Water Resources Development Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-1495
Sponsor: Rep. Oberstar, James L. [D-MN-8]
Introduced: 2007-03-13 in the House
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Airports
Alabama
Alaska
Animal diseases
Animals
Aquatic ecology
Aquatic pests
Aquatic plants
Aquifers
Arizona
Arkansas
Barrier islands
Beaches
Birds
Bridges
California
Camping
Canals
Chesapeake Bay
Civil engineering
Coastal zone
Columbia River development
Commemorations
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Connecticut
Construction costs
Cost effectiveness
Dams
Data banks
Delaware
Disaster relief
District of Columbia
Dredging
Droughts
Ecological research
Economic development
Economics and Public Finance
Ecosystem management
Education
Emergency Management
Employee training
Endangered species
Energy
Energy security
Enterprise zones
Environmental Protection
Environmental assessment
Environmental monitoring
Estuaries
Everglades
Expedited congressional procedure
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to water pollution control
Federal aid to water resources development
Federal-Indian relations
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Fire prevention
Fisheries
Fishery management
Fishes
Flood control
Floodplains
Floods
Florida
Forest fires
Fund raising
Georgia
Government Operations and Politics
Government publications
Government publicity
Government trust funds
Governmental investigations
Great Lakes
Groundwater
Guam
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat conservation
Harbors
Hazardous wastes
Higher education
Historic sites
History
Housing and Community Development
Hurricanes
Hydroelectric power
Idaho
Illinois
Indian lands
Indiana
Infrastructure
Inland water transportation
Intergovernmental fiscal relations
Intracoastal waterways
Iowa
Islands
Kansas
Kentucky
Labor and Employment
Lakes
Land transfers
Landfills
Law
Legislation
Licenses
Long Island Sound
Louisiana
Maine
Maps
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine terminals
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mines and mineral resources
Minnesota
Minorities
Mississippi River
Missouri
Missouri River development
Montana
Multipurpose projects
Native Americans
Navigation
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York City
New York State
Non-native species
Nonprofit organizations
North Carolina
North Dakota
Northern Mariana Islands
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Outdoor recreation
Pennsylvania
Planning
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Puerto Rico
Real estate development
Recreation areas
Regional planning
Research and development
Reservoirs
Restoration ecology
Rhode Island
Riparian ecology
River basin commissions
Rivers
Rural economic development
Salmon
Science, Technology, Communications
Sediment control
Selenium
Shellfish
Shore protection
Social Welfare
South Carolina
Southwest (U.S.)
Sports and Recreation
St. Lawrence Seaway
Storms
Sustainable development
Tennessee
Texas
Transportation and Public Works
Tunnels
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Wage surveys
Washington State
Waste disposal sites
Waste water treatment
Water conservation
Water pollution control
Water quality
Water storage
Water supply
Waterfronts
Watersheds
Waterways
Weeds
West Virginia
Wetlands
Wildlife conservation
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Summary:
action_date: 2007-03-13
text: 
Water Resources Development Act of 2007 - Authorizes and provides for specified water resources development and conservation projects.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to carry out specified projects for navigation, environmental restoration, ecosystem restoration, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and flood damage reduction.
 
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to prohibit the Secretary from: (1) soliciting contributions from nonfederal interests for water resources development project construction costs exceeding the assigned nonfederal share; or (2) conditioning federal participation on the receipt of such contributions.
 
Revises requirements for written project partnership agreements with nonfederal interests.
 
Revises or adds requirements, among other matters, for: (1) a schedule for consolidating federal, state, and local agency and Indian tribe environmental assessments, project reviews, and issuance of all project permits; (2) a coordinated project review process; (3) public access to water resource and related water quality data; (4) pre-construction assistance to state and local governments for remediation, environmental restoration, or reuse of specified areas; (5) plans for regional management of sediment obtained in conjunction with projects; and (6) peer review of project studies by an independent panel of experts.
 
Modifies: (1) authorizations of specified water projects in various states; and (2) project authorizations regarding South Florida and the Everglades. Deauthorizes certain projects. Provides for specified land conveyances. 
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct various studies, including one of drought conditions in the southwestern United States; (2) evaluate the structural integrity of flood damage reduction projects; (3) recommend a framework for long-term program of wetlands protection, conservation, and restoration in coastal Louisiana; and (4) undertake navigation improvements and ecosystem restoration for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System.
 
Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force.

action_date: 2007-05-16
text: 
Water Resources Development Act of 2007 - Reauthorizes the Water Resources Development Act. 

Title I: Water Resources Projects
 - (Sec. 1001) Authorizes projects for navigation, ecosystem or environmental restoration, and hurricane, flood, or storm damage reduction in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Terminates projects in Florida.

(Sec. 1002) Directs the Secretary of the Army (the Secretary) to: (1) conduct a project for navigation and ecosystem improvements for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System, Minnesota and Illinois; and (2) appoint an advisory panel and develop a system to rank proposed projects.

(Sec. 1003) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a program for ecosystem restoration, Louisiana Coastal Area. Lists priorities and authorized modifications. Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a demonstration program within the applicable project area to evaluate new technologies and their applicability and to conduct a program for the beneficial use of dredged material. Sets forth reporting requirements. Makes nongovernmental organizations eligible to contribute to the nonfederal share of the cost of a project.

Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the governor of Louisiana, to develop a plan for protecting, preserving, and restoring the coastal Louisiana ecosystem (comprehensive plan), to submit to Congress the plan or an update periodically, and to ensure that the plan is fully integrated with the analysis and design of comprehensive hurricane protection authorized by the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2006 (EWDAA). 

Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force to make recommendations to the Secretary regarding: (1) policies, strategies, plans, programs, projects, and activities for addressing conservation, protection, restoration, and maintenance of the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; (2) financial participation by each agency represented on the Task Force in conserving, protecting, restoring, and maintaining the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; and (3) the comprehensive plan. Authorizes Task Force working groups. 

Requires the Task Force to establish an integration team to: (1) advise the Task Force and the Secretary regarding opportunities to integrate the planning, engineering, design, implementation, and performance of Corps of Engineers (Corps) projects for hurricane and storm damage reduction, flood damage reduction, ecosystem restoration, and navigation in areas of Louisiana declared to be a major disaster as a result of Hurricanes Katrina or Rita; and (2) review reports relating to the performance of the hurricane, coastal, and flood protection systems in southern Louisiana.

Directs the Secretary to establish a coastal Louisiana ecosystem science and technology program. Authorizes the Secretary, in carrying out an activity to conserve, protect, restore, or maintain the coastal Louisiana ecosystem, to determine that the environmental benefits provided by the program outweigh the disadvantage of an activity. Provides that, upon determining that an activity is cost-effective, no further economic justification shall be required.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to carry out a study to identify the cause and sources of any degradation of the Louisiana Coastal Area that occurred as a result of an activity approved by the Secretary; (2) study financing alternatives for the ecosystem restoration program and potential reductions in the expenditure of federal funds in emergency responses that would occur as a result of ecosystem restoration in the Area; (3) review each federally-authorized water resources project in the Area in existence on the date of this Act's enactment and carry out specified modifications; and (4) report to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (the committees). 

Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish the Louisiana Water Resources Council to serve as the exclusive peer review panel for activities conducted by the Corps in areas of Louisiana declared as major disaster areas in response to Hurricanes Katrina or Rita; and (2) contract with NAS to perform an external review of the demonstration program and submit the results of the review to the committees.

Authorizes the Secretary to take specified steps, including: (1) raising levee heights as necessary and otherwise enhance the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Project and the West Bank and Vicinity Project to provide the levels of protection necessary to achieve the certification required for the 100-year level of flood protection, in accordance with the National Flood Insurance Program under the base flood elevations current at the time of the construction; and (2) reduce the risk of storm damage to the greater New Orleans metropolitan area by restoring the surrounding wetlands through specified means.

Sets forth provisions regarding cost-sharing requirements. Directs the Secretary to submit to the committees a notice in any case in which an estimate for the expenditure of funds exceeds the amount specified for that project or activity in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006. Limits appropriations.

Directs the Secretary to submit to the committees a report describing any modification required to the project for flood damage reduction, Larose to Golden Meadow, Louisiana, to achieve the certification necessary for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. Authorizes specified modifications, subject to committee approval of the report and other requirements.

Authorizes the Secretary to consolidate specified flood damage reduction projects in Lower Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, subject to a cost limitation.

Terminates a portion of the navigation project, Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. 

Directs the Secretary, regarding projects identified and analysis and design of comprehensive hurricane protection, to: (1) submit specific project recommendations in any report developed under the EWDAA; and (2) submit the reports to the committees.

Authorizes the President, upon determining that a feature recommended in the analysis and design of comprehensive hurricane protection under the EWDAA could address an imminent threat to life and property, prevent a dangerous storm surge from reaching a populated area, prevent the loss of coastal areas that reduce the impact of storm surge, benefit national energy security, protect emergency hurricane evacuation routes or shelters, or address inconsistencies in hurricane protection standards, to submit a legislative proposal relating to the feature to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate for authorization. Sets forth provisions regarding prioritization of projects. Makes any such proposal submitted by the President, beginning after December 31, 2008, eligible for expedited consideration.

(Sec. 1004) Directs the Secretary to conduct studies for projects for: (1) flood damage reduction in Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wyoming; (2) navigation in Alaska, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin; (3) aquatic ecosystem restoration in Alaska, California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Virginia; (4) prevention or mitigation of damage caused by navigation projects in Georgia and Indiana; and (5) aquatic plant control in Nebraska.

Title II: General Provisions - Subtitle A: Provisions - 
 (Sec. 2001) Amends the Flood Control Act of 1970 to rename project cooperation agreements as partnership agreements, require the Secretary to delegate authority to district engineers to approve certain partnership agreements, and include provisions for damages and credit for in-kind contributions.

(Sec. 2002) Modifies provisions of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1996 to authorize the Secretary to engage in activities, including contracting, in support of other federal agencies, international organizations, or foreign governments to address problems of national significance to the United States. Authorizes the Department of State to engage in activities in support of international organizations only after consulting with the Secretary of State. Authorizes funding. Authorizes the Secretary to accept and expend additional funds from foreign governments.

(Sec. 2003) Authorizes the Secretary to include individuals from the nonfederal interest, including the private sector, in training classes and courses offered by the Corps in any case in which it is in the best interest of the government. Requires such individuals to pay the full cost of the training provided.

(Sec. 2004) Directs the Chief of Engineers (Chief) to submit to the committees an annual report on the expenditures for the preceding fiscal year and the estimated expenditures for the current fiscal year.

(Sec. 2005) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to direct the Secretary, for all feasibility reports completed after December 31, 2005, to assess whether: (1) the water resource project and each separable element is cost-effective; and (2) the water resource project complies with federal, state, and local laws and public policies.

Directs the Chief: (1) within two years after the date on which the feasibility study cost sharing agreement is signed for a project, subject to the availability of appropriations, to complete the feasibility study and sign the Chief's report for the project (authorizes the Chief, with the Secretary's approval, to extend the deadline for not to exceed four years for a complex or controversial study); (2) to adopt a risk analysis approach to project cost estimates; and (3) to issue procedures for risk analysis for cost estimation and submit to Congress a report that includes suggested amendments to provisions regarding maximum cost of projects. 

Requires a feasibility study for a flood damage reduction project to include, as part of the cost/benefit calculation, a calculation of: (1) the residual risk of flooding , of loss of human life, and to human safety following completion of the proposed project; and (3) any upstream or downstream impacts of the proposed project. 

Authorizes the Secretary to establish centers to provide specialized planning expertise for water resource projects to be carried out by the Secretary in order to enhance and supplement the capabilities of the districts of the Corps.

Requires feasibility and other studies and assessments of water resource problems and projects to include recommendations for alternatives: (1) that, as determined by the nonfederal interests for the projects, promote integrated water resources management; and (2) for which the nonfederal interests are willing to provide the nonfederal share for the studies or assessments. Provides that the completion of a Chief's report for a project shall not be delayed while consideration is being given to potential changes in policy or priority for project consideration. Requires completed reports to be submitted to the committees and reviewed by the Secretary, who shall provide any recommendations to Congress, with an exception.

(Sec. 2006) Directs the President to establish a Water Resources Planning Coordinating Committee. Declares that it is U.S. policy that all water resources projects carried out by the Corps shall reflect national priorities, seek to avoid the unwise use of floodplains, minimize vulnerabilities in any case in which a floodplain must be used, protect and restore the functions of natural systems, and mitigate any unavoidable damage to natural systems.

Requires the Committee, in collaboration with the Secretary, to: (1) report to the President and Congress describing U.S. vulnerability to damage from flooding and related storm damage; and (2) review and propose updates and revisions at specified intervals to modernize the planning principles, guidelines, regulations, and circulars by which the Corps analyzes and evaluates water projects.

Directs the Committee and the Secretary: (1) in conducting a review, to consider revisions to improve project planning through specified means, including requiring the use of modern economic principles and analytical techniques, eliminating certain biases, and encouraging wetlands conservation; and (2) to solicit public and expert comments regarding proposed revisions. Sets forth provisions regarding revision of planning guidance and reporting requirements.

(Sec. 2007) Requires the Secretary to appoint a Director of Independent Review.

Directs the Secretary to ensure that each project study for a water resources project shall be reviewed by an independent panel of experts if: (1) the project has an estimated total cost of more than $40 million, including mitigation costs; (2) the governor of a state in which the project or its drainage basin is located and which would be directly affected economically or environmentally requests a panel; (3) the head of a federal agency with review authority determines that the project is likely to have a significant adverse impact on public safety or on environmental, fish and wildlife, historical, cultural, or other resources under the jurisdiction of the agency and requests a panel; or (4) the Secretary determines, on his or her own initiative or upon receipt of a written request for a controversy determination by any party, that the project is controversial because there is a significant dispute regarding the size, nature, potential safety risks, or effects of the project or there is a significant dispute regarding the economic or environmental costs or benefits of the project.

Requires the Director of Independent Review to: (1) establish a panel of between five and nine independent experts for each water resources project subject to review; and (2) apply NAS's policy to ensure that panel members have no conflict with the project being reviewed.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) take into consideration any recommendations contained in an independent panel's report and make it available to the public on the Internet; (2) prepare a written explanation of any recommendations not adopted; and (3) submit the panel's report and the explanation for inclusion in the Chief's report to Congress and for publication in the Federal Register and make it available on the Internet. Sets deadlines for project planning reviews.
 
Directs the Secretary to ensure that the construction activities for any flood damage reduction project shall be reviewed by an independent panel if the Director determines that an independent review is necessary to ensure public health, safety, and welfare on any project that meets specified criteria. Sets deadlines for safety assurance reviews. 
 
Limits costs of the panels. Directs the Secretary to report on implementation of this section within five years.

(Sec. 2008) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to provide that in any case in which it is not technically practicable to complete mitigation by the last day of construction of the project, the Secretary shall complete the required mitigation as expeditiously as practicable, but not later than the last day of the first fiscal year beginning after the last day of construction.

Permits the Secretary, upon determining that other forms of compensatory mitigation are not practicable or are less environmentally desirable, to purchase available credits from an approved mitigation bank or conservation bank (which relieves the Secretary and the nonfederal interest from responsibility for monitoring or demonstrating mitigation success).

