[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 115 (Wednesday, September 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S9519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MISSOURI RIVER DROUGHT CONSERVATION PLAN

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, last Tuesday, September 14, the Senate 
Appropriations Committee reported out the Fiscal Year 2005 Interior 
Appropriations bill on a unanimous and bipartisan vote. The bill funds 
several of the Federal agencies that are responsible for managing 
millions of acres of land in South Dakota, including the U.S. Forest 
Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service. 
Included in that bill was a provision directing the Corps of Engineers 
to immediately implement the drought conservation measures outlined in 
the 2004 Missouri River Master Water Control Manual. This is an 
important provision that will better balance the competing uses of 
Missouri River water and, more importantly, bring a sense of equity and 
fair play to a process long-slanted toward a single group of navigation 
interests.
  Perhaps no Federal agency has a more direct impact on South Dakotans 
than the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers has a 
tough job in South Dakota, balancing a host of competing and, it 
appears from time to time, mutually exclusive interests. However, on 
the key issue of managing the Missouri, the Corps has consistently come 
up short as a steward of America's longest river. With a current water 
storage rate of 35.9 million acre-feet, the main-stem Missouri River 
reservoirs are at the lowest level in history. The provision included 
in the Interior Appropriations bill faces up to this reality by taking 
a strong step toward conserving our water resources.
  Unfortunately, yesterday, in an unprecedented maneuver to strike out 
and cancel the express will of the Appropriations Committee, a 
provision was inserted in the fiscal year 2005 Veterans, Housing and 
Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill that 
cancels out the drought conservation plan. The proponents of this new 
provision had already been rebuffed last week when attempting to change 
the original section. Surely we can find some common ground for the 
upstream states struggling with the lack of water flow. I expect an 
uphill battle, but I will do everything I can to fight for the needs of 
upstream states.

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