[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E591]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE ``NATIONAL LEVEE SAFETY PROGRAM ACT OF 2007''

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                           HON. JEAN SCHMIDT

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 20, 2007

  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to introduce 
the ``National Levee Safety Program Act of 2007''.
  We know, following the terrible devastation of Hurricane Katrina, how 
important reliable hurricane and flood protection infrastructure is.
  Congress has taken steps in the past to ensure that the nation's 
flood damage reduction infrastructure is properly inventoried, 
inspected, and assessed. In 1986, Congress authorized ``the National 
Dam Safety Program Act'' to conduct an inventory and assessment of all 
dams nationwide. ``The National Levee Safety Program Act'' is modeled 
after this successful program and law.
  Thanks to the Dam Safety Program Act, we know a great deal more about 
our nation's dams. When it comes to our nation's levees, however, we 
know very little. We do not know where they are all located and we 
often do not know their condition. We do not even know how many levees 
there are in the United States, how old they are, and, in many cases, 
who constructed them or who is responsible for their operation and 
maintenance. Much of this is due to the fact that levees have been 
built for decades by different entities, at different times, and to 
different standards.
  There has never been a national inventory of levees. I am introducing 
the ``National Levee Safety Program Act'' so we can develop such an 
inventory and work with the states to encourage them to develop their 
own levee safety programs.
  This legislation authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct an 
inventory, inspections, and assessments of all levees nationwide. The 
legislation establishes an Interagency Committee on Levee Safety to 
create standards for federal levees, and creates a National Levee 
Safety Advisory Board made up of state, local, and private officials to 
advise the Committee on Levee Safety on the safety of levees in the 
United States, the implementation of this Act by state levee safety 
agencies, and policy relating to national levee safety. The bill also 
provides incentives for states and localities to participate in the 
program.
  The National Levee Safety Program Act builds on my efforts in the 
last Congress encouraging states and local jurisdictions to work 
together to establish modern, statewide building codes which help 
mitigate costly future natural disasters, improving public safety and 
hopefully saving lives as well as taxpayer dollars. Similarly, creating 
an inventory of our levees is a valuable way for us to reduce the 
likelihood of costly, unforeseen future disasters.

  I am aware of at least three important levees built by the Corps of 
Engineers in Southern Ohio providing flood protection to Cincinnati, 
Portsmouth, and New Boston. This legislation would ensure the Corps 
maintains an up-to-date assessment of these levees while it also builds 
a broader inventory of levees throughout Ohio and our nation that were 
built by non-federal stakeholders.
  This legislation is fiscally responsible. In order to make the best 
investment of taxpayer dollars, we need to do an inventory, an 
inspection, and an assessment of levees across the United States. We 
need to know what they are protecting and what level of risk is 
associated with them. This should help us prioritize future spending on 
flood protection so we can spend taxpayer dollars more wisely.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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