[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 125 (Wednesday, August 1, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H9522-H9532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1495, WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2007
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the rule, I call up the
conference report on the bill (H.R. 1495) 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 Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 597, the
conference report is considered read.
(For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of
July 31, 2007, at page H9058.)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar)
and the gentleman Florida (Mr. Mica) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.
General Leave
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the conference report on H.R. 1495.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
At the very outset, I want to, on this historic day and historic
occasion, express my great appreciation to the gentleman from Florida,
the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Mica, for the time that
he has devoted and the close cooperation that we've enjoyed in crafting
this legislation.
We reached an agreement at the very outset of this session that we
would take up the work of the last 6, really 7 years on three previous
Congresses on the Water Resources Development Act and limit action in
this Congress to only those measures that were in the previous three
Congresses and not take up new measures, not take up new initiatives by
Members, not even adjusting the cost of previously approved projects on
which cost escalation may have occurred, and limit the scope of the
legislation to the work of three previous Congresses, and also to
comply with the rules of the House in getting sign-offs from Members on
both sides as the ethics rules require.
We crafted our sign-off sheet in advance of that done by any other
committee in the House, got it approved by the Ethics Committee and by
the Parliamentarian. We went through all these sign-off sheets, did
everything according to the book, and in roughly 6 weeks from the
beginning of the session, we were ready to go to the floor in March
with the House version of the Water Resources Development Act.
Regrettably, it took quite some time thereafter for the other body,
because of the difference in procedures and rules in their body from
those in ours, for them to get to this point, but they eventually moved
through committee and through the other body their version of WRDA.
We've concluded a conference, and I have to say, in 6 years, this is
a very extraordinary, historic accomplishment, and I'm very grateful
for the cooperation we've had and the participation every step of the
way on the Republican side on this committee in the historic tradition
of our committee, a very bipartisan approach.
I express great appreciation to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie
Bernice Johnson), Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources. She
devoted an enormous amount of her time in working through all of the
900-plus projects that come to the floor in this conference report, the
600-plus projects that were in the original House bill; and to the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker), who equally devoted an enormous
amount of his time to the subject matter before us.
It's that kind of time and effort and consideration that brought us
to the point where we have a bill that I expect will pass with an
overwhelming vote.
I will make a further observation, and that is, for me, as I said at
the
[[Page H9523]]
opening meeting of our committee on January 17, a very historic and
nostalgic moment. I started in this body 44 years ago as clerk of the
Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors, and now I'm chairman of the full
committee. That's not happened before in the House nor the other body,
and I feel very privileged, very honored, very deeply moved to be here
at this moment to see passage of this impressive legislation that will
make significant changes in Corps policy and programs, review of Corps
projects that will deal with the restoration of the wetlands in the
gulf from Texas through Louisiana and Mississippi; restoration of the
Everglades, one of the Nation's greatest water resource treasures; will
deal with locks and dams on the Mississippi River to expedite passage
of our agricultural commodities and international trade in which grain
moves on as little as an eighth of a cent a bushel.
It now takes 820 hours round trip for a barge tow to move from
Clinton, Iowa, to New Orleans, the world's most important grain export
facility. We can take 60-plus hours of time off that transit and make
our agriculture commodities more competitive in the international
marketplace.
We can restore the efficiency of commerce on the Great Lakes by
accelerating the dredging of the Great Lakes during this period of
drought where we have harbor depths that are down 58 inches in
Cleveland, 18 inches in St. Mary's Canal, 54 inches in Ashtebula
Harbor, preventing the movement of iron ore to the steel mills, coal to
the power plants at competitive prices. We're having to make two,
three, four more voyages per vessel in the Great Lakes because the
Corps has not been doing the dredging it needs to do. It will do that
under the provisions of this legislation.
We address the issues of invasive species in the Great Lakes, and the
east and the west coast and the gulf coast parts are now being invaded
by species brought in from waters foreign to our lands. Mr. Ehlers, for
whom I have a great admiration and respect, has been such a strong
advocate.
There's much, much more in this legislation. We need not be
exhaustive in discussing it. I just say I'm very grateful to all our
colleagues on the committee for this very special moment, and
especially to the committee staff on both sides who have worked so
diligently. And in particular, I want to express my great admiration
for Ryan Seiger, for he has steered the ship of state for us on this
matter; John Anderson on the minority side who was has been diligent
and forthright and helpful with his years of experience.
great lakes navigation
The conference report includes language to address the backlog of
maintenance dredging needs in the Great Lakes and connecting channels,
and ensure the long-term viability of the lakes for the movement of
goods and services.
