On March 2 of this year (just last week), Senator Warner, joined by Senators Baucus, Voinovich, Lautenberg, Bennett, Boxer, and myself, introduced the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 (S.507). This bill, which authorizes an estimated two billion dollars in federal funds for flood control, navigation, environmental, and shore protection projects and studies, is virtually identical to legislation adopted unanimously by the Senate last October.
This is good legislation that is important to different states and communities all over the country. These non-federal sponsors have dutifully cost-shared all of the studies, design work and other preparatory steps for the construction phase of a flood control, shoreline protection, environmental or navigation project. I see it as our duty to now move forward with the authorization of worthwhile projects. That is what this bill does and I hope we can advance it swiftly, particularly since it was approved by the Senate late last year (October 9, 1998). Secretary Westphal was very helpful last year and I look forward to working closely with him again to finally enact WRDA '99.
Secretary Westphal is also here this morning to present the President's FY 2000 budget request for the Army Corps. The FY 2000 budget request of 3.9 billion dollars is essentially level with that appropriated by the Congress for the current fiscal year. A large portion of the fiscal 2000 request, however, includes assumed revenues from a new "Harbor Services Fund." Indeed, almost twenty-five percent of the overall budget request is made up by the estimated 950 million dollars that would be set aside under this new fund.
Obviously, we need to take a close look at this. We will need to hold hearings with all of the stakeholders (shippers, vessel operators, ports, and others) to make sure that there is equal burden sharing, and to examine the budget implications. We should continue with some kind of user-funded system -- I have not decided on a particular approach yet -- but I am eager to receive a detailed proposal from the Administration so that we may begin the process of responding to last year's Supreme Court ruling.