Norton to Fight Amendment to Sell Washington Aqueduct Land at Today’s Committee Vote as an Affront to Ratepayers in D.C. and Virginia and the Army Corps of Engineers

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that she was outraged by an amendment filed Tuesday by Representative Daniel Webster (R-FL) to the House Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA) that would authorize the Secretary of the Army to sell Washington Aqueduct land to Sibley Memorial Hospital in violation of federal rules on competition and consultation with stakeholders. The amendment, which authorizes the Secretary to sell to Sibley "the real property of any parcel of land, constituting any number of acres, of the Washington Aqueduct property in the District of Columbia that is adjacent to" the hospital's property. The amendment is so poorly drafted that it is unclear whether it authorizes the transfer of empty parcels of land or of the aqueduct itself. Norton said she would oppose the amendment on behalf of ratepayers in the District and Virginia, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers. The Aqueduct is federally-owned and operated. The first Norton learned of the amendment, or even the subject matter contemplated by the amendment, was when it was filed. On Tuesday evening, Norton's staff contacted Webster's staff and was informed that the intent of the amendment is to transfer empty parcels of land for Sibley's expansion. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on which Norton and Webster serve, will mark up WRDA today,Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.

Norton will raise several objections to the Webster amendment at today's markup. No federal or local officials representing the jurisdictions that get drinking water from the aqueduct—the District, Arlington County, Virginia, and the City of Falls Church, Virginia—were consulted on the amendment. The Army Corps was not consulted on the amendment. Further, Norton said that the amendment may violate the House's ban on earmarks, by directing the sale of federal land to a private entity without the required competitive bidding to ensure the federal government gets full-market value. Norton said it was also particularly concerning that this amendment was even proposed without full vetting by the Army Corps to ensure it would not affect the operations of the Aqueduct, which provides drinking water to ratepayers, including the White House, federal facilities, and D.C.-area residents and businesses.