[Senate Hearing 118-157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-157
PERSPECTIVES ON ECOSYSTEM
RESTORATION PROJECTS OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
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HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JUNE 7, 2023
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
_________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
53-890 PDF WASHINGTON : 2023
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware, Chairman
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia, Ranking Member
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island MARKWAYNE MULLIN, Oklahoma
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon PETE RICKETTS, Nebraska
EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
MARK KELLY, Arizona DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
ALEX PADILLA, California LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina
JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
Courtney Taylor, Democratic Staff Director
Adam Tomlinson, Republican Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
JUNE 7, 2023
OPENING STATEMENTS
Carper, Hon. Thomas R., U.S. Senator from the State of Delaware.. 1
Capito, Hon. Shelley Moore, U.S. Senator from the State of West
Virginia....................................................... 3
Ricketts, Hon. Pete, U.S. Senator from the State of Nebraska,
prepared statement............................................. 56
WITNESSES
Eikenberg, Eric, Chief Executive Officer, The Everglades
Foundation..................................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 7
Balluff, Tricia, Environmental Programs Coordinator, Water,
Wildlife and NEPA, Office of Environmental Programs, City of
Phoenix; Phoenix, Arizona...................................... 12
Prepared statement........................................... 14
Riggin, Lorianne, Director of Environmental Programs, South
Carolina Department of Natural Resources....................... 23
Prepared statement........................................... 25
PERSPECTIVES ON ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECTS OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS
OF ENGINEERS
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2023
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:03 a.m. in
room 406, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Thomas R. Carper
(Chairman of the Committee) presiding.
Present: Senators Carper, Capito, Kelly, Padilla, and
Graham.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS R. CARPER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF DELAWARE
Senator Carper. Good morning, everybody. I am happy to call
this hearing to order.
This hearing room was used about a month ago for Bring Your
Children to Work Day. The room was full of children of our
staff, Democrats and Republicans. We had just a lovely time and
a lovely celebration.
I think we have, this is like, somebody got the memo a
little bit late, but Eric, I think your son is here, and he is
14. He looks like he is about 44. What a big guy. We are going
to watch to see if his lips move when you speak. There you go.
For those of you who are not children of our witnesses, we
welcome you as well.
I am happy to call the hearing to order. Today, we are here
to conduct, as you know, oversight of one of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers' primary missions: That is ecosystem
restoration. The Army Corps of Engineers' work to support
commerce through navigation and flood control is, I don't think
it is an overstatement to say, the backbone of our economy. It
is a big part of what we do in this Nation.
Still, addressing the toll that this commerce takes on our
environment is, and will continue to be, a top priority for us
on this Committee and also a top priority for the Army Corps of
Engineers.
From large scale, multi-decade initiatives to small,
focused projects, the Corps' ecosystem restoration work is
critical. It has been and it remains critical. This is
especially true as climate change continues to threaten
communities, wildlife, and our economy, all of which depend on
healthy ecosystems.
As many of us know, the biennial Water Resources
Development Act, known as WRDA, establishes the authorities to
the Corps' future work. In the 1986 WRDA, Congress first
directed the Corps to lead ecosystem restoration efforts for
the Upper Mississippi River, laying the foundation for an
expanded environmental restoration role for the agency.
In every WRDA since then, Congress has expanded the Corps'
ability to address critical ecosystem restoration. From the
Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast and from the Chesapeake Bay to
the San Francisco Bay Delta, communities across our country
have benefited from this important work.
Most recently, we expanded the Corps' definition of
ecosystem restoration in WRDA 2022 to include factors such as
climate change and coastal and riverine restoration.
Last month, Assistant Secretary Connor sat right there, and
he testified before our Committee that the Corps' budget
request for fiscal year 2024 included more than $650 million
for aquatic ecosystem restoration, the most ever in a budget
request. The growing amount, paired with the more than $1.9
billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, highlights
Congress' ongoing commitment to the Corps' work.
These funds, however, are only the tip of the spear when it
comes to the long term needs of the Army Corps in this regard.
Today's hearing will help us better understand the current size
and scope of ecosystem restoration needs and what more our
Committee, this Committee, can do to address community
environmental restoration efforts.
The Corps' ecosystem restoration portfolio includes roughly
140 ongoing ecosystem restoration construction projects and
studies. These initiatives focus on restoring the landscape and
hydrology to more natural conditions and connecting the
restoration and navigation projects, a win-win not just for our
environment, but also for our economy.
For example, let's take Poplar Island in Maryland. Poplar
Island could be Popular Island, in Maryland, but it turned out
almost to be a nonexistent island in Maryland, but it was
originally home to more than 1,000 acres in size and home to a
small community of residents. From 1846 until recently, the
island has slowly eroded, as some of you know, from what it was
down to about four acres. Imagine that: Four acres.
Thanks to the Corps' work pairing dredged materials from
Baltimore Harbor and channel maintenance projects with
environmental restoration, Poplar Island has been restored from
four acres to more than 1,700 acres today. The project
exemplifies how the Corps' ecosystem restoration mandate
supports the economic activity we depend on from our ports and
harbors while creating wetlands and wildlife habitats, and
according to Senator Cardin, it is a beautiful place to visit.
I am sure when he arrives, he will reaffirm that.
Today, we will hear more from our witnesses about the
Corps' role in specific ecosystem restoration efforts. That
includes the Everglades in Florida, along with Tres Rios in
Arizona, and the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary in South Caroline.
Before we do, let me offer a couple of thoughts on each of
these efforts, and then turn it over to Senator Capito.
First, there is the Corps led Everglades restoration, which
includes Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater body in
the contiguous United States. If Senator Stabenow were here,
she would tell us that Lake Michigan is No. 1.
The effort in Lake Okeechobee is the largest ecosystem
restoration effort in the Corps' Federal portfolio. According
to the Corps, these Federal investments in Florida are
generating annual cost savings of over $300 million by
preventing flood damage to property while fortifying water
supply infrastructure and protecting fish and wildlife.
Next, there is Tres Rios in Phoenix, Arizona, an aquatic
ecosystem found in the desert that unifies flood control,
ecosystem restoration, and recreation. This project includes an
engineered levee as well as the restoration of over 1,200 acres
of wetlands, hiking trails, nature trails, and much more. These
wetlands are critical for a State that is going through a
historic drought.
Last, but not least, there is Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary.
I love that, Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary in South Carolina.
This project is considered a landmark legacy of the Charleston
Harbor Post 45 Deepening Project. The deepening work from below
the water resulted in the dredged materials for 42 acres of
prime nesting ground above the water for over 15 species of
shore and seabirds, another win-win.
Let me just close, if I could, by thanking members of our
staffs and for the great work that you all did on WRDA 2022. I
hear, not every day from our colleagues, but frequently from
our colleagues, Democrat and Republican, from across the
country, their gratitude for the work that this Committee does.
I know that, as hard as you and I work, we know we couldn't
do any of this without the great work of our staffs. I wanted
to just say that again.
We look forward to hearing from each of you today on your
experiences with the Corps and what more Congress might be
doing to support those critical efforts. Our hearing today will
also help inform our oversight efforts and future legislative
action on ecosystem restoration, specifically as we gear up for
WRDA 2024, I can't believe we are about ready to start this
again, which is just around the corner.
With that, I am happy to turn it over to Ranking Member
Senator Capito for her opening remarks.
It is good to be with you. Welcome.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA
Senator Capito. Thank you, Chairman Carper, for calling
today's hearing.
Since 2014, the Committee has kept to a biennial WRDA
schedule, authorizing water resources projects and setting
national policies for the Civil Works Program, as the Chairman
was saying. I look forward to continuing that track record next
year. It does seem like deja vu all over again. I think we just
did this.
The EPW Committee also plays an important role overseeing
how the Corps executes these authorities and funding provided
by the Congress. Today's hearing will focus on one of the
Corps' main mission areas, which is aquatic ecosystem
restoration. This hearing will allow us to learn more about the
successes and challenges of three of the Corps' aquatic
ecosystem restoration projects.
I would like to extend my appreciation for our witnesses
here today. I look forward to hearing your perspectives on
these matters.
Lessons learned from completed and ongoing projects are
critical to informing what, if any, modifications are needed to
the Corps' existing authorities in future WRDA legislation.
When designed appropriately, aquatic ecosystem restoration
projects can play an important role in restoring critical
habitats while also mitigating loss of property and life.
The scale of these projects varies greatly across the
country, and the Corps uses different authorities and programs
to carry them out. Large scale projects are not the only option
for protecting and restoring our aquatic ecosystems.
Often, small projects or modifications to existing water
resources infrastructure can yield positive outcomes to aquatic
ecosystems at a low cost. This flexibility is key to ensuring
that the Corps' design solutions are tailored to address the
diverse aquatic ecosystem restorations of all communities. In
my opinion, the three projects that are the focus of today's
hearing do a good job of underscoring all of these points.
While the Corps' aquatic ecosystem restoration efforts are
important, the Corps and Congress must balance these efforts
with the Nation's needs under the two main missions of the
Corps: Navigation and flood and coastal storm risk management.
As we will hear today, win-win solutions are possible.
I am excited that Lorianne Riggin from the South Carolina
Department of Natural Resources is here today. The South
Carolina DNR partnered with the Corps in 2021 on the Crab Bank
Seabird Sanctuary in Mount Pleasant, a beautiful spot, South
Carolina.
