[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 125 (Monday, September 30, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         STATEMENT ON H.R. 4727

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF FLAKE

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 26, 2002

  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, on September 5, 2002, I voted against 
legislation to authorize the Dam Safety and Security Act of 2002. This 
bill is just another example of federal involvement in projects that 
are already being conducted by the states. The bill inserts federal 
management and funding into the already operating state-level programs 
that ensure the safety of the nation's dams. It establishes a review 
board to oversee and monitor state implementation but authorizes $35 
million in government spending. Like many federal programs, the 
government seeks to lure states with federal tax dollars into ceding 
control of state responsibilities. The problem is, this program-and the 
additional spending-does nothing more to ensure the safety of dams than 
what individual states already do. State and local officials in Arizona 
determine what is required to ensure the safety of their dams, and what 
works in some instances might not work in others.

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