AWRC Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7889) to amend the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to reauthorize the water resources research and technology institutes program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7889, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7889, the Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Wittman from Virginia.

Water is one of our Nation's most important resources, and the challenges facing our water systems are becoming more complex. This legislation takes a practical approach to strengthening the science and partnerships we need to manage those challenges.

The bill reauthorizes the Water Resources Research Act Program, which

supports water research and education through a network of university- based institutions. It extends the program through fiscal year 2029 and increases funding from $15 million to $16 million annually, consistent with currently enacted levels.

By investing in research at the universities across the country and encouraging collaboration on State and regional water issues, the bill helps ensure that policymakers, communities, and water managers have the science and tools needed to find solutions before water challenges become crises.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as we consider water in our country, I want to point out a couple of trips that I have made recently. One was to the little town of Beaver, Utah, where they had a 100,000-acre forest fire, and a few weeks later, they had an inch to an inch and a half of rain, which normally would be very welcome there, but because this forest fire basically clear-cut this whole canyon that provides the water for the town of Beaver.

Instead of replenishing their water supply, what it did was wash vast amounts of soil and debris into the watershed. It took out three hydropower plants. It washed mud and debris across bridges and took them out. It also washed all this debris into the town and had their water system offline for an extended period of time.

We often don't associate forest health and water as much as we should. This is a crisis that is facing us across the country. That is why it is important to have legislation like Representative Wittman has proposed here.

I was in southwest Colorado at the end of last week, and we flew over another 100,000-acre fire. We saw, again, how when the land is denuded, to use a word from Teddy Roosevelt, and soil is no longer held in place and we get rain, it causes catastrophes.

It doesn't have to be this way. We can have safe, healthy drinking water all across this country. Actually, about two-thirds of our water comes from forested landscapes.

We have seen how important this is, even in places like New York City, where they have a tremendous water system that people, putting a lot of forethought into this many, many decades ago, protected the watershed and protected the water going into New York.

We see it in Boston. We typically think of these forest issues out West, but the Quabbin Reservoir in Boston is another forested area that is protected and managed strictly for water.

It is because of research and efforts that have happened for many years that give us the science to understand how to manage the landscape to produce the water that we all need. When we talk about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure, we know that managing our forests gives us that ounce of prevention.

It saves a lot of money in the long run and saves a lot of headaches and hard work to restore these systems in the long run, and it is important that we continue to do the research and fund these programs so that we can provide safe, clean water to all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 7889, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support today of H.R. 7889, the Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act.

This legislation would reauthorize the Water Resources Research Act, better known as the WRRA, and it will strengthen Federal investment in the water research that our communities depend upon. It supports a nationwide network of research institutes that address State and regional water challenges.

This is locally driven, nationally significant research. It helps safeguard drinking water supplies, reduces nutrient pollution, and addresses emerging contaminants that we may find in critical water resources.

With growing water demands from advanced manufacturing, data centers, and artificial intelligence infrastructure, the need for sound water science has never been greater.

In Virginia, the WRRA supports research that helps to address water challenges that matter most to our communities, including efforts to improve the health and resilience of our great natural resource, the Chesapeake Bay.

Reauthorizing this program will help ensure that every State has the science-backed information it needs to address its own unique water challenges. By investing in scientific research today, we help ensure future generations have access to safe, reliable water resources.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to lead this bipartisan effort, and I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7889, the Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act, which would reauthorize the Water Resources Research Act and continue support for national water research institutes.

Across the country, our water supplies are facing growing challenges, from increased demand and pollution to drought and other natural disasters. As these pressures strain our water resources, we need to make sustained investments in research, conservation, education, and new technologies to overcome these challenges and strengthen our long- term water security.

Water research institutes play a critical role in developing and advancing solutions to our Nation's water challenges by supporting water research and education while also building the workforce needed to address pressing challenges.

This work grows in importance as drought, wildfire, and other natural disasters become all the more frequent, straining water resources for communities across the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I concur with everything the chairman just said, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.