[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 98 (Monday, July 16, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S7690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HOLLINGS:
  S. 1182. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Army to lease land at 
the Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake Project, South Carolina, to the 
South Carolina Department of Commerce, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. HOLLINGS. Madam President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
that will provide economic stimulation to one of the poorest counties 
in South Carolina. This legislation will allow the South Carolina 
Department of Commerce, SCDOC, to proceed with a project that began 
almost a decade ago. Well, actually the project began long before that, 
way back when the Army Corps of Engineers built Lake Richard B. Russell 
in 1984.
  Lake Russell is a 26,000-acre freshwater lake on the South Carolina-
Georgia border and was very controversial when originally proposed by 
the Army Corps of Engineers. Enhancement of economic development in the 
region was a main selling point of the Corps to overcome State, local 
and environmental objections to the lake. Yet, to date, virtually no 
development has occurred despite efforts from South Carolina's 
Department of Commerce. Today, there is not a single room for rent by 
the public within sight of, or within reasonable walking distance of, 
the lake. There is only one gas pump on the entire lake and that is at 
a State park.
  Following the completion of Lake Russell in 1984, the Department of 
Commerce and Abbeville County began a plan for the development of a 
lakefront golf and vacation resort. The Department contracted with a 
development company in 1997 to develop the project, but in 1998, due to 
financial difficulties, construction was suspended and the developer 
defaulted on its Development Agreement with SCDOC. As a result of this 
default, the Commerce Department terminated the agreement and the 
property was returned to the State.
  In January 1999, in an attempt to complete this project, SCDOC 
solicited proposals from various qualified developers. After 
consideration of several proposals, a developer was selected that had a 
history of successful developments throughout the State of South 
Carolina. However, in order for the project to be successful, changes 
to the current lease have to be made. These changes are reflected by 
the proposed legislation.
  When drafting this legislation, I wanted to address several points 
that may cause concern. First, I wanted to make sure the public had an 
opportunity to be involved throughout the process. Second, I wanted to 
make sure any additional land that was included in the project would be 
mitigated by providing lands with similar ecological values and 
habitat. And third, I wanted to ensure that this project would be 
economically viable. I believe the legislation does this.
  Like I said, the legislation is simple and will bring economic 
development to a county that has longed for it. By completing this 
project, Abbeville County will be able to take advantage of the 
economic stimulation created by vacationers and tourism from the 
surrounding major cities, which include Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, 
Greenville, and Augusta. This economic development was promised when 
the lake was built in 1984 and I believe we should honor our 
commitment.




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