The Great Lakes region is home to 25 of the Nation's top 100 ports,
when measured on the basis of tons of cargo, as well as many smaller
and rural ports. Unfortunately, over the past few years, declining
water levels in the lakes and a lack of adequate maintenance dredging
has hindered the overall efficiency of the Great Lakes system, and has
made the movement of goods through the Great Lakes more difficult, with
ports throughout the lakes being between 18 and 84 inches below their
authorized depths.
These shallow depths have caused three out of every four vessels
loaded in the Great Lakes over the last 5 years to have been forced to
``light load'' to safely travel through the reduced depths of the Great
Lakes and navigation channels. ``Light loading'' forces shippers to
take on less cargo, and reduces the overall efficiencies and cost-
savings related to the movement of goods by ship--increasing the
overall cost of goods.
Section 5014(a) provides authority for the Corps of Engineers,
``Corps'', using available appropriations, to address these emergency
dredging needs. The Corps should immediately begin work on addressing
this dredging backlog, and restore the authorized depths for the Great
Lakes and connecting channels to sustain commercial navigation
throughout the lakes.
Second Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Mi
The conference report also ensures that the Corps will finally build
the second lock at Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The Soo locks are situated on
the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The St. Marys River, a
water bridge connecting Lake Superior with Lake Huron, is a critical
link in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway system.
Over 80 million tons of commercial commodities pass through the Soo
lock annually. The primary commodity group is iron ore and taconite,
comprising more than 50 percent of the total annual tonnage. The Corps
estimates that the water route provided by the Soo locks reduces
transportation costs by an average of more than $4.90 per ton based on
fourth quarter 1998 cost levels. Based on 1998 tonnage, this represents
an annual transportation cost savings to the Nation of approximately
$420 million. Of the four U.S. locks, only the Poe lock is capable of
handling vessels with beams in excess of 76 feet. Any disruption of
service at the Poe lock would result in delays to the system's largest
vessels and could cause serious disruption to the industries and
companies that rely on the Poe-restricted vessels for shipment of raw
materials, especially iron ore and coal.
In 1985, the Corps studied the construction of a replacement lock at
the sites of the Davis and Sabin locks, and recommended a replacement
lock at 1,200 feet by 110 feet. The project was authorized in the Water
Resources Development Act of 1986, and reauthorized in the Water
Resources Development Act of 1990.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 authorizes the
construction of the second lock funded at Federal expense. The revised
cost of the project, in accordance with the limited reevaluation report
dated February 2004, is $341,714,000. Section 3091 provides the Corps
sufficient authority to carry out this project at the authorized
dimensions. The Corps should budget for this project in the
administration's fiscal year 2009 budget request, and immediately
proceed to construction of this project, without regard to
administrative policy.
St. Lawrence Seaway
Currently, two independent studies are close to completion on the
infrastructure needs of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway system,
specifically the engineering, economic, and environmental implications
of those needs as they pertain to the marine transportation
infrastructure on which commercial navigation depends. Both of these
studies have identified huge capital needs for restoration, operation,
and maintenance of the seaway. According to the seaway, approximately
$135 million in unmet operations, maintenance, repair, and
rehabilitation of the existing Eisenhower and Snell lock related
facilities and related navigational infrastructure is necessary to
ensure the continued, long-term viability of the system. Over the past
50 years, since completion of the seaway, there is about $83 million in
deferred maintenance costs that have left large portions of the
infrastructure in poor condition and in immediate need of repair,
replacement, or upgrading.
The conference report authorizes the Corps to assist the Saint
Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation by carrying out projects to
address the capital infrastructure and dredging maintenance needs of
the seaway, either through appropriations of the Seaway Development
Corporation or through the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. Funding for
projects under this section should not come from the budget of the
Corps.
Programmatic Changes
The conference agreement includes important programmatic changes that
address concerns with the existing Corps' study, design, review, and
mitigation processes.
