[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11226-S11227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. 
        Clinton, Mr. Carper, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Obama, and Mr. 
        Baucus):
  S. 1836. A bill to provide for reconstruction, replacement, and 
improvement of infrastructure in the Gulf Coast Region; to the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Gulf Coast 
Infrastructure Redevelopment and Recovery Act of 2005 on behalf of the 
minority side of the EPW Committee. We have introduced three bi-
partisan bills to date in our committee's jurisdiction. One of them 
even passed the Senate last week. Those bills, which I would 
characterize as tweaks to existing authorities, were good first steps 
and are included in the package we introduce today.
  But, we feel that the breadth and the magnitude of the damage after 
Hurricane Katrina demands a more significant response. As I look at the 
pictures of the damage in the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina, I 
think of the visitors from Terrebonne Parish that visited me in my 
office to seek support for flood control projects in Louisiana. At the 
time, I was struck by the vulnerability of this community to the 
effects of nature. Today, we are seeing those effects firsthand. I have 
thought

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often in the past month of the strong spirit shown by those who visited 
my office, and I know, that while it is almost unimaginable today, in a 
few years, there will be thriving communities in Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama once again.
  The bill I am introducing today is not intended to address every need 
of every person in the Katrina-affected area. It is a bill that seeks 
to take action for those agencies within the jurisdiction of the EPW 
Committee to ensure that they have the authority and the direction they 
need. I am a big believer in a single coordinated Federal disaster 
response process through the Stafford Act. Our bill complements the 
single, coordinated approach, yet recognizes the unique conditions in 
this case.
  FEMA has shown itself to be ineffective, in my opinion, largely due 
to the bureaucracy of the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA's 
lack of independence. At the time of the creation of DHS, I said: I 
cannot understand why, after years of frustration and failure, we would 
jeopardize the Federal government's effective response to natural 
disasters by dissolving FEMA into this monolithic Homeland Security 
Department. I fear that FEMA will no longer be able to adequately 
respond to hurricanes, fires, floods, and earthquakes, begging the 
question, who will? (November 20, 2002)
  Today, unfortunately, we know the answer--no one.
  The Federal aid provided for Katrina must be coordinated in a wise, 
targeted manner. To perform this task, our bill creates a Federal 
infrastructure Task Force to make spending decisions and establish 
Federal investment standards.
  There have been large storms before--in 1965 Hurricane Betsy hit 
almost this same area. There will be large storms again. This bill 
recognizes that and establishes National Preparedness Grants and 
several readiness studies to update emergency response plans, resolve 
inadequacies, and identify infrastructure vulnerabilities.

  To speed economic recovery, the bill provides 200M to both the 
Economic Development Administration and the Delta Regional Authority.
  Part of the long-term recovery of the region will be the clean-up of 
the environmental damage. Our bill provides direction to EPA to ensure 
that adequate sampling is performed, that the public knows the results, 
that drinking water and wastewater services are restored, and that 
cleanups are prioritized.
  The Army Corps of Engineers has a lot of explaining to do after the 
levee failure in New Orleans. The Corps also has a lot of clean up to 
do and a lot of rebuilding to do. The flood control system in place 
today was built in the wake of the damage caused by Hurricane Betsy in 
1965. I believe it is critical that we fully evaluate the entire Corps 
process to determine what changes should be made. This bill takes only 
a first step to be sure that we don't simply rebuild what was already 
in New Orleans without thinking. The bill requires the Corps to assess 
all projects in the area and repair or modify them with one 
comprehensive approach.
  We establish a National Levee Safety Program in this bill, similar to 
the Dam Safety Program to be sure our nation's levees can be counted 
on.
  Finally, our bill allows communities that provide incentives for the 
use of public transportation or ridesharing after a disaster to seek 
Federal reimbursement.
  What doesn't our bill do? Our bill does not waive environmental 
statutes. Since the Stafford Act was passed in 1974, there have been 
thousands of declared disasters. Never before have we faced a proposal 
to haphazardly waive environmental statutes across the Nation in the 
name of economic recovery in one devastated area. In the last few weeks 
several proposals have been introduced to give the President or EPA 
broad waiver authority in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. These 
proposals put human health and the environment at risk throughout the 
Nation by allowing permanent waivers to environmental or other laws, 
anywhere in the Nation, to be granted with few or no criteria, and no 
public involvement.
  The consequences of such an action could be significant. For example, 
new refineries or power generating facilities could be built while 
exempt from the Clean Air Act, causing long-term air quality impacts. 
Congressional offshore drilling bans could be waived to alleviate a 
fuel shortage. Safe Drinking Water Act regulations could be changed to 
waive limits on pollutant levels in an effort to speed reoccupancy of 
hurricane-affected areas, putting public health at risk. Protections 
for minorities or low-income people such as OSHA safety regulations or 
the minimum wage could be waived.
  I want to help the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The 
people of my home State of Vermont are appalled at the state of affairs 
there and want to help. But, I cannot accept a proposal this broad 
which will put human health and the environment throughout the Nation 
at the mercy of one President or appointed official with no time 
limits, no consideration of human health or the environment, no public 
participation, and no guidance. Such as effort will only hurt the 
people of an already devastated region in the long run, not help them.
  We must not just act to help the victims of Katrina. We must act in a 
thoughtful, meaningful, positive way.
  The Gulf Coast Infrastructure Redevelopment and Recovery Act of 2005 
meets that test. I urge my colleagues to co-sponsor this legislation.
                                 ______