Requires the Secretary, to mitigate losses to flood damage reduction capabilities and fish and wildlife resulting from a water resources project, to ensure that the mitigation plan for each project complies fully with standards and policies established by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. Lists specific mitigation plan requirements, criteria for success, and monitoring and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to establish a recordkeeping system to track projects and make information in the system available on the Internet.

(Sec. 2009) Amends the WRDA of 1974 to authorize the Secretary, upon request, to provide (at federal expense) technical assistance in managing water resources. Limits sums that may be expended. Authorizes appropriations and reserves specified funds for assistance to rural and small communities. Directs the Secretary to list in the annual civil works budget submitted to Congress the individual activities proposed for funding.

(Sec. 2010) Directs the Secretary, acting through the Chief, to provide public access to water resource and related water quality data in the custody of the Corps. 

(Sec. 2011) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to direct that budget priority for flood control projects by nonfederal interests be proportionate to the percentage of project completion and that a completed project have the same priority as a project with a contractor on site. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements for the development of flood control projects in Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 2012) Amends the WRDA of 1992 to replace provisions regarding beneficial uses of dredged material with regional sediment management provisions. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Chief, to develop Regional Sediment Management plans and carry out construction, repair, modification, or rehabilitation of federal water resources projects for: (1) the protection of property; (2) the protection, restoration, and creation of aquatic and ecologically related habitats, including wetlands; and (3) the transport and placement of suitable sediment.

Authorizes projects to be carried out (subject to specified limitations) in any case in which the Secretary finds that: (1) the environmental, economic, and social benefits of the project justify the cost; and (2) the project would not result in environmental degradation.

Directs the Secretary, acting through the Chief and in cooperation with the appropriate agencies, to develop (at federal expense) plans and projects for regional management of sediment obtained in conjunction with construction, operation, and maintenance of federal water resources projects. Limits costs. 

Permits the Secretary: (1) to select, with the consent of the nonfederal interest, a disposal method that is not the least-cost option if the Secretary determines that the incremental costs of the method are reasonable in relation to the environmental benefits; and (2) acting through the Chief, to cooperate with any state in the preparation of a comprehensive state or regional coastal sediment management plan within the boundaries of the state, to encourage state participation in implementation, and to submit to Congress reports and recommendations regarding appropriate federal participation.

Directs the Secretary to give priority to regional sediment management projects in specified locations in New York, California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Authorizes appropriations. Permits a nonfederal interest to include a nonprofit entity with the consent of the affected local government.

Repeals provisions regarding the placement of state beaches of sand dredged in constructing and maintaining adjacent navigation inlets and channels.

(Sec. 2013) Rewrites provisions regarding the Secretary's authorization to undertake construction of small shore and beach restoration and protection projects not specifically authorized by Congress. Permits such activities if the Secretary meets specified requirements. Makes a local cooperation requirement applicable to a project under this section. Requires authorized projects to be complete. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Chief, to conduct a national shoreline erosion control development and demonstration program, subject to specified requirements.

(Sec. 2014) Declares that it is U.S. policy to promote shore protection projects and related research that encourage the protection, restoration, and enhancement of sandy beaches, including beach restoration and periodic beach renourishment for a period of 50 years, on a comprehensive and coordinated basis by the federal government, states, localities, and private enterprises. Directs that preference be given to areas in which there has been a federal investment of funds and areas with respect to which the need for prevention or mitigation of damage to shores and beaches is attributable to federal navigation projects or other federal activities. Requires the Secretary to apply that policy to each shore protection and beach renourishment project.

(Sec. 2015) Directs that costs incurred for monitoring for an ecosystem restoration project be cost-shared: (1) in accordance with the formula relating to the applicable original construction project; and (2) for a maximum period of 10 years. Limits monitoring costs.

(Sec. 2016) Requires the Corps to include ecosystem restoration benefits in calculating benefits for specified projects in California.

(Sec. 2017) Amends the WRDA of 2000 to repeal a limitation on authority provided, allowing the Secretary (after public notice) to accept and expend funds contributed by nonfederal public entities to expedite the evaluation of permits under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Army, to be in effect through March 31, 2006.

(Sec. 2018) Directs the Secretary to implement a program to allow electronic submission of applications for permits under the Corps' jurisdiction.

(Sec. 2019) Directs the Secretary, as part of the Corps' operation and maintenance of existing reservoirs, to carry out specified measures to support the water resource needs of project sponsors and any affected state, local, or tribal government for authorized project purposes, including: (1) conducting a study to identify unused, underused, or additional water storage capacity at reservoirs; (2) reviewing an operational plan and identifying any change to maximize an authorized project purpose to improve water storage capacity and enhance efficiency of releases and withdrawal of water; (3) improving and updating data, data collection, and forecasting models to maximize an authorized project purpose and improve water storage capacity and delivery; and (4) conducting a sediment study and implementing any sediment management or removal measure.

Provides that in the case of: (1) a reservoir currently operated or maintained by the Corps, the storage charge for a future contract or contract renewal for the first cost of water supply storage at the reservoir shall be the lesser of the estimated cost of purposes foregone, replacement costs, or the updated cost of storage; (2) a water supply that is reallocated from another project purpose to municipal or industrial water supply, the joint use costs for the reservoir shall be adjusted to reflect the reallocation of project purposes; and (3) a reallocation that adversely affects hydropower generation, the Secretary shall defer to the Administrator of the respective Power Marketing Administration to calculate the impact of such a reallocation on the rates for hydroelectric power.

(Sec. 2020) Makes the prohibition against the Secretary assigning any quantity of dredging work to any federal hopper dredge in active status greater than the quantity assigned to that vessel in the average of the three prior fiscal years inapplicable to the dredges Essayons and Yaquina.

(Sec. 2021) Provides that, in Louisiana, extraordinary rainfall events such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Andrew shall not be considered in making a determination regarding the ordinary high water mark for purposes of the Rivers and Harbors Act.

(Sec. 2022) Adds the Secretary to the list of federal agencies authorized to enter into contracts with state and local governmental entities for procurement of services in suppressing fires.

(Sec. 2023) Amends the Flood Control Act of 1970 to define &quot;non-federal interest&quot; to include a nonprofit organization acting with the consent of the affected governmental unit.

(Sec. 2024) Requires the Secretary to: (1) assign a unique tracking number to each water resources project to be used by each federal agency throughout the life of the project; and (2) maintain at the Library of Congress a copy of each final feasibility study, environmental impact statement, reevaluation report, record of decision, and report to Congress prepared by the Corps. Makes such documents available to the public.

(Sec. 2025) Repeals EWDAA provisions regarding program administration, including removal of restrictions on the use of funds and continuing contracts by the Corps.

(Sec. 2026) Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Chief prior to the date federal financial participation in a shore protection project terminates, to review the project to determine whether extending federal financial participation would be feasible.

(Sec. 2027) Amends the WRDA of 2000 to authorize the Secretary, under the tribal partnership program, to carry out water-related planning activities. Permits studies to address watershed assessments and planning activities. Authorizes appropriations for the program through FY2012.

(Sec. 2028) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to require the Secretary shall transmit to Congress every year (currently, every two years), after transmittal of the list of unconstructed projects, a list of projects that have been authorized but have received no obligations during the seven preceding fiscal years. Provides that a project included in such list is not authorized after the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the list is transmitted if funds have not been obligated for the planning, design, or construction of such project. 

Subtitle B: Continuing Authorities Projects 
 - (Sec. 2031) Amends the River and Harbor Act of 1960 to increase the allotment for the construction of a small river and harbor improvement project at any single locality.

(Sec. 2032) Amends the Flood Control Act of 1946 to increase the cap for funding a project at any single locality for the protection of highways, bridge approaches, public works, churches, hospitals, schools, and other nonprofit public services.

(Sec. 2033) Amends the WRDA of: (1) 1996 to increase appropriations for an aquatic restoration and protection project and make it a freshwater project; and (2) 1986 to increase appropriations for environmental modification of projects.

(Sec. 2035) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out an estuary habitat restoration project upon determining that it will improve the elements and features of an estuary, is in the public interest, and is cost-effective. Sets the nonfederal share of the cost of construction of any such project at 35%, which shall include the costs of all land, easements, rights-of-way, and necessary relocations. Limits the per project cost.

(Sec. 2036) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to: (1) include nonprofit entities within the definition of &quot;non-federal interest,&quot; with the consent of the affected local government; (2) authorize the Secretary to perform construction activities to address water quality problems caused by drainage and related activities from abandoned and inactive non-coal mines; (3) reduce the nonfederal share of such assistance to 25%; and (4) set the nonfederal share of the costs of operation and maintenance for such a project at 100%.

(Sec. 2037) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a small dam removal or rehabilitation project that will improve the quality of the environment or is in the public interest. Directs the Secretary to give priority to carrying out specified projects in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Requires the nonfederal interest to provide 35% of removal or remediation costs. Limits the per project cost.

(Sec. 2038) Directs the Secretary to develop eligibility criteria for federal participation in navigation projects located in economically disadvantaged communities that are: (1) dependent on water transportation for subsistence; and (2) located in remote areas of the United States, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

(Sec. 2039) Amends the Flood Control Act of 1970 to provide that if the Secretary determines that a project needs to be continued for public health and safety purposes, the nonfederal interest shall pay the increased costs up to 20% of the original estimated project costs (in accordance with the statutorily-determined cost share) and the Secretary shall pay all increased costs remaining.
 
Amends the WRDA of 1986 to: (1) require (currently, allows) the Secretary to require compliance with any requirements pertaining to operation by nonfederal interests in carrying out water resources projects; (2) eliminate civil penalties in partnership agreements; and (3) allow the use of liquidated damages.
 

Subtitle C: National Levee Safety Program 
 - (Sec. 2053) National Levee Safety Program Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary to establish a National Levee Safety Committee to: (1) advise the Secretary in implementing a national levee safety program; (2) support programs, policies, and guidelines to enhance levee safety for the protection of human life and property; and (3) support coordination and information exchange between federal and state agencies that share common problems and responsibilities relating to levee safety.

(Sec. 2054) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and maintain a national levee safety program; (2) prepare a strategic plan; (3) establish federal guidelines relating to levee safety; (4) develop, maintain, and periodically publish an inventory of levees in the United States; (5) conduct an assessment of each levee that protects human life or public safety to determine the potential for failure or overtopping that would pose a risk. Provides for state participation in assessments of levees.

Requires: (1) each state to conduct assessments of nonfederal levees located within the state; and (2) the Secretary to provide funds to state levee safety agencies to assist states in establishing, maintaining, and improving levee safety programs, subject to approval of a state levee safety agency's application. Permits the Secretary to periodically review any program carried out using funds under this section. 

Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program of technical and archival research regarding levee construction, rehabilitation, inspection, safety, security, and management; and (2) establish a program to train state levee safety agency staff and inspectors.

(Sec. 2055) Authorizes appropriations.

Title III: Project-Related Provisions
 - (Sec. 3001) Directs the Secretary to carry out, on an emergency basis, necessary removal of rubble, sediment, and rock impeding the entrance to St. Herman and St. Paul Harbors, Kodiak, Alaska, at a federal cost of $2 million.

(Sec. 3002) Modifies various projects and directs or authorizes actions in Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 3137) Amends the WRDA of: (1) 1988 to allow the Secretary to operate headwaters reservoirs below the minimum or above the maximum water levels established in that year in accordance with water control regulation manuals developed by the Secretary, after consultation with specified parties and subject to specified notification requirements; and (2) 1992 to authorize the purchase of property that is not limited to property held by the Resolution Trust Corporation for the Lower Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Site.

(Sec. 3139) Allows a nongovernmental organization to be considered to be a nonfederal interest for Upper Mississippi River fish and wildlife habitat rehabilitation and enhancement projects, with the consent of the affected local government.

(Sec. 3140) Allows funds made available for recovery or mitigation activities in the lower basin of the Missouri River to be used for such activities in the upper basin.

(Sec. 3141) Amends the WRDA of 2000 to require the Secretary, before planning, designing or constructing a project for restoring the Great Lakes, to: (1) identify methods of restoring the fishery, ecosystem, and beneficial uses of the Great Lakes; and (2) determine whether planning should proceed. Requires any reconnaissance study carried out under this section to be carried out at full federal expense. 

(Sec. 3142) Amends the WRDA of 1990 and 1996 to extend appropriations through 2011 for Great Lakes Remedial Action Plans and Sediment Remediation and for Great Lakes Tributary Models.

(Sec. 3144) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a pilot program to evaluate new technologies applicable to the Upper Ohio River and Tributaries Navigation System; and (2) take specified actions regarding a flood control project at Perry Creek and a right of first refusal involving water supply storage at Rathbun Lake in Iowa.

(Sec. 3147) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to increase the amount of credit allowed toward the nonfederal share of the cost of an environmental infrastructure project in Jackson County, Mississippi, for the costs incurred by the Jackson County Board of Supervisors since February 8, 1994, in constructing the project, subject to the Secretary's determination that the work is compatible with and integral to the project.

(Sec. 3148) Authorizes the Secretary to review the project for beach erosion control and hurricane protection at Sandbridge Beach, Virginia Beach, Virginia, to determine whether any additional federal interest exists.

Title IV: Studies 
- (Sec. 4001) Directs the Secretary to conduct various studies in Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Georgia, Texas, Vermont and New York, Washington, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 4036) Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to conduct a complete reevaluation of demolition, debris removal, segregation, transportation, and disposal practices relating to disaster areas designated in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and to report to the committees.

(Sec. 4037) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the Mohawk River watershed, Oneida County, New York.

(Sec. 4038) Directs the Secretary, in determining the feasibility of a project for ecosystem restoration, Walla Walla River Basin, Oregon and Washington, to: (1) provide a credit toward the nonfederal share of the cost of any activity carried out by the nonfederal interest before the date of the partnership agreement for the project if the activity is integral to the project; and (2) allow the nonfederal interest to provide the nonfederal share of the cost of the study in the form of in-kind services and materials.

Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions
 - (Sec. 5001) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to include additional sites in North Dakota, Vermont, and North Carolina in the Lakes Program.

(Sec. 5002) Amends the Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 to expand the purposes of the restoration program by including the implementation of a coordinated federal approach to estuary habitat restoration activities, including the use of common monitoring standards and a common system for tracking restoration acreage. Adds regional interests to the estuary habitat restoration plan. Permits the inclusion of monitoring costs in the total cost of the estuary habitat restoration project. Modifies reporting requirements. Extends funding through 2011.

(Sec. 5003) Amends the WRDA of 1992 to authorize projects for water infrastructure improvements and related purposes in Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Virginia, Michigan, North Dakota, and California, as well as the Chesapeake Bay and the Eastern and Western United States.

(Sec. 5004) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to increase funding for a pilot program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in Alaska.

(Sec. 5005) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in California, which may be in the form of design and construction assistance for water-related environmental infrastructure and resource protection and development projects. Permits the Secretary to provide assistance for a project only if it is publicly owned. Sets forth requirements regarding partnership agreements, cost-sharing (at a 75% federal share), inclusion of nonprofit entities, and limitation on funds used by the Corps district offices to administer projects.

(Sec. 5006) Amends the WRDA of 1990 regarding the conveyance of Oakland Inner Harbor Tidal Canal property in California to require the Secretary to submit to specified committees an annual report describing efforts to complete the conveyances during the preceding fiscal year.