Independent peer review
The Independent Peer Review requirements provide that project studies
shall be subject to peer review by an independent panel of experts. The
conference agreement is a combination of independent peer review
proposals passed by the United States Senate and the House of
Representatives. The conference agreement improves upon both the House
and Senate proposals to create a strong, workable, and independent
process for review of project studies carried out by the Corps. For
example, the conference agreement authorizes the independent peer
review to run concurrent with the project study period, and requires
that the peer review panel remain beyond the release of the independent
peer review report to allow the expertise gained during the review
period to be utilized by the Corps up to the release of the draft
report of the Chief of Engineers, ``Chief.''
There are two categories for independent peer review--project studies
for which independent peer review is mandatory, and project studies for
which such review is discretionary. The criteria for mandatory review
of project studies includes an estimated total project cost of more
than $45 million, project studies for which the Governor of an affected
State requests an independent peer review, and project studies that the
Chief determines are controversial.
The conference report also provides for discretionary independent
peer review of project studies for which the head of a Federal or State
agency charged with reviewing the project study determines that the
proposed project is likely to have a significant adverse impact on
environmental, cultural, or other natural resources under the
jurisdiction of the
[[Page H9524]]
agency after implementation of the proposed mitigation plans.
The conference agreement also includes a. narrow provision for the
Chief to exclude a very limited number of project studies from
independent peer review. The expectation is that project studies that
could be excluded from independent peer review are so limited in scope
or impact, that they would not significantly benefit from an
independent peer review. Project studies subject to independent peer
review based on the request of the Governor of an affected State may
not be excluded from review under any condition.
The conference agreement directs the Chief to contract with an
external entity, such as the National Academy of Sciences or a similar
independent scientific and technical advisory organization to establish
the panel of independent experts. The bill ensures that independent
experts with potential conflicts of interest in a project are excluded
from serving on the peer review panel.
The conference report requires independent peer review to occur
during the period beginning on the date of the signing of the
feasibility cost-sharing agreement, and will be conducted concurrent
with the development of the project study. Having the independent peer
review carried out concurrently with the development of the project
study will allow the independent peer review panel to receive relevant
information from the Corps, on a timely basis, and allow the
independent peer review panel to provide ongoing input into the
development of the project study. The conference expects that this
process will provide the independent peer review panel with sufficient
information to conduct its review, as well as allow the peer review
panel to recommend mid-course corrections to the ongoing project study,
and avoid the potential for significant issues or delay to arise at the
end of the project study period. As noted in the statement of managers,
the managers recognize that the recommendations of the independent peer
review panel are advisory; however, the managers expect the Corps to
give full consideration to the findings of the independent peer review
panel.
The independent peer review panel should conclude its peer review,
and submit a report to the Chief, not more than 60 days after the close
of the public comment period for the draft project study. The Chief may
extend the period for the peer review panel to conclude its peer review
if the Chief determines that additional time is necessary. The
conference has included language to terminate the peer review panel on
the date of the initiation of the State and agency review, which is
conterminous with the release of the draft Report of the Chief of
Engineers for the project, and which is after the issuance of the peer
review report. Recognizing that the Corps intends to allow a member or
members of the peer review panel to participate on the Civil Works
Review Board, which requires District Commanders to present their final
reports and recommendations for review, the bill requires the
independent peer review to remain impaneled beyond the issuance of the
peer review report and allows a member of the panel to participate on
the Civil Works Review Board, and to be available as experts, if
needed, for additional consultation on the project study.
The conference agreement applies the review process to project
studies initiated in the two years prior to enactment and for any study
initiated in the seven years following enactment. The two-year look
back applies to projects where the array of alternatives has not been
identified. In including this language, it was our intent that ``array
of alternatives'' be interpreted as when the alternatives are
identified for public comment in a draft feasibility report. This
should be quite late in the study process, resulting in the maximum
number of ongoing studies being subject to the independent review
process.
In the prospective application of the independent review process, all
established independent review panels will not end after seven years.
If a project study is initiated any time during the next seven years,
the entire study process is subject to independent review, no matter
how long it takes to complete the study.
Mitigation for fish and wildlife and wetlands losses
Typically, Corps' projects impact more wetlands than any other agency
or entity in the country. Various organizations, including the U.S.
Government Accountability Office, have raised concerns with the
mitigation conducted by the Corps related to their projects. This
legislation ensures that potential impacts from Corps' projects are
provided timely and adequate mitigation. In addition to mitigating the
impacts to fish and wildlife habitat, the conference agreement
amendment to section 906( d) of the Water Resources Development Act of
1986 intends for the Corps to mitigate for any potential loss of flood
damage reduction capabilities for activities impacted waters, including
wetlands.
