[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 17, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S10691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1997

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                       BAUCUS AMENDMENT NO. 5357

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. BAUCUS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to 
the bill (H.R. 3662) making appropriations for the Department of the 
Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
1997, and for other purposes; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in title I, insert the following:

     SEC. 1. KERR HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT.

       For fiscal year 1997 and each fiscal year thereafter, the 
     Secretary of the Interior shall not recommend that the 
     Federal Energy Regulatory Commission impose, and the 
     Commission shall not impose, as a condition to the 
     modification of the Kerr Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project 
     No. 5-021), a requirement to construct offshore revetment 
     structures in Flathead Lake, Montana.

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President; I submit an amendment to H.R. 3662, 
the fiscal year 1997 Interior appropriations bill.
  From 1961 to his retirement from the Senate in 1977, Montana's Mike 
Mansfield served as Senate majority leader. It was the longest term as 
majority leader in American history.
  During these years, the Senate passed the Voting Rights Act, created 
Medicare, passed the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, debated the Cuban 
missile crisis and the war in Vietnam. On all these issues and more, 
Mike was a respected national leader.
  Yet when Mike was asked to reflect back on his years in the Senate 
and identify his single proudest accomplishment, he responded, ``saving 
Flathead Lake from the Army Corps of Engineers.''
  If you don't know Montana; and you don't know Flathead Lake; and you 
don't know Mike Mansfield, this answer may come as a surprise. But for 
those of us who know all three, this is perfectly easy to understand.
  Located in western Montana, between Missoula and Kalispell, Flathead 
Lake is the largest fresh water lake in the United States, outside of 
the Great Lakes. Surrounded by the Mission Mountains and the Swan Range 
to the west, it is a place of spectacular beauty.
  And it is also a place that is very much a part of so many 
Montanans--including this Senator. From boating, water skiing, fishing, 
or just sitting around a bonfire along the Lake's shore, Flathead Lake 
is a very special Montana place.
  The corps had a plan to radically raise the level of this lake, 
transforming it forever and drowning many of the coves, shorelines, and 
fishing spots Montanans know so well. Montanans liked it just the way 
it was--and we still do today.
  Yet some folks outside Montana just don't get it. They think they can 
improve Flathead Lake. And that brings me to the amendment now before 
us.
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has asked the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission for approval to construct an 8,700-foot-long 
retaining wall, at the cost of $10 to $14 million, near the north shore 
of the lake.
  In theory, this great wall would prevent shore erosion and restore 
waterfowl habitat. These are commendable goals. But the cost of this 
proposal outweighs any possible benefits.
  The view of the lake from the town of Bigfork, for example, would be 
ruined. Boaters would see a neo-industrial monstrosity instead of a 
peaceful shore. It is a bad idea, and my amendment would nip this weed 
in the bud by prohibiting construction of this wall.
  Frankly, the Fish and Wildlife Service doesn't need to mandate 
lowering the level of Flathead Lake. And it doesn't need to mandate a 
big concrete slab in the lake to stem shoreline erosion. If erosion is 
proven to be an ongoing and significant problem, the Fish and Wildlife 
Service needs to find unobtrusive remedial measures that respect 
Flathead Lake and the people who enjoy it.
  I believe this is just simple common sense. One Great Wall of China 
is plenty. None of us will ever improve on what the Good Lord did when 
he created Flathead Lake. Let us admit that right now and pass this 
amendment. 

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