Frank Pallone: “Mr. Speaker, I rise in today in support of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 for very important reasons: Shore…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in today in support of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 for very important reasons: Shore protection and responsible disposal of contaminated dredged materials. This bill will clarify and reaffirm the role of the Federal Government in shore protection, and--in particular--beach nourishment activities. Congress has repeatedly rejected the administration policy to end Army Corps participation inshore protection projects. By passing this bill, we are taking the additional step of actually mandating the Federal Government's role in shore protection. In addition, WRDA 1996 contains provisions that are greatly significant to the responsible disposal of contaminated dredged material, and by that I mean disposal that does not include ocean dumping. These provisions will allow our ports to be dredged without threatening our ocean environment or our coastal economy.”