[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 20, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8115-H8116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXTENDING THE AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY TO ACCEPT AND
EXPEND FUNDS
Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3765) to extend through December 31, 2007, the authority of
the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend funds contributed by
non-Federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3765
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FUNDING TO PROCESS PERMITS.
Section 214 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000
(33 U.S.C. 2201 note; 114 Stat. 2594; 117 Stat. 1836) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ``In fiscal years 2001
through 2005, the'' and inserting ``The''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Duration of Authority.--The authority provided under
this section shall be in effect from October 1, 2000, through
December 31, 2007.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Boustany) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie
Bernice Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany).
General Leave
Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Louisiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3765, to authorize an
extension of the Army Corps of Engineers' section 214 program. Section
214 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 allows the Army
Corps of Engineers to accept and expend funds provided by non-Federal
public entities to hire additional personnel to process regulatory
permits.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 3765 is urgently needed since the authority for
this program expires on September 30 of this calendar year. If this
program expires, the corps will have to fire some regulatory personnel,
reducing its ability to process permits in a timely manner.
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has heard from
Members on both sides of the aisle supporting the section 214 program.
H.R. 3765 is identical to the language in section 2003 of the Water
Resources Development Act of 2005, which passed the House on July 14,
2005, by a vote of 406 to 14.
While the other body has not yet acted upon the Water Resources
Development Act this year, I am hopeful that in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina they move quickly to pass the bill providing for the water
resources needs of our Nation. But because the authority for the
section 214 program is expiring, it is necessary to move this piece
separately.
I thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird) and our colleagues
from Washington State for introducing this bill. I urge all Members to
vote in favor of H.R. 3765.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself
such time as I may consume.
I support House passage of H.R. 3765. This bill extends through
December 31, 2007, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept
and expend funds contributed by non-Federal public entities to expedite
the processing of permits under the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and
Harbor Act of 1899.
This program is popular and well received, particularly in the
northwest part of the country. And I congratulate the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Baird), my committee colleague, for his attention to
this issue and for securing today's consideration of this bill.
The language in H.R. 3765 is identical to that which is contained in
H.R. 2864, the Water Resources Development Act of 2005, which passed
the House on July 14 by an overwhelming vote of 406 to 14. This bill
should likewise receive strong support.
Today's consideration of one section of this larger Water Resources
Development Act should not be viewed as an indication that the larger
bill will not be enacted this year. I remain optimistic that the other
House of Congress will soon consider this vital legislation,
particularly in light of the vital role of flood damage reduction,
navigation, and storm damage reduction projects in protecting lives and
property and enhancing economic well-being.
The tragic events associated with Hurricane Katrina indicate how
important our water infrastructure really is. However, the Senate is
not likely to act on the broader legislation before the Secretary's
authority to accept funds expires on September 30, just 10 days from
now. By providing this extension, the program can continue
uninterrupted; and I urge support of this bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield such time
as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird).
Mr. BAIRD. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for
yielding me this time, and my colleagues on the committee and the
gentleman.
I also want to express my gratitude to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr.
Young) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), as well as the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), subcommittee Chair, for their
support and recognition of the urgency of this matter.
The sense of what we are about today is trying to extend a bill that
is already law that is included in the WRDA bill, which we have already
passed in this body but that has not passed the other body. The reason
we need to do this is common sense, and it is about preserving jobs.
The listing under the Endangered Species Act of salmon in the Pacific
Northwest overwhelm the Corps of Engineers and other regulatory
agencies in their ability to process permits in a timely manner.
Section 214(d) of the Water Resources Development Act allows local
entities to provide financial assistance to the corps to provide for
the resources needed to process permits more efficaciously. It does not
in any way prejudice the outcome of that permitting application. It
merely expedites it and provides valuable needed resources. This has
been used successfully in partnership throughout the Northwest and the
west coast and has saved literally millions of dollars and thousands of
jobs in our region.
I reiterate that the bill has passed the House already in its portion
of the WRDA, that it is existing law. So we are not really trying to
change anything. What we are trying to do is extend this vital
provision for several more years so that permits in the process right
now are not immediately stopped, which they otherwise would be without
passage of this.
Again, I thank my colleagues for their leadership and recognition of
the
[[Page H8116]]
importance of this bill. I urge its passage.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield such time
as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott).
Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for
yielding me this time.
I rise in support of section 214, which was introduced by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird), my friend and colleague.
This is a critical piece of legislation for many States including
Washington, and I hope that every member of the delegation rises to
voice strong bipartisan support.
We have, in the last few weeks, seen in Katrina what nature can do,
and section 214 enables communities to fund a fast-track Federal permit
process by the Army Corps of Engineers. A modest investment by local
governments can reap enormous community benefits in time and money
without compromising either the independence or the integrity of the
permit process.
Seattle, the community I represent, has used section 214 to save time
and millions of dollars on a number of important local projects
including the Seawall-Viaduct project. Unless we act, this important
tool will expire by the end of the month.
Hurricane Katrina reminds us how vulnerable we are to natural forces.
Seattle is an earthquake zone. There is no one living in Seattle who
does not think we are going to have another earthquake. And we must
move quickly, in my view, to replace the aging and fragile viaduct
along the waterfront which carries over 100,000 cars a day. The viaduct
is a lifeline of the region. If it falls, the port of Seattle will be
blocked. It will create havoc in the whole area. It connects our
communities and is the transportation artery for goods arriving at the
port of Seattle and going to the middle of the country. In fact,
Seattle is often called ``Chicago West.''
It would be a national catastrophe if we lost the viaduct, and we are
trying to prepare for it. We are counting on 214 as part of our
comprehensive viaduct replacement strategy, and we really do not want
to lose this tool at this point. Without it, the seawall, the viaduct's
foundation, will surely take much longer; and time is not on our side.
We had an earthquake here about 3 years ago which shook for 60 seconds.
Had it shaken for about 90 seconds, we probably would have had the
catastrophe at that point.
It is not a matter of if. It is really a matter of when this happens
in Seattle, and we must prepare. And we need this tool.
I thank the committee for bringing this bill forward and urge every
Member to support it.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I have no further
requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I thank our colleagues from the other
side of the aisle for working on this bipartisan piece of legislation.
It is critically important, and I urge its passage.
Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3765.
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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