[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.

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