The conference agreement specifically amends section 906(d) of the
Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to specify the elements that
must be identified in a mitigation plan required under that section.
Mitigation requirements now require mitigating losses to fish and
wildlife, and mitigation must now include losses to flood damage
reduction capabilities of the project area. The specific mitigation
plan must provide a description of the physical action to be
undertaken. The plan also must include a description of the lands or
interests in lands to be acquired for mitigation, and the basis for a
determination that such lands are available. The conference agreement
requires the mitigation plan to identify the quantity and type of lands
needed, and include a determination that lands of such quantity and
type are available for acquisition. The plan also must include the
type, amount, and characteristics of the habitat to be restored. The
plan must include success criteria based on replacement of lost
functions and values of the habitat, including hydrologic and
vegetative characteristics. Finally, if monitoring is necessary to
determine success of the mitigation, the plan must include a monitoring
plan and to the extent practicable, identification of the entities
responsible for monitoring. As monitoring is part of operation and
maintenance of a project, in most cases the entity responsible for any
monitoring will be the non-Federal sponsor. Such person must be
identified no later than entering into partnership agreement entered
into with the non-Federal interest.
The conference agreement supports more specificity in Corps reporting
documents concerning expected mitigation efforts. This section also
directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a report on the status of
mitigation concurrent with the submission of reports on the status of
project construction, as part of the President's budget submission.
The conference agreement also directs the Secretary, when carrying
out water resources projects, to first consider the use of a mitigation
bank if the bank has sufficient and appropriate (including ecologically
appropriate) credit to offset the impact, and the mitigation bank meets
certain criteria. To the maximum extent practicable, the service area
of the mitigation bank shall be in the same watershed as the project
activity for which mitigation is required. The intent term
``watershed'' is to be the immediate, localized watershed in which the
impact occurs and not the much larger watershed or watersheds that
might be included in the service area of a mitigation bank. This is
especially critical to address potential impacts in higher order
streams, including headwater streams, where the mitigation activities
should be proximate to the impacted areas.
Principles and guidelines
The conference agreement also directs the Secretary of the Army to
undertake a review and revise the principles and guidelines used by the
Corps for formulation, evaluation, and implementation of water
resources projects.
The current principles and guidelines focuses predominantly on the
national economic development (``NED'') benefits of Corps projects,
requiring a project to achieve a positive economic benefit cost ratio
before projects are recommended. In many cases, however, the Corps has
struggled with utilizing a traditional NED analysis in the evaluation
of projects within environmental restoration mission of the Corps. The
NED analysis works well on traditional Corps projects such as
navigation and flood damage reduction, but is not always appropriate in
the development of benefit cost analyses for environmental restoration
products. The Corps demonstrated its awareness of this issue through
the issuance of regulatory guidance materials that encourage, to the
maximum extent practicable, the inclusion of the national ecosystem
restoration (``NER'') benefits for ecosystem restoration projects.
The conference agreement directs the Corps to revise its existing
principles and guidelines to incorporate the unique needs for
evaluating environmental restoration projects into its current master
planning guidance. This is intended to enable the Corps to build better
projects. As is evident in this legislation, many of the recent Reports
of the Chief of Engineers recommend multipurpose projects that
appropriately address multiple concerns in a single project. A revised
principles and guidelines should enable the Corps to better weigh the
values of the different components of a multipurpose project.
Earmark Disclosure
In the preparation of the table of Congressional earmarks that
accompanies the Statement of Managers for the conference report, a
limited number of earmark disclosures were inadvertently deleted from
the table. The following Members of Congress have provided the
Committee with earmark disclosure forms for the following projects:
Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD) for section 5158(253)
Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation (Dewey and Zeibach Counties) and
Perkins and Meade Counties, South Dakota.
Representative Patrick Murphy (PA-08) for section 5003(a)(12) Ingham
Spring Dam, Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.
[[Page H9525]]
Representative Solomon Ortiz (TX-27) for section 3150 Lower Rio
Grande Basin, Texas.
Representative Charles W. Dent (PA-15) for section 5003(a)(14)
Stillwater Dam, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
Representative Barbara Lee (CA-09) for section 3182(b) Oakland Inner
Harbor Tidal Canal, California.
Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) for section 1001(34) South
River, Raritan River Basin, New Jersey.
Representative Rush D. Holt (NJ-12) for section 1001(34) South River,
Raritan River Basin, New Jersey.
