climate change. The bipartisan legislation passed the Senate last night and now goes to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Vermont has experienced historic and devastating floods over the past two years,” said Sanders, who is a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the water infrastructure legislation. “And the somber reality is that this type of extreme weather is going to happen again. The good news is this bill will help Vermont complete important work on critical flood control infrastructure and enlist the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work with our communities to build resilience against future flooding and the devastating impacts of climate change.”
“The Water Resources Development Act will help repair and strengthen Vermont’s flood-impacted infrastructure, protect our watersheds, and make our communities more resilient to extreme weather. Now more than ever, we need to support the Army Corps of Engineers as they work with our communities and the State to protect our communities from flooding,” said Welch. “I look forward to President Biden signing this bipartisan bill, and I thank my colleagues Bernie and Becca for their partnership in getting these Vermont-focused priorities over the finish line.”
“As Vermont endures more frequent climate disasters, we have to take action to fortify our infrastructure and protect our watersheds. This is what the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act allows us to accomplish. This will have a real impact on Vermonters' lives,” said Balint. “I’m thankful for Senators Sanders and Welch’s partnership to get this done on behalf of our state.”
First passed in 1938, the Water Resources and Development Act authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to help manage and strengthen the nation’s water resources. This includes working with communities across the country on projects to reduce flood and storm damage and restore aquatic ecosystems. In Vermont, the Army Corps designed the Waterbury, East Barre, and Wrightsville dams in the 1930s after the devastating 1927 flood caused massive destruction and loss of life.
The recently passed Water Resources and Development Act of 2024 will help Vermont maintain these three flood control structures and sets the table for new projects that will help Vermont weather future flooding events. Some key provisions of the legislation include:
- Authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study long-term flood control measures in the Winooski River Basin and designate the basin as an Army Corps priority project area.
- Helping Vermont access more federal funding to repair and maintain the Waterbury, Wrightsville, and East Barre Dam flood control structures.
- Allowing the Army Corps to provide more federal funding to economically disadvantaged communities in the Lake Champlain Watershed for water infrastructure projects.
The bill also reauthorizes the Economic Development Administration and the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), a federal-state partnership that supports economic development in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Maine. Sanders helped secure a number of provisions here, including recovery assistance for nuclear power plant host communities like Vernon, increased authorized funding for the NBRC, and improved flexibility on matching fund requirements for communities.