(Sec. 5007) Authorizes a nonfederal interest to reconstruct and relocate the flood control project, Calaveras River and Littlejohn Creek and tributaries, California, approximately 300 feet in a westerly direction unless the Secretary determines within 30 days that the relocation would be injurious to the public interest.

(Sec. 5008) Rio Grande Environmental Management Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary to carry out in the Rio Grande Basin: (1) a program for the planning, construction, and evaluation of measures for fish and wildlife habitat rehabilitation and enhancement; and (2) implementation of a long-term monitoring, computerized data inventory and analysis, applied research, and adaptive management program.

(Sec. 5009) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to the Secretary of Agriculture for use in carrying out the Conservation Corridor Demonstration Program, Delmarva Conservation Corridor, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

(Sec. 5010) Designates the Division Engineer, North Atlantic Division of the Corps, as the ex officio U.S. member under the Susquehanna River Basin Compact, the Delaware River Basin Compact, and the Potomac River Basin Compact. Directs the Secretary to enter into agreements with the Susquehanna, Delaware, and Potomac River Basin Commissions to provide temporary water supply and conservation storage during any period in which such Commissions have determined that a drought warning or drought emergency exists.

(Sec. 5011) Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the mayor of the District of Columbia, the governor of Maryland, the county executives of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland, and other stakeholders, to develop and make available to the public a 10-year comprehensive action plan to provide for the restoration and protection of the ecological integrity of the Anacostia River and its tributaries. 

(Sec. 5012) Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Chief, to cooperate with the city of Roswell, Georgia, as local sponsor and coordinator with other local governments in the Big Creek watershed, to assess the quality and quantity of water resources, conduct comprehensive watershed management planning, develop and implement water efficiency technologies and programs, and plan, design, and construct water resource facilities to restore the watershed. Sets the federal share of the cost of the project at 65%.

(Sec. 5013) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. Sets the federal share of project costs under each local cooperation agreement at 75%.

(Sec. 5014) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to include Wyoming in a program providing environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in rural Nevada and Montana.

(Sec. 5015) Provides that the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Dispersal Barrier Project (Barrier I) and Barrier II shall be considered to constitute a single project. Authorizes and directs the Secretary, through the Chief, to upgrade and make permanent Barrier I and construct Barrier II. Directs the Secretary to conduct a feasibility study of the range of options and technologies available to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins and through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and other aquatic pathways. 

(Sec. 5016) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the Missouri River and its tributaries to mitigate losses of aquatic and terrestrial habitat, recover federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, and restore the ecosystem to prevent further declines among other native species. Directs the Secretary to establish the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee.

(Sec. 5017) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the Southeast Louisiana Region. Sets the federal share of the cost at 75%.

(Sec. (5018) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to increase funding for a pilot program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in Mississippi.

(Sec. 5019) Directs the Secretary to conduct all necessary studies, develop an emergency response plan, provide technical and planning and design assistance, and rehabilitate and construct the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works project located within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet reservation in Montana, at a cost of $140 million. Sets the federal share of the cost at 75%.

(Sec. 5020) Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the the Chief of Engineers, to cooperate with and provide assistance to the Lower Platte River natural resources districts in Nebraska to serve as local sponsors with respect to conducting comprehensive watershed planning in the districts, assessing water resources, and providing project feasibility planning, design, and construction. Sets the federal share of the cost at 65%.

(Sec. 5021) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide environment assistance to nonfederal interests in North Carolina. Sets the federal share of the cost at 75%.

(Sec. 5022) Authorizes the Secretary to provide planning, design, and construction assistance to the Ohio River Watershed Sanitation Commission flood and pollution control compact for the improvement of the quality of the environment in and along the Ohio River Basin.

(Sec. 5023) Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance for the development of updates of the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan.

(Sec. 5024) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to make funds available to South Dakota from the State of South Dakota Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Restoration Trust Fund to carry out a plan for terrestrial wildlife habitat restoration. Modifies the investment strategy regarding that Fund and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Lower Brule Sioux Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Restoration Trust Fund. Requires annual reviews of investment activities and audits of the activities of South Dakota.

(Sec. 5025) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in Texas. Sets the federal share of the cost at 75%.

(Sec. 5026) Directs the Secretary to evaluate, design, and construct structural modifications, at full federal cost, to specified dams in Vermont to regulate flow and temperature to mitigate downstream impacts on aquatic habitat and fisheries.

(Sec. 5027) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to permit a nonfederal interest to use federal funds to provide the nonfederal share of the costs of a study or project carried out in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands if the agency that provides the federal funds determines that the funds are eligible for that purpose.

(Sec. 5028) Directs the Secretary, by July 1, 2008, to: (1) issue a final environmental impact statement relating to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock project; and (2) develop and maintain a transportation mitigation program relating to that project in coordination with St. Bernard and Orleans Parishes, the Old Arabi Neighborhood Association, and other interested parties.

(Sec. 5029) Directs the Secretary to expedite operation and maintenance, including dredging, of the navigation features of the Great Lakes and connecting channels to support navigation.

Title VI: Project Deauthorizations 
- (Sec. 6001) Deauthorizes specified flood damage reduction, flood control, navigation, bridge fender construction, recreation, water supply erosion protection, bulkhead construction, environmental infrastructure, soil conservation, and bank erosion projects in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia.

action_date: 2007-07-31
text: 
Water Resources Development Act of 2007 - Reauthorizes the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Authorizes flood control, navigation, and environmental projects and studies by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Title I: Water Resources Projects
 - (Sec. 1001) Authorizes projects for navigation, ecosystem or environmental restoration, and hurricane, flood, or storm damage reduction in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Terminates specified projects in Florida.

(Sec. 1002) Directs the Secretary of the Army (the Secretary) to conduct studies for projects for: (1) flood damage reduction in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming; (2) emergency streambank protection in California, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas and Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont; (3) navigation in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin; (4) improvement of the quality of the environment in California, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey and Delaware, and Pennsylvania; (5) aquatic ecosystem restoration in Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia and Alabama, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia; (6) shoreline protection in Alaska, California, Florida, Guam, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas; (7) snagging and sediment removal in New York; and (8) prevention or mitigation of damage caused by navigation projects in Georgia and Indiana.

(Sec. 1010) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a project for aquatic nuisance plant control in the Republican River Basin, Nebraska.

Title II: General Provisions
 - (Sec. 2001) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to prohibit the Secretary from: (1) soliciting contributions from non-federal interests for costs of constructing authorized water resources projects or measures in excess of the nonfederal share assigned to appropriate project purposes; or (2) conditioning federal participation on receipt of such contributions.

(Sec. 2002) Extends the Secretary's authority to accept and expend funds contributed by nonfederal public entities and to expedite the processing of permits.

(Sec. 2003) Amends the Flood Control Act to allow a partnership agreement for projects to include a provision for liquidated damages in the event of a failure of parties to perform. Sets forth additional reporting and other requirements regarding such agreements. Directs the Secretary, by June 30, 2008, to issue policies and guidelines that delegate certain authority to district engineers to approve or sign partnership agreements.

(Sec. 2004) Directs the Secretary and the Chief of Engineers (Chief) to prepare a compilation of U.S. laws related to water resources development enacted after November 8, 1966, and before January 1, 2008.

(Sec. 2005) Amends the WRDA to authorize the Secretary to enter into a partnership agreement with nonfederal interests for the acquisition, design, construction, management, or operation of a dredged material processing, treatment, contaminant reduction, or disposal facility using funds provided by the federal government, subject to specified federal funding and cost sharing requirements.

(Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary, in conducting a study of harbor and navigation improvements, to recommend a project without demonstrating that the project is justified solely by national economic development benefits under specified circumstances involving remote and economically critical projects.

(Sec. 2007) Allows the nonfederal interest for a study or project to use, and requires the Secretary to accept, funds provided by a federal agency to satisfy the nonfederal share of the cost under specified circumstances.

(Sec. 2008) Directs the Secretary, upon legal authorization of an increase in the maximum amount of federal funds that may be allocated for a project or an increase in the total cost, to enter into a revised partnership agreement to take into account the change in federal participation (without affecting any cost-sharing requirement).

(Sec. 2009) Directs the Secretary to expedite any authorized planning, design, and construction of a flood damage reduction project for an area that, within the preceding five years, has been subject to flooding that resulted in the loss of life and caused damage of sufficient magnitude to warrant a declaration of a major disaster by the President.

(Sec. 2010) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to add river basins in Ohio, Washington, New York, and Arkansas and Missouri to selected river basins and watersheds for assessment. Reduces the nonfederal share of the costs of assessments on or after December 11, 2000.

(Sec. 2011) Amends the WRDA of 2000 to authorize the Secretary, under the tribal partnership program, to carry out water-related planning activities. Authorizes studies involving projects located in lands within the jurisdictional area of an Oklahoma Indian tribe that are recognized as eligible for trust land status. Permits studies to address watershed assessments and planning activities. Authorizes appropriations for the program through FY2012.

(Sec. 2012) Adds the Secretary to the list of federal agencies authorized to enter into contracts with state and local governmental entities for procurement of services in suppressing fires.

(Sec. 2013) Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of a governmental agency or nonfederal interest, to provide technical assistance in managing water resources, including the provision and integration of hydrologic, economic, and environmental data and analyses. Directs the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees, concurrent with the request for appropriations for the Civil Works Program for a fiscal year, a report describing the individual activities proposed for funding.

(Sec. 2014) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to include additional sites in Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Vermont in the Lakes Program.

(Sec. 2015) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit organizations with expertise in wetlands restoration to carry out design and construction of wetlands restoration that is part of an authorized project; and (2) include individuals not employed by the Department of the Army in training classes offered by the Corps of Engineers when it is in the best interest of the government. Requires such individuals to pay the full cost of the training.

(Sec. 2017) Directs the Secretary to provide public access to water resource and related water quality data in the custody of the Corps. 

(Sec. 2018) Declares that it is U.S. policy to promote beach nourishment for purposes of flood damage reduction and hurricane and storm damage reduction and related research that encourages the protection, restoration, and enhancement of sandy beaches on a comprehensive basis, with preference to areas in which there has been a federal investment and where the need for prevention or mitigation of damage is attributable to federal activities.

(Sec. 2019) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to require the development of new criteria and procedures regarding the ability of a nonfederal interest to pay (with respect to cost-sharing agreements) by December 31, 2007. Directs the Secretary to apply such criteria and procedures to specified projects in Missouri, Texas, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

(Sec. 2020) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to authorize projects that improve elements and features of an estuary and projects for the removal of dams that otherwise meet Act requirements.

(Sec. 2021) Increases the amount the Secretary may allot under: (1) the Flood Control Act of 1948 for small flood control projects; (2) the River and Harbor Act of 1960 for small river and harbor improvement projects; and (3) the Flood Control Act of 1946 for the construction, repair, restoration, and modification of emergency streambank and shoreline protection works to prevent damage to highways, bridge approaches, and public works, churches, hospitals, schools, and other nonprofit public services.

Increases authorized appropriations under the WRDA of: (1) 1986 for project modifications to improve the environment; and (2) 1999 for remediation of abandoned mine sites.

(Sec. 2026) Authorizes the Secretary to grant leases of lands, including structures or facilities, at water resource development projects to federally recognized Indian tribes.

(Sec. 2027) Directs the Chief to submit to specified committees an annual report on expenditures: (1) for the preceding and current fiscal years; and (2) by the Corps necessary in the following fiscal year, for each project or activity not scheduled for completion in the current fiscal year, to maintain the same level of effort.

(Sec. 2028) Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance to specified universities or colleges in Tennessee, Illinois, and Texas for water resources-related studies.

(Sec. 2029) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Corps' operations and maintenance budget should reflect the use of all available economic data, rather than a single performance metric.

(Sec. 2030) Modifies provisions of the WRDA of 1996 to authorize the Secretary to engage in activities, including contracting, in support of other federal agencies, international organizations, or foreign governments to address problems of national significance. Authorizes funding. Authorizes the Secretary to accept and expend additional funds from foreign governments.

(Sec. 2031) Declares that it is U.S. policy that all water resources projects reflect national priorities, encourage economic development, and protect the environment by: (1) seeking to maximize sustainable economic development; (2) seeking to avoid the unwise use of floodplains and flood-prone areas and maximizing adverse impacts and vulnerabilities where such areas must be used; and (3) protecting and restoring the functions of, and mitigating unavoidable damage to, natural systems.

(Sec. 2032) Directs the President to report to Congress describing U.S. vulnerability to damage from flooding, including: (1) an assessment of the extent to which programs relating to flooding address flood risk reduction priorities; (2) the extent to which those programs may be encouraging development and economic activity in flood-prone areas; and (3) recommendations for improving those programs.

(Sec. 2033) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to direct the Secretary, for all feasibility reports completed after December 31, 2007, to assess whether: (1) the project and each separable element is cost-effective; and (2) the water resource project complies with laws and public policies.

Directs the Chief to: (1) adopt a risk analysis approach to project cost estimates for water resources projects; (2) issue procedures for risk analysis for cost estimation and submit to Congress a report that includes suggested amendments to provisions regarding maximum cost of projects; (3) establish benchmarks for determining the time it should take to conduct a project feasibility study and its associated review process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; (4) use such benchmarks to make the feasibility study process more efficient; and (5) establish benchmark goals for completing project feasibility studies within two years (or within four years for complex projects).

Requires a feasibility study for a flood damage reduction project to include, as part of the cost/benefit calculation, calculations: (1) of the residual risk of flooding, of loss of human life, and to human safety following completion of the proposed project; (2) of any upstream or downstream impacts; and (3) to ensure that the benefits and costs associated with structural and nonstructural alternatives are evaluated in an equitable manner.

Authorizes the Secretary to establish centers to provide specialized planning expertise for water resource projects to be carried out by the Secretary in order to enhance and supplement the capabilities of the districts of the Corps.

Requires feasibility and other studies and assessments of water resource problems and projects to include recommendations for alternatives: (1) that, as determined by the nonfederal interests for the projects, promote integrated water resources management; and (2) for which the nonfederal interests are willing to provide the nonfederal share for the studies or assessments. Provides that the completion of a Chief's report for a project shall not be delayed while consideration is being given to potential changes in policy or priority for project consideration. Requires completed reports to be submitted to specified committees and reviewed by the Secretary, who shall provide any recommendations to Congress.

(Sec. 2034) Requires project studies to be subject to a peer review by an independent panel of experts if: (1) the project has an estimated total cost of more than $45 million, including mitigation costs; (2) the governor of an affected state requests a peer review by an independent panel of experts; or (3) the Chief determines that the project study is controversial (in cases where there is a significant public dispute as to the nature or effects of the project or the economic or environmental costs or benefits). Limits costs of panels. 

(Sec. 2035) Directs the Chief to ensure that the design and construction activities for hurricane and storm and flood damage reduction projects are reviewed by independent experts if necessary to assure public health, safety, and welfare on any project that meets specified criteria.

(Sec. 2036) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to require the Secretary, in order to mitigate losses to flood damage reduction capabilities and fish and wildlife resulting from a water resources project, to ensure that the mitigation plan for each project complies with the standards and policies established pursuant to the regulatory programs administered by the Secretary. Lists specific mitigation plan requirements, criteria for success, and monitoring and reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary, in carrying out a project that involves wetlands mitigation that has impacts that occur within the service area of a mitigation bank, to first consider the use of the mitigation bank if the bank contains sufficient available credits to offset the impact and the bank is approved under applicable federal law.

