[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1374 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                    September 22, 2008.
Whereas the Grand Coulee Dam was one of the largest public construction projects 
        of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ``New Deal'', in response to the 
        Great Depression;
Whereas construction of the Grand Coulee Dam began in the summer of 1933 and was 
        completed in 1942;
Whereas 107 individuals lost their lives during the construction process;
Whereas the Grand Coulee Dam became the largest concrete structure in the world, 
        with 12 million cubic yards of concrete--enough to build a sidewalk 
        around the Earth twice;
Whereas during World War II electricity from the Grand Coulee Dam was needed to 
        run the aluminum plants that supported the production of ships and 
        planes;
Whereas forecasts of energy shortages in the 1960s led to the construction of a 
        3rd power plant at the Grand Coulee Dam, more than doubling its 
        generating capacity;
Whereas the 3 primary purposes of the Grand Coulee Dam are generating 6.5 
        million kilowatts of electricity, supplying water for irrigation as part 
        of the Columbia Basin Project, and providing much-needed flood control 
        to the Columbia River Basin;
Whereas the Columbia Basin Project includes 300 miles of canals and more than 
        3,000 miles of irrigation ditches, which supply water to 500,000 acres 
        of farmland, an area twice the size of the State of Delaware;
Whereas the crops grown on this farmland are worth more than $500 million per 
        year; and
Whereas the Grand Coulee Dam is the cornerstone of the electric power system in 
        the State of Washington and the largest hydroelectric power facility in 
        North America: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Grand Coulee Dam;
            (2) honors the sacrifice of the 107 individuals who lost their lives 
        during the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam; and
            (3) recognizes that--
                    (A) the Grand Coulee Dam continues to play a critical role 
                in the national and economic security of the United States by 
                providing vital electric power and crop irrigation;
                    (B) hydroelectric power is a clean, renewable resource that 
                is emissions-free and plays a major role in controlling 
                emissions of greenhouse gases; and
                    (C) having clean, affordable hydroelectric power helps 
                reduce the reliance of the United States on foreign oil imports 
                and supports the successful wind power industry in the 
                Northwestern United States by ensuring the availability of 
                electricity in the absence of sufficient wind power.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.