The following Member of Congress was inadvertently listed in the
earmark disclosure report for the Statement on Managers for the
conference report:
Representative Robert Andrews (NJ-01) for section 1001(34) South
River, Raritan River Basin, New Jersey.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance my time.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Well, first of all, I can't begin this debate on this water resources
legislation without congratulating Mr. Oberstar. As you heard Mr.
Oberstar say that some 44 years ago he was a staffer for Chairman
Blatnik, I think his name was, at that time and tonight he chairs the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and I'm pleased to be the
Republican ranking member to have worked with him to bring forth a bill
that is very important, not only to Mr. Oberstar, and his efforts and
others in trying to bring a bill forward.
You know, we have not passed a water resources infrastructure bill
since the year 2000. Normally, we pass it every 2 years in a cycle
legislation that sets forth the projects and the policy and the
priorities for building the Nation's infrastructure, and we haven't
done that.
Now, one of the problems that we've had is that we've had a bad name
given to earmarks, and this bill contains some 950 projects, almost all
of them earmarks. There are a very significant number of earmarks in
this bill.
From the time I assumed responsibility for the T&I Committee on the
Republican side and in my discussions with Mr. Oberstar, I said we've
got to make certain this process is open, this process is transparent
and that we restore faith in this process. The choice is that we could
pass a bill tonight for $20 billion and authorizing projects and not
name those projects but let some bureaucrats down the street that are
unelected make the decisions, but that's not way this process works.
The people sent us here, they send us here to renew the contract
every 2 years to decide what the priorities are for our districts, and
that's what this legislation is about.
There are 950 projects in this legislation, again a very high number,
and the bill is a very high number, probably $20 billion when you total
up all those projects in authorization. Now, all of them won't get
funded, but we have a responsibility to set the priorities, and the
people are setting the priorities through their elected representative,
not some appointed bureaucrat.
I tried to make this a transparent process from the beginning. These
are all of the Republican Water Resource Development Act of 2007
requests. These have been on file. These have been open to the public.
The press has been in. They have been carefully vetted. Mr. Oberstar
and I attempted to vet every single project on the House side, and the
staff and others have been working to make certain that we vetted the
Senate and all the projects in this bill. And I think we've done about
as good a job and opened the process up to sunshine, to again a fair
and open honest process and hopefully restored some of the faith in
this process.
Now, I did receive today a communication notifying me that the White
House will probably veto this legislation. That's unfortunate, and I've
talked to the White House. We've tried to keep the dollars number down,
but I tell the White House and anyone else, and I will support Mr.
Oberstar and others if we have to override that veto. We need to do
that. Our job is to make certain that we build the infrastructure of
this country and we do it in a responsible manner.
We haven't had a bill since 2000. All you have to do is do the math.
The math is simple. The bills in the past have been about $6 billion,
6X3 is 18, and you add a few billion dollars more for inflation, and
this is the number we're at and the number of projects we're at. I've
told this to the President's advisers, and I regret that we're in this
situation, but we'll have to do what we have to do. The President's
going to have to do what he has to do.
But let me tell you now, and Katrina should be a lesson to us all,
you either pay now or you will pay later.
{time} 2100
These are projects that will determine whether dams break, whether
levees are secure, whether water resources for this Nation are
available, whether we do important environmental restoration that's
been left behind.
Again, I repeat that this is authorization, not funding. But we have
a responsibility to pick and set those priorities as the people's
elected representatives.
Let me tell you also again critical needs in this bill. I have had
Members literally come to me with tears in their eyes and say that, in
fact, a project is so important that people's homes, lives and
properties may be destroyed if we don't move forward with authorizing
their projects.
In my own State of Florida, I am pleased tonight, and there are
ironies tonight, I remember working with Senator Dole when we tried to
do the Everglades restoration. That was talked about for years, even
when I was in the legislature back in Florida in the 1970s.
Tonight, in this bill is the authorization for the first construction
money to restore Florida's Everglades, a national environmental
treasure that, unfortunately, man and sometimes the Corps of Engineers
in some unwise policies have nearly ruined. But we have a chance now to
restore that through this legislation.
In 2000, we authorized study money. This is the actual work money,
the first work money for that. In my own community, and I close on
this, I have A1A, scenic and national highway designation A1A, through
Flagler County, which is literally falling into the ocean. The beach
has eroded. We have no more beach there. We need to restore that. Those
are the kinds of projects that are in this bill, even for me as a
ranking member.