This project was completed under the Corps' 204 authority.
This authority allows the Corps to carry our aquatic ecosystem
restoration projects in connection with dredging at an existing
navigation project. The Federal costs of a project under this
authority cannot exceed $10 million.
For this particular project, the Corps and its partners
utilized dredged materials from the Charleston Harbor Deepening
Project for the replacement of the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary.
This project, like others, faced initial challenges. However,
the Corps and the non-Federal sponsor were able to adjust their
game plan and find a solution that benefited shorebirds without
impeding on economic opportunities for the local community.
Since the completion of the project, the small island has
seen a return of shorebirds and seabirds. This project is an
excellent example of how Federal, local, State, and private
groups can partner together to provide meaningful, lasting
results in an effective manner. I know and look forward to Ms.
Riggin's testimony, because she will share this project's story
in South Carolina.
Our witnesses' project specific stories will help us
understand how we can balance our water resources needs and
maximize the use of our taxpayer dollars. I look forward to
hearing also about the challenges and suggested improvements to
existing authorities as we prepare for the next WRDA.
Last month, as you mentioned, we held a hearing on the Army
Corps' fiscal year 2024 budget request and implementation of
WRDA 2022 with Secretary Connor and Lieutenant General
Spellmon. It was evident at the hearing that each of our States
faces a diverse range of water resources issues and
opportunities. I am hopeful that we take lessons learned from
the projects discussed today and use them to improve water
resources projects of all types across the country.
Chairman Carper, I look forward to continuing our
partnership to develop the next bipartisan WRDA bill.
Again, I express my gratitude to our witnesses.
Senator Carper. Senator Capito, thank you so much for those
remarks.
Now, we are going to hear from our panel of witnesses, who
will share with us their perspectives on the Corps' ecosystem
restoration projects.
We are going to start off with Eric. Let me just make some
brief comments about Eric. He is the Chief Executive Officer of
the Everglades Foundation, an environmental nonprofit that is
focused on restoring America's Everglades. He has served in
this role for over 10 years, leading a team of nationally
recognized scientists, educators, policy experts, and
communications and development professionals.
Mr. Eikenberg and the team are committed to protecting the
roughly 3 million acres of endangered habitat that is vital to
Florida's economic and environmental viability.
Mr. Eikenberg, we thank you for being with us today. You
may proceed with your statement that will be made part of the
record in its entirety. Thank you so much. Please proceed.
Welcome.
STATEMENT OF ERIC EIKENBERG,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION
Mr. Eikenberg. Thank you.
Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Capito, and to the
Committee. My name, as the Chairman mentioned, is Eric
Eikenberg, and I am privileged to be CEO of the Everglades
Foundation, celebrating its 30th anniversary in helping to
restore America's Everglades through science, advocacy, and
education. I want to thank the Committee for this hearing and
for inviting me here today.
Restoring America's Everglades is producing benefits far
beyond their ecological value, including driving Florida's
clean water economy, protecting drinking water supplies,
providing flood risk mitigation, and carbon sequestration. The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been an indispensable partner
in this undertaking together with the State of Florida.
Thanks to recent Federal and State investments, we are at a
point of incredible progress and momentum. Following
congressional passage of WRDA 2000, Everglades restoration
incorporates 68 separate public works projects that will store,
clean, and send water south on the Florida peninsula. It is a
national example of how traditional and natural infrastructure
can be combined on a massive scale.
Under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, or
CERP, these projects were funded with a 50-50 Federal-State
cost share. We thank Congress for their recent investments,
including the funding to the Army Corps within the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law and for your recognition of the importance
of America's Everglades. The Army Corps has completed several
non-CERP projects like the Herbert Hoover Dike repair, and in
partnership with the State of Florida, restoration of the
Kissimmee River and the construction of bridges along the
Tamiami Trail.
In recent years, the pace of CERP projects is
unprecedented. For example, east of Lake Okeechobee, in Martin
County, construction of the C-44 Reservoir is complete. East of
Naples, a 55,000 acre habitat restoration project in the
Picayune Strand is nearly finished. South of Lake Okeechobee,
the Corps recently broke ground on the crown jewel of
Everglades restoration: The EAA Reservoir. This reservoir is a
national priority and a model for prudent and efficient way to
fund megaprojects with taxpayer dollars.
These and other projects confirm that restoration works,
and I cannot overstate the importance of these results. With
improved southerly flow, we are already seeing habitats
reestablished in areas of Everglades National Park that just 5
years ago were parched by drought for half the year.
As you may know, Florida's coastal estuaries have been
plagued by toxic blue-green algae that closes beaches,
restricts fishing, and is a harmful threat to wildlife and
people. The algae blooms are fed by the unavoidable dumping of
polluted water from Lake Okeechobee. The fortified Herbert
Hoover Dike and the EAA Reservoir will reduce those harmful
discharges by 55 percent, having a profound positive impact on
Florida's tourism based economy.
Storing, cleaning, and sending this clean water south is
essential to Florida Bay. Its gin clear waters and lush
seagrass meadows make Florida Bay the fishing capital of the
world: A body of water alive with manatees, dolphins, and a
wide variety of coveted game fish. Today, however, the bay is
suffering from too little fresh water.
A restored Everglades will also provide a natural defense
against saltwater intrusion due to sea level rise. Flowing more
water south will protect our Nation's largest mangrove forest.
Restoration will also protect existing peat soils in the
Everglades that enhance the sequestration of new carbon.
We are at a critical juncture. With sustained Federal and
State investments, this can be the Everglades decade in which
we achieve the dream of a robust, healthy river of grass
following a century of development. The stakes are high, both
for the 9 million people who rely on the Everglades for fresh
water and for the Nation as a whole. Florida's tourism based
economy depends on clean water, and our economic research shows
that Everglades restoration yields a four to one investment.
Senators, you should be proud of the bipartisan progress in
restoring America's Everglades. On behalf of the anglers, the
realtors, the fishing guides, the business owners, and the
millions who depend on the Everglades, let me say thank you,
and please do not stop now.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Eikenberg follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Carper. Thank you. We won't.
Ms. Balluff, please proceed. Welcome. We are delighted that
you have joined us.
STATEMENT OF TRICIA BALLUFF, ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
COORDINATOR, WATER, WILDLIFE AND NEPA, OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
PROGRAMS, CITY OF PHOENIX; PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Ms. Balluff. I appreciate the opportunity to speak before
the Committee about the importance of Army Corps support for
ecosystem restoration projects. I would like to thank Chairman
Carper and Ranking Member Capito and especially Senator Kelly
for inviting me to be here today.
The city of Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United
States and is the local sponsor for multiple U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers ecosystem restoration projects associated with the
Salt River, which is our main river channel through Phoenix and
the surrounding cities. These projects are part of Senator
McCain's Rio Reimagined legacy for the Phoenix metropolitan
area. Rio Reimagined recently became the 20th EPA Urban Waters
Federal Partnership location.
Historically, urban uses of the Salt River have included
industrial activities, such as landfills and sand and gravel
mining. The construction of Federal dams upstream has resulted
in highly altered river flows, and as a result, there has been
significant degradation of ecosystem values and reduced
recreation opportunities.
In the arid western United States, riparian areas are
estimated to be less than 2 percent of total land area, are
considered the most productive habitat, and provide important
water quality benefits. Seventy percent of threatened and
endangered vertebrates in Arizona depend on riparian habitat
along rivers.
In Arizona, it is estimated that as much as 90 percent of
riparian forests have been lost. Invasive species, such as salt
cedar, a highly competitive shrubby tree, are now in almost
every drainage system in the Southwest. Since the 1990s,
Phoenix has worked with the Corps to achieve habitat
restoration and improve flood risk management on the Salt
River.
The first major project to be completed was Rio Salado
Phoenix, located in a historically disadvantaged area, which
restored 5 miles of the Salt River and provides valuable
recreation and education opportunities for the community.
Downstream of this completed project are two congressionally
authorized Corps projects that have not yet been completed: Rio
Salado Oeste and Tres Rios. These are both ecosystem
restoration, flood risk management, and recreation projects.
When combined with the completed Rio Salado Phoenix, these
will create approximately 19 contiguous miles of restored river
corridor through Phoenix, directly benefiting river flows,
habitat, wildlife, heat risk, and access to the river in
disadvantaged communities. This is why, for the last 10 years,
the city has been focused on obtaining the support and funding
from the Corps and our congressional delegation to complete
these two projects.
Today, I would like to highlight the Tres Rios Project to
illustrate the multiplicity of benefits from Corps ecosystem
restoration funding. Tres Rios, when complete, will cover
approximately 7 miles of river channel and the adjoining bank,
including almost 400 acres of constructed wetlands, a levee, in
river restoration, and effluent treatment elements.
Tres Rios's use of constructed wetlands to treat wastewater
using natural processes make this a unique Corps project that
help compliance with the regulatory standards while
simultaneously providing quality habitat. By implementing this
ecofriendly infrastructure, the city has avoided the need to
spend $375 million on additional infrastructure for the 91st
Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Through the treatment and direction of wastewater, combined
with the invasive species removal and native species plantings,
the area supports more than 200 species of birds and other
wildlife, including some species listed as threatened or
endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
This habitat also provides recreational access to natural
river spaces in an urban environment and offers benefits from
carbon sequestration, shading, and other cooling effects, which
are important heat mitigation elements in our desert city.
