[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 64 (Friday, April 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E817-E818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1495, WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT 
                              ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JERRY WELLER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 19, 2007



 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  April 20, 2007--On Page E817 the following appeared: The House 
in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had 
under consideration the bill (H.R. 195) to provide for the 
conservation and development of water and related resources, to 
authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct various projects 
for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States, and 
for other purposes:
  
  The online version should be corrected to read: NOTE: delete 
below text, The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State 
of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 195) to 
provide for the conservation and development of water and related 
resources, to authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct 
various projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the 
United States, and for other purposes:


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 

  Mr. WELLER of Illinois, Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support 
of H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. For the 11th 
Congressional District that I represent as well as for all of Illinois, 
passage of this legislation is of utmost importance. WRDA contains 
instructions for the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out studies and 
projects within my district at LaSalle and at Ballard's Island in the 
Illinois River.
  The City of LaSalle, IL, has taken an aggressive approach to 
promoting itself as a historical tourism destination as a way to 
compensate for the loss of manufacturing. The highpoint of this project 
is the Port of LaSalle and the Illinois & Michigan Canal. The Illinois 
& Michigan Canal was integral to the success of Chicago as a 
transportation hub back in the 19th century as it connected Chicago to 
the Illinois River. While it fell into disuse and disrepair, the Canal 
Corridor Association and the City of LaSalle have remade a stretch at 
the Lock 14 site in LaSalle. A replica canal boat is planned to be 
constructed and act as a tourist attraction and also a unique venue 
that can be rented for private functions to bring further revenue to 
the community.
  However, further contaminate testing for cadmuim and zinc needs to be 
completed so that dredging may take place in order to create a long and 
deep channel for the canal boat to be successfully operated. In passing 
this bill today, we will be giving the Army Corps of Engineers the 
authority to carry out the additional testing and the possible dredging 
that may be needed so that this project can come to fruition and this 
national treasure can be restored to its original glory.

[[Page E818]]

  Another project that is contained in H.R. 1495 is the further opening 
of the Ballard's Island Channel. The Army Corps completed its last 
dredging and stone removal at the Ballard's Island site in October 2003 
with the intent to study the effects and ramifications. A significant 
time having passed, it may be time for the Corps to continue with 
opening up this channel which the Corps closed almost 60 years ago. 
Cutting through the very large riparian bar which has built up over 60 
years and which now blocks the original channel may be a means to this 
goal. Doing so will divert water flowing into the channel as the result 
of the Corps reopening.
  Both the Illinois & Michigan Canal and the Ballad's Island Channel 
projects aid the surrounding communities both in environmental 
restoration and economic revitalization. I look forward to the 
successful completion of these projects and the important economic 
benefits these communities will see as a result.
  The WRDA legislation not only includes provisions that will assist 
specific communities in my district but also contains a mandate to 
update the lock and dam system on the Upper Mississippi arid Illinois 
Rivers. This project will replace seven key 600-foot navigation locks 
with seven new 1,200-foot locks. Improvements to the inland water 
transportation system are long past due. Many structures were built 
over 60 years ago, when barge tows were less than 600 feet long. 
Today's barge tows are nearly 1,200 feet long, creating vast backlogs 
at many locks, and slowing the speed with which Illinois products can 
be shipped abroad. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, 
construction of the 7 locks will provide at least 3,000-6,000 jobs per 
year for the construction period, an estimated 12-20 years.
  Farmers in Illinois and my district are dependent on the riverways to 
ship their products to international markets. Passage of H.R. 1495 will 
mean shorter shipping times, resulting in decreased costs and increased 
profit. I am pleased that we are finally joining in a bipartisan manner 
to assist American farmers in competing on the global level.
  Mr. Chairman, H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, 
provides a building block for many communities not only in my district 
but in every state and region in our country.
  In closing, I want to commend Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member 
Mica for producing a good bipartisan bill again and I am hopeful that 
this year we can finally get this bill to the President for his 
signature.

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