(Sec. 2037) Replaces provisions under the WRDA of 1992 regarding beneficial uses of dredged material with provisions requiring the Secretary to develop, at federal expense, regional sediment management plans. Directs the Secretary to give priority to regional sediment management projects in areas of specified states.

(Sec. 2038) Rewrites provisions regarding the Secretary's authorization to undertake construction of small shore and beach restoration and protection projects not specifically authorized by Congress. Permits such activities if the Secretary meets specified requirements. Makes a local cooperation requirement applicable to such a project. Requires authorized projects to be complete and to not commit the United States to any additional improvement. Directs the Secretary to conduct a national shoreline erosion control development and demonstration program.

(Sec. 2039) Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that a recommended ecosystem restoration project includes a plan for monitoring the success of the restoration; and (2) consider the cost of carrying out the monitoring as a project cost for a period of 10 years from completion of project construction.

(Sec. 2040) Directs the Secretary to implement a program to allow electronic submission of applications for permits under the Secretary's jurisdiction.

(Sec. 2041) Requires the Secretary to: (1) assign a unique tracking number to each water resources project to be used by each federal agency throughout the life of the project; and (2) maintain at the Library of Congress a copy of each final feasibility study, environmental impact statement, reevaluation report, record of decision, and report to Congress prepared by the Corps. Makes such documents available to the public.

(Sec. 2042) Repeals provisions of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2006 (EWDAA) regarding program administration, including removal of restrictions on the use of funds and continuing contracts by the Corps.

(Sec. 2043) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to make cost-sharing requirements applicable to a feasibility study also applicable to a study that results in a detailed project report, with exceptions. 

(Sec. 2044) Directs the Secretary to: (1) initiate procedures to establish a schedule for consolidating federal, state, and local agency and Indian tribe environmental assessments, project reviews, and issuance of permits for the construction or modification of a project upon written request of the nonfederal interest; and (2) seek to consolidate hearing and comment periods, procedures for data collection and report preparation, and the environmental review and permitting processes associated with the project. Requires costs incurred by the Secretary to establish and carry out a schedule to be paid by the nonfederal interest. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on estimated time required for the issuance of all permits for the construction of nonfederal projects.

(Sec. 2045) Declares that the benefits of water resources projects are important to the nation's economy and environment and recommendations to Congress regarding such projects should not be delayed due to uncoordinated or inefficient reviews or the failure to timely resolve disputes during the development of such projects.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement a coordinated review process for project development; and (2) identify all federal, state, and local government agencies and Indian tribes that may have jurisdiction over the project or may be required to take other specified actions. Allows the process to be incorporated into a memorandum of understanding. Sets forth provisions regarding the effect of failure to meet deadlines and reporting requirements.

(Sec. 2046) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to require the Secretary to transmit to Congress every year (currently, every two years), after transmittal of the list of unconstructed projects, a list of projects that have been authorized but have received no obligations during the five preceding fiscal years. Provides that a project included in such list is not authorized after the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the list is transmitted if funds have not been obligated for the planning, design, or construction of such project. 

(Sec. 2047) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to rewrite provisions regarding the Hopper Dredge McFarland to require the Secretary, between October 1 and December 31, 2009, to place it in a ready reserve status and use it solely for urgent and emergency purposes. Directs the Secretary to periodically perform routine underway dredging tests of the equipment, limit any scheduled hopper dredging work, perform any repairs necessary to maintain the vessel in a ready reserve fully operational conditions, and place the vessel in active status for dredging under specified conditions.

Title III: Project-Related Provisions - 
(Sec. 3001) Modifies various projects and directs or authorizes actions in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 3175) Amends the WRDA of 1988 to allow the Secretary to operate headwaters reservoirs below the minimum or above the maximum water levels established in that year in accordance with water control regulation manuals developed by the Secretary, after consultation with specified parties and subject to specified notification requirements.

(Sec. 3176) Allows funds made available for recovery or mitigation activities in the lower basin of the Missouri River to be used for such activities in the upper basin.

(Sec. 3177) Authorizes the Secretary to undertake research on water quality issues affecting the Mississippi River and the development of remediation strategies.

(Sec. 3178) Directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program to evaluate new technologies applicable to the Upper Ohio River and Tributaries Navigation System.

(Sec. 3179) Continues project authorizations in California, Guam, Maryland and Virginia, Massachusetts, and Michigan.

(Sec. 3180) Authorizes specified projects, but prohibits construction until they are determined to be feasible, in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 3181) Terminates projects in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, Delaware and Maryland, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and West Virginia.

(Sec. 3182) Provides for conveyances of land to Arkansas, California, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas.

(Sec. 3183) Extinguishes reversionary interests and use restrictions in Idaho, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

Title IV: Studies
 - (Sec. 4001) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to authorize payment of up to 100% of the non-federal share for the John Glenn Great Lakes basin program in the form of in-kind services and materials.

(Sec. 4002) Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a study to determine the nature and frequency of avian botulism in the vicinity of Lake Erie associated with dredged material disposal sites; and (2) a study of drought conditions in the southwestern United States. 

(Sec. 4004) Directs the Secretary to review the Chief's report on the Delaware River, as it relates to the Mid-Delaware River Basin from Wilmington to Port Jervis, and any other pertinent reports, to determine whether any modifications of recommendations contained in the first report are still advisable.

(Sec. 4005) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study to develop national protocols regarding biological control of Eurasian milfoil in northeastern states.

(Sec. 4006) Directs the Secretary to conduct various navigation, hydropower, recreation, flood damage reduction, feasibilitiy, water supply, selenium, rehabilitation, flood control, bulkhead system integrity, environmental restoration, ecosystem restoration and protection, storm damage reduction, shoreline protection, water-related infrastructure, water supply, recreation, dredged material disposal, and seawall rehabilitation studies in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 4101) Directs the Comptroller General, in coordination with the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to conduct a complete evaluation of demolition, debris removal, segregation, transportation, and disposal practices relating to disaster areas designated in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and to report to specified committees. Prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for or reimburse any state or local entity in Louisiana for the disposal of construction and demolition debris generated as a result of Hurricane Katrina in a landfill designated for such debris unless that waste meets the definition of construction and demolition debris, as specified under federal law.

Title V: Miscellaneous
 - (Sec. 5001) Makes the Secretary responsible for maintenance of navigation channels and breakwaters constructed or improved by the non-federal interest, at the request of such interest, upon determining that such maintenance is economically justified and environmentally acceptable and that the channel or breakwater was constructed in accordance with applicable permits and engineering and design standards, with respect to specified bodies of water in Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 5002) Authorizes the Secretary to provide: (1) technical, planning, and design assistance to non-federal interests for carrying out watershed management, restoration, and development projects at specified locations in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington; and (2) assistance to enhance dam safety at specified locations in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

(Sec. 5004) Directs the Secretary, upon request of a non-federal interest, to evaluate the structural integrity and effectiveness of a flood damage reduction project in Arkansas under specified circumstances.

(Sec. 5005) Amends the WRDA of: (1) 1999 to add to the list of flood mitigation priority areas specified parishes in Louisiana; and (2) 1992 to provide additional assistance for authorized projects. Allows federal assistance made available under the the Department of Agriculture's rural enterprise zone program to be used toward payment of the nonfederal share of costs of the East Arkansas Enterprise Community project, Arkansas.

(Sec. 5007) Provides for the expedited completion of: (1) reports and construction for projects in Alaska, California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New York; and (2) reports for projects in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.

(Sec. 5009) Directs the Secretary to conduct an assessment of the water resources needs of the river basins and watersheds of the southeastern United States.

(Sec. 5010) Amends the WRDA of: (1) 1999, 1990, and 1996 to extend the authorization period or the Secretary's authority to provide assistance for the Missouri and Middle Mississippi River Enhancement Project, the Great Lakes Remedial Action Plans and sediment remediation projects and the Great Lakes tributary sediment transport model; and (2) 2000 to increase to 100% the permissible nonfederal share amount provided in the form of in-kind contributions for the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program. 

Permits with respect to the Missouri and Middle Mississippi River Enhancement Project: (1) a nonfederal interest to include a nonprofit entity with the consent of the affected local government; (2) the nonfederal share of costs to be provided in various forms; and (3) land credited toward the nonfederal share to remain in private ownership under specified circumstances. Requires the Secretary, with respect to the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program, to carry out a reconnaissance study to: (1) identify methods of restoring the fishery, ecosystem, and beneficial uses of the Great Lakes; and (2) determine whether project planning should proceed. 

(Sec. 5014) Directs the Secretary to: (1) expedite the operation and maintenance, including dredging, of the navigation features of the Great Lakes and Connecting Channels to support commercial navigation to authorized project depths; and (2) carry out a pilot project, on an emergency basis, to control and prevent further spreading of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in the Great Lakes and their connecting channels.

(Sec. 5015) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out projects for operations, maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation, including associated maintenance dredging, of the Eisenhower and Snell lock facilities and related navigational infrastructure for the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

(Sec. 5016) Directs the Secretary to study, design, and carry out a project to delay, deter, impede, or restrict the dispersal of aquatic nuisance species into the northern reaches of the Upper Mississippi River system.

(Sec. 5017) Amends the Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 to expand the purposes of the restoration program by including the implementation of a coordinated federal approach to estuary habitat restoration activities, including the use of common monitoring standards and a common system for tracking restoration acreage. Adds regional interests to the estuary habitat restoration plan. Permits the inclusion of monitoring costs in the total cost of the estuary habitat restoration project. Modifies reporting requirements. Extends funding through 2012.

(Sec. 5018) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the Missouri River and its tributaries to mitigate losses of aquatic and terrestrial habitat, recover federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, and restore the ecosystem to prevent further declines among other native species; and (2) establish the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee.

(Sec. 5019) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allocate funds to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Delaware River Basin Commission, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin to fulfill equitable funding requirements of their interstate compacts; and (2) enter into agreements with the Delaware River, Susquehanna River, and Potomac River Basin Commissions to provide temporary water supply and conservation storage during drought emergencies.

(Sec. 5020) Modifies the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Restoration and Protection Program to authorize assistance for restoration of submerged aquatic vegetation.

(Sec. 5021) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to include within the Secretary's study of the feasibility of utilizing the capabilities of the Corps of Engineers to conserve fish and wildlife a study of the restoration and rehabilitation of habitat for fish, including native oysters, in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in Virginia and Maryland.

(Sec. 5022) Authorizes the Secretary to participate: (1) with specified parties to assess hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico; and (2) in the Potomac River Watershed Assessment and Tributary Strategy Evaluation and Monitoring Program to identify resource management indicators to accurately monitor the effectiveness of the implementation of the agreed upon tributary strategies.

(Sec. 5024) Directs the Secretary to develop standards for the security of locks and dams.

(Sec. 5025) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to increase the authorization of appropriations for the research and development program to improve salmon survival in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

(Sec. 5026) Permits Corps of Engineers employees to participate in wage surveys.

(Sec. 5027) Directs the Secretary to rehabilitate and improve the water-related and transportation infrastructure for the historic property in the Anacostia River Watershed located in the District of Columbia.

(Sec. 5028) Directs or authorizes the Secretary to take specified actions regarding various projects in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, and California.

(Sec. 5056) Directs the Secretary to carry out in the Rio Grande Basin: (1) a program for the planning, construction, and evaluation of measures for fish and wildlife habitat rehabilitation and enhancement; and (2) implementation of a long-term monitoring, computerized data inventory and analysis, applied research, and adaptive management program.

(Sec. 5057) Designates the Charles Hervey Townshend Breakwater in Connecticut.

(Sec. 5058) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in the ecosystem restoration, navigation, flood damage reduction, and recreation components of the Mill River and Long Island Sound revitalization project, Stamford, Connecticut.

(Sec. 5059) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to the Secretary of Agriculture for use in carrying out the Conservation Corridor Demonstration Program, Delmarva Conservation Corridor, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

(Sec. 5060) Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the mayor of the District of Columbia, the governor of Maryland, the county executives of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland, and other interested entities, to develop and make available to the public a 10-year comprehensive action plan to provide for the restoration and protection of the ecological integrity of the Anacostia River and its tributaries. 

(Sec. 5061) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the East Central and Northeast Florida Region, provided that any assisted project is publicly owned. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5062) Amends the Miscellaneous Appropriations Act, 2001 to direct the Secretary to credit toward the nonfederal share of the project cost for Florida Keys water quality improvements the cost of: (1) construction work carried out by the nonfederal interest before the date of the partnership agreement; and (2) land acquisition carried out by the nonfederal interest. 

(Sec. 5063) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out necessary repairs for the Lake Worth bulkhead replacement project, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(Sec. 5064) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical, planning, and construction assistance to the city of Roswell, Georgia, as the nonfederal interest and coordinator with other local governments in the Big Creek watershed, Georgia, to assess the quality and quantity of water resources, conduct comprehensive watershed management planning, develop and implement water efficiency technologies and programs, and plan, design, and construct water resource facilities to restore the watershed.

(Sec. 5065) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, provided that any assisted project is publicly owned. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5066) Authorizes the Secretary, after completion of a Savannah Riverfront plan (Georgia), to participate in the ecosystem restoration, recreation, navigation, and flood damage reduction components of the plan. 

(Sec. 5067) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to include Wyoming in a program providing environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in rural Nevada and Montana.

(Sec. 5068) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out the Riley Creek Recreation Area (Idaho) Operation Plan.

(Sec. 5069) Directs the Secretary to provide assistance for a project to develop maps identifying 100- and 500-year flood inundation areas along the Little Calumet River, Chicago, Illinois. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5070) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in the reconstruction of a specified eligible flood control project in Illinois or Missouri if the Secretary determines that such reconstruction is not required as a result of improper operation and maintenance of the project by the nonfederal interest.

(Sec. 5071) Amends the WRDA of 2000 to extend the authorization for Illinois River basin restoration. Increases the maximum federal share. Requires the Secretary to develop an Illinois River basin monitoring program.

(Sec. 5072) Directs the Secretary to conduct a third-party review of the Promontory Point feature of the project for storm damage reduction and shoreline erosion protection, Lake Michigan, Illinois, at a specified cost.

(Sec. 5073) Requires the Secretary to develop a comprehensive plan for the restoration, preservation, and protection of the Kaskaskia River Basin, Illinois.

(Sec. 5074) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in Southwest Illinois. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5075) Amends the WRDA of 1992 to increase the authorization for the Calumet region, Indiana. 

(Sec. 5076) Directs the Secretary to provide assistance for a project to develop maps identifying 100- and 500-year flood inundation areas in Iowa, along the Missouri River.

(Sec. 5077) Directs the Secretary to complete a feasibility report for rehabilitation of a flood damage reduction project, Paducah, Kentucky. 

(Sec. 5078) Amends the WRDA of 1996 and 1992 regarding limitations on Corps of Engineers expenses for Southern and Eastern Kentucky and regarding wastewater infrastructure in Winchester, Kentucky. Increases funding for water-related infrastructure in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

(Sec. 5081) Directs the Secretary to expedite completion of a dredged material management plan for the Calcasieu Ship Channel, Louisiana.

