Upton, House Advance Critical Water Infrastructure Legislation to Help Flint

Bipartisan legislation upgrades water infrastructure projects, provides critical funding for Flint, and helps the Great Lakes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined his House colleagues in voting to advance the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA) by a bipartisan 399 to 25 vote. The legislation authorizes $170 million to provide assistance for the city of Flint, Michigan, through an amendment offered by U.S. Reps Dan Kildee, D-Flint, and John Moolenaar, R-Midland, and championed by Upton. Click here to watch Upton’s statement on the House Floor in support of the amendment.

“Today, the House acted decisively to provide critical funding and support for folks in Flint. We all know what happened in Flint was a tragic failure at every level. But the Flint community now deserves answers, action, and results. Today we delivered,” said Upton. “This bipartisan bill also strengthens and supports our Great Lakes. I applaud the House for coming together to advance key Flint funding in a responsible manner.”

What WRDA does:

·         Authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency in charge of handling water infrastructure projects, and gives them the proper tools to tackle the backlog of water projects.

·         Ensures funds are made available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for operation and maintenance of navigation projects in the Great Lakes.

·         Reauthorizes the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

·         Installs strict oversight of projects to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse through review of annual reports.

·         Follows a new, transparent approval process for projects that was established by Congress in 2014.

·         Puts Congress on a two-year cycle of addressing infrastructure needs.

WRDA was previously passed by the U.S. Senate by a 95 to 3 vote. It is supported by more than 80 groups, including the Great Lakes Commission, the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, and the Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Upton has long been a champion of funding for Flint. In February, the House passed legislation sponsored by Kildee and Upton that would force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to alert communities when lead levels are too high. Upton visited Flint with Kildee in August. To date, the State of Michigan has committed $234 million to the City of Flint.

Tom Wilbur/Lynn Turner (202 225 3761/269-385-0039) |