December 23, 2020 By Waterways Journal
At the end of an eventful and disruptive year, Jupiter and Saturn aligned for their first conjunction observable from Earth in 800 years, forming a “Christmas star.” In Washington, D.C., too, the “stars” aligned, as both houses of Congress passed the Water Resources Development Act by large margins (359 yeas to 53 nays in the House, 92 to 6 in the Senate). It was passed as part of an omnibus appropriations bill that also included $900 billion in COVID-19 relief measures. The funding package is headed to the White House for the president’s signature.
Both the inland waterways and ports have reason to celebrate the bill. The package included the top priority of the Waterways Council Inc. to adjust the cost-share for construction and major rehabilitation of inland waterways projects from 50 percent Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) / 50 percent general revenues to 35 perc
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Year-end deal includes major energy, environment wins Source: By Geof Koss, Jeremy Dillon and Emma Dumain, E&E News reporters • Posted: Monday, December 21, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at the Capitol this weekend during negotiations on a pandemic and spending package. Francis Chung/E&E News
Clarification appended
While negotiators largely sidelined energy issues during months of stalled talks on COVID-19 relief, a number of significant energy and environmental provisions will hitch a ride on the year-end agreement set to passed yesterday.
House and Senate leaders yesterday announced they had reached a deal on a $1.4 trillion fiscal 2021 spending omnibus, pandemic relief legislation and a number of major items that will ride along. Final text had yet to be released by publication time.
December 20, 2020
Dear Democratic Colleague,
As we come together today, more than 315,000 Americans have tragically died from the coronavirus. Every day, the pandemic exacts a toll almost beyond human comprehension.
Late last night, Leader Schumer negotiated a solution to the Toomey provision, which was a radical, unacceptable poison pill designed to hamstring our nation’s response to the historic economic crisis of the coronavirus and any future economic crisis.
We have now reached agreement on a bill that will crush the virus and put money in the pockets of working families who are struggling. The provisions that Democrats secured in this package include:
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