(Sec. 5082) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the East Atchafalaya Basin and Amite River Basin Region.

(Sec. 5083) Directs the Secretary, by July 1, 2008, to: (1) issue a final environmental impact statement relating to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock project; and (2) develop and maintain a transportation mitigation program relating to that project in coordination with St. Bernard and Orleans Parishes, the Old Arabi Neighborhood Association, and other interested parties.

(Sec. 5084) Requires the Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, basin stakeholders conference convened by the EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on February 25, 2002, to be treated as being a management conference convened under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

(Sec. 5085) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the Southeast Louisiana Region. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5086) Modifies the project study for waterfront and riverine preservation, restoration, and enhancement, Mississippi River, West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, to add West Feliciana Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish to the study.

(Sec. 5087) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a project for nonstructural flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration at Charlestown, Maryland.

(Sec. 5088) Directs the Secretary to carry out a project for shoreline protection, St. Mary's River, Maryland.

(Sec. 5089) Authorizes the Secretary to cooperate with Massachusetts in the management and long-term monitoring of aquatic dredged material disposal sites within the state and to accept funds from the state to carry out such activities.

(Sec. 5090) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study: (1) of shore damage in the vicinity of the navigation project at Ontonagon Harbor, Michigan; and (2) for a project for emergency streambank protection along the Red Lake River in Crookston, Minnesota.

(Sec. 5093) Directs the Secretary to take specified actions regarding various projects in Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio. 

(Sec. 5113) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in North Carolina.

(Sec. 5118) Requires the costs of operation and maintenance for the Toussaint River Federal navigation project, Carroll Township, Ohio, that relate directly to the presence of unexploded ordnance to be carried out at federal expense.

(Sec. 5119) Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance for the development of updates of the Oklahoma comprehensive water plan.

(Sec. 5126) Increases funding for the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and New York. 

(Sec. 5129) Makes changes to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Restoration Trust Fund, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Trust Funds, and the State of South Dakota Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Restoration Trust Fund, authorized in the WRDA of 1999.

(Sec. 5130) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in East Tennessee.

(Sec. 5131) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the Fritz Landing Agricultural Spur Levee, Tennessee; and (2) plan, design, and construct a trail system at the J. Percy Priest Dam and Reservoir, Tennessee.

(Sec. 5133) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in the ecosystem restoration, recreation, navigation, and flood damage reduction components of the Nashville Riverfront Concept Plan, dated February 2007.

(Sec. 5134) Modifies the project for flood control at Nonconnah Creek, Tennessee and Mississippi.

(Sec. 5135) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into a partnership with a nonprofit entity to remove debris from the Tennessee River near Knoxville, Tennessee; and (2) participate with nonfederal and nonprofit entities to address issues concerning managing groundwater as a sustainable resource through the Upper Mississippi Embayment, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

(Sec. 5136) Directs the Secretary to design and construct a flood damage reduction project in Town Creek, Lenoir City, Tennessee.

(Sec. 5138) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in Texas; and (2) develop a comprehensive plan for development of new technologies and innovative approaches for restoring, preserving, and protecting the Bosque River watershed, Texas.

(Sec. 5140) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the Dallas County region, Texas.

(Sec. 5141) Modifies: (1) the flood control project, Trinity River and tributaries, Texas; and (2) the flood damage reduction, environmental restoration, and recreation project, Johnson Creek, Arlington, Texas.

(Sec. 5144) Directs the Secretary to: (1) include the costs and benefits associated with the relocation of flood-prone residences in the study area for the Onion Creek, Texas, project; (2) take specified actions related to the Connecticut River Dams, Vermont; (3) determine the feasibility of a dispersal barrier project at the Lake Champlain Canal, Vermont and New York, to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species; (4) accept funds from the National Park Service to restore Dyke Marsh, Fairfax County, Virginia, and to provide technical and project management assistance for the James River, Virginia; and (5) conduct a study of increased siltation in Baker Bay and Ilwaco Harbor, Washington.

(Sec. 5151) Authorizes the Secretary to plan, design, and construct a campground for Bonneville Lock and Dam at Hamilton Island, Washington.

(Sec. 5152) Modifies the Lower Columbia River levees and bank protection works with regard to the Wahkiakum County diking districts No. 1 and 3, Washington, to protect resources from further erosion.

(Sec. 5153) Amends the WRDA of 1992, 1996, and 2000, regarding various projects in Washington, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Central and Southern West Virginia, and regarding construction of flood control projects by nonfederal interests in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 5158) Amends the WRDA of 1992 regarding additional assistance for critical projects in South Carolina, California, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and the Virgin Islands.

Title VI: Florida Everglades
 - (Sec. 6001) Modifies the project for Hillsboro and Okeechobee Aquifer, Florida, to authorize the Secretary to carry out the project at a specified total cost.

(Sec. 6002) Increases the authorization for the Everglades pilot projects authorized under the WRDA of 2000.

(Sec. 6003) Modifies provisions regarding maximum costs of projects and program authority.

(Sec. 6004) Authorizes credit for work on Everglades restoration projects carried out before the date of a partnership agreement between the Secretary and the non-federal sponsor and authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the non-federal sponsor to specify conditions relating to design and construction of such work.

(Sec. 6005) Authorizes the Secretary to expend up to $3 million per fiscal year on outreach and assistance.

(Sec. 6006) Increases the authorization for critical Everglades restoration projects authorized under the WRDA of 1996.

(Sec. 6007) Directs the Secretary to complete the development and testing of the regional engineering model for environmental restoration as expeditiously as practicable.

Title VII: Louisiana Coastal Area
 - (Sec. 7002) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a comprehensive plan, in coordination with the governor of Louisiana, for protecting, preserving, and restoring the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; (2) integrate the plan into the analysis and design of the comprehensive hurricane protection study authorized by the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2006; and (3) ensure that the plan is consistent with the goals, analysis, and design of the comprehensive coastal protection master plan authorized and defined pursuant to Act 8 of the First Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana State Legislature, 2005.

Requires the comprehensive plan to include: (1) the framework of a long-term program integrated with hurricane and storm damage and flood damage reduction and navigation activities that provide for the comprehensive protection, conservation, and restoration of the wetlands, estuaries, barrier islands, shorelines, and related land and features of the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; (2) the means by which a new technology, or an improved technique, can be integrated into the program; (3) the role of other federal and state agencies and programs in carrying out the program; (4) specific, measurable ecological success criteria by which success of the plan will be measured; (5) proposed projects in order of priority as determined by their potential to contribute to the creation of coastal wetlands and to flood protection of communities ranked by population density and level of protection; and (6) efforts by federal, state, and local interests to address sociological, economic, and related fields of law.

(Sec. 7003) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a program for ecosystem restoration, Louisiana Coastal Area, substantially in accordance with the report of the Chief of Engineers, dated January 31, 2005. Directs the Secretary to give priority to specified projects.

(Sec. 7004) Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force to make recommendations to the Secretary regarding: (1) policies, strategies, plans, programs, projects, and activities for addressing protection, conservation, and restoration of the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; (2) financial participation by each agency represented on the Task Force in conserving, protecting, restoring, and maintaining the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; and (3) the comprehensive plan to be developed. Directs the Task Force to submit to Congress a biennial report on its activities. Authorizes the Task Force to establish working groups, including to advise the Task Force of opportunities with respect to areas in Louisiana for which a major disaster has been declared by the President as a result of Hurricane Katrina or Rita.

(Sec. 7005) Directs the Secretary to: (1) review existing federally authorized water resources projects in the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; and (2) carry out a coastal Louisiana ecosystem program.

Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified projects to resolve critical areas of scientific or technological uncertainty related to the implementation of the comprehensive plan developed for planning, design, and construction of all demonstration projects. Lists initial projects authorized. 

Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out such modifications as necessary to the ecosystem restoration features identified in the plan to address the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the project; and (2) implement in the ecosystem a program for the beneficial use of material dredged from federally maintained waterway. 

Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified additional projects if feasible.

(Sec. 7007) Directs the Secretary to credit toward the non-federal share of study costs or projects authorized the cost of work carried out in the ecosystem by the non-federal interest before the date of the partnership agreement for the study or project that is integral to the study or project. Provides for periodic monitoring and audits.

(Sec. 7008) Authorizes the Secretary to determine that: (1) a project or activity is justified by the environmental benefits derived by the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; and (2) no further economic justification is needed for a cost effective project or activity.

(Sec. 7009) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish the Louisiana Water Resources Council, which shall serve as the exclusive peer review panel for projects under this title; (2) expedite completion of the reports for specified projects and, upon determining that a project is justified, proceed directly to project preconstruction engineering and design; and (3) report to specified committees on projects authorized and undertaken, the construction status of the projects, the cost to date and expected final cost of each, and the benefits and environmental impacts.

(Sec. 7012) Authorizes the Secretary to take specified actions with respect to New Orleans and vicinity, including raising levee heights where necessary and reducing the risk of storm damage to the greater New Orleans metropolitan area by restoring the surrounding wetlands. 

(Sec. 7013) Terminates a portion of the navigation project, Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. 

(Sec. 7014) Directs the Secretary, regarding projects identified and analysis and design of comprehensive hurricane protection, to submit specific project recommendations in any report developed under the EWDAA.

Authorizes the President, upon determining that a feature recommended in the analysis and design of comprehensive hurricane protection under the EWDAA could address an imminent threat to life and property, prevent a dangerous storm surge from reaching a populated area, prevent the loss of coastal areas that reduce the impact of storm surge, benefit national energy security, protect emergency hurricane evacuation routes or shelters, or address inconsistencies in hurricane protection standards, to submit a legislative proposal relating to the feature to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate for authorization. Sets forth provisions regarding prioritization of projects. Makes any such proposal submitted by the President, beginning after December 31, 2008, eligible for expedited consideration.

(Sec. 7015) Directs the Secretary to submit to the committees a report describing any modification required to the project for flood damage reduction, Larose to Golden Meadow, Louisiana, to achieve the certification necessary for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. Authorizes specified modifications, subject to committee approval of the report and other requirements.

(Sec. 7016) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a project for flood damage reduction in Lower Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Title VIII: Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Water-Way System
 - (Sec. 8002) Directs the Secretary to undertake navigation improvements and restoration of the ecosystem for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Water System (River and System) substantially in accordance with the project for navigation and ecosystem improvements for the River and System's Report of the Chief of Engineers, dated December 15, 2004 (the Plan).

(Sec. 8003) Directs the Secretary to: (1) construct mooring facilities at Locks 12, 14, 18, 20, 24, and LaGrange Lock; (2) provide switchboats at Locks 20 through 25; and (3) conduct development and testing of an appointment scheduling system. Directs the Secretary to construct new 1,200-foot locks at Locks 20, 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the Upper Mississippi River and at LaGrange Lock and Peoria Lock on the Illinois Waterway. 

(Sec. 8004) Directs the Secretary to: (1) modify, consistent with requirements to avoid adverse effects on navigation, the operation of the River and system to address cumulative environmental impacts and improve the ecological integrity of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers; and (2) carry out, consistent with such requirements, ecosystem restoration projects to attain and maintain the sustainability of the ecosystem of the Rivers in accordance with the general framework outlined in the Plan. Lists authorized ecosystem restoration projects.

Sets the federal cost share of carrying out an ecosystem restoration project at 65%. Increases the federal share to 100% if the project is located below the ordinary high water mark or in a connected backwater, modifies the operation of structures for navigation, or is located on federally owned land. Directs the Secretary to carry out a long term resource monitoring, computerized data inventory and analysis, and applied research program for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois River to determine trends in ecosystem health, to understand systemic changes, and to help identify restoration needs.

Directs the Secretary, before initiating the construction of any individual ecosystem restoration project, to: (1) establish restoration goals and identify specific performance measures; (2) establish the without-project condition or baseline for each performance indicator; and (3) identify, for each separable element of the restoration, specific target goals for each performance indicator.

Directs the Secretary to consult with the Secretary of the Interior and the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin in carrying out the environmental sustainability, ecosystem restoration, and monitoring activities authorized in this section. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with the Secretary of the Interior, the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association, and natural resource and conservation agencies of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin to provide for the direct participation of, and transfer of funds to, such entities for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of projects and programs established by this section.

Authorizes appropriations. Limits the total cost of any single project. Authorizes funds for monitoring. Directs the Secretary, by June 30, 2009, and every four years thereafter, to submit to specified congressional committees an implementation report that includes baselines, milestones, goals, and priorities for ecosystem restoration projects, and that measures the progress in meeting the goals. Directs the Secretary to appoint and convene an advisory panel to provide independent guidance in the development of each implementation report.

(Sec. 8005) Directs the Secretary, in the course of conducting pre-engineering, design, and construction for projects authorized under this title, to: (1) select appropriate milestones; (2) determine whether the projects are being carried out at comparable rates; and (3) make annual reports to Congress regarding whether the projects are being carried out at a comparable rate. Requires adjustment of annual funding requests for projects, if the Secretary or Congress determines that authorized projects are not moving toward completion at a comparable rate, to ensure that the projects move toward completion at a comparable rate in the future.

Title IX: National Levee Safety Program
 - National Levee Safety Act of 2007 - (Sec. 9003) Establishes a Committee on Levee Safety which shall develop recommendations for a national levee safety program and report to specified congressional committees. Requires the Committee to ensure that the program meets specified goals, including: (1) ensuring the protection of human life and property by levees through the development of technologically, economically, socially, and environmentally feasible programs and procedures for hazard reduction and mitigation relating to levees; (2) encouraging use of the best available engineering policies and procedures for levee site investigation, design, construction, operation, and maintenance, and emergency preparedness; (3) encouraging the establishment and implementation of an effective national levee safety program that may be delegated to qualified states for implementation; and (4) building public awareness of the residual risks associated with living in levee protected areas.

(Sec. 9004) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and maintain a database with an inventory of the nation's levees; (2) establish an inventory and conduct an inspection of all federally owned and operated levees; and (3) establish an inventory and conduct an inspection of all federally constructed, non-federally operated and maintained levees at the original cost share for the project.

(Sec. 9006) Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2013.

action_date: 2007-11-08
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since the Conference Report was filed in the House on July 31, 2007. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Water Resources Development Act of 2007 - Reauthorizes the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Authorizes flood control, navigation, and environmental projects and studies by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Title I: Water Resources Projects
 - (Sec. 1001) Authorizes projects for navigation, ecosystem or environmental restoration, and hurricane, flood, or storm damage reduction in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Terminates specified projects in Florida.

(Sec. 1002) Directs the Secretary of the Army (the Secretary) to conduct studies for projects for: (1) flood damage reduction in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming; (2) emergency streambank protection in California, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas and Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont; (3) navigation in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin; (4) improvement of the quality of the environment in California, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey and Delaware, and Pennsylvania; (5) aquatic ecosystem restoration in Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia and Alabama, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia; (6) shoreline protection in Alaska, California, Florida, Guam, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas; (7) snagging and sediment removal in New York; and (8) prevention or mitigation of damage caused by navigation projects in Georgia and Indiana.

(Sec. 1010) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a project for aquatic nuisance plant control in the Republican River Basin, Nebraska.

Title II: General Provisions
 - (Sec. 2001) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to prohibit the Secretary from: (1) soliciting contributions from non-federal interests for costs of constructing authorized water resources projects or measures in excess of the nonfederal share assigned to appropriate project purposes; or (2) conditioning federal participation on receipt of such contributions.

