US President Barack Obama has signed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) bill into law, strengthening the country’s water infrastructure.

During the signing of the bill, Obama said that the act will put Americans to work, modernising its water infrastructure and restoring some of its most vital ecosystems.

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“We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got bridges high enough and ports that are big enough…so that our businesses can keep selling goods made in America.”

“As more of the world’s cargo is transported on these massive ships, we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got bridges high enough and ports that are big enough to hold them and accommodate them, so that our businesses can keep selling goods made in America to the rest of the world,” said Obama.

“Meanwhile, many of America’s businesses ship their goods across the country by river and by canal, so we’ve got to make sure that those waterways are in tip-top shape.”

The bill gives approval for 34 water infrastructure projects across the country, including projects to deepen Boston Harbor and the Port of Savannah, and to restore the Everglades.

Meanwhile, Obama highlighted the need for a bill on the nation’s transportation infrastructure by the end of this summer.

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The President also noted that, if Congress failed to act on the bill, it could mean the country running out of federal funding for transportation projects, and risking more than 100,000 active projects and nearly 700,000 jobs.

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