THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
A bill which paves the way for Natomas levee improvements passed the Senate 83-14 today.
Senator Barbara Boxer, who co-authored the Water Resources Development Act of 2013, and Congresswoman Doris Matsui both issued statements applauding the rare show of bipartisan support with today’s vote.
Said Boxer, “I am gratified by the overwhelming vote on final passage of our WRDA bill. Getting 83 votes in favor when bipartisanship is missing in the Senate is very important. Now is the time for the House to act so we can ensure that the benefits of the bill are realized.”
The bill now heads to the House of Representatives.
“(The bill) includes many of Sacramento’s flood protection priorities, including federal authorization of the Natomas Levee Improvement Project,” Matsui said. “Natomas’ levees protect 100,000 Sacramento residents and billions of dollars of property and infrastructure. The inclusion of generic language that would authorize the NLIP is a critical step in advancing Sacramento’s flood protection efforts.”
Senator Boxer and Senator David Vitter of Louisiana worked together to develop the Water Resources Development Act 2013 which is meant to provide critical flood protection for communities across the country, maintain navigation routes and the flow of commerce, provide ecosystem restoration, and sustain up to 500,000 new jobs.
As I recall this legislation only authorizes the work. It does not provide the funding to proceed with the work. Correct? First steps first but still a way to go.