Attorney General Jon Bruning

News Release

                        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    Contact: Holley Hatt

                        September 24, 2007, 5:30pm CDT                                             402.471.2067

Bruning Applauds Passage of

Water Resources Development Act

(Lincoln, NE) Attorney General Jon Bruning today praised the U.S. Congress for passing the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA). The bill now awaits a presidential signature.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., worked closely with the Attorney General’s office to draft these provisions, include them in the WRDA, and build a coalition of support among all eight states in the Missouri River basin. Baucas chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

“This bill is worth $500 million annually in economic benefit to Nebraska,” Bruning said. “We proved that states don’t have to spend all their time and money arguing in court to find a solution to river flow disputes. We’re grateful to Sen. Thune, Sen. Johnson and Sen. Baucus who provided the cooperative leadership we needed to steer this bill through Congress.”

The WRDA establishes the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MR. RIC) which expands state involvement in Army Corps of Engineers plans for river operations and recovery efforts.

The provisions of the bill also make it easier for the Corps to conserve water in Lake Oahe and other system reservoirs in South Dakota while providing certainty to municipal water suppliers and power production facilities in Nebraska and the other lower basin states.

The Attorney General’s office in 2006 won a lengthy court battle to secure approval of the Army Corps of Engineers’ new plan for river management. That plan includes Nebraska’s proposal for balanced river operations. 

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