A substantial amount of the invasive tree, salt cedar, was
removed as part of Tres Rios. This removal and the preservation
and additional planting of needed vegetation reduces fire risk,
both in terms of fire severity and frequency. Salt cedar
removal is also beneficial to native habitat by creating a more
conducive environment for native plants to germinate and grow.
The river channel through Tres Rios facilitates passive
aquifer recharge by allowing water to naturally infiltrate
groundwater, while the levees constructed on the north bank of
the Salt and Gila Rivers protect nearby neighborhoods from
flooding.
As I have shared, the benefits from Tres Rios are wide
ranging from habitat to flood reduction to recreational
opportunities. The city of Phoenix is appreciative of the many
benefits that have come from collaborating with the Corps, and
we fully support the Corps' mission in undertaking and
completing ecosystem restoration, particularly in the
Southwest.
This year the Corps' Los Angeles District has been working
on a post authorization change report to update the cost for
the remaining phases of Tres Rios. The city of Phoenix will be
seeking an authorization for construction in the 2024 WRDA bill
to complete Tres Rios's in river restoration and trailheads.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Balluff follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Carper. Thank you very much.
Ms. Riggin, welcome. Good to see you. Thank you for joining
us.
STATEMENT OF LORIANNE RIGGIN, DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL
PROGRAMS, SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Ms. Riggin. Thank you so much.
Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Capito. I am so excited to
be here today to share with you the success of the Crab Bank
Ecosystem Restoration Project in South Carolina.
For the record, my name is Lorianne Riggin, and I am the
Director of the Office of Environmental Programs for the South
Carolina Department of Natural Resources. I have been with the
agency for 17 years and have had the pleasure of working with
many interested conservation partners, the surrounding Mount
Pleasant community, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Charleston District to help oversee the Crab Bank Ecosystem
Restoration Project.
Crab Bank is a dedicated heritage trust property and a
seabird sanctuary managed and owned by the South Carolina DNR.
It is located in the Charleston Harbor near the mouth of Shem
Creek in the Mount Pleasant community. Crab Bank was originally
formed with the placement of dredged material in the 1950s.
However, over time, due to wave action, tropical storms,
and hurricanes, this important seabird sanctuary eroded away.
In the early 2000s, Crab Bank was approximately 23 acres, but
by 2017, Hurricane Irma came and washed away the remaining
half-acre of high ground in the early fall, which removed any
opportunity for nesting birds the following summer.
Prior to Hurricane Irma, the island served as an important
predator free refuge for a variety of State Wildlife Action
Plan conservation priority species. Although all these species
may not nest on the island each year, here are a few examples
that have nested here at Crab Bank: Brown pelican, royal tern,
sandwich tern, gull-billed tern, black skimmer, laughing gull,
American oyster catcher, willet, snowy egret, and tricolored
heron.
Besides providing nesting habitat, the sanctuary provides
winter loafing and feeding habitat for numerous species,
including large flocks of shore birds that roost on the island
at night. Of the 65 seabird, shorebird, and wading bird
species, collectively known as waterbirds, that utilize South
Carolina's coastal habitats throughout the year, 47 are listed
in our State's Wildlife Action Plan as high conservation
concern. Three are federally listed, and four are State listed.
These waterbirds nest in colonies with thousands of other birds
laying their eggs on the ground.
Crab Bank is one of the few places on the coast where these
species can come nest undisturbed from human presence. This is
incredibly important, as lack of nesting habitat may be
limiting shorebird population stability and growth. Research
shows that shorebird and seabird populations have shrunk
overall by 70 percent in the last 50 to 70 years, with an
accelerated decline during the last three generations for most
shorebird species.
The coast of South Carolina is the most rapidly developing
area of our State, and much of this is occurring along our
shorelines, which has the potential to further decrease
abundance and distribution of coastal water birds throughout
their life cycle. In addition, increased recreational use along
our shorelines further limits available nesting habitat. Thus,
restoration of Crab Bank was an extremely high priority for the
survival of many coastal water birds.
The South Carolina DNR had an incredible, once in a
lifetime opportunity with the deepening of the Charleston
Harbor to partner as a non-Federal sponsor with the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers Charleston District under Section 204 of the
Continuing Authorities Program to restore Crab Bank and support
shorebird populations.
Construction on Crab Bank was completed in 7 weeks in 2021.
Approximately 660,000 cubic yards of dredged material was
placed with varying elevations to diversify habitat. This
increased Crab Bank in size from less than half an acre to 80
acres total, with 32 acres of available shorebird and seabird
habitat above mean high water.
As of June 5th, 2023, the overall projects expenditures
cost shared 65 percent to 35 percent between the Federal
Government and South Carolina DNR have totaled $695,939. The
purpose of the project included restoration and enhancement of
an important seabird sanctuary, protection of the salt marsh
located near Crab Bank, and development of wildlife viewing and
shorebird educational opportunities for Shem Creek ecotourism
and the greater Charleston area.
Through the Water Resources Development Act, the South
Carolina DNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were able to
successfully meet all the goals of this project. In 2022, Crab
Bank provided nesting habitat for 107 pairs of least tern, 192
pairs of gull-billed tern, 283 pairs of black skimmer, and 8
American oyster catcher pairs.
I am happy to share today that nesting activity is in full
swing for 2023, and there have been two nesting pairs observed
so far of the State threatened Wilson's plover.
The South Carolina DNR is thrilled with the benefit that
the Water Resources Development Act authority provided to
restore Crab Bank. This project was of great benefit to the
public by supporting shorebird conservation and the beneficial
use of the material dredged from the Charleston Harbor.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources would
like to encourage the Committee to continue to provide
authorization for important ecosystem restoration projects like
Crab Bank.
In closing, thank you for the opportunity to share the
success of Crab Bank. This incredible project will have a
lasting and important impact on waterbirds and the citizens and
visitors to South Carolina for generations to come.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Riggin follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Carper. Thank you.
Thank you all for your testimonies.
Ms. Balluff, you mentioned John McCain in your testimony,
didn't you? Our former colleague, he and I were naval officers
and served together in the Vietnam war. He was a great hero,
and later, he and I were elected the House Representatives
together the same day, joining forces again in the House and
then later, in the U.S. Senate.
He was not a member of this Committee, but he was someone
who cared a lot about the environment. Take just a minute and
talk about his involvement in the project, if you will, that
you just discussed, very briefly. What did John do? What was
his role?
Ms. Balluff. Yes, Senator Carper, thank you. I am happy to
do that.
Senator McCain really spearheaded what is called the Rio
Reimagined Initiative in Phoenix, and he has been very
supportive of all of the ecosystem restoration that has been
happening throughout Phoenix but also in surrounding cities.
Rio Reimagined really came to be because of him. It is a 56
mile stretch of the Salt and Gila Rivers through the Phoenix
metropolitan area that involves many different cities, Tribal
Nations, and nonprofits, educational institutions such as
Arizona State University for example, that have all come
together to collaborate and look for ways to work together to
improve the overall river corridor through this metropolitan
area for the benefit of all of our citizens.
Senator Carper. Good, thank you. This Memorial Day, we
celebrated the 50th anniversary of the return and release of
hundreds of Vietnam POWs. POWs were released by the Vietnamese
all those years ago. We celebrated their lives.
John McCain and I and John Kerry worked together with
former President George Walker Bush to get the Vietnamese
government to turn over information on hundreds of additional
missing in actions from the war that led to the normalization
of relations between the United States and Vietnam. They are
now one of our top 10 trading partners in the whole country,
and U.S. Navy vessels call on Vietnamese ports, and we have
remarkably strong economic and actually, defense relationship
with them.
That is a bit far outfield, but I can't let the mention of
John's name go by without saying some of that.
I like to quote Mark Twain from time to time. He said a lot
of things that are worth remembering. One of the things that he
said is that the two most important days of our life are the
day we are born and the day we figure out why.
I understand in your life that there is an interesting
twist to that story, and that quote has a special meaning to
you. When did you figure out why you were born? What career
might you have been in?
Ms. Balluff. Was that question directed at me, Senator
Carper?
Senator Carper. Yes. OK, wrong witness.
We will try Ms. Riggin, same question. When did you figure
out why you were born? Then we will come back and figure out
why Ms. Balluff was born.
[Laughter.]
Ms. Riggin. I would say, there are lots of whys. The most
recent why is my 9 year old son, but early on, as a child, I
had a strong desire to make a difference in this world, and my
strong desire was to make a difference for natural resources. I
learned that at a very early age that that is where I needed to
focus my energy, and I have a lot of it.
Senator Carper. I believe you do.
Ms. Riggin. And so, in eighth grade I sent a letter to the
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources requesting
information about what kind of jobs I could do for the State
and serve the State and its citizens and the natural resources.
They provided me some information, and I ran with it, got a
degree and got my foot in the door, and I have been there ever
since.
Senator Carper. Good.
I am going to turn to Mr. Eikenberg, whose son is actually
sitting back in the first row, over his right shoulder, his 14
year old son.
We welcome both of you today.
