Today, the Senate passed the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2022 93-1

Senator Reverend Warnock pushed to include several priorities for Georgia in the legislation, including a new $75 million authorization to support water infrastructure projects in rural and underserved communities throughout Georgia

Senator Reverend Warnock: “When Georgians sent me to the Senate, they expected me to work hard to ensure Georgia gets its fair share of federal resources and that Washington focuses on funding the priorities that are most critical to the lives and livelihoods of people in our state—and I’m proud this legislation does just that.”

ICYMI, from March 2022: “Sen. Raphael Warnock has secured $3.9 million dollars in funding […] the money will be used for water and sewer replacement for 150 houses in the area”  — MORE HERE from Augusta’s WJBF

Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) voted to pass the 2022 Water Resource Development Act (WRDA), which was voted out of the Senate with bipartisan support, 93-1. WRDA authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out projects relating to water supply, wastewater infrastructure, food control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration across the country. Over the past several months Senator Warnock and his office worked with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to help craft the legislation that includes multiple provisions he championed for Georgia; the legislation was voted out of the committee with unanimous support in May 2022.

“When Georgians sent me to the Senate, they expected me to work hard to ensure Georgia gets its fair share of federal resources and that Washington focuses on funding the priorities that are most critical to the lives and livelihoods of people in our state—and I’m proud this legislation does just that,” Senator Warnock said. “Repairing, revitalizing and updating Georgia’s water infrastructure, from our job-creating ports to our iconic rivers and more, is good both for Georgia’s economy and our ecology, and I’m thrilled we were able to pass these investments through the Senate with strong bipartisan support. I’m going to keep pushing to get this legislation signed into law as soon as possible so these investments can start flowing to every corner of our state.”

Senator Warnock has been a vocal advocate for investments in Georgia’s infrastructure, including critical projects to improve water and wastewater systems and strengthen Georgia’s economically-important deepwater ports to optimize their efficiency and improve operations. Following Senate passage, the legislation will be reconciled with the version that previously passed the House.

See key wins Senator Reverend Warnock secured in the Water Resources Development Act below: 

• Water Infrastructure Assistance for Rural and Economically Disadvantaged Communities: At Senator Warnock’s request, the bill includes a new $75 million authorization for environmental infrastructure for rural and economically disadvantaged communities in Georgia.

• Tybee Island Beach Renourishment: Senator Warnock successfully fought in this legislation to extend authorization for the Tybee Island beach renourishment project, which protects the safety and economic health of the Tybee Island. Previously, Senator Warnock joined fellow Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff to introduce the Tybee Island Storm Risk Management Act, stand-alone legislation mirroring this provision.

• Brunswick Harbor: At Senator Warnock’s urging, the bill authorizes$14.4 million to support harbor expansion efforts. Senator Warnock originally introduced this provision as the Port of Brunswick Navigation Channel Improvement Act, along with Senator Ossoff, and was successful at getting it included in the WRDA text.

• Savannah Harbor Modification Study: Following successful completion of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, this bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study potential modifications of the Port to improve efficiencies and support continued supply chain improvements. Senator Warnock championed this provision, and has long been an advocate for increased investments and improvements at the Port.

• Cap Increase for Atlanta Water Infrastructure: The bill increases Atlanta’s funding cap from $25 million to $75 million for their environmental infrastructure authorization—an effort pushed by Senator Warnock. With local needs increasing, this cap increase will ensure continued federal support for water, wastewater, and storm water projects in the metro Atlanta area.

• Chattahoochee River Act: The bill includes Senator Warnock’s Chattahoochee River Act, co-led by Senator Ossoff, which authorizes a program to provide environmental assistance in the Chattahoochee River Basin for water-related projects that may improve the basin.

• Cumberland Island: The bill authorizes a feasibility study for ecosystem restoration and coastal storm risk management on the island.  

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