Congressman Menendez Applauds Passage of Water Resources and Development Act of 2024 in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Rob Menendez secured key wins for New Jersey’s Eighth Congressional District in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (“WRDA”). The inclusion of these provisions ensures that New Jersey will receive the support it needs from the federal government allowing the United States Army Corps of Engineers ( the “Corps”) to improve key water infrastructure issues, including flood risk management, navigation improvements, and ecosystem restoration.

“I am proud to see the inclusion of critical provisions for New Jersey’s Eighth Congressional District in the Water Resources Development Act,” said Congressman Rob Menendez. “This legislation is a major win for our communities to address our most pressing water infrastructure challenges, from flood control to critical navigation projects. As a Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I applaud my colleagues for their bipartisan support and commitment to improving our nation’s water infrastructure.” 

"The seaports and waterways are the lifeblood of Hudson County," said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy. "The WRDA provisions will improve Hudson County's infrastructure and pave the way for economic growth in New Jersey. I want to thank Congressman Menendez for his hard work  for Hudson County residents."

“On behalf of our residents, I am extremely grateful to Congressman Menendez for helping to secure much needed federal funding for our community.  This funding will enable us to undertake a crucial project aimed at fortifying our infrastructure along Boulevard East and enhance our flood emergency preparedness,” said Guttenberg Mayor Wayne D. Zitt, Jr.

“The provision in this bill to support dredging the Jersey Flats will ensure that the Bayonne Dry Dock can continue to carry out it’s critical national security mission and operations to service vessels from the Military Sealift Command, Coast Guard, and United States Army Corps, which must traverse the shallow waters to access the dry dock,” said Bayonne Dry Dock and Repair Corp. President Michael Cranston. “We thank Congressman Menendez for his efforts in securing this language and his steadfast support of our work for our nation’s national security – passage of this bill’s provision is a necessary step forward for the Bayonne Dry Dock mission.”

The bill includes the following provisions for the Eighth District:

1. Bayonne Dry Dock Dredging Provision: A study to examine the deepening, widening, and extension of the navigation channel leading into the Bayonne Dry Dock to service and support critical national security operations by allowing vessels to traverse the shallow waters and access the dock.
2. NY NJ HATS Provision: A provision to ensure that the New York and New Jersey Harbor Tributaries (“NY NJ HATS”) project will continue to study, model, and coordinate with key stakeholders while giving them the flexibility to advance certain priorities to protect the region from coastal storms. 
3. Guttenberg Flood Provision: A study to examine flood risk management along John F. Kennedy Boulevard East in Guttenberg so that residents can continue to access critical resources during storms.
4. NY NJ Port Authority Vessel Provision: An adjustment to the federal cost share for navigational deepening projects to ensure that our nation’s ports, including the Port of New York and New Jersey, have the federal support they need to receive vessels as they continue to grow in size.

Congressman Rob Menendez is a Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. H.R. 8812, the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 was marked up and passed out of the Committee by  voice vote on June 26, 2024. It is expected that the bill will move to the House floor next month.

The Water Resources and Development Act is biennial legislation that authorizes the Corps’ water resource projects and studies. The Corps is an agency that develops projects to improve navigable channels, reduce flood and storm damage, and restore aquatic ecosystems. Projects and studies must be authorized through the WRDA process before they can receive federal funding. The authorizations included in this bill are a critical first step in seeing key flooding and navigation projects to completion.