I strongly support this measure. I think it's responsible. I don't
want to get into a contest with the White House, but, again, I thank
the staff; Mr. Baker, I will yield to in a few minutes; Ms. Johnson;
Mr. Duncan, the former chairman of the water resources; and all others
who have worked on this.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute to express my
appreciation to the gentleman from Florida for his splendid
cooperation, his heartfelt earnestness on getting this legislation
through and understanding the great significance it represents for all
of us.
I want to emphasize once again, we exercise great discipline in this
body in shaping the legislation, keeping the costs within containment,
within the previous 6, almost 7 years of projects that had already been
vetted through the House, passed by this body and yet, unfortunately,
didn't make it through the Senate.
I read with heavy heart the administration statement of veto. I think
that it's a misunderstanding on their part. We will do our part, we
will do our role, and the other body will do its part. Then we will see
whether, in fact, a veto comes forward. If it does, we will deal with
it just straightforwardly, without rancor, without discussion. These
are the right investments for America.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Eddie Bernice Johnson), the distinguished Chair of the Subcommittee on
Water Resources and Environment and thank her once again for the
splendid work.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in
strong support of the conference report for H.R. 1495, the Water
Resources Development Act of 2007.
I congratulate Chairman Oberstar, Ranking Member Mica and the ranking
member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Mr.
Baker, for your work on reaching this agreement in the vital
infrastructure investment bill for the Nation's water resources needs.
I especially express my appreciation to the staff, to Congressman
Young,
[[Page H9526]]
Congressman Duncan, and Congressman Costello and other distinguished
members of this committee, because we have all worked together in a
bipartisan manner.
All of us assembled here this evening understand the magnitude of
this moment. The clock is working against the infrastructure of our
country. The 7 years we have waited to enact a water resources
development bill have led to significant increases in cost to
adequately address the Nation's deteriorating water resources and flood
control infrastructure.
As such, I am delighted that we as conferees have come to an
agreement on the issues independent of review, environmental issues,
environmental infrastructure and individual projects that have, up
until now, prevented us from crafting a final conference report.
We do right and good by this country when we invest in its
infrastructure. I agree with the chairman that enactment of a water
resources bill this year is critical to economic prosperity, job
creation, protection of the environment and public safety.
Since Congress last passed a Water Resources Development Act, we have
seen Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita devastate the gulf coast and
my home State of Texas, flooding cities, damaging economies and
businesses and threatening public health.
No water resources bill has been enacted since the year 2000, the
entire term of this current administration. While I am fully aware of
the veto threat that this administration has issued on the conference
report, I want to remind my colleagues that since the start of the Iraq
conflict in 2003, nearly $42 billion has been appropriated at the
request of the administration for Iraqi reconstruction, one-third of
which, or $14 billion, is going towards Iraqi economic infrastructure.
I would daresay that if this level of attention is adequate for Iraqi
water and road infrastructure, my State, as well as my constituents,
who are constantly beleaguered by outdated flood protection, are as
equally deserving of the attention afforded by H.R. 1495. I deeply
regret that the administration has decided to turn its back on a bill
that would put Americans to work with good-paying jobs, protect lives
and property and bolster our Nation's infrastructure.
A recent report by the Texas Section of Civil Engineers assessed my
State's infrastructure and rendered a dismal cumulative grade of below
average. The assessment of the State's flood control fared even worse,
with the State receiving a failing grade of D minus.
Over the past decade, Texas has experienced 15 federally declared
disasters, most involving flooding. Moreover, Texas leads the Nation in
terms of dollars paid for flood claims, second only to the State of
Louisiana.
The population of Texas is expected to double in the next 30 to 40
years. Development in and near flood plains can be expected to
increase, as developers continue to build near the State's rivers,
lakes and coastlines.
In my district, the Dallas Floodway accepts 1,600 square miles of
Trinity River watershed runoff and safely moves the floodwaters through
the City of Dallas by virtue of levees that form both sides of the
2,000-foot-wide Floodway. The Floodway levees protect the downtown
vicinity from a potential flood damage loss to properties and
infrastructure at a price of $8 billion or more. This is a major
economic area.
