Acronym Bender

On March 14, 2013 Sen. Mary Landrieu (D., LA) went on an acronym bender, introducing not one, not two, not three, but four acronym-titled bills: EXCEL (Expanding Access to Capital for Entrepreneurial Leaders) Act, CLEAR SBA (Communicating Lender Activity Reports from the Small Business Administration) Act, CREED (Commercial Real Estate and Economic Development) Act, and the DREDGE (Dredging for Restoration and Economic Development for Global Exports) Act. Below is a partial press release for the DREDGE Act. 

Sen. Landrieu, Rep. Richmond Introduce DREDGE Act to Deepen the Mississippi River, Restore Wetlands

March 14, 2013

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., today introduced the Dredging for Restoration and Economic Development for Global Exports (DREDGE) Act of 2013 in the Senate and House to direct the Corps of Engineers to achieve, operate and maintain a 50-foot channel from Baton Rouge to the mouth of the Mississippi River. The bill also includes a pilot project to expand beneficial use of the dredged materials to rebuild wetlands in the river's birdsfoot delta, which has drawn support from the Gulf Oyster Industry Council (GOIC).

To keep project costs low, the bill allows the Corps to deepen the river using existing maintenance funds over the next three years. The Corps would focus on dredging the Southwest Pass first, allowing vessels with 50 feet of draft to transit the first 175 miles of the river. ...