[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REAUTHORIZATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM IN THE WATER 
                   RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1998

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, last night, the Senate passed the 
Water Resources Development Act of 1998. I wanted to voice my support 
for this bill. In particular, I appreciate the section that 
reauthorizes the Army Corps' Upper Mississippi River Environmental 
Management Program, known as EMP. I wish to commend the hard work of 
the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Chafee) and the Senator from Montana 
(Mr. Baucus) and their staff members, Dan Delich and Jo Ellen Darcy, in 
order to complete a WRDA bill prior to the adjournment of the 105th 
Congress. I appreciate the time and attention they have paid to 
ensuring that EMP is reauthorized in this bill.
  I also want to extend my sincere thanks to the Senior Senator from 
Missouri (Mr. Bond), who shepherded the EMP provisions through the 
Committee. I have enjoyed working with him on the reauthorization of 
this important program. He and his staff have worked along with me and 
my staff to make sure this section was well crafted and met the needs 
of the Upper Mississippi states and the Mississippi River environment. 
The manager's amendment makes the necessary changes to the Committee 
language to meet the needs of all interested parties.
  From its inception, the EMP has been a program that enjoys bipartisan 
support. Initially conceived and sponsored in the House by my former 
colleague from Wisconsin (Mr. Gunderson) and the Congressman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the EMP was originally authorized in the 
Water Resources Act of 1986. At the same time, Congress designated the 
Upper Mississippi River ``a nationally significant ecosystem and a 
nationally significant commercial navigation system.''
  Since its inception, the EMP has been a cooperative effort between 
the Corps, the Upper Mississippi states, conservationists, and 
commercial shipping and other economic interests. The program's purpose 
is to regain and protect significant areas of diverse, productive fish 
and wildlife habitat, to establish long-term resource monitoring which 
gauges dynamic changes and impacts of future developments, and to 
improve and assess recreational uses so vital in our nation's 
midsection. The EMP involves extensive federal-state planning, 
coordination, and cost-sharing.
  I am pleased that this legislation will prevent termination of this 
program in 2001, as provided in the earlier authorizing legislation. 
This bill will ensure that necessary funding, and approved habitat 
rehabilitation and enhancement projects will continue. I also 
recognize, with a total ten year authorization of $350 million, that it 
is among the largest program authorizations contained in the bill.
  I am very pleased that the collegial spirit surrounding work on EMP 
is also well-rooted on the House side. My colleague in the Wisconsin 
delegation (Representative Kind) is working with Representative 
Oberstar in steadfastly pursuing this reauthorization this year.
  The manager's amendment reauthorizes EMP through 2009 at an increased 
total funding level of $33.5 million per year. It also makes some 
important changes to the program. It creates an independent technical 
advisory committee to review habitat projects and monitoring plans. It 
authorizes the Corps to complete a habitat and natural resource needs 
assessment of the Upper Mississippi Basin within three years of WRDA 
enactment. And, it provides Congress with another comprehensive 
assessment of the program, its projects and effectiveness, by 2005.
  I believe these to be positive changes to the program. I look forward 
to the Conference on this matter, and I urge my colleagues in the other 
body to act quickly on this legislation.

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