President Signs Water Infrastructure Bill

On Friday, President Obama signed S. 612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act into law. WIIN will help restore and conserve some of the nation’s most threatened habitat for waterfowl, say its proponents, while providing jobs and economic stability for communities all across the country.

“This bipartisan bill could not have been accomplished without the support of countless champions in both the House and Senate who worked tirelessly for two years to formulate this package,” said Ducks Unlimited CEO Dale Hall.

Key conservation provisions included in the WIIN Act, according to Hall, incude:

 Funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act, which provide dedicated funding to the Great Lakes Navigation System that support revitalization in waterfront communities and on-the-ground restoration projects critical to wildlife populations and their habitats.

 The reauthorization of the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program that supports a coordinated approach to identify, prioritize and implement restoration across the Basin as well as provide support for on-the-ground projects.

 The beneficial use of dredged materials which removes the regulatory barriers that currently restrict the use for wildlife habitat restoration projects.

 A survey directing the EPA to study seagrasses in the Chesapeake Bay to monitor the health of the Bay.

 Safeguarding of water supplies for refuges in California that provide critical waterfowl habitat in the Pacific Flyway.


RELATED: U.S. House Passes Outdoor REC Act