[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4031-H4032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AUTHORIZING REVISION OF TOM GREEN COUNTY WATER CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICT REPAYMENT CONTRACT
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 856) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to revise a
repayment contract with the Tom Green County Water Control and
Improvement District No. 1, San Angelo project, Texas, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 856
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. TOM GREEN COUNTY WATER CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICT NO. 1; REPAYMENT PERIOD EXTENDED.
The Secretary of the Interior may revise the repayment
contract with the Tom Green County Water Control and
Improvement District No. 1 numbered 14-06-500-369, by
extending the period authorized for repayment of reimbursable
constructions costs of the San Angelo project from 40 years
to 50 years.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Radanovich) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands
(Mrs. Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich).
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 856, offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Stenholm), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to revise a
repayment contract with the Tom Green County Water Control and
Improvement District No. 1 in Texas.
Due to the ongoing drought in the area, the district has had very
limited quantities of water to deliver to its constituents and limited
revenues to repay its required repayment obligation. This bill will
authorize the Secretary to extend the payment period to allow the
annual payments to remain constant and allow for the repayment of the
remaining obligation over a longer period of time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend
her remarks.)
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to rise in support
of H.R. 856, legislation introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Stenholm), that would provide financial relief to the Tom Green Water
District in Texas.
Persistent drought continues to devastate agriculture and create
financial hardship for water districts in many areas of the western
United States. Most water districts depend on water sales as their
primary source of revenue. With water supplies at record lows, some
districts cannot sell enough water to meet their financial obligations.
In the case of the Tom Green District, it is entirely appropriate
that we extend the length of their contract term to allow additional
time for the district to meet its payment obligations.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), the sponsor of this bill.
Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 856. I
thank the chairman and the ranking member for their speedy bringing of
this legislation to the floor. It is my hope that the Senate will also
act and that we can get this bill to the President in order that it
might have a timely effect on the farmers in Tom Green County that the
chairman and the ranking member have already adequately explained.
We have had persistent drought, particularly in Tom Green County, for
the
[[Page H4032]]
last 7 years; and it is very difficult to pay for water that you do not
get. The farmers are not asking that the loan be forgiven. What they
are asking is that the length of time to pay the money be extended
until such time as the Good Lord sends the rain and that we might use
the project for that which it was created originally.
So, without further ado, I thank, again, the chairman and ranking
member for their bringing this bill up. I thank them for their support,
and I urge support for this bill.
I rise in strong support of H.R. 856, legislation I introduced to
extend a repayment period for the Tom Green County Water Control and
Improvement District No. 1.
The Tom Green County Water Control & Improvement District No. 1 has
an outstanding loan with the Department of Interior for the
construction of an irrigation canal. The remaining balance is
approximately $2.4 million. The farmers in the District have made
diligent efforts to make timely payments on the contract. They have
paid 38 percent (about $1.5 million) of the original debt owed to the
Department of Interior despite the fact that they have yet to receive a
fair return on their investment.
In West Texas, there is virtually nothing of a higher daily concern
than the availability of water. In recent years, Texas has been
devastated by drought. As a result, the farmers have received a full
year's allocation of irrigation water only 50 percent of the time.
Moreover, for the other 50 percent of the time, they received either
less than the annual allocation or no irrigation water at all.
Payment on the debt has never been forgiven, even in years when the
District received no water. Deferments have been granted seven times;
however, those payments still have to be made. They are added to the
remaining balance and the payments continue to get higher annually
because the original contract end date does not change.
To make matters worse, the concrete lining placed in the canal in
1960 has started to deteriorate after forty-two years and repairs are
necessary. These repairs are very expensive. Farmers simply cannot
sustain paying the costs of the annual operation and maintenance costs
due to the irrigation district, the Bureau of Reclamation annual
payment, and extensive repair costs when little or no water is
available.
The Bureau of Reclamation has stated that the increased payments, as
a result of continued deferments due to the drought conditions, are
making it increasingly difficult on the farmers' ability to repay the
annual payments. The increased annual payments place additional
financial burdens on the District and increasing these payments further
will only lead to future difficulty that the Bureau of Reclamation
cannot remedy. Only Congress can remedy the long-term problem, which is
why I have introduced H.R. 856 to get this loan restructured.
This legislation would allow the Secretary of Interior to revise the
repayment contract (No. 14-06-500-369) by extending the period
authorized for repayment of reimbursable construction costs of the
canal from 40 to 50 years.
These Tom Green County farmers have been doing their part to meet
their responsibilities. When year-after-year the water was unavailable,
their only recourse was to ask for an extension on the loan. I'm glad
Tom Green County Commissioner Clayton Friend brought this to my
attention and I'm very appreciative of the speedy Resources Committee
action. I have high hopes that we will be able to get this bill to the
President within the next few weeks.
On behalf of the farmers in my district, I urge members to support
H.R. 856.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 856.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________