The 23 miles of levees for the Dallas Floodway were originally
constructed by local interests in 1932 and reconstructed by the Corps
in 1960. But, since 1960, the upstream watershed has experienced
exploding population growth, and that was not expected, which has
significantly increased runoff, overwhelmed our antiquated drainage
pumps, and greatly reduced the flood protection afforded by the Dallas
Floodway levees.
My district's flood control needs are great; and, like the other
communities across this Nation, they are anxiously anticipating the
resumption of a predictable, consistent, and 2-year water plan.
I am glad our work here today brings us one step closer to this
reality. The product before us authorizes a number of studies and
projects, particularly for the restoration of coastal Louisiana, the
restoration of Florida Everglades and the restoration of the upper
Mississippi River and the Illinois Waterway System.
Again, we do right by this country when we invest in its
infrastructure. Communities across the country have been waiting 7 long
years to begin their noteworthy flood control and water infrastructure
projects. I am pleased that we have been able to put our heads together
and once and for all advance this vitally important and long-overdue
legislation for the American people.
I want to extend my thanks again to the bipartisan committee
leadership of both Chambers and, most especially, the efforts of our
dedicated staff persons who have spent countless hours in crafting the
conference report.
I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this conference
report to H.R. 1495. The time to act is now.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds to introduce the
gentleman from Louisiana.
Sometimes in this business you have the opportunity to decide who is
going to work with you on different projects. I had that opportunity in
January, and I chose Richard Baker.
If you don't know Richard Baker, let me tell you, the good Lord sent
Richard Baker to us at the right time, because there is probably nobody
in the Congress that could have been a better steward or done a better
job in handling the Water Resources Committee responsibilities.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana
(Mr. Baker), just an absolutely outstanding representative, who has
done a good job on this great bill that is so important to Louisiana.
Mr. BAKER. Mr. Ranking Member, I am humbled by your comments. I thank
you for that courtesy, and I am deeply appreciative.
I have enjoyed very much the opportunity not only to work with you in
this capacity but to work with our chairman, who has deep roots and
ties to New Orleans, and the gracious gentlelady from Texas, the
chairman of our subcommittee.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a terrific team from which there has been a
terrific product developed that all Members who have spoken this
evening have made clear as to the scope of the projects, the need for
the projects, the clarity of the process, which our ranking member
insisted on and opening up to public scrutiny the projects which
ultimately are contained in this report.
I wish to make just one observation as a representative of Louisiana
and make clear that the Governor, the congressional delegation and,
most importantly, the people of Louisiana recognize what this
legislation means to us tonight. It is not merely the elimination of an
inconvenience or the restoration of some public service that we would
like to have. This bill goes to the point of restoring our culture and
our ability to live as people along the coast of the great State of
Louisiana. For that, all of us are deeply grateful to the Members who
have made this possible and to this Congress.
There is one notable development I would like to memorialize in the
discussion of the conference report tonight, and that is a problem
which had been long-standing for many years with the representatives of
the great State of Mississippi, particularly that of Senator Lott, to
whom I would like to express deep appreciation.
The gentleman has had for many years concerns about the salinity
levels of the water off the gulf coast affecting the productivity of
his own fisheries. Likewise, we in Louisiana had concerns about some of
the proposed remedies which, in our view, would have had an adverse
water quality effect on our own fisheries.
In the course of the debate with the conferees, I was assigned the
duty to work with the Senator and come to some resolution thereon,
which will enable both States to seek the benefit they are entitled to.
I am pleased that with the coastal area impact program, we have
identified a source of funding, we have agreed to the terms of
construction for the Violet Canal project, and I tonight want to say
tonight, on behalf of the congressional delegation and for those who
follow us here, that it is our intent to honor and abide by the terms
and
[[Page H9527]]
agreement that Senator Lott negotiated with us and in good faith
ultimately seek closure of this most difficult project, which I
understand has led to difficulty and the consideration of prior WRDA
legislative efforts. It is important, I believe, for us to recognize
the contributions made by that delegation and their willingness to
assist us in Louisiana in coming to final agreement.
With that, I am just pleased to be a small part this process and to
have enabled the ability to participate in a small way getting a vital
piece of legislation virtually for every congressional district in this
country.
{time} 2115
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to
the distinguished Chair of the Railroad Subcommittee, Ms. Brown from
Florida.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I want to thank Chairman Oberstar and
Chairwoman Johnson as well as Mr. Mica and Mr. Baker for their hard
work in completing this long-awaited bill. With the new leadership in
the House and on the committee, this legislation will soon be on the
way to the President's desk for his signature.