(Sec. 2002) Extends the Secretary's authority to accept and expend funds contributed by nonfederal public entities and to expedite the processing of permits.

(Sec. 2003) Amends the Flood Control Act to allow a partnership agreement for projects to include a provision for liquidated damages in the event of a failure of parties to perform. Sets forth additional reporting and other requirements regarding such agreements. Directs the Secretary, by June 30, 2008, to issue policies and guidelines that delegate certain authority to district engineers to approve or sign partnership agreements.

(Sec. 2004) Directs the Secretary and the Chief of Engineers (Chief) to prepare a compilation of U.S. laws related to water resources development enacted after November 8, 1966, and before January 1, 2008.

(Sec. 2005) Amends the WRDA to authorize the Secretary to enter into a partnership agreement with nonfederal interests for the acquisition, design, construction, management, or operation of a dredged material processing, treatment, contaminant reduction, or disposal facility using funds provided by the federal government, subject to specified federal funding and cost sharing requirements.

(Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary, in conducting a study of harbor and navigation improvements, to recommend a project without demonstrating that the project is justified solely by national economic development benefits under specified circumstances involving remote and economically critical projects.

(Sec. 2007) Allows the nonfederal interest for a study or project to use, and requires the Secretary to accept, funds provided by a federal agency to satisfy the nonfederal share of the cost under specified circumstances.

(Sec. 2008) Directs the Secretary, upon legal authorization of an increase in the maximum amount of federal funds that may be allocated for a project or an increase in the total cost, to enter into a revised partnership agreement to take into account the change in federal participation (without affecting any cost-sharing requirement).

(Sec. 2009) Directs the Secretary to expedite any authorized planning, design, and construction of a flood damage reduction project for an area that, within the preceding five years, has been subject to flooding that resulted in the loss of life and caused damage of sufficient magnitude to warrant a declaration of a major disaster by the President.

(Sec. 2010) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to add river basins in Ohio, Washington, New York, and Arkansas and Missouri to selected river basins and watersheds for assessment. Reduces the nonfederal share of the costs of assessments on or after December 11, 2000.

(Sec. 2011) Amends the WRDA of 2000 to authorize the Secretary, under the tribal partnership program, to carry out water-related planning activities. Authorizes studies involving projects located in lands within the jurisdictional area of an Oklahoma Indian tribe that are recognized as eligible for trust land status. Permits studies to address watershed assessments and planning activities. Authorizes appropriations for the program through FY2012.

(Sec. 2012) Adds the Secretary to the list of federal agencies authorized to enter into contracts with state and local governmental entities for procurement of services in suppressing fires.

(Sec. 2013) Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of a governmental agency or nonfederal interest, to provide technical assistance in managing water resources, including the provision and integration of hydrologic, economic, and environmental data and analyses. Directs the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees, concurrent with the request for appropriations for the Civil Works Program for a fiscal year, a report describing the individual activities proposed for funding.

(Sec. 2014) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to include additional sites in Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Vermont in the Lakes Program.

(Sec. 2015) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit organizations with expertise in wetlands restoration to carry out design and construction of wetlands restoration that is part of an authorized project; and (2) include individuals not employed by the Department of the Army in training classes offered by the Corps of Engineers when it is in the best interest of the government. Requires such individuals to pay the full cost of the training.

(Sec. 2017) Directs the Secretary to provide public access to water resource and related water quality data in the custody of the Corps. 

(Sec. 2018) Declares that it is U.S. policy to promote beach nourishment for purposes of flood damage reduction and hurricane and storm damage reduction and related research that encourages the protection, restoration, and enhancement of sandy beaches on a comprehensive basis, with preference to areas in which there has been a federal investment and where the need for prevention or mitigation of damage is attributable to federal activities.

(Sec. 2019) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to require the development of new criteria and procedures regarding the ability of a nonfederal interest to pay (with respect to cost-sharing agreements) by December 31, 2007. Directs the Secretary to apply such criteria and procedures to specified projects in Missouri, Texas, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

(Sec. 2020) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to authorize projects that improve elements and features of an estuary and projects for the removal of dams that otherwise meet Act requirements.

(Sec. 2021) Increases the amount the Secretary may allot under: (1) the Flood Control Act of 1948 for small flood control projects; (2) the River and Harbor Act of 1960 for small river and harbor improvement projects; and (3) the Flood Control Act of 1946 for the construction, repair, restoration, and modification of emergency streambank and shoreline protection works to prevent damage to highways, bridge approaches, and public works, churches, hospitals, schools, and other nonprofit public services.

Increases authorized appropriations under the WRDA of: (1) 1986 for project modifications to improve the environment; and (2) 1999 for remediation of abandoned mine sites.

(Sec. 2026) Authorizes the Secretary to grant leases of lands, including structures or facilities, at water resource development projects to federally recognized Indian tribes.

(Sec. 2027) Directs the Chief to submit to specified committees an annual report on expenditures: (1) for the preceding and current fiscal years; and (2) by the Corps necessary in the following fiscal year, for each project or activity not scheduled for completion in the current fiscal year, to maintain the same level of effort.

(Sec. 2028) Authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance to specified universities or colleges in Tennessee, Illinois, and Texas for water resources-related studies.

(Sec. 2029) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Corps' operations and maintenance budget should reflect the use of all available economic data, rather than a single performance metric.

(Sec. 2030) Modifies provisions of the WRDA of 1996 to authorize the Secretary to engage in activities, including contracting, in support of other federal agencies, international organizations, or foreign governments to address problems of national significance. Authorizes funding. Authorizes the Secretary to accept and expend additional funds from foreign governments.

(Sec. 2031) Declares that it is U.S. policy that all water resources projects reflect national priorities, encourage economic development, and protect the environment by: (1) seeking to maximize sustainable economic development; (2) seeking to avoid the unwise use of floodplains and flood-prone areas and maximizing adverse impacts and vulnerabilities where such areas must be used; and (3) protecting and restoring the functions of, and mitigating unavoidable damage to, natural systems.

(Sec. 2032) Directs the President to report to Congress describing U.S. vulnerability to damage from flooding, including: (1) an assessment of the extent to which programs relating to flooding address flood risk reduction priorities; (2) the extent to which those programs may be encouraging development and economic activity in flood-prone areas; and (3) recommendations for improving those programs.

(Sec. 2033) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to direct the Secretary, for all feasibility reports completed after December 31, 2007, to assess whether: (1) the project and each separable element is cost-effective; and (2) the water resource project complies with laws and public policies.

Directs the Chief to: (1) adopt a risk analysis approach to project cost estimates for water resources projects; (2) issue procedures for risk analysis for cost estimation and submit to Congress a report that includes suggested amendments to provisions regarding maximum cost of projects; (3) establish benchmarks for determining the time it should take to conduct a project feasibility study and its associated review process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; (4) use such benchmarks to make the feasibility study process more efficient; and (5) establish benchmark goals for completing project feasibility studies within two years (or within four years for complex projects).

Requires a feasibility study for a flood damage reduction project to include, as part of the cost/benefit calculation, calculations: (1) of the residual risk of flooding, of loss of human life, and to human safety following completion of the proposed project; (2) of any upstream or downstream impacts; and (3) to ensure that the benefits and costs associated with structural and nonstructural alternatives are evaluated in an equitable manner.

Authorizes the Secretary to establish centers to provide specialized planning expertise for water resource projects to be carried out by the Secretary in order to enhance and supplement the capabilities of the districts of the Corps.

Requires feasibility and other studies and assessments of water resource problems and projects to include recommendations for alternatives: (1) that, as determined by the nonfederal interests for the projects, promote integrated water resources management; and (2) for which the nonfederal interests are willing to provide the nonfederal share for the studies or assessments. Provides that the completion of a Chief's report for a project shall not be delayed while consideration is being given to potential changes in policy or priority for project consideration. Requires completed reports to be submitted to specified committees and reviewed by the Secretary, who shall provide any recommendations to Congress.

(Sec. 2034) Requires project studies to be subject to a peer review by an independent panel of experts if: (1) the project has an estimated total cost of more than $45 million, including mitigation costs; (2) the governor of an affected state requests a peer review by an independent panel of experts; or (3) the Chief determines that the project study is controversial (in cases where there is a significant public dispute as to the nature or effects of the project or the economic or environmental costs or benefits). Limits costs of panels. 

(Sec. 2035) Directs the Chief to ensure that the design and construction activities for hurricane and storm and flood damage reduction projects are reviewed by independent experts if necessary to assure public health, safety, and welfare on any project that meets specified criteria.

(Sec. 2036) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to require the Secretary, in order to mitigate losses to flood damage reduction capabilities and fish and wildlife resulting from a water resources project, to ensure that the mitigation plan for each project complies with the standards and policies established pursuant to the regulatory programs administered by the Secretary. Lists specific mitigation plan requirements, criteria for success, and monitoring and reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary, in carrying out a project that involves wetlands mitigation that has impacts that occur within the service area of a mitigation bank, to first consider the use of the mitigation bank if the bank contains sufficient available credits to offset the impact and the bank is approved under applicable federal law.

(Sec. 2037) Replaces provisions under the WRDA of 1992 regarding beneficial uses of dredged material with provisions requiring the Secretary to develop, at federal expense, regional sediment management plans. Directs the Secretary to give priority to regional sediment management projects in areas of specified states.

(Sec. 2038) Rewrites provisions regarding the Secretary's authorization to undertake construction of small shore and beach restoration and protection projects not specifically authorized by Congress. Permits such activities if the Secretary meets specified requirements. Makes a local cooperation requirement applicable to such a project. Requires authorized projects to be complete and to not commit the United States to any additional improvement. Directs the Secretary to conduct a national shoreline erosion control development and demonstration program.

(Sec. 2039) Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that a recommended ecosystem restoration project includes a plan for monitoring the success of the restoration; and (2) consider the cost of carrying out the monitoring as a project cost for a period of 10 years from completion of project construction.

(Sec. 2040) Directs the Secretary to implement a program to allow electronic submission of applications for permits under the Secretary's jurisdiction.

(Sec. 2041) Requires the Secretary to: (1) assign a unique tracking number to each water resources project to be used by each federal agency throughout the life of the project; and (2) maintain at the Library of Congress a copy of each final feasibility study, environmental impact statement, reevaluation report, record of decision, and report to Congress prepared by the Corps. Makes such documents available to the public.

(Sec. 2042) Repeals provisions of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2006 (EWDAA) regarding program administration, including removal of restrictions on the use of funds and continuing contracts by the Corps.

(Sec. 2043) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to make cost-sharing requirements applicable to a feasibility study also applicable to a study that results in a detailed project report, with exceptions. 

(Sec. 2044) Directs the Secretary to: (1) initiate procedures to establish a schedule for consolidating federal, state, and local agency and Indian tribe environmental assessments, project reviews, and issuance of permits for the construction or modification of a project upon written request of the nonfederal interest; and (2) seek to consolidate hearing and comment periods, procedures for data collection and report preparation, and the environmental review and permitting processes associated with the project. Requires costs incurred by the Secretary to establish and carry out a schedule to be paid by the nonfederal interest. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on estimated time required for the issuance of all permits for the construction of nonfederal projects.

(Sec. 2045) Declares that the benefits of water resources projects are important to the nation's economy and environment and recommendations to Congress regarding such projects should not be delayed due to uncoordinated or inefficient reviews or the failure to timely resolve disputes during the development of such projects.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop and implement a coordinated review process for project development; and (2) identify all federal, state, and local government agencies and Indian tribes that may have jurisdiction over the project or may be required to take other specified actions. Allows the process to be incorporated into a memorandum of understanding. Sets forth provisions regarding the effect of failure to meet deadlines and reporting requirements.

(Sec. 2046) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to require the Secretary to transmit to Congress every year (currently, every two years), after transmittal of the list of unconstructed projects, a list of projects that have been authorized but have received no obligations during the five preceding fiscal years. Provides that a project included in such list is not authorized after the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the list is transmitted if funds have not been obligated for the planning, design, or construction of such project. 

(Sec. 2047) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to rewrite provisions regarding the Hopper Dredge McFarland to require the Secretary, between October 1 and December 31, 2009, to place it in a ready reserve status and use it solely for urgent and emergency purposes. Directs the Secretary to periodically perform routine underway dredging tests of the equipment, limit any scheduled hopper dredging work, perform any repairs necessary to maintain the vessel in a ready reserve fully operational conditions, and place the vessel in active status for dredging under specified conditions.

Title III: Project-Related Provisions - 
(Sec. 3001) Modifies various projects and directs or authorizes actions in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 3175) Amends the WRDA of 1988 to allow the Secretary to operate headwaters reservoirs below the minimum or above the maximum water levels established in that year in accordance with water control regulation manuals developed by the Secretary, after consultation with specified parties and subject to specified notification requirements.

(Sec. 3176) Allows funds made available for recovery or mitigation activities in the lower basin of the Missouri River to be used for such activities in the upper basin.

(Sec. 3177) Authorizes the Secretary to undertake research on water quality issues affecting the Mississippi River and the development of remediation strategies.

(Sec. 3178) Directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program to evaluate new technologies applicable to the Upper Ohio River and Tributaries Navigation System.

(Sec. 3179) Continues project authorizations in California, Guam, Maryland and Virginia, Massachusetts, and Michigan.

(Sec. 3180) Authorizes specified projects, but prohibits construction until they are determined to be feasible, in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 3181) Terminates projects in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, Delaware and Maryland, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and West Virginia.

(Sec. 3182) Provides for conveyances of land to Arkansas, California, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas.

(Sec. 3183) Extinguishes reversionary interests and use restrictions in Idaho, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

Title IV: Studies
 - (Sec. 4001) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to authorize payment of up to 100% of the non-federal share for the John Glenn Great Lakes basin program in the form of in-kind services and materials.

(Sec. 4002) Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a study to determine the nature and frequency of avian botulism in the vicinity of Lake Erie associated with dredged material disposal sites; and (2) a study of drought conditions in the southwestern United States. 

(Sec. 4004) Directs the Secretary to review the Chief's report on the Delaware River, as it relates to the Mid-Delaware River Basin from Wilmington to Port Jervis, and any other pertinent reports, to determine whether any modifications of recommendations contained in the first report are still advisable.

(Sec. 4005) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study to develop national protocols regarding biological control of Eurasian milfoil in northeastern states.

(Sec. 4006) Directs the Secretary to conduct various navigation, hydropower, recreation, flood damage reduction, feasibilitiy, water supply, selenium, rehabilitation, flood control, bulkhead system integrity, environmental restoration, ecosystem restoration and protection, storm damage reduction, shoreline protection, water-related infrastructure, water supply, recreation, dredged material disposal, and seawall rehabilitation studies in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 4101) Directs the Comptroller General, in coordination with the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to conduct a complete evaluation of demolition, debris removal, segregation, transportation, and disposal practices relating to disaster areas designated in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and to report to specified committees. Prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for or reimburse any state or local entity in Louisiana for the disposal of construction and demolition debris generated as a result of Hurricane Katrina in a landfill designated for such debris unless that waste meets the definition of construction and demolition debris, as specified under federal law.