For folks, young people, it might be like his contemporary
in high school or maybe in college or not. Why should his
generation, your son's generation, care about what we are
discussing here today? Why is it relevant in their lives?
Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, thank you for that question.
In the spirit of bipartisanship, I do want to take a moment to
acknowledge your former colleague, Senator Bob Graham. When the
Everglades restoration was passed in the year 2000, he worked
with my former boss, Congressman Clay Shaw, to ensure that that
was a bipartisan effort, and it continues to be that way to
this day.
Senator Carper. That is great.
Mr. Eikenberg. For children, watching our body politic to
find our environmental issues where we can come together in a
bipartisan way, I think it is a great example for the next
generation.
I will just say that 10 years ago, from my perspective,
watching what was billed as the ``lost summer'' in Florida due
to algae outbreaks stemming from the Army Corps discharging
water from Lake Okeechobee. It rallied voices that had not been
at the table: Business leaders, tourism officials, realtors.
These men and women became the foot soldiers in ensuring that
we have restoration that we can not only do it this generation,
but then pass it on to the next generation.
For me, that was a moment to realize that what we are doing
is greater than ourselves, but we are able to pass it on soon
to the next generation.
Senator Carper. Good.
Bob Graham and Clay Shaw, two good friends. It is nice to
hear their names again. Bob Graham was a Governor of Florida
and also a United States Senator from Florida for many, many
years.
When I was thinking of running for the U.S. Senate, I went
down to Florida to meet with him, have breakfast, and he
arranged for me to meet some folks down there. I remember that
I asked him, I said, when you had the opportunity to be a U.S.
Senator, when you had the opportunity to be Governor, which job
do you prefer and why?
He said, you know, to use the football analogy, he said,
when you are the Governor, you are the quarterback on the
field, calling every play. When you are the United States
Senator, you are the general manager sitting up in a box,
watching the game.
I said, well, which do you prefer? He said, well, I like to
be on the field calling every play. He said, every team needs a
good general manager. Besides, the seats are pretty good. The
seats are pretty good.
With that, let me yield the floor to the Senator from West
Virginia.
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Riggin, let's talk about the Crab Bank Seabird
Sanctuary. I have trouble saying that whole thing at once.
I know it was a public-private partnership. Can you talk
about the public-private partnerships, both in this case, and
others that you see in your State and how they really help to
get the completion of the projects?
Ms. Riggin. Absolutely, happy to.
When we first started with the Crab Bank project, we had a
short timeline. We were in 2019, and we had a feasibility
report that gave us an estimate of what the total cost of the
project would be, which would have required the State to have
$1.4 million sitting, waiting, and ready.
Given budget constraints, we figured out we needed some
help, and so we also already had conservation interest groups,
like the Coastal Expedition Foundation, which is a nonprofit
arm of a local ecotourism outfit, the Coastal Conservation
League, Audubon South Carolina, that had the expertise to help
fundraise.
Under the State's statute, we have something called the
Non-Game and Natural Area Statute that allows the South
Carolina Department of Natural Resources to receive funds for
the purpose of non-game management. We utilized that funding
opportunity under that existing State statute and the expertise
of our conservation partners to help us rally within the
community to help leverage additional funds to bring to the
table, so that we were sitting, waiting, and ready for that
$1.4 million, had that been the ask of the Department of
Natural Resources of the non-Federal sponsor.
In addition, as we were on that short timeline of just 12
months, Audubon South Carolina went out and applied for a
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to help supplement
funding cost as well, and that was a one to one match ratio, so
that was a $1.4 million ask that we all had to come up with a
$700,000 match. We pulled that all together to have enough
funding that we needed.
Plus, that allowed us to springboard future projects from
that existing pot of money that we have now created as the
Coastal Bird Conservation Program. Crab Bank was a starting
block for that additional funding to go further for shorebird
conservation.
Senator Capito. Right.
I am sure, Mr. Eikenberg, you have jumped through a few
hoops yourself, trying to figure these things out, the public-
private partnership portion.
Mr. Eikenberg. Senator, it is a key part of where we are
today with Everglades restoration. Certainly, the Corps working
with the non-Federal partner, in this case, the South Florida
Water Management District, but bringing a multitude of other
stakeholders to the table.
I want to applaud the Corps for allowing those differing
voices to be heard and to be taking that feedback. I would
submit to you that this issue, restoring the Everglades, has
become a national model. Thanks to the Congress in 2000, you
set out a plan. We know the problem; we have a solution, and we
are working in a collaborative way to make sure it is
successful.
Senator Capito. I will go back to Ms. Riggin. Are there any
additional authorities that you feel would allow the Corps to
better assist non-Federal partners? The reason I think that is
important is for the examples that you all have put forward,
but we have heard some rumblings sometimes, having dealt with
the Corps myself, sometimes, needing a little bit more
assistance for them to be able to help their non-Federal
partners.
Did you find that was a challenge or not, are you finding
that?
Ms. Riggin. I did really find that was a challenge from the
CAT 204 perspective. I think planning assistance with the
States' program, which is something else that the Corps does,
that would be another avenue where they need additional support
to provide help.
I know within the Charleston District there is a long list
when the State comes to the Corps and says, hey, I have an
interest and need your expertise on these items. I think that
is an area that probably additional support could be given to
help them address a lot of the planning assistance for the
State's request.
Senator Capito. Does anybody else have a comment, Ms.
Balluff, on that particular issue, any other authorities the
Corps might need to better assist non-Federal partners?
Ms. Balluff. Yes, I certainly agree with Ms. Riggin.
One other thing I would add is that additional resources
for the Corps, once the Civil Works project is complete is
sometimes very useful as things come up over time with these
ecosystem restoration projects to continue to work with the
Corps on them and finding solutions can be quite a useful
exercise. I would add that.
Thank you, Senator Capito.
Senator Capito. Thanks.
Mr. Eikenberg, do you have any other comments?
I have to go to another hearing, here, and so I am going to
apologize. I am going to leave after I hear from Mr. Eikenberg.
Mr. Eikenberg. Senator, any opportunity where the non-
Federal partner could maybe get out ahead on a particular
portion of a project. The Corps has demonstrated a willingness
to let the South Florida Water Management District do that, and
it speeds up the implementation. We appreciate the Corps being
at least willing to do that. If there is additional authority
to allow that to occur in a greater manner, we would certainly
support that.
Senator Capito. Thank you all.
Senator Carper. We have been joined by a couple of fellows
from out west.
We are delighted you could come. One of our witnesses
brought a 14 year old son with them today.
Would your son raise his hand, sir?
Go ahead, raise your hand. There you go. You have some
people up here.
I think Senator Capito has a couple of sons. I have three
sons, and Alex has, I believe, three, two? Three. Your guys are
a little bit younger.
Senator Padilla. Three sons as well, and all three will be
on summer vacation as of this Friday, so please pray for us.
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. You are in our prayers. Right now, you are
recognized, any questions you want to ask. Thank you.
Senator Padilla. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These
conversations are all too timely, I think, as a lot of us in
the field know the significance of a recent Supreme Court
ruling that limited the scope of the Clean Water Act, and more
specifically, the Federal Government's ability to protect
thousands of miles of rivers, streams, creeks, and adjacent
wetlands throughout the western United States.
At the California State Water Board, this is how they
framed the last month: Wetlands provide an important buffer and
filter, protecting our Nation's waters. But in the semi-arid
watershed, most will not be able to satisfy the Corps'
requirements for a ``continuous surface connection to bodies
that are `waters of the United States' in their own right, so
that there is not clear demarcation between waters and
wetlands.''
Ms. Balluff, given your role in the city of Phoenix, are
there particular challenges posed by an increasingly arid West
for aquatic ecosystem restoration projects? And I guess the
bigger picture question here is, how important is ecosystem
restoration just for the restoration of habitat, but for the
economic health of communities as well as water quality,
recreational opportunities, et cetera?
Ms. Balluff. Yes, thank you, Senator Padilla. Yes, it is
very important, and it is also challenging in the desert
Southwest.
But ecosystem restoration, I would argue, especially along
our rivers, is one of the most valuable things that we can do
in terms of ecosystem restoration. These riparian areas are
some of the most productive and rich areas and have the most
benefit. They also draw a lot of economic interest in
development along the banks, as well.
So it also draws a lot of people into the river and really
helps them connect with nature, which I think we know from
social sciences, really provides a lot of mental and emotional
and social and physical benefits to our communities. So while
it is a challenge, I think it is a challenge well worth
pursuing.
Senator Padilla. Great. I know in your testimony you
mentioned that the genesis of the Tres Rios Ecosystem
Restoration project was the need to treat wastewater
discharges.
As a native of Los Angeles, I know all too well the
challenges of restoring aquatic ecosystems in a highly paved
urban area like Los Angeles. Thanks to many years of hard work,
as well as funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Los Angeles is
making progress to restore historic riparian and freshwater
marsh habitat along 11 miles of the 52 mile long Los Angeles
River.
Referencing back to the Tres Rios project, in brief, how is
that impacting drought resiliency? I assume it has been
helpful. I assume there has been progress. Anything you could
highlight, and then once again more broadly, what advice would
you have for western cities looking to improve water quality
and to restore habitats while facing all the same challenges?
Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Padilla. I am going to try
and remember all those questions. You may have to refresh me on
a couple.
[Laughter.]
