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McDermott Provisions in New Legislation
Advance Seattle Seawall
For Immediate Release - July 14, 2005

(WASHINGTON, DC) Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) delivered key provisions that directly benefit the Seattle Seawall project inside a major piece of new legislation, H.R. 2864 - Water Resources Development Act of 2005 (WRDA), that was approved by the full House of Representatives today. WRDA contains three provisions that will keep the Seawall project moving forward and lower the cost to taxpayers.

"The seawall protects our crown jewels- the waterfront, viaduct and downtown," McDermott said, "and these provisions will help keep the seawall replacement project moving along as quickly as practical."

McDermott worked directly with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment to include three key provisions that benefit Seattle. In brief, here is what the provisions do:

1- Allows the City of Seattle to pay now for work and get federal funding credit later. This allows Seattle to determine its own destiny, paying more when it can versus paying only what can be matched in any one year by the federal government. This moves the project along faster and saves money in the process.

2- This is a fundamental shift in how the Viaduct/Seawall will be evaluated for federal funding priority. McDermott's provision requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use environmental, economic and public safety impacts when determining priorities for federal funding. This allows Seattle to make the case for significant federal funding based on a complete local picture, including seismic concerns, economic interests along the waterfront, and protecting and preserving the seawall's fragile ecosystem.

3- McDermott led the effort in the House version of WRDA to extend a provision called Section 214 for another 2 years. The provision allows a community to pay the U.S. Corps of Engineers to fast track permits instead of waiting for a standard federal response. Over the last four years, Section 214 has enabled Seattle to invest approximately $114,000 to save $5 million in project costs. In 2000, it took an average of 809 days to process a permit; Section 214 fast tracked the process down to 132 days last year.

In announcing today's actions, McDermott acknowledged the role and involvement of City of Seattle leaders in working closely with him to help shape provisions that will most benefit the City at this point in the development of the seawall project.

With today's passage by the House of Representatives, the focus now shifts to the Senate, and McDermott said he is coordinating with Senators Murray and Cantwell to ensure the provisions remain in the bill as it moves through the Senate.