Title V: Miscellaneous
 - (Sec. 5001) Makes the Secretary responsible for maintenance of navigation channels and breakwaters constructed or improved by the non-federal interest, at the request of such interest, upon determining that such maintenance is economically justified and environmentally acceptable and that the channel or breakwater was constructed in accordance with applicable permits and engineering and design standards, with respect to specified bodies of water in Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 5002) Authorizes the Secretary to provide: (1) technical, planning, and design assistance to non-federal interests for carrying out watershed management, restoration, and development projects at specified locations in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington; and (2) assistance to enhance dam safety at specified locations in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

(Sec. 5004) Directs the Secretary, upon request of a non-federal interest, to evaluate the structural integrity and effectiveness of a flood damage reduction project in Arkansas under specified circumstances.

(Sec. 5005) Amends the WRDA of: (1) 1999 to add to the list of flood mitigation priority areas specified parishes in Louisiana; and (2) 1992 to provide additional assistance for authorized projects. Allows federal assistance made available under the the Department of Agriculture's rural enterprise zone program to be used toward payment of the nonfederal share of costs of the East Arkansas Enterprise Community project, Arkansas.

(Sec. 5007) Provides for the expedited completion of: (1) reports and construction for projects in Alaska, California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New York; and (2) reports for projects in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.

(Sec. 5009) Directs the Secretary to conduct an assessment of the water resources needs of the river basins and watersheds of the southeastern United States.

(Sec. 5010) Amends the WRDA of: (1) 1999, 1990, and 1996 to extend the authorization period or the Secretary's authority to provide assistance for the Missouri and Middle Mississippi River Enhancement Project, the Great Lakes Remedial Action Plans and sediment remediation projects and the Great Lakes tributary sediment transport model; and (2) 2000 to increase to 100% the permissible nonfederal share amount provided in the form of in-kind contributions for the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program. 

Permits with respect to the Missouri and Middle Mississippi River Enhancement Project: (1) a nonfederal interest to include a nonprofit entity with the consent of the affected local government; (2) the nonfederal share of costs to be provided in various forms; and (3) land credited toward the nonfederal share to remain in private ownership under specified circumstances. Requires the Secretary, with respect to the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program, to carry out a reconnaissance study to: (1) identify methods of restoring the fishery, ecosystem, and beneficial uses of the Great Lakes; and (2) determine whether project planning should proceed. 

(Sec. 5014) Directs the Secretary to: (1) expedite the operation and maintenance, including dredging, of the navigation features of the Great Lakes and Connecting Channels to support commercial navigation to authorized project depths; and (2) carry out a pilot project, on an emergency basis, to control and prevent further spreading of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in the Great Lakes and their connecting channels.

(Sec. 5015) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out projects for operations, maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation, including associated maintenance dredging, of the Eisenhower and Snell lock facilities and related navigational infrastructure for the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

(Sec. 5016) Directs the Secretary to study, design, and carry out a project to delay, deter, impede, or restrict the dispersal of aquatic nuisance species into the northern reaches of the Upper Mississippi River system.

(Sec. 5017) Amends the Estuary Restoration Act of 2000 to expand the purposes of the restoration program by including the implementation of a coordinated federal approach to estuary habitat restoration activities, including the use of common monitoring standards and a common system for tracking restoration acreage. Adds regional interests to the estuary habitat restoration plan. Permits the inclusion of monitoring costs in the total cost of the estuary habitat restoration project. Modifies reporting requirements. Extends funding through 2012.

(Sec. 5018) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the Missouri River and its tributaries to mitigate losses of aquatic and terrestrial habitat, recover federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, and restore the ecosystem to prevent further declines among other native species; and (2) establish the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee.

(Sec. 5019) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allocate funds to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the Delaware River Basin Commission, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin to fulfill equitable funding requirements of their interstate compacts; and (2) enter into agreements with the Delaware River, Susquehanna River, and Potomac River Basin Commissions to provide temporary water supply and conservation storage during drought emergencies.

(Sec. 5020) Modifies the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Restoration and Protection Program to authorize assistance for restoration of submerged aquatic vegetation.

(Sec. 5021) Amends the WRDA of 1986 to include within the Secretary's study of the feasibility of utilizing the capabilities of the Corps of Engineers to conserve fish and wildlife a study of the restoration and rehabilitation of habitat for fish, including native oysters, in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in Virginia and Maryland.

(Sec. 5022) Authorizes the Secretary to participate: (1) with specified parties to assess hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico; and (2) in the Potomac River Watershed Assessment and Tributary Strategy Evaluation and Monitoring Program to identify resource management indicators to accurately monitor the effectiveness of the implementation of the agreed upon tributary strategies.

(Sec. 5024) Directs the Secretary to develop standards for the security of locks and dams.

(Sec. 5025) Amends the WRDA of 1996 to increase the authorization of appropriations for the research and development program to improve salmon survival in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

(Sec. 5026) Permits Corps of Engineers employees to participate in wage surveys.

(Sec. 5027) Directs the Secretary to rehabilitate and improve the water-related and transportation infrastructure for the historic property in the Anacostia River Watershed located in the District of Columbia.

(Sec. 5028) Directs or authorizes the Secretary to take specified actions regarding various projects in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, and California.

(Sec. 5056) Directs the Secretary to carry out in the Rio Grande Basin: (1) a program for the planning, construction, and evaluation of measures for fish and wildlife habitat rehabilitation and enhancement; and (2) implementation of a long-term monitoring, computerized data inventory and analysis, applied research, and adaptive management program.

(Sec. 5057) Designates the Charles Hervey Townshend Breakwater in Connecticut.

(Sec. 5058) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in the ecosystem restoration, navigation, flood damage reduction, and recreation components of the Mill River and Long Island Sound revitalization project, Stamford, Connecticut.

(Sec. 5059) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to the Secretary of Agriculture for use in carrying out the Conservation Corridor Demonstration Program, Delmarva Conservation Corridor, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

(Sec. 5060) Directs the Secretary, in coordination with the mayor of the District of Columbia, the governor of Maryland, the county executives of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland, and other interested entities, to develop and make available to the public a 10-year comprehensive action plan to provide for the restoration and protection of the ecological integrity of the Anacostia River and its tributaries. 

(Sec. 5061) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the East Central and Northeast Florida Region, provided that any assisted project is publicly owned. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5062) Amends the Miscellaneous Appropriations Act, 2001 to direct the Secretary to credit toward the nonfederal share of the project cost for Florida Keys water quality improvements the cost of: (1) construction work carried out by the nonfederal interest before the date of the partnership agreement; and (2) land acquisition carried out by the nonfederal interest. 

(Sec. 5063) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out necessary repairs for the Lake Worth bulkhead replacement project, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(Sec. 5064) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical, planning, and construction assistance to the city of Roswell, Georgia, as the nonfederal interest and coordinator with other local governments in the Big Creek watershed, Georgia, to assess the quality and quantity of water resources, conduct comprehensive watershed management planning, develop and implement water efficiency technologies and programs, and plan, design, and construct water resource facilities to restore the watershed.

(Sec. 5065) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, provided that any assisted project is publicly owned. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5066) Authorizes the Secretary, after completion of a Savannah Riverfront plan (Georgia), to participate in the ecosystem restoration, recreation, navigation, and flood damage reduction components of the plan. 

(Sec. 5067) Amends the WRDA of 1999 to include Wyoming in a program providing environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in rural Nevada and Montana.

(Sec. 5068) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out the Riley Creek Recreation Area (Idaho) Operation Plan.

(Sec. 5069) Directs the Secretary to provide assistance for a project to develop maps identifying 100- and 500-year flood inundation areas along the Little Calumet River, Chicago, Illinois. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5070) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in the reconstruction of a specified eligible flood control project in Illinois or Missouri if the Secretary determines that such reconstruction is not required as a result of improper operation and maintenance of the project by the nonfederal interest.

(Sec. 5071) Amends the WRDA of 2000 to extend the authorization for Illinois River basin restoration. Increases the maximum federal share. Requires the Secretary to develop an Illinois River basin monitoring program.

(Sec. 5072) Directs the Secretary to conduct a third-party review of the Promontory Point feature of the project for storm damage reduction and shoreline erosion protection, Lake Michigan, Illinois, at a specified cost.

(Sec. 5073) Requires the Secretary to develop a comprehensive plan for the restoration, preservation, and protection of the Kaskaskia River Basin, Illinois.

(Sec. 5074) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in Southwest Illinois. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5075) Amends the WRDA of 1992 to increase the authorization for the Calumet region, Indiana. 

(Sec. 5076) Directs the Secretary to provide assistance for a project to develop maps identifying 100- and 500-year flood inundation areas in Iowa, along the Missouri River.

(Sec. 5077) Directs the Secretary to complete a feasibility report for rehabilitation of a flood damage reduction project, Paducah, Kentucky. 

(Sec. 5078) Amends the WRDA of 1996 and 1992 regarding limitations on Corps of Engineers expenses for Southern and Eastern Kentucky and regarding wastewater infrastructure in Winchester, Kentucky. Increases funding for water-related infrastructure in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

(Sec. 5081) Directs the Secretary to expedite completion of a dredged material management plan for the Calcasieu Ship Channel, Louisiana.

(Sec. 5082) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the East Atchafalaya Basin and Amite River Basin Region.

(Sec. 5083) Directs the Secretary, by July 1, 2008, to: (1) issue a final environmental impact statement relating to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock project; and (2) develop and maintain a transportation mitigation program relating to that project in coordination with St. Bernard and Orleans Parishes, the Old Arabi Neighborhood Association, and other interested parties.

(Sec. 5084) Requires the Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, basin stakeholders conference convened by the EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on February 25, 2002, to be treated as being a management conference convened under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

(Sec. 5085) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the Southeast Louisiana Region. Sets forth cost-sharing and other requirements.

(Sec. 5086) Modifies the project study for waterfront and riverine preservation, restoration, and enhancement, Mississippi River, West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, to add West Feliciana Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish to the study.

(Sec. 5087) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a project for nonstructural flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration at Charlestown, Maryland.

(Sec. 5088) Directs the Secretary to carry out a project for shoreline protection, St. Mary's River, Maryland.

(Sec. 5089) Authorizes the Secretary to cooperate with Massachusetts in the management and long-term monitoring of aquatic dredged material disposal sites within the state and to accept funds from the state to carry out such activities.

(Sec. 5090) Directs the Secretary to conduct a study: (1) of shore damage in the vicinity of the navigation project at Ontonagon Harbor, Michigan; and (2) for a project for emergency streambank protection along the Red Lake River in Crookston, Minnesota.

(Sec. 5093) Directs the Secretary to take specified actions regarding various projects in Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio. 

(Sec. 5113) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in North Carolina.

(Sec. 5118) Requires the costs of operation and maintenance for the Toussaint River Federal navigation project, Carroll Township, Ohio, that relate directly to the presence of unexploded ordnance to be carried out at federal expense.

(Sec. 5119) Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance for the development of updates of the Oklahoma comprehensive water plan.

(Sec. 5126) Increases funding for the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and New York. 

(Sec. 5129) Makes changes to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Restoration Trust Fund, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Trust Funds, and the State of South Dakota Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Restoration Trust Fund, authorized in the WRDA of 1999.

(Sec. 5130) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in East Tennessee.

(Sec. 5131) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of the Fritz Landing Agricultural Spur Levee, Tennessee; and (2) plan, design, and construct a trail system at the J. Percy Priest Dam and Reservoir, Tennessee.

(Sec. 5133) Authorizes the Secretary to participate in the ecosystem restoration, recreation, navigation, and flood damage reduction components of the Nashville Riverfront Concept Plan, dated February 2007.

(Sec. 5134) Modifies the project for flood control at Nonconnah Creek, Tennessee and Mississippi.

(Sec. 5135) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into a partnership with a nonprofit entity to remove debris from the Tennessee River near Knoxville, Tennessee; and (2) participate with nonfederal and nonprofit entities to address issues concerning managing groundwater as a sustainable resource through the Upper Mississippi Embayment, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

(Sec. 5136) Directs the Secretary to design and construct a flood damage reduction project in Town Creek, Lenoir City, Tennessee.

(Sec. 5138) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in Texas; and (2) develop a comprehensive plan for development of new technologies and innovative approaches for restoring, preserving, and protecting the Bosque River watershed, Texas.

(Sec. 5140) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to provide environmental assistance to nonfederal interests in the Dallas County region, Texas.

(Sec. 5141) Modifies: (1) the flood control project, Trinity River and tributaries, Texas; and (2) the flood damage reduction, environmental restoration, and recreation project, Johnson Creek, Arlington, Texas.

(Sec. 5144) Directs the Secretary to: (1) include the costs and benefits associated with the relocation of flood-prone residences in the study area for the Onion Creek, Texas, project; (2) take specified actions related to the Connecticut River Dams, Vermont; (3) determine the feasibility of a dispersal barrier project at the Lake Champlain Canal, Vermont and New York, to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species; (4) accept funds from the National Park Service to restore Dyke Marsh, Fairfax County, Virginia, and to provide technical and project management assistance for the James River, Virginia; and (5) conduct a study of increased siltation in Baker Bay and Ilwaco Harbor, Washington.

(Sec. 5151) Authorizes the Secretary to plan, design, and construct a campground for Bonneville Lock and Dam at Hamilton Island, Washington.

(Sec. 5152) Modifies the Lower Columbia River levees and bank protection works with regard to the Wahkiakum County diking districts No. 1 and 3, Washington, to protect resources from further erosion.

(Sec. 5153) Amends the WRDA of 1992, 1996, and 2000, regarding various projects in Washington, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Central and Southern West Virginia, and regarding construction of flood control projects by nonfederal interests in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, and Wisconsin.

(Sec. 5158) Amends the WRDA of 1992 regarding additional assistance for critical projects in South Carolina, California, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and the Virgin Islands.

Title VI: Florida Everglades
 - (Sec. 6001) Modifies the project for Hillsboro and Okeechobee Aquifer, Florida, to authorize the Secretary to carry out the project at a specified total cost.

(Sec. 6002) Increases the authorization for the Everglades pilot projects authorized under the WRDA of 2000.

(Sec. 6003) Modifies provisions regarding maximum costs of projects and program authority.

(Sec. 6004) Authorizes credit for work on Everglades restoration projects carried out before the date of a partnership agreement between the Secretary and the non-federal sponsor and authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the non-federal sponsor to specify conditions relating to design and construction of such work.

(Sec. 6005) Authorizes the Secretary to expend up to $3 million per fiscal year on outreach and assistance.

(Sec. 6006) Increases the authorization for critical Everglades restoration projects authorized under the WRDA of 1996.

(Sec. 6007) Directs the Secretary to complete the development and testing of the regional engineering model for environmental restoration as expeditiously as practicable.

Title VII: Louisiana Coastal Area
 - (Sec. 7002) Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop a comprehensive plan, in coordination with the governor of Louisiana, for protecting, preserving, and restoring the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; (2) integrate the plan into the analysis and design of the comprehensive hurricane protection study authorized by the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2006; and (3) ensure that the plan is consistent with the goals, analysis, and design of the comprehensive coastal protection master plan authorized and defined pursuant to Act 8 of the First Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana State Legislature, 2005.

