Van Orden Votes to Pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, Secures Wins for Wisconsin’s Third District

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Derrick Van Orden (WI-03) voted to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 out of the House. Included in the bill were four major wins for Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District: (1) a new study authorization for levee accreditation in the City of La Crosse, (2) a flood risk management project on the Trempealeau River in Arcadia, (3) an Ecosystem restoration project  for the River Falls Kinni Corridor Project in River Falls, and (4) an authorization for a new Upper Mississippi River System Flood Risk and Resilience Study, for the Corps to work with non-federal interests by taking a system-wide approach to flood risk management.

Other wins include: (1) inclusion of the Lake Access Keeping Economies Strong (LAKES) Act, which Rep. Van Orden cosponsored, to allow portions of recreation fees collected at Army Corps recreational sites to be retained on site and improve opportunities for public-private investments, management, and operations, (2) inclusion of Section 150 of WRDA, which demands the Army Corps provide an update on its 2018 WRDA report on backlog and operation maintenance, and (3) reauthorization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Dam Safety Program through 2028 and strengthening the High Hazard Potential Dam program.

Prior to its passage, Rep. Van Orden spoke on the House Floor in support of the 2024 WRDA package. Click here or the video below to watch.

Congressman Van Orden’s remarks, as delivered:

I stand in strong support of H.R. 8812 for the very specific reason that I represent Wisconsin's Third Congressional District.

We have the largest continuous section of the Mississippi River of any district in the country.

We don't have a north-south highway – we have the Mississippi River. 

This bill authorizes a new upper river flood risk and resiliency study which will help the Corps work for a non-federal interest by taking a system-wide approach to flood risk assessment. 

We've got a project to check out flood risk management for the City of La Crosse, Wisconsin, a project for flood risk management for the Trempealeau River in Arcadia, Wisconsin, home of Ashley Furniture, and a project for the ecosystem restoration for the River Falls Kinni Corridor Project in River Falls, Wisconsin. 

I, again, support this bill very strongly and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. 

With that, I yield back