U.S. Senator David Vitter issued the following statement regarding yesterday’s vote in the U.S. Senate to move forward with the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA), which will improve flood control and coastal hurricane protection throughout Louisiana.
As the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Vitter helped author and advance WRDA 2016.
The Senate is expected to vote on final passage of WRDA 2016 later this week.
“ We are one step closer to passing WRDA 2016, which will authorize and implement much-needed water infrastructure reforms in Louisiana and across the nation, and I look forward to passing this important legislation in the next few days, ” said Vitter. “ Considering the major damage Louisiana incurred from both of this year’s devastating flooding disasters, it’s more important than ever to overhaul our water infrastructure to better protect Louisiana families, businesses, and communities, and WRDA 2016 will do all of that, while also creating new, good-paying jobs to grow our economy. ”
Vitter was instrumental in the construction of WRDA 2016 and successfully included several important provisions that will directly benefit Louisiana, including:
After the recent devastating flooding in South Louisiana, Vitter also added language to WRDA 2016 that expedites construction of the Comite River Diversion and additional flood protection measures along the Amite River and Tributaries project in East Baton Rouge.