Requires the comprehensive plan to include: (1) the framework of a long-term program integrated with hurricane and storm damage and flood damage reduction and navigation activities that provide for the comprehensive protection, conservation, and restoration of the wetlands, estuaries, barrier islands, shorelines, and related land and features of the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; (2) the means by which a new technology, or an improved technique, can be integrated into the program; (3) the role of other federal and state agencies and programs in carrying out the program; (4) specific, measurable ecological success criteria by which success of the plan will be measured; (5) proposed projects in order of priority as determined by their potential to contribute to the creation of coastal wetlands and to flood protection of communities ranked by population density and level of protection; and (6) efforts by federal, state, and local interests to address sociological, economic, and related fields of law.

(Sec. 7003) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a program for ecosystem restoration, Louisiana Coastal Area, substantially in accordance with the report of the Chief of Engineers, dated January 31, 2005. Directs the Secretary to give priority to specified projects.

(Sec. 7004) Establishes the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Protection and Restoration Task Force to make recommendations to the Secretary regarding: (1) policies, strategies, plans, programs, projects, and activities for addressing protection, conservation, and restoration of the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; (2) financial participation by each agency represented on the Task Force in conserving, protecting, restoring, and maintaining the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; and (3) the comprehensive plan to be developed. Directs the Task Force to submit to Congress a biennial report on its activities. Authorizes the Task Force to establish working groups, including to advise the Task Force of opportunities with respect to areas in Louisiana for which a major disaster has been declared by the President as a result of Hurricane Katrina or Rita.

(Sec. 7005) Directs the Secretary to: (1) review existing federally authorized water resources projects in the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; and (2) carry out a coastal Louisiana ecosystem program.

Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified projects to resolve critical areas of scientific or technological uncertainty related to the implementation of the comprehensive plan developed for planning, design, and construction of all demonstration projects. Lists initial projects authorized. 

Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out such modifications as necessary to the ecosystem restoration features identified in the plan to address the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the project; and (2) implement in the ecosystem a program for the beneficial use of material dredged from federally maintained waterway. 

Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified additional projects if feasible.

(Sec. 7007) Directs the Secretary to credit toward the non-federal share of study costs or projects authorized the cost of work carried out in the ecosystem by the non-federal interest before the date of the partnership agreement for the study or project that is integral to the study or project. Provides for periodic monitoring and audits.

(Sec. 7008) Authorizes the Secretary to determine that: (1) a project or activity is justified by the environmental benefits derived by the coastal Louisiana ecosystem; and (2) no further economic justification is needed for a cost effective project or activity.

(Sec. 7009) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish the Louisiana Water Resources Council, which shall serve as the exclusive peer review panel for projects under this title; (2) expedite completion of the reports for specified projects and, upon determining that a project is justified, proceed directly to project preconstruction engineering and design; and (3) report to specified committees on projects authorized and undertaken, the construction status of the projects, the cost to date and expected final cost of each, and the benefits and environmental impacts.

(Sec. 7012) Authorizes the Secretary to take specified actions with respect to New Orleans and vicinity, including raising levee heights where necessary and reducing the risk of storm damage to the greater New Orleans metropolitan area by restoring the surrounding wetlands. 

(Sec. 7013) Terminates a portion of the navigation project, Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. 

(Sec. 7014) Directs the Secretary, regarding projects identified and analysis and design of comprehensive hurricane protection, to submit specific project recommendations in any report developed under the EWDAA.

Authorizes the President, upon determining that a feature recommended in the analysis and design of comprehensive hurricane protection under the EWDAA could address an imminent threat to life and property, prevent a dangerous storm surge from reaching a populated area, prevent the loss of coastal areas that reduce the impact of storm surge, benefit national energy security, protect emergency hurricane evacuation routes or shelters, or address inconsistencies in hurricane protection standards, to submit a legislative proposal relating to the feature to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate for authorization. Sets forth provisions regarding prioritization of projects. Makes any such proposal submitted by the President, beginning after December 31, 2008, eligible for expedited consideration.

(Sec. 7015) Directs the Secretary to submit to the committees a report describing any modification required to the project for flood damage reduction, Larose to Golden Meadow, Louisiana, to achieve the certification necessary for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. Authorizes specified modifications, subject to committee approval of the report and other requirements.

(Sec. 7016) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a project for flood damage reduction in Lower Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Title VIII: Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Water-Way System
 - (Sec. 8002) Directs the Secretary to undertake navigation improvements and restoration of the ecosystem for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Water System (River and System) substantially in accordance with the project for navigation and ecosystem improvements for the River and System's Report of the Chief of Engineers, dated December 15, 2004 (the Plan).

(Sec. 8003) Directs the Secretary to: (1) construct mooring facilities at Locks 12, 14, 18, 20, 24, and LaGrange Lock; (2) provide switchboats at Locks 20 through 25; and (3) conduct development and testing of an appointment scheduling system. Directs the Secretary to construct new 1,200-foot locks at Locks 20, 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the Upper Mississippi River and at LaGrange Lock and Peoria Lock on the Illinois Waterway. 

(Sec. 8004) Directs the Secretary to: (1) modify, consistent with requirements to avoid adverse effects on navigation, the operation of the River and system to address cumulative environmental impacts and improve the ecological integrity of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers; and (2) carry out, consistent with such requirements, ecosystem restoration projects to attain and maintain the sustainability of the ecosystem of the Rivers in accordance with the general framework outlined in the Plan. Lists authorized ecosystem restoration projects.

Sets the federal cost share of carrying out an ecosystem restoration project at 65%. Increases the federal share to 100% if the project is located below the ordinary high water mark or in a connected backwater, modifies the operation of structures for navigation, or is located on federally owned land. Directs the Secretary to carry out a long term resource monitoring, computerized data inventory and analysis, and applied research program for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois River to determine trends in ecosystem health, to understand systemic changes, and to help identify restoration needs.

Directs the Secretary, before initiating the construction of any individual ecosystem restoration project, to: (1) establish restoration goals and identify specific performance measures; (2) establish the without-project condition or baseline for each performance indicator; and (3) identify, for each separable element of the restoration, specific target goals for each performance indicator.

Directs the Secretary to consult with the Secretary of the Interior and the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin in carrying out the environmental sustainability, ecosystem restoration, and monitoring activities authorized in this section. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with the Secretary of the Interior, the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association, and natural resource and conservation agencies of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin to provide for the direct participation of, and transfer of funds to, such entities for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of projects and programs established by this section.

Authorizes appropriations. Limits the total cost of any single project. Authorizes funds for monitoring. Directs the Secretary, by June 30, 2009, and every four years thereafter, to submit to specified congressional committees an implementation report that includes baselines, milestones, goals, and priorities for ecosystem restoration projects, and that measures the progress in meeting the goals. Directs the Secretary to appoint and convene an advisory panel to provide independent guidance in the development of each implementation report.

(Sec. 8005) Directs the Secretary, in the course of conducting pre-engineering, design, and construction for projects authorized under this title, to: (1) select appropriate milestones; (2) determine whether the projects are being carried out at comparable rates; and (3) make annual reports to Congress regarding whether the projects are being carried out at a comparable rate. Requires adjustment of annual funding requests for projects, if the Secretary or Congress determines that authorized projects are not moving toward completion at a comparable rate, to ensure that the projects move toward completion at a comparable rate in the future.

Title IX: National Levee Safety Program
 - National Levee Safety Act of 2007 - (Sec. 9003) Establishes a Committee on Levee Safety which shall develop recommendations for a national levee safety program and report to specified congressional committees. Requires the Committee to ensure that the program meets specified goals, including: (1) ensuring the protection of human life and property by levees through the development of technologically, economically, socially, and environmentally feasible programs and procedures for hazard reduction and mitigation relating to levees; (2) encouraging use of the best available engineering policies and procedures for levee site investigation, design, construction, operation, and maintenance, and emergency preparedness; (3) encouraging the establishment and implementation of an effective national levee safety program that may be delegated to qualified states for implementation; and (4) building public awareness of the residual risks associated with living in levee protected areas.

(Sec. 9004) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and maintain a database with an inventory of the nation's levees; (2) establish an inventory and conduct an inspection of all federally owned and operated levees; and (3) establish an inventory and conduct an inspection of all federally constructed, non-federally operated and maintained levees at the original cost share for the project.

(Sec. 9006) Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2013.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-11-09
text: Became Public Law No: 110-114.
action_date: 2007-11-09
text: Became Public Law No: 110-114.
action_date: 2007-11-08
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2007-11-08
text: Passed Senate over veto by Yea-Nay Vote. 79 - 14. Record Vote Number: 406.
action_date: 2007-11-08
text: Passed Senate over veto: Passed Senate over veto by Yea-Nay Vote. 79 - 14. Record Vote Number: 406.
action_date: 2007-11-08
text: Veto Message considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S14113-14118)
action_date: 2007-11-07
text: Veto message received in Senate. Held at the desk. (consideration: CR S14044-14056)
action_date: 2007-11-06
text: Two-thirds of the Members present having voted in the affirmative the bill is passed, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding. Passed by the Yeas and Nays (2/3 required): 361 - 54 (Roll No. 1040). (consideration: CR H12788-12798)
action_date: 2007-11-06
text: Passed House over veto: Two-thirds of the Members present having voted in the affirmative the bill is passed, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding. Passed by the Yeas and Nays (2/3 required): 361 - 54 (Roll No. 1040).(consideration: CR H12788-12798)
action_date: 2007-11-06
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on the question of passage of H.R. 1495, the objections of the President to the contrary, notwithstanding.
action_date: 2007-11-06
text: The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the veto message on H.R. 1495.
action_date: 2007-11-05
text: The Chair laid before the House a veto message from the President on November 5, 2007 and that after the message was read and the objections of the President were spread at large upon the Journal, further consideration of the veto message and the bill shall be postponed until Tuesday, November 6, 2007.
action_date: 2007-11-05
text: Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received from the White House on November 2, 2007, at 1:49 p.m. stating a message from the President whereby he returns without his approval, H.R. 1495, the "Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
action_date: 2007-11-02
text: Vetoed by President. (text of veto message: CR H12458-12459)
action_date: 2007-11-02
text: Vetoed by President.(text of veto message: CR H12458-12459)
action_date: 2007-10-23
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2007-10-23
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2007-09-24
text: Cleared for White House.
action_date: 2007-09-24
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2007-09-24
text: Senate agreed to conference report by Yea-Nay Vote. 81 - 12. Record Vote Number: 347.
action_date: 2007-09-24
text: Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report by Yea-Nay Vote. 81 - 12. Record Vote Number: 347.
action_date: 2007-09-24
text: Conference report considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S11974-11996)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Conference papers: message on House action held at the desk in Senate.
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 381 - 40 (Roll no. 790).
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: Motions to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: Conference report agreed to in House: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 381 - 40 (Roll no. 790).
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: The House proceeded to consider the conference report H.Rept. 110-280 as unfinished business. (consideration: CR 8/2/2007 H9533-9534)
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of the debate on the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1495, the Chair announced that pursuant to the Rules of the House, the Yeas and Nays were ordered. Subsequently, the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption on the Conference Report until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR 8/2/2007 H9531)
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with 1 hour of debate on the conference report to accompany H.R. 1495.
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: Mr. Oberstar brought up conference report H. Rept. 110-280 for consideration under the provisions of H. Res. 597. (consideration: CR 8/2/2007 H9522-9532)
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: Rule H. Res. 597 passed House.
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 597 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of the conference report to H.R. 1495 with 1 hour of general debate.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Conference committee actions: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Conference report H. Rept. 110-280 filed. (text of conference report: CR H9059-9188)
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Conference report filed: Conference report H. Rept. 110-280 filed.(text of conference report: CR H9059-9188)
action_date: 2007-07-25
text: The Speaker appointed conferees - from the Committee on Natural Resources for consideration of secs. 2014, 2023, and 6009 of the House bill, and secs. 3023, 5008, and 5016 of the Senate amendment, and modifications committed to conference: Rahall, Napolitano, and McMorris Rodgers.
action_date: 2007-07-25
text: The Speaker appointed conferees - from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for consideration of the House bill and the Senate amendment, and modifications committed to conference: Oberstar, Johnson, E. B., Tauscher, Baird, Higgins, Mitchell, Kagen, McNerney, Mica, Duncan, Ehlers, Baker, Brown (SC), and Boozman.
action_date: 2007-07-25
text: On motion that the House disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to a conference Agreed to by voice vote. (consideration: CR H8420)
action_date: 2007-07-25
text: Mr. Oberstar moved that the House disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to a conference.
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2007-05-17
text: Senate appointed conferees. Boxer; Baucus; Lieberman; Carper; Clinton; Lautenberg; Inhofe; Warner; Voinovich; Isakson; Vitter.
action_date: 2007-05-16
text: Senate insisted on its amendment, requested a conference.
action_date: 2007-05-16
text: Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 91 - 4. Record Vote Number: 170. (text: CR 5/17/2007 S6314-6358)
action_date: 2007-05-16
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 91 - 4. Record Vote Number: 170.(text: CR 5/17/2007 S6314-6358)
action_date: 2007-05-16
text: Considered by Senate. (consideration: CR S6157-6184)
action_date: 2007-05-15
text: Considered by Senate. (consideration: CR S6086-6089, S6092-6115, S6118-6124)
action_date: 2007-05-14
text: Measure laid before Senate by motion. (consideration: CR S6036-6050)
action_date: 2007-05-11
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6008, S6009-6010)
action_date: 2007-05-10
text: Cloture on the motion to proceed invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 89 - 7. Record Vote Number: 162. (consideration: CR S5896; text: CR S5896)
action_date: 2007-05-10
text: Motion to proceed to measure considered in Senate. (consideration: CR S5883-5908)
action_date: 2007-05-03
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure withdrawn in Senate. (consideration: CR S5609)
action_date: 2007-05-03
text: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (consideration: CR S5609)
action_date: 2007-05-03
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (consideration: CR S5609)
action_date: 2007-04-30
text: Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 128.
action_date: 2007-04-23
text: Received in the Senate.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 394 - 25 (Roll no. 234).
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 394 - 25 (Roll no. 234).
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 194 - 226 (Roll no. 233).
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H3664)
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Walden (OR) motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment inserting provisions on renewable hydroelectric power.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: Mr. Walden (OR) moved to recommit with instructions to Transportation. (consideration: CR H3663-3664; text: CR H3663)
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: The House adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. (text: CR H3609-3650)
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H3662-3663)
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 1495.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 319, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Kirk amendment as modified.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: DEBATE - By unanimous consent the Committee of the Whole proceeded with an additional 4 minutes of debate on the Blumenauer amendment.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 319, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Blumenauer amendment.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 319, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Stupak amendment.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 319, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Boswell amendment.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 319, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Oberstar amendment, as modified.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: GENERAL DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 1495.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: The Speaker designated the Honorable Mike Ross to act as Chairman of the Committee.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 319 and Rule XVIII.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 1495 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in the bill.
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 319. (consideration: CR H3600-3665)
action_date: 2007-04-19
text: Rule H. Res. 319 passed House.
action_date: 2007-04-18
text: Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 319 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 1495 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in the bill.
action_date: 2007-03-29
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 44.
action_date: 2007-03-29
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation. H. Rept. 110-80.
action_date: 2007-03-29
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation. H. Rept. 110-80.
action_date: 2007-03-15
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2007-03-15
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2007-03-13
text: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
action_date: 2007-03-13
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-03-13
text: Introduced in House

Enacted as: number: 110-114