We can expect some homers tonight at the Home Run Derby, which is in DC this year! We are looking for some home runs in this years Water Resources Development Act of 2018. A new committee report has been issued - click here to view it and check out any of the sections I mentioned in my previous analysis of the House and Senate WRDA bills. We’re anxious to see what provisions make the cut.
The Army Corps has released plans for 6 alternatives for the New York New Jersey Harbors & Tributaries Study, which include the New Jersey Back Bays study and the Nassau County Back Bays study. These plans have received strong backlash from environmentalists, claiming that the hard structures suggested in the plans will do more harm than good. Fortunately, these alternatives are still in their infancy and are not ready to be implemented. Check out what the Dutch have done – they have prepared for a 10,000 year storm and they are doing excellent. That’s why New York City has outsourced the design of NY/NJ storm surge barriers to Dutch Architects. During an April conference, we had the opportunity to enjoy a presentation on ‘The Big-U’, a coastal resilience project for New York designed with people in mind. The presentation was given by Dutch architect Matthijs Bouw. The Big-U incorporates human centric features like overwalks, parks, and playgrounds into the development and implementation of storm surge barriers, which come in the form of earthen and concrete berms. To see the design finalists, click here.
Lake Oh no... The Corps has begun releasing water from Lake Okeechobee again in order to maintain a proper water level and prevent flooding and rupturing of The Herbert Hoover Dike. The new committee report on the Senate version of WRDA18 contains a provision, Section 2307, to ‘expedite construction of a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee.’ No earmark here, that certainly is not allowed. It really is a great country.
The Senate may collectively agree that climate change is real, but for now, at least some 16 Democrats have cosponsored SRES 573, a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate…Democrats… that climate change is real and that the National Science Foundation should engage on the communication of sound climate change science to the public. Let’s see how many republicans hop on board.