Senator Padilla. How is that project working, the Tres Rios
project? How is it working?
Ms. Balluff. Tres Rios was originally contracted, as you
say, to treat wastewater effluent. The water is treated at our
wastewater treatment plant, then it goes into these constructed
wetlands that actually help to polish and finish, remove some
nitrogen and chlorine attenuation, things like that, to meet
Clean Water Act requirements before we then discharge it into
the river. In fact, all of the water that supports the Tres
Rios ecosystem restoration does in fact come from that
wastewater treatment plant.
So all of the water from that wastewater treatment plant is
beneficially reused, which I think is one of the really great
aspects of this, and a really good way to use water, especially
in a time of drought. Because it is not only going into the
ecosystem, it is going downstream and being used in other ways
downstream as well.
Senator Padilla. Again, given that experience, whether it
is design, whether it is funding sources, what advice would you
have to other jurisdictions throughout the West dealing with
the same changing climate, the same water supply challenges?
Ms. Balluff. I certainly know that the wastewater treatment
process that we engaged in with the constructed wetlands saved
us hundreds of millions of dollars in terms of what we would
have otherwise had to spend. So simply from a financial
perspective it made a lot of sense.
But also the benefits that we accrue from the flood
attenuation, flood risk management, from the ecosystem
restoration and the visitors we get from not only around the
world, but also from our local community and across the United
States make this a really valuable project.
So certainly, we have found it extremely beneficial. I
would definitely advocate for looking at ways to have those
multiple uses of water that provide those multiple benefits we
have seen from Tres Rios.
Senator Padilla. Excellent. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Senator Carper. That was an interesting description of the
work that you have done out there. It is really ingenious and
highly commendable.
Senator Kelly, good to see you. Others have been noting,
with respect to some of these issues, looking forward to the
future of our planet, that we have a dog in this fight, these
fights. We also have children and grandchildren. You have both.
Senator Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Padilla was a great lead in to me. But I will first
defer to my colleague on the other side of the aisle if he is
ready.
Senator Carper. I am sorry, jump right in.
Senator Graham. Thank you, Senator Kelly.
Welcome, Ms. Riggin. How are you doing? I appreciate your
coming to the Committee.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for having the hearing, and to my
colleagues.
Senator Carper. I am trying to figure out how to say this,
the entity down in South Carolina. We are tripping over it
pretty badly. But we will get it down.
Senator Graham. I was very much involved with you, I was
impressed with how you brought people together to Crab Bank. It
is a place for birds to nest, right? It was a win-win with the
city of Mount Pleasant, the DNR, the Corps of Engineers. If you
could, just tell the Chairman a little bit about the project.
What was the key to bringing people together?
Ms. Riggin. Thank you, Senator Graham. I appreciate the
invite to be here, and I appreciate the support from your staff
as well today.
I think the key to the hurdle that we ran into were
concerns regarding the project. Crab Bank sits at the mount of
Shem Creek. There was some concern from the community, when you
hear you are going to put 660,000 cubic yards of material, they
have concerns about where that material is going to go.
So we had an opportunity with the Corps of Engineers,
thankfully the dredging timelines worked out that we were able
to go and rerun a coastal model to help provide some data as to
where the material would go.
As well, when we went through the feasibility process, we
had 25 different alternatives of a footprint that we were
looking at for Crab Bank. So because we had so many choices on
the table, and we had additional data in time, we were able to
calm the fears and concerns of folks about where that material
was going to go and make sure that it was going to stay on Crab
Bank.
But I think the key to that is just people being open and
honest and the continued communication between not only DNR
working with the town of Mount Pleasant, but also the Army
Corps of Engineers sitting down with the town of Mount
Pleasant, that we were all coming at it together, knowing that
we had the goal in mind for this island for shorebird
conservation. And everybody bought into that idea. We just had
to make sure that everybody was comfortable with how we were
going to go about doing that.
I think it is just open and honest communication and often.
Senator Graham. Our office was a part of that, and I want
to echo that I appreciate the role you played, and the DNR, and
all the agencies involved, State, local and Federal. I think it
was a win-win.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate your giving me a chance to speak, Senator
Kelly.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Carper. We are delighted that you could join us.
Thanks.
Senator Kelly, you are on.
Senator Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to extend a very special welcome to Tricia Balluff,
who is joining us today from the city of Phoenix.
I want to follow up on Senator Padilla's comments and
questions about Tres Rios, and the vision for a renewed Salt
River in the Phoenix area. That was championed by my
predecessor, Senator John McCain.
Also, I want to acknowledge the work of Mayor Gallego of
the city of Phoenix that they have done to advance these
projects in partnership with Federal agencies, including the
Army Corps.
So these projects that we already talked about a little bit
show how investments made by the Corps and their local partners
can improve water quality, recharge aquifers, and support water
conservation, even in a desert. There were a few of these
benefits that I want to discuss.
You talked first about hundreds of millions of dollars of
savings in water treatment costs. I think it was about $375
million.
Can you explain how that project on the Tres Rios wetlands
and the water, how it has saved the city? Specifically, how has
that project saved the city $375 million?
Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Kelly. Thank you for having
me here.
Yes, absolutely. Back in the late 1990s, I would say, there
were new Clean Water Act requirements through the Environmental
Protection Agency for discharges of wastewater into waters of
the United States that were going to necessitate some
significant infrastructure investments in our existing
wastewater treatment plant. And we had been working with
demonstration wetlands to see how they would effectively treat
this to these levels.
It turns out it was really effective. So in partnership
with the Corps through Tres Rios, we created these full scale,
really significant hundreds of acres of wetlands that are
actually functionally for treatment through passive removal of
nitrogen, through soil processes, through plant processes, and
also through the attenuation of chlorine levels as it moves
slowly through these wetland ponds. The sunlight helps to
dissipate the chlorine, helps us to meet our standards.
Senator Kelly. Does that mean since it is downstream, so
the wetlands are downstream of the wastewater plant, does that
mean you can push water through the treatment plant faster? Is
it less energy costs? Where is the financial savings coming
from?
Ms. Balluff. The financial savings is the avoided costs of
the infrastructure that we would have had to construct
otherwise. In terms of energy costs and timelines, I would have
to check on that.
Senator Kelly. So you have to build less infrastructure
because you have this downstream wetland?
Ms. Balluff. We did not have to build hard infrastructure
because of the wetlands.
Senator Kelly. Another benefit I want to mention here is
the recreational use of those wetlands, Tres Rios, fishing,
hiking, and there are others. Certainly maybe even now with the
amount of water that is there, kayaking.
Can you explain how the next phase of Tres Rios will
enhance the recreational benefits of this project, and what
else will Phase 3(c) of the project include?
Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Kelly. I am happy to.
Right now, the maintenance paths are used as trails by
folks who come visit. There are no trailheads, it is not
technically open to the public per se, because there are no
formal trailheads for them to enter through. So the number of
people who can come in at one time is pretty limited. And it is
really only at one location.
In Phase 3(c), part of the finishing phases of Tres Rios is
to construct some trailheads along the Tres Rios, so that it
really opens access and a lot more people can come and enjoy
it, especially those from neighboring communities. The rest of
Phase 3(c) is really finishing up the in river restoration on
the western end of the Tres Rios property, down to the Agua
Fria River.
Senator Kelly. Can you confirm that the reason the city and
the Corps can't begin work on this next phase of the project is
because there is not the authorization from Congress yet?
Ms. Balluff. That is correct, yes.
Senator Kelly. Mr. Chairman, I hope that in the next WRDA
bill, we can include that authorization, so they can finish
Phase 3 of the Tres Rios project, and the city can move forward
on this project.
I am out of time, but I have another question.
Senator Carper. Go ahead, please.
Senator Kelly. Ms. Balluff, I think in your opening
testimony you may have talked about a little bit more of the
Salt River ecosystem. I wasn't here for that. Can you explain
to the Committee the issue of the salt cedars on the Salt
River, and what risks they pose to the city and the region?
Ms. Balluff. Yes, thank you, Senator Kelly.
Salt cedar, for those of you not in the Southwest, you may
not be familiar with it. It is a highly invasive shrubby tree.
It forms in really dense stands, and it creates, it has a lot
of litter and debris that fall off of it, also secretes a lot
into the soil, it drops a lot of salt into the soil. So it
creates these highly saline soils and also creates a really
high fire risk.
It also recovers really well from fire risk, more than our
native species. So it really does push out a lot of our native
habitat and creates a monoculture, which also creates a lot of
risk in terms of fire and disease and other detrimental things
to the ecosystem restoration.
Senator Kelly. What has the city of Phoenix done to try to
remove these salt cedars?
Ms. Balluff. It is a very difficult problem plaguing a lot
of agencies across the Southwest. Tres Rios removed a lot of
salt cedar; it was huge benefit to the river in that area.
But it is an ongoing challenge. We do continually remove.
We also try to replant with native species whenever we remove,
so that they can have some competitive advantage, to be able to
take root and outcompete the salt cedar as it tries to
resprout.
Senator Kelly. What can the Army Corps do to help?
Ms. Balluff. More projects to help remove salt cedar would
be fantastic.
Senator Kelly. Is there any innovation out there, is there
anyone trying to, instead of remove it, and I know there is
always a risk in doing this, but are there any pilot projects
that are taking a different approach?
