Senator Carper Secures Wins for Delaware in the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024

Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, secured major infrastructure and economic development wins for Delaware in S. 4367, the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA 2024) which passed the Senate today by a vote of 97-1. WRDA 2024 is biennial legislation co-authored by Senator Carper that authorizes flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) in Delaware and across the country. WRDA 2024 will also reauthorize and update the programs of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the first time in 20 years, and will include several General Services Administration (GSA) provisions to increase transparency and reduce federal waste. U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) first introduced and passed the bill through the EPW Committee earlier this year.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the final version of the bill on December 10, following negotiations between EPW Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to resolve differences between the versions passed through each chamber. Now, the bill is off to the President’s desk to be signed into law. 

Delaware relies on partnerships with the Corps to address some of the state’s biggest challenges, like sea level rise, inland flooding and other effects of climate change. The Corps constructs and maintains infrastructure that supports Delaware’s economy, including the Port of Wilmington and intracoastal waterways. The Corps also works with Delaware to protect and renourish Delaware’s beaches and restore Delaware’s ecosystems.

“As a coastal state, Delaware’s beaches, waterways and ports are the backbone of our economy,” said Senator Carper. “That’s why we worked hard to invest in the First State’s water infrastructure with WRDA 2024. This bipartisan legislation will direct the Corps to protect Delaware’s shorelines from the threats of climate change. It will also encourage ecosystem restoration and water resources research while supporting good-paying jobs up and down the state. I am proud of the bipartisan efforts it took to see this legislation across the finish line.”

“Every two years, the Water Resources Development Act provides critical funding for essential water infrastructure projects, and it is the result of good-faith, bipartisan, and bicameral collaboration,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “For decades, Chairman Carper has been a steadfast champion of the Army Corps of Engineers and its vital work to protect Delaware’s waterways, beaches, and coastline. I am proud that this year’s bill honors Chairman Carper’s deep commitment to strengthening our water infrastructure, fittingly named the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024. This recognition is a testament to Chairman Carper’s legacy as one of the greatest environmental and infrastructure advocates in our nation’s history, and I thank him for his tireless service to Delaware and the nation.”

“Delaware’s booming coastal economy depends on protection from flooding, climate change, and rising sea levels. Passage of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act will mark a major expansion of investments in water infrastructure for the First State,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “I’m thankful for the strong partnership between our state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who maintain vital infrastructure like the Port of Wilmington and the Intracoastal Waterway that strengthen Delaware’s economy. I’m thrilled to see the bipartisan efforts, led by Chairman Carper one last time before his retirement, result in this package that will create jobs and protect our state from increasing climate threats.”

In addition to supporting the work of the Corps in Delaware, WRDA 2024 will also reauthorize and update the programs of the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The EDA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that invests in the economic development of distressed communities across the country. Through its grant programs, EDA helps local communities plan for economic development activities, construct “last-mile” infrastructure, and mitigate the effects of short- and long-term economic challenges and disasters. EDA has supported many economic development projects in all three counties, including fostering a science incubator in New Castle County, creating a training center for automotive technicians in Sussex County, and improving the state’s parks in Kent County.

As part of these provisions, the bill will authorize and update the laws pertaining to certain federal regional commissions, and will establish two new regional commissions. One of these regional commissions, the Mid-Atlantic regional commission, includes Delaware under its purview.

Among its provisions, Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 will:

Protect Delaware’s economy and shorelines from the threat of climate change by:

1. Establishing the Delaware Coastal System Program to promote efficiency and share resources among the many critical coastal hurricane and storm risk reduction projects throughout Delaware. By creating this overarching program for all of Delaware’s authorized beaches, the Corps and the state will be able to promote a more effective use of federal and state funds across projects, improve state-wide planning efforts and reduce redundancies during restorations.

2. Investing in Delaware’s beaches and beach economy by reducing the local contribution requirement for renourishing Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany and South Bethany beaches from 35 percent to 20 percent. The bill also reduces the local contribution requirement for renourishing Fenwick Beach from 50 percent to 20 percent.

3. Directing the Corps to reevaluate the Lewes Beach project to determine which additional areas should be included for beach renourishment along the Lewes shoreline.

4. Adding Broadkill Beach to the Bay Beach restoration initiative so that the state cost match to renourish Broadkill is reduced to from 35 percent to 10 percent like the rest of the Bay Beaches.

1. Reducing the state contribution requirement from 50 percent to 10 percent for completing the Delaware Back Bay Study. This Corps study recommends projects to increase community resilience to coastal storms in communities along the inland bays, including several economically disadvantaged communities. To support these resiliency efforts, WRDA 2024 establishes that the federal government will be responsible for 90 percent of the cost of construction.

Enhance the resilience of inland Delaware communities and the state as a whole by:

1. Authorizing feasibility studies for flood risk management projects for flood-prone Delaware communities including Milton and Wilmington.

1. Authorizing a new Delaware Inland Bays Watershed Study to comprehensively consider ecosystem restoration needs in the inland bay area.

2. Authorizing Delaware State University to conduct research on water resources and environmental quality in collaboration with the Corps.

3. Authorizing a new $25 million environmental infrastructure project for Delaware’s bay beach communities to help improve sewers, stormwater treatment systems, water storage and other related wastewater infrastructure.

4. Authorizing a new $25 million environmental infrastructure project for Delaware’s Atlantic beach communities to help improve sewers, stormwater treatment systems, water storage and other related wastewater infrastructure.

5. Authorizing a new $25 million environmental infrastructure project in Wilmington, Delaware to help improve sewers, stormwater treatment systems, water storage and other related wastewater infrastructure.

6. Increasing the authorized funding for environmental infrastructure projects in New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties to $40 million for each county.

 For a synopsis of what the bill does for Delaware, click here.