Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003 - 13

 This year, ACEC CHAIRMAN ERIC FLICKER: the country. What is your sense
Together with Senator Daschle, o f the timing of WRDA, and congestion will
you are a key part of the Demo- w h a t key policy issues would c r a t i c
leadership team in the you like to address in the bill? cause residents
U.S. Senate. What do you see as REID: WRDA is typically reau- the key
agenda items for Con- in the nation's thorized in committee every two
gress between now and adjourn- years, and by that measure we ment next
year? 75 largest should have done a bill last year. S E N AT O R HARRY
REID: In my We did not in part, because metropolitan opinion, the
reauthorization of there was not the usual volume the Transportation
Equity Act of projects needing reauthoriza- areas to lose for the 21st
Century [TEA-21] tion. So far, the committee has i s a critical bill to
move. The been fairly focused on the TEA- billions of transportation
programs expire 21 reauthorization bill, although at the end of September,
and I I expect that as the number of dollars in lost have been working
within the water projects grows, pressure to Environment and Public Works
do the bill will mount. Because time and [EPW] Committee in my role of the
time constraints we will as ranking member of the Trans- b e under to
produce a bill, I productivity. p o r t a t i o n and Infrastructure would
expect that the bill will Subcommittee to finish a bill focus more on
authorizing proj- approaches to stimulating the this year. There is
probably no ects and less on policy. e c o n o m y have been debated:
single bill we will consider that R AY M O N D : A s you know, tax cuts
for the wealthy or stim- could greater stimulate the econ- drought
conditions continue in u l a t i v e tax cuts for working omy no single
bill that would t h e Colorado River basin. In people combined with
investing c r e a t e more jobs than the Nevada, Lake Mead is down 70 i n
our nation's infrastructure. transportation bill. Also it will feet, and
water use restrictions I t o o k the latter approach in be important to
move the Water will probably be tightened this the months after September
11, R e s o u r c e s Development Act summer. Can you discuss what with a
major new infrastructure [ WRDA], to ensure that good y o u are doing to
address the proposal to pump $20 billion w a t e r projects are authorized
water supply issue? into water and transportation and can move forward.
infrastructure a proposal that ACEC PRESIDENT DAVE RAY- REID: There is
probably no area w o u l d have created roughly MOND: The EPW Committee
where planning is more impor- 4 2 , 0 0 0 jobs for every billion staff is
working on legislation to tant than in ensuring a reliable dollars spent.
These are prima- c l o s e the water infrastructure water supply in the
West. While r i l y private-sector jobs. I will funding gap, estimated at
$23 s e v e r e , the drought does not continue to push infrastructure
billion per year, and similar leg- come as a surprise, and we have
investment in my role as rank- islation is pending in the House. b e e n
taking steps to improve ing member on the EPW's Sub- As the engineers that
design and Nevada's water supply reliability c o m m i t t e e on
Transportation oversee the construction of our i n anticipation of a
drought. a n d Infrastructure working nation's infrastructure, ACEC's S o
m e of the things I have o n T E A - 2 1 , and I will take a members see
firsthand the need done working with Pat Mul- l e a d role on WRDA as the
f o r upgrading our aging and r o y of the Southern Nevada ranking member
on the Energy undersized water systems. From Wa t e r Authority and
Richard a n d Water Appropriations y o u r perspective, what's the Bunker
of the Colorado River Subcommittee. importance of this legislation? C o m
m i s s i o n a r e improving F L I C K E R : C o n g r e s s also may w a
t e r conservation in Nevada REID: As the economy has con- m o v e
legislation this year to and recycling and reusing water. t i n u e d to
deteriorate during r e a u t h o r i z e various Corps of For the last
several years, I have this administration, two basic Engineers projects
throughout successfully funded those priori- S e p t e m b e r l October
2003 ENGINEERING INC. 1 3
Engineering Inc. - September/October 2003

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