Ms. Balluff. Senator Kelly, I am not aware of any pilot
projects. I think where we are at right now is trying to find
the appropriate balance of managing salt cedar, increasing
native habitat, but accepting that probably there is going to
be some level of salt cedar in our Southwest systems, and how
can we manage that and keep it to the minimum possible.
I think really the most effective method is when you
remove, you replant with native species. And if necessary, salt
tolerant species, and gradually attenuate the soil so that you
can then have more of the riparian species you are looking for.
Senator Kelly. How did we wind up with this plant in the
Southwest?
Ms. Balluff. Many, many decades ago, it came in from
Eurasia, is my understanding, it was introduced for multiple
reasons, flood control and I believe even aesthetic reasons. It
can be quite beautiful when it is flowering, unfortunately. I
believe that is how it came in. Then of course, it is highly
competitive, so it kind of took off and spread on its own.
Senator Kelly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the extra time.
Senator Carper. Thank you, and thanks for bringing your
witness with you. Very interesting and very helpful.
We started off, I asked Mr. Eikenberg to think out loud for
us at the beginning of our hearing why should young people the
age of his son, kids in high school and maybe beyond high
school, why should they care about the issues we are discussing
today. He shared some thoughts with us.
The same question to Ms. Balluff. Why should young people
in high school going off into college, off into the world, why
should they care about these issues?
Then Ms. Riggin, the same question.
Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Carper. It is a great
question.
I think there are a few different reasons for this, one of
which of course is do we want our kids to inherit a world in
which our rivers are dry and dusty in the Southwest, with
nothing in them but landfills and sand and gravel pits. I think
we probably want more for them. And I think they want more for
themselves.
I think also as we go out into these areas and we
experience the benefits of them that come to us, especially for
those in college, who might be having to study for a test or
something.
But in all reality, from a water quality perspective, from
a fire risk management perspective, the benefits to our
surrounding area, to our air quality, to our water quality,
they are significant. These riparian areas provide a lot of
filtration benefits that we can't really get without really
expensive infrastructure otherwise.
So in terms of cost effectiveness, these are a really cost
effective way to help achieve some of our goals for quality.
Senator Carper. Good. Thanks for that.
Ms. Riggin, any thoughts?
Ms. Riggin. Just to add, people should care because this is
our home. We read about habitats and ecosystems in textbooks,
but we don't often put ourselves as we are in that habitat, we
are a part of that ecosystem.
The more that we can take care of it, the more we care
about it, the more that we all are stewards of it, the natural
resources professionals aren't lifting the heavy load alone, we
are carrying it together to protect our air, our water, our
landscapes, so that it is not just a cool place to go hike that
we are going off to visit, it is a place that supports our
clean air, our clean water.
So the why is because we are here, and we are part of that
ecosystem.
Senator Carper. Every now and then we are fortunate to have
a leader of another nation come to Washington, to Capitol Hill,
and speak at a joint session of the Congress. We usually meet
in the House chamber because it is bigger than the Senate
chamber. And we have House and Senate members there.
One of the more interesting speakers in recent years has
been the President of France, President Macron. He came and
spoke to us, not in French, but in perfect English. One of the
things he said to us in his speech, he talked about our planet.
And he said, this is the only planet we are going to have, he
said, there is no planet B. This is it; we have to take care of
it. I will never forget that.
I use that line a whole lot since I heard it from him. He
was a special guest at a state dinner hosted by President and
Mrs. Biden, and I got to see President Macron again. I told him
about that line and reminded him how he had used that and how I
have stolen it and never given him any credit for it. He said,
we have a special word in French for people like you, who use
our best material without acknowledgement.
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. My staff has given me a question, I have a
bunch of questions I will ask, but I will lead it off with this
one, so I don't get in trouble with them.
The environmental benefits of the Corps' ecosystem
restoration portfolio, including those projects that we are
talking about here today, clearly show a response to climate
change through increasing resilience. And at the same time,
these projects promote the economic health of the communities
that you represent and that I represent and Senator Capito and
others represent, through activities such as navigation,
agriculture, and ecotourism.
I will start with you, Ms. Riggin, and we will go to your
right, please. It would be helpful if you would lead us off,
take a minute or two to elaborate for us on the challenges and
the opportunities, challenges and opportunities in partnering
with the Corps on ecosystem restoration. Clearly, something is
working, and working right. But I know we can always find room
for improvement.
If we could start with that, and we will come down to Ms.
Balluff and then Mr. Eikenberg, please. Any thoughts?
Ms. Riggin. Crab Bay was my first ecosystem restoration
project, so I don't have a ton of experience under my belt. But
I think the more we can do those types of projects, the better
we are all going to end up being, and the more we give the
flexibility to the Corps to be able to work with those non-
Federal sponsors to accomplish those goals.
A lot of times there are very rigid timelines, very rigid
points at which the project is managed. The more flexibility
that we have to develop a project which allows us to go back
and do things like we did with rerunning a model, provide
additional information or go further and monitor the project
post-construction, so that we have some data to support future
successes and document what we accomplished so that we can
learn from it and use that to replicate in other projects.
Senator Carper. Good. Thank you.
Same question, Ms. Balluff.
Ms. Balluff. Yes, thank you, Senator Carper. I think that
flexibility is probably one of the most important things that
we can gain with the Corps. I think they have so much
capability in their offices, and they have, at least in our
district, I know they have a lot of passion for these projects.
We have just had such wonderful working relationships with the
folks in the Los Angeles District. We are really grateful for
them and for their efforts.
Certainly, I think I mentioned this before, but after the
fact, long term, allowing the Corps the flexibility to stay
involved in the restoration projects that they do perform, so
that when things come up, we can circle back around to them,
and they would have the resources to be able to work with us to
fine tune and shift things as needed. As we are finding and
discovering more information as we move along these projects,
it would be incredibly helpful.
Senator Carper. All right, good. Thanks.
Mr. Eikenberg, with the Everglades in mind, same question.
Elaborate a bit for us if you would on the challenges and the
opportunities in partnering with the Corps.
Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, I mentioned that this issue is
a national model. It has taken time to get to that point, 23
years now into the process of a restoration effort between the
Army Corps and a non-Federal sponsor, the State of Florida.
I do want to give a plug for the regular order on the Water
Resources Development Act. Having the ability for the Army
Corps hearing issues on the ground, understanding the
importance of having those authorizations or those tweaks,
those refinements, there is an integrated delivery schedule
that the Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water
Management District have outlined. It takes us through the end
of this decade. It is clear, it demonstrates exactly what needs
to occur.
But there are moments when both sides, along with
stakeholders like the Everglades Foundation, offer suggestions
for WRDA bills to be available again, enable and ensure that
these projects come to fruition. We have come a long way. The
ability not only to preserve a drinking water supply for a
growing population but these added benefits, these economic
benefits that come with this, the issues relating to storing
and sending water south, recharging an aquifer that is the
drinking water supply now for almost 6 million people.
And then alone the benefits of pushing against sea level
rise and saltwater intrusion. This issue covers the gamut and
having the Army Corps of Engineers identifying the challenges
and not backing away from them and seeking assistance from NGOs
or the State of Florida to assist in that regard. I salute the
Corps from Jacksonville to Atlanta to Washington in making this
effort again a national model for the Nation.
Senator Carper. Good. Thank you.
Speaking of sea level rise, as a Senator from the lowest
lying State in the United States, our State is sinking, the
seas around us are rising. Not a good combination. We have a
special concern about the climate changes driving sea level
rise, land subsidence, and flooding in our State and other
States on the coasts.
According to Climate Change 2023 Synthesis Report Summary
for Policymakers from something called the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, the largest driver of climate change
is carbon in our environment, resulting in unprecedented rising
global temperatures and corresponding extreme weather events.
The same report, however, also points to carbon reduction
benefits associated with ecosystem restoration.
Mr. Eikenberg, would you please explain for us how the
Everglades project is helping to address the root causes of
climate change through environmental restoration? Please also
explain for us the significance of the climate mitigation and
resilience benefits seen in the Everglades thus far.
Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, I think it is important to
point out that the Everglades itself, these organic peat soils
in the Everglades have been sequestering or capturing carbon
for centuries. It has been building over time. As we continue
to move in the direction of hydrating these wetlands, again,
this is a massive plumbing project in Florida to redirect the
way freshwater flows. And by storing, cleaning, and sending
that water south, you are rehydrating wetlands, a massive
wetland forest, a significant wetland area within our world.
The ability to hydrate those wetlands sequesters carbon. It
takes off roughly about 230,000 cars off the road just in
freshwater wetlands, and the climate benefits of keeping those
wetlands hydrated.
We are also seeing benefits along the coasts, the mangroves
that surround the Florida peninsula also add a tremendous
benefit on a carbon bank which the Everglades is. And by having
that head of fresh water flowing down to the Florida Keys
through Everglades National Park, down to Florida Bay, it is
recharging the Biscayne Aquifer. That porous limestone within
the Everglades, the fresh water permeates through that
limestone and pushes eastward. And it acts as a buffer, it
pushes against saltwater intrusion.
The issues along South Florida's coast with sea level rise,
you cannot abandon, we cannot abandon the issue of restoration
within the Everglades to deal strictly or solely with the
climate concerns along the coast. They both are interconnected.
