# H.R. 9497 (119th): Water Resources Development Act of 2026

Water Resources Development Act of 2026 This bill authorizes and modifies certain water resource infrastructure projects and programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and makes related requirements. For example, the bill authorizes and modifies various water resources feasibility studies and projects of the Corps of Engineers, such as studies or projects to maintain ports and harbors, make certain waterways more navigable, reduce flood and storm damage, restore aquatic ecosystems and protect fish and wildlife, protect shorelines, address harmful algal blooms, rehabilitate dams, manage recreational sites and facilities, support water supply and storage projects, and support other water resources infrastructure. The bill also directs the Corps of Engineers to establish an Office on Alternative Delivery Methods in order to accelerate project delivery of infrastructure. In addition, the bill directs the Corps of Engineers to issue a rule that establishes categorical permissions for certain harbor or river improvements that will cause only minimal adverse environmental effects.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: environmental_regulation. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: infrastructure. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: public_infrastructure. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: water_management. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: water_resources. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 313: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill combines ordinary and substantial public goods, such as flood control, navigation, ecosystem restoration, and water supply, with prudential concerns about accelerated delivery, categorical permitting that reduces environmental review, and federal spending. The summary shows no direct advancement of moral harm and no direct restraint of a named evil, so mixed is the prudent classification.
Theological note: Public infrastructure, flood protection, and stewardship of waters and fish and wildlife bear on neighbor-love, prudent stewardship of creation, and the just ordering of common goods. The bill's main issues are ordinary governance questions about project selection, federal spending, and the balance between faster delivery and environmental review, which call for prudential judgment rather than a hard moral verdict.

## Recorded votes

Roll 313: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended. Yea 415 · Nay 9 · Other 9.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-9497-119/