The House of Representatives approved a bill that would make major cuts in spending for federal water resources construction in FY 2012.  At the same time, the House bill would transfer more than $1 billion from funds set aside for high-speed rail projects to fill the gaps left by the budget cuts for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers elsewhere in the same bill.

The Energy and Water Appropriations Act would provide $4.8 billion for the Corps in FY 2012, a decrease of $89 million below the FY 2011 level and $195 million more than the president's budget request. 

"The bill does not fund all of the presidentially requested projects for the Army Corps - redirecting $59 million to navigation and flood control activities that will have a more immediate impact on job creation and the economy," the Appropriations Committee report said.  "Due to the large number of ongoing projects, the bill provides a limited amount of discretionary funding to continue essential flood control and navigation projects to be prioritized by the Corps."

To cover some of the budget cuts for the Corps, the House approved a provision that would transfer $1.028 billion in unobligated FY 2011 funds that had been appropriated in 2009 for high-speed rail projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The money was appropriated two years ago but has not yet been obligated by the Transportation Department for specific rail projects.  Once obligated, however, the money will no longer be subject to transfer to Corps of Engineers projects.  The rail funds must be obligated by September 30, 2012, under ARRA.

Transferring the funds would not reduce spending; it would merely shift the money from federal rail projects to federal water projects.  The Senate is unlikely to approve the House provision, however.

The Administration announces a new Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) aimed at stimulating regional and local economies, creating local jobs, improving quality of life and protecting public health by revitalizing urban waterways in underserved communities across the nation. 

The UWFP will focus its initial efforts on seven pilot locations: the Patapsco Watershed (Maryland), the Anacostia Watershed (DC Metro), the Bronx and Harlem River Watershed (New York), the South Platte River (Denver, Colorado), the Los Angeles River Watershed (California), the Lake Pontchatrain area (New Orleans) and the Northwestern Indiana Area.  The selected pilot communities already had strong revitalization efforts underway.  The UWFP will use the results and lessons learned from these seven pilot communities to assist other cities across the country. 

The Partnership is comprised of eleven federal agencies and will be led by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior and the White House Domestic Policy Council.  The UWFP is an outgrowth of the Partnership for Sustainability Communities which is revitalizing communities, creating jobs and improving the quality of life in cities and towns across the country. The UWFP also supports the Administration's America's Great Outdoors Initiative which is aimed at helping communities provide safe, healthy and accessible outdoor spaces. 

Additional information on the Urban Waters Federal Partnership is available at: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=vbfghscab&et=1106906807179&s=542&e=001D1ZXsLThEvqpOfN5iJ1lAPaCi63CrYipDI8_Je6lW_kaFvIRDdtVZmMIbbTmF_XLIdEh4Q46H1I828RRtal2eDGf0RHZCnok6c68vdOh0-vGJWDlxf8qew==.