The Senate has approved a $23 billion water bill, which includes $3.6 billion for wetland and coastal restoration in Louisiana and $2 billion for restoration work in the Everglades. It would also create a new national levee safety program and calls for much-needed outside review of water construction projects undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers. Critics of the legislation decry the earmarks for hundreds of water projects in nearly every state, and say the bill lacks good prioritization. President Bush has threatened to veto; the Senate may very well overturn said hypothetical veto with a two-thirds majority. Granted, the whole debate may be a moot point — funding for projects will be determined in a later spending bill, and we have this crazy feeling that a lot of cash flow will be directed elsewhere.