It complements it, and that is why with the Army Corps of
Engineers, the State of Florida is moving in a very aggressive
way to see this restoration, the adaptation, the mitigation
issues that come with it are very positive.
Senator Carper. Good. Thank you. Thank you for that.
Ms. Balluff, we have already talked about the question I am
about to raise. You may want to add to what has already been
said with regard to this. We understand from your testimony
that the Tres Rios project repurposed treated wastewater in the
restoration of some 1,200 acres of wetland in the desert, quite
a noteworthy feature. In addition to these wetlands and
restoration features, the project provides for flood protection
and local recreation.
Please share with us, supplement what you have already
said, and anything else you might like to add, how this unique
project came together with the diverse group of stakeholders
that traditionally do not work with the Army Corps of
Engineers. What were some of the challenges in setting up this
creative approach to ecosystem restoration? And if you could
think of how some of those challenges were overcome, that would
be welcome, too.
Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Carper. I was actually not
involved with the very beginnings of Tres Rios, so I don't have
any first hand knowledge of that.
But I do know that a very significant group of stakeholders
was brought together, including not just the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, but also the Environmental Protection Agency. Again,
we had to meet those Clean Water Act requirements, and U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Gila River Indian Community, and
others. And it has been a really successful partnership.
I would say it has even expanded since that time. So as we
have been working to get continued authorization to complete
Tres Rios, we have an entire collaborative group of
stakeholders representing private parties, nonprofits, State
and local agencies, and Federal agencies that are all
coordinating together to make this happen, including the
Arizona Game and Fish Department, and Arizona State University
and the Rio Reimagined Project.
I would say that has given a lot of strength to our
efforts, because it has allowed these different perspectives to
be brought in. It has also allowed for everyone's ideas and
thoughts to be heard ahead of time, so that we can figure out
the right solution and the right path forward to achieve a
solution that makes people feel like they are achieving what
they want to, like they are getting what they want out of this
project and what they need out of this project. And that has
been really helpful.
Senator Carper. We want them to feel like they have been
listened to.
Ms. Balluff. Yes, it is absolutely, incredibly important.
Also to have their ideas implemented into the project is really
important.
Senator Carper. Good. Thanks. If I could, I would like to
ask Ms. Riggin to talk with us about a dynamic system. I will
set up the question by saying, maintaining your project like
the Crab Bank requires the stakeholders to think about a long
term project plan and lifecycle challenges and costs. Water is
a dynamic force, as we know, and comes with erosion and other
shifting environmental factors.
Recognizing that restoration does not stop with one
investment, what considerations go into approaching long term
success of a restoration project such as Crab Bank? And are you
thinking about next steps to preserve or maybe to alter the
project to ensure long term viability?
Ms. Riggin. Building a seabird or shorebird island is
tricky. By nature, those types of ecosystems are dynamic. We
have five seabird sanctuaries off the coast of South Carolina,
and all of them are ebbing and flowing and changing with tides
and storms. And that is just part of it. That is what those
seabirds and shorebirds really like. They also really like our
beaches, but we like our beaches, too, and the two of us
combined don't go well together.
So building Crab Bank, while there was a $1.4 million price
tag initially, everybody found the value in providing any
available nesting habitat, knowing that shorebirds and seabirds
are in crisis. We wanted to ensure that we could provide the
habitat as long as we could, knowing that Mother Nature is
going to do what Mother Nature is going to do. There are going
to be tropical storms, there are going to be hurricanes that
are going to change the footprint of that island.
But if we get one successful nesting season, last year we
had 500 nests, and that does not count individual chicks in
each of those nests, that matters. That counts. So the
investment from the Department and the community and the
conservation partners, we need all the available nesting
shorebird habitat that we can.
We know that the project was modeled that given the past
history of the current storms, it should last for 50 years.
There is hope that maybe there will be additional dredging
material opportunities in the future as we know there are
limited places for dredged material to go. But it has to be the
right sediment composition for us to be able to add it back to
the island to maintain that in the future.
So while 50 years may seem like a short amount of time, if
we get back to historic numbers of Crab Bank in the five to ten
thousands of nests, it is worth it.
Senator Carper. All right, good. Thank you for that
response.
I have another question for each of you. Then at the very
end of the hearing, I am going to ask you, is there a question
you wish you had been asked but you have not been asked. You
can tell us what that question might be, and then if you will,
answer it. It will take us a few more minutes to get to that
point in the hearing.
If I could, in the meantime, Mr. Eikenberg, a question with
respect to process. The Everglades, as we know, is a complex
program, very complex program, comprised of a whole lot of
projects. They range in size, they range in scope, they range
in objectives.
Please describe the input that the Everglades Foundation
and its partners provide to the Army Corps of Engineers for the
Everglades restoration process in order to ensure that
restoration proceeds in a timely way and meets intended
outcomes. Do you as a stakeholder in the process feel that your
voice is heard?
Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, to the second portion of your
question, the answer is yes. The ability as an NGO to be able
to go to the Corps with the expertise that the Foundation has,
we have tremendous expertise within the science of the
Everglades. A lot of this is modeling. It is hydrological
modeling, it is ecological modeling, it is economic results.
To be able to run those scenarios with a variety of
assumptions, the Army Corps has their process, the South
Florida Water Management District has theirs. And at the
Everglades Foundation, we are proud to be able to do the same
thing, the same type of modeling.
To then be able to go to the Army Corps with suggestions,
to think differently over here or over there, and to have that
ability to sit across a table and express those results and
realize that it is being heard, it may not make the final
result. But 9 out of 10 times, there are different portions of
what is being recommended, not just by us but also by the other
partners, from Audubon Florida to the Sanibel Captiva
Conservation Foundation, Captains for Clean Water and countless
others who are expressing the desire to see this project come
to fruition.
I want to give a shout out to Colonel Booth in
Jacksonville, the commander of the district. He is accessible,
he travels throughout Florida to make sure voices are being
heard. Again, the economic return on this, we heard about the
population of wading birds or shore birds coming back. The
example for the Corps on their work in the Kissimmee River,
that flood plain has returned, the wading bird population has
come back in droves.
The same Army Corps that dug the channel south of Orlando
that drained that flood plain in the 1960s, for it now to be
fully restored, the meandering Kissimmee is back, that is an
example of the Army Corps understanding not just the ecological
returns but also the economics. The ecotourism benefits to the
State of Florida and to the Nation are tremendous.
That is kind of how we see it as it relates to an
organization that is at the table and has a voice in this
process.
Senator Carper. Thank you for that. Did you say Captains
for Clean Water?
Mr. Eikenberg. Yes. It is a group that was founded in 2016
when there were some algae outbreaks around Fort Myers. And Mr.
Chairman, I will tell you, anglers, boat captains, those who
make a livelihood on the water, I was standing on a boat in
2016 and a gentleman said, I don't know where your office is,
but you're standing in mine. And my office is closed because of
the way water is being managed in Florida.
So they have come to the table with realtors, chambers of
commerce, this is a business. It is an economic message as much
as it is ecological. And those groups and others are having a
tremendous impact.
Senator Carper. We have a local chapter of Captains for
Clean Water on this Committee. Senator Kelly and I are both
retired Navy captains. We are very interested in clean water.
Mr. Eikenberg. Thank you for your service. Yes, sir.
Senator Carper. I have one other question for Ms. Balluff.
It deals with a general reevaluation report. I think there is
an acronym for that, GRR. I understand that there are some
remaining construction features for the Tres Rios project, with
a reevaluation of the project underway to address increased
costs in the next steps.
Could you tell us a little bit more about the phasing of
the project and your work with the Corps to ensure benefits are
seen without all of the features completed?
Ms. Balluff. Yes, thank you, Senator Carper.
Yes, there is a Post Authorization Change Report underway
right now for a cost update for the final phases of Tres Rios
to be completed. But in the meantime, many of the phases of
Tres Rios have been completed, including the levee, which is
already providing vast benefits to the neighboring communities
that are removed from the flood plain as a result of
construction of that.
There is also of course the treatment wetlands that we
talked about that are already providing the benefits for water
quality that was released into the river. We also have overbank
wetlands and some in river restoration that people can access,
and they do. They come over from across the Nation and all over
the world to fish and to birdwatch. There are over 200 species
of birds. We have pelicans in Arizona, in Phoenix, because of
these wetlands.
So there are significant birdwatching opportunities.
Audubon Arizona does surveys along with Game and Fish for us.
We have threatened and endangered species there.
So we are definitely, we have conferences come out from
across the Nation and across the world to look at Tres Rios and
see what has been accomplished here and see the success of the
project. So it is definitely being noticed. And we look forward
to that notice increasing as we complete it and open up those
trailheads and the rest of the in river restoration.
Senator Carper. Good. Thank you.
Early in the hearing, I asked you, and then I found that I
should have asked Ms. Riggin, when she figured out in her life
why she was born. She gave us a great answer about it being,
eighth grade when the light went off in her head.
Ms. Balluff, when did you figure out why you were born?
Ms. Balluff. I think it took me a little bit longer. I
played around with a lot of different reasons, I guess, for why
I was born.
Senator Carper. I was born to play third base for the
Detroit Tigers. They had different ideas.
[Laughter.]
