[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 12, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 1905 FISCAL YEAR 1996 ENERGY AND WATER 
                           APPROPRIATIONS ACT

                                 ______


                            HON. BOB FRANKS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 12, 1995
  Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support 
of H.R. 1905, the fiscal year 1996 Energy and Water Appropriations Act. 
The House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee has 
drafted an excellent bill that meets our Nation's water resources and 
energy needs. H.R. 1905 also helps shrink the Federal budget deficit by 
cutting spending from last year by $1.6 billion.
  Although H.R. 1905 contains many worthy provisions, I would like to 
bring to my colleagues' attention a project contained in the bill of 
particular importance to the people who reside in New Jersey's 
Middlesex, Somerset, and Union Counties. The project to which I refer 
is the Green Brook flood control project.
  As my colleagues may recall, this project was authorized by Congress 
under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986--Public Law 99-662, 
section 401. During the past 10 fiscal years, Congress has appropriated 
$19.423 million for this project. In fiscal year 1986, Congress 
appropriated $484,000; in fiscal year 1987, $1.37 million; fiscal year 
88, $1.4 million; fiscal year 89, $1.5 million; fiscal year 90, $1.2 
million; fiscal year 91, $2 million; fiscal year 92, $3.169 million; 
fiscal year 93, $3.5 million; fiscal year 94, $2.8 million; and fiscal 
year 95, $2 million. H.R. 1905 contains $3.6 million for this project.
  Mr. Speaker, although Congress has appropriated nearly $20 million 
for this project, the pace of the project has been slow. Last year I 
suggested during debate on the fiscal year 95 Energy and Water 
Appropriations Act that corrective action might be necessary, such as 
transferring this project to the Philadelphia district of the Army 
Corps of Engineers, if the New York district did not accord the Green 
Brook project a higher priority. I also suggested during private 
meetings with Army Corps personnel that creation of a Green Brook Flood 
Control Task Force might be necessary to expedite this project.
  The Army Corps did not act on my suggestion to create a task force. 
Instead, the corps increased their activity on this project and 
improved their responsiveness to the Green Brook Flood Control 
Commission. As the Green Brook Flood Control Commission was satisfied 
with the corps' new attitude toward this project, I did not press the 
task force idea or a transfer of this project to the Philadelphia 
district with the Army Corps.
  Currently, however, this project again seems to have been put on the 
back burner by the New York district. Therefore, as a member of the 
House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, I will seek to 
include statutory language in the Water Resources Development Act of 
1997 creating a task force dedicated solely to the Green Brook project. 
The subcommittee is expected to mark up this legislation sometime early 
next year.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend Chairman Myers and ranking minority member 
Bevill for again producing an excellent bill. Although their roles have 
been reversed since last year, the subcommittee's work product remains 
undiminished. I also commend my good friend and fellow New Jersey 
colleague Rodney Frelinghuysen for his outstanding work on this bill. 
Representative Frelinghuysen has done an excellent job in ensuring our 
State's needs were addressed in this bill, and I look forward to 
working with him on these issues in the years to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``aye'' on H.R. 
1905.


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