U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-01) released the following statement regarding the passage of a bill in the U.S. Senate to temporarily delay the Army Corps of Engineer’s plan to erect barriers along the Cumberland River in Kentucky and Tennessee.
“I thank Senators McConnell, Paul and Alexander for their work getting this legislation passed in the Senate. I will work to get the temporary delay bill passed in the House of Representatives next week. This is great news for boating and fishing enthusiasts in Kentucky.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor provided Whitfield with assurances that the temporary delay bill passed by the Senate will be brought to the House floor next week.
“Congressman Whitfield has worked hard to be responsive to his constituents in trying to mitigate the heavy hand of federal regulations that don’t always make sense. One-size-fits-all rules often lead to overreactions, and the concerns of local communities about loss of jobs and economic activity need to be taken into account. I want to thank Congressman Whitfield for bringing this issue to the attention of the House,” said Majority Leader Cantor.
Two pieces of legislation preventing the barricades along Cumberland River dams passed the Senate on this week. The first bill, (S. 601), passed as part of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and permanently blocks the Corps’ plan to place permanent restrictions to tailwaters. The path for the WRDA bill has yet to be announced in the House of Representatives.
The second piece of Senate legislation, (S. 982), which is the bill referenced above, will be considered in the House of Representatives next week. It is a temporary delay bill that will prevent the barricades along Cumberland River dam barricades for two years until a long-term solution can be considered as part of the final WRDA bill.