Bipartisan Levee Bill Passes Senate, Environmentalists Upset over Language

image
Published: 15 May, 2013
Updated: 14 Oct, 2022
2 min read
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

bipartisan levee bill

Senator Barbara Boxer's levee bill, titled the "Water Resources Development Act," passed the Senate on Wednesday with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill would authorize the Natomas Levee Improvement Program and several projects headed by the Army Corp. of Engineers nationwide to prevent floods and protect citizens from storms.

Only fourteen senators voted against Boxer's bill. As politically polarizing as Congress has been over the last couple of legislative sessions, it is impressive to see Democrats and Republicans come together to support a bill.

However, not everyone is happy with the current language of the bill. Boxer wrote the Water Resources Development Act specifically to appeal to Republicans and many environmentalists are not satisfied with the way it turned out.

If passed, the bill will streamline the environmental review process. Lawmakers who want to cut down on costs whenever the opportunity presents itself argue the current review process inevitably leads to delays and additional costs.

In order to gain support from enough fiscal conservatives, the language of the bill cuts down on any potential cost increases for these water resource projects. The bill already comes with a $12.5 billion price tag, which may seem relatively small when compared to the overall federal budget, but is something many Republicans would be reluctant to support when the discussion turns to the possibility of additional costs.

Environmental and wildlife organizations are concerned that expediting the environmental review process will inevitably lead to inadequate, misleading, or incomplete analysis of the impact a water resources project will have on the surrounding ecosystem.

"Unfortunately, language in this bill undermines the bedrock environmental principle that the federal government should look before it leaps," Larry Schweiger said in a statement. Schweiger is the president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.

The Water Resources Development Act now moves on to the U.S. House of Representatives. Though it is likely to face more resistance in the House, it is unclear whether or not House Republican will share the same willingness to support the bill as many Senate Republicans.

IVP Donate

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read