Ms. Balluff. Yes. I really came to it in college. I was in
college, and I was trying some different majors out, and ended
up in forestry at Colorado State University. It really clicked
with me. My love of the outdoors and my appreciation of what
nature gives me personally and what I could then do to support
it right back is really what brought me to it.
Senator Carper. That is good.
Mr. Eikenberg, same question. When did you figure out, and
your son will be interested in this, when did you figure out
why you were born?
Mr. Eikenberg. I think my moment was in high school. I
attended Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,
Florida. My 11th grade government teacher, Doug Pierce----
Senator Carper. You still remember his name, he would be
pleased, if he is listening in.
Mr. Eikenberg. I hope he is. If not, I want to send him
this clip.
Doug Pierce is the person who got me interested in policy
and public politics and the importance of government service. I
watched my mentor, Clay Shaw, who spearheaded the Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan through Congress in 2000. I got to
see first hand as a native Floridian, Clay Shaw, the importance
of balancing the environment with economic development in
Florida.
We have been doing this for years, Mr. Chairman, as you
note, decades, generations upon generations have either messed
it up, and now we are fixing it. For me to be able to be here
in Washington in years past to see how this process works, to
understand the bipartisan nature of the environment,
conservation, regardless of our party affiliations, we all
unite for clean water, clean air, healthy wetlands, drinking
water. The Everglades is the perfect example for all of that to
come together.
Not only am I proud that my son Patrick is here with me,
but I have three other children. And the example that we are
doing within the Everglades is the example to pass on for
future generations. Doug Pierce was the key for me back in
1993, 30 years ago. I hope that anyone listening to this
message of hope and success around the environment, across the
country, engages them to be a part of something bigger than
themselves.
Senator Carper. Great. Thank you for that.
Doug Pierce, if you are out there, thanks very much. You
gave a big assist on the play.
Now we are going to close out with this. I will ask you
each to give us a question that you wish you had been asked but
were not. If you had been asked the question, how would you
respond?
Go ahead, Ms. Riggin.
Ms. Riggin. Thank you, Senator Carper.
I really can't think of anything that I would like to share
more about the project. I am excited that I was asked to be
here today to share the success of Crab Bank. I am thankful for
the support of all of the conservation community entities that
helped raise money for the project to help us get here.
I am excited to share, and I touched on it a little bit
earlier, about the fact that Crab Bank was so much more than
just that one project. By building the relationships with the
conservation community and others and highlighting the need for
support for shorebird, seabird, wading bird conservation, we
had the ability to establish the South Carolina Coastal Bird
Conservation Fund that has allowed us to do even more.
We have around $400,000 in the fund that helps us leverage
Federal grants to continue and further shorebird conservation
for the future. And fingers crossed sitting back here for the
Recovering America's Wildlife Act, and hoping that we will have
a steady, constant, consistent funding stream to support
nongame wildlife management in States across the country like
we do with the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program.
Senator Carper. Thank you.
Ms. Balluff, what would you have like to have been asked
that you weren't?
Ms. Balluff. I would have love to have been asked what is
next after Tres Rios.
Senator Carper. What is next after Tres Rios?
[Laughter.]
Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Carper, for asking that
excellent question. I am happy to respond to it.
What is next after Tres Rios is Rio Salado Oeste, which is
a really important ecosystem restoration project in the Salt
River that will connect our completed Rio Salado Phoenix, which
is our completed ecosystem restoration project, with Tres Rios.
Right now, we have about an 8 mile gap in restoration
between those two projects. Rio Salado Oeste will fill that gap
and will give us 19 contiguous miles of restored Salt River
through Metropolitan Phoenix, through surrounding disadvantaged
communities.
Senator Carper. How many miles did you say, 19?
Ms. Balluff. Nineteen contiguous miles of restored river,
once all three of these projects are complete. We are very
excited. We did get, the project got work plan monies for the
Corps to start working on the general reevaluation report for
Rio Salado Oeste. So we are getting that underway and are
really excited for the next steps on that project as well.
Senator Carper. Good. Thanks. Good question.
Mr. Eikenberg.
Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, I think the question of will
we ever finish Everglades restoration. We hear that. I will be
brief.
I think the answer is yes, I know the answer is yes. And by
the year 2030, the remainder of this decade, with critical
projects that are being planned and are ready for construction,
we will do that. Then we shift to perpetual protection. Because
again, the next generation is going to have to ensure that what
we have fought for, these remaining 3 million acres of
Everglades that we are protecting, survives.
So we know the problem. We have the solution.
What I want to also highlight, Mr. Chairman, is the
political will has really stepped up in a manner that is
delivering this. This is a mainstream issue now. And the
ability from the President and the Congress to the Governor and
the State legislature, everyone is moving in the same
direction. There is massive momentum around Everglades
restoration.
This is a national treasure. It is America's Everglades.
With your help and those on the ground back in Florida, we will
get it done.
Senator Carper. That is great. My colleagues hear me say
probably too often, bipartisan solutions are lasting solutions.
That is just another way of saying part of what you just said,
I think. Most helpful.
I have some boilerplate language I am going to use in just
a minute before we close out the hearing. I ride a lot back and
forth from Delaware to Washington to come to work, every day
almost. Another guy who used to ride the train a lot was Albert
Einstein. Albert Einstein, I don't know if he was in Princeton,
maybe in Princeton where he taught. He would get on the train
and go to New York, get on a train and come to DC. He rode the
train a lot.
One day he got on the train, and he started looking for his
ticket, and he couldn't find it. He was looking in his coat,
his trousers, he looked in his briefcase, couldn't find it. The
conductor came along and said, Dr. Einstein, we know who you
are, don't worry about it. You are fine, you don't have to
worry about it.
The conductor walked away to go to the next car, and he
turned around and looked back at Dr. Einstein again, Dr.
Einstein was down on his hands and knees looking for his
ticket. The conductor ran back and said, Dr. Einstein, you
don't have to worry about it. We know who you are. We know who
you are.
Dr. Einstein looked up at him and said, ``I know who I am,
too. I just don't know where I am going.''
[Laughter.]
Senator Carper. One of the best ways to figure out where to
go is to find out what works and do more of that. One of the
things I think works is regular order. That term has been used
a number of times. It is one of the things that Senator Capito
and I think our colleagues, both Democrat and Republican on
this Committee, agree.
We like regular order. We like working with States. We love
working with the Army Corps of Engineers, and we have oversight
of them. They do great work in our State and 49 other States as
well. We are in their debt.
Speaking of Albert Einstein, a lot of people remember he
once said, the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same
thing over and over again and expect a different result. That
is a good quote.
But my favorite Einstein quote is, in adversity lies
opportunity. In adversity lies opportunity. That is a great
one. I use that one every day. There is plenty of adversity in
our States and our country and our world. But there is also
opportunity. The key is to find in that adversity the real
opportunities. I think that is part of what we are talking
about doing here today.
Finally, I would like to say, find out what works, do more
of that. You all have given us some great examples of what
works, so we can be inspired by you and learn from what is
going on in your States. We applaud you for that.
Now to the boilerplate. Before we adjourn, some
housekeeping. Our Senators, our colleagues, will be allowed to
submit written questions for the record by 4 p.m. on Wednesday,
June 21st, that is 2 weeks from today. We will compile those
questions, send them to each of you. We are going to ask you to
try to reply to us by Wednesday, July 12th. We will follow up
with this information and these dates.
I will ask the majority staff, anything else? Minority
staff?
I just want to say to our staffs, these hearings don't just
happen. They happen because we have great staff members. They
help figure out who would be good witnesses to bring in and get
everything coordinated and provide us with just an enormous
amount of support and help. I say to all of you, thank you
very, very much.
To those of you who spend your life, this is a big part of
your life, what you do, you are not just doing it for
yourselves and your family, you are doing it for the rest of
us, we thank you for that. We are inspired by you and
encouraged by the work that you do.
With that, this hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:38 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
[An additional statement submitted for the record follows:]
Statement of Hon. Pete Ricketts,
U.S. Senator from the State of Nebraska
I write to remind you of the Army Corps of Engineers'
priorities. I am aware the purpose of this hearing is to
discuss the ecosystem restoration branch of the Corps. However,
I would be remiss if I failed to highlight my concerns about
the Corps' mismanagement.
As Governor, I came to view the Corps as an impediment to
progress and an organization that failed to prioritize
taxpayers in their decisionmaking.
The Corps' failure to consider taxpayers is demonstrated by
the critical shift in the management of the Missouri River in
2004. The Corps sought to restore the Missouri River's
ecosystem and create habitat for threatened and endangered
species. This prioritization led to litigation from landowners
in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.
In Ideker Farms v. United States, the court found that the
notching of dikes and revetments, as well as the reopening of
the historic chutes, which allows the river to meander and
erode the bank, created potential flood impacts. These changes
to the river, combined with increased reservoir storage and
releases of threatened and endangered species from the dams
during high river stages, have caused or contributed to
flooding since 2007. I implore the Corps to operate in
accordance with the priorities in the 1944 Flood Control Act.
Nebraskans want to see people and communities put first,
and we would appreciate the opportunity to work together to
rebuild bigger and better than before to keep people safe. It's
one of my major priorities on this Committee and in the Senate.
The Army Corps must get its house to support that mission.
I urge my colleagues to work together to regain the
original priorities of the Army Corps of Engineers to protect
people and property.
[all]