Biden’s signature advances major projects in water bill

By MICHAEL PHILLIS
Associated Press

President Joe Biden signed a large defense bill on Friday that includes a water bill that directs the Army Corps of Engineers on major infrastructure projects to improve navigation and protect against storms worsened by climate change. The biggest project by far this year is a $34 billion Texas coastal barrier featuring massive floodgates. Another is a new Soo Lock outside Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Currently, almost all iron ore is shipped on large vessels through one aging lock on the St. Marys River which connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Federal officials have called this the Achilles’ heel of the North American industrial economy.