These water projects and these projects are extremely important to my
home State of Florida and for the Nation as a whole and have been held
hostage for far too long. Like all transportation projects, these
included in this bill will put people back to work, improve our
communities, and create economic activity. This legislation also
ensures that workers are paid a fair rate for their hard work. It is
these workers' taxes that pay for these projects, and they deserve fair
wages that allow them to adequately provide for their families.
By delaying the passage of this much-needed legislation any further,
we are doing a disservice to the people we represent. I encourage my
colleagues to support this conference report so we can move forward
with these critical projects this bill contains and so that we can
begin to work on the next WRDA reauthorization so we don't have to wait
another 6 years to fund these critical water infrastructure projects.
Again, I want to thank Chairman Oberstar, especially Chairwoman
Johnson for making this conference a reality. I want to thank Mr. Mica
and Mr. Baker again. And I am just very excited that after 6 years we
are going to have a bill. And, as Mr. Oberstar always says, that our
committee, Transportation is the committee that actually put America to
work. And so not only do we put them to work, but we are protecting the
infrastructure.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to one of the
very distinguished members of the Missouri delegation, Mr. Hulshof.
(Mr. HULSHOF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. HULSHOF. I thank the gentleman for yielding. To the chairman of
the full committee, I would say as difficult and partisan as this day
has begun, I think we are going to end on a very bipartisan high note,
and certainly thank the gentleman, the gentlelady from Texas, certainly
Mr. Mica and the gentleman from Louisiana who just spoke.
Congratulations to all in finally passing this WRDA bill.
I would like to spend just a moment to talk about the legislation,
the modernization of the five locks on the Mississippi River and the
two on the Illinois River; the gentleman from Minnesota mentioned that
earlier as far as the modernization of locks and dams. And I want to do
this in a little different way.
Last week, we considered and passed the farm bill. Perhaps I took a
little bit of heat for actually supporting that bill. In part, I
supported it because it provides an important safety net for our
farmers. And, interestingly, the bill we are considering tonight will
go a long way to ensuring that farmers don't need to rely upon
subsidies to survive.
How is that, you ask? Well, the ability to transport crops to export
markets via the Mississippi River provides our Midwestern farmers a
better price for crops than if that river was not available. Witness
Hurricane Katrina as an unfortunate real world example of that specific
example. A recent study conducted on behalf of a river stakeholder
calculated that, if we fail to increase the size of our locks and if we
were to allow river congestion to increase, farmers would lose $562
million a year. That income would need to be replaced by subsidy
payments on the farms or the farms would fail. As such, the $1 billion
in taxpayer dollars that this bill includes to modernize our locks is a
hedge against the multiple billions of dollars of future farm subsidies
and allows our farmers to continue to farm for the markets and not for
a government check.
This bill, as has been noticed, is long overdue. The modernization of
our outdated locks is also long overdue. These locks are standing out
of habit. They were built in the 1930s to accommodate steamboats. Since
1975, the Corps has spent $900 million under fix-it-as-it-fails
scenarios, hoping to push major problems a little way down the river.
But despite the Corps' best efforts, and I would have to say an amazing
job of maintenance on a shoestring budget, the River continues to lose
about 10 percent of its capacity every year due to unplanned
maintenance closures.
Now, as a last point, a gentle point, I would say to my friend from
Oregon, who spoke earlier on the rule, he and I have discussed on
several occasions the modernization of locks and dams on the Upper
Mississippi, and I want to be kind to him as I say he is not as ardent
of a supporter of those modernization efforts as I, and he spoke of the
independent review process. I concur with him, but I would remind the
gentleman that the independent review that examined the locks and dams
modernization woefully underestimated the demand variable for corn and
ethanol.
This year alone in my district, tens of millions of additional
bushels of corn will be harvested this fall and will need a viable
navigable waterway. The study by the National Academy of Sciences did
not adequately anticipate this increased demand. So while independent
review, I agree, is important, it is not infallible. But I thank the
diligent work of the committee to include this modernization. I urge
every Member to support the conference report.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman 2 additional
minutes, and ask if the gentleman would yield?
Mr. HULSHOF. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.
Mr. OBERSTAR. I compliment the gentleman on his statement and his
recognition of underscoring the importance of the Mississippi River-
Illinois-Ohio River system as the water highway for our midcontinent
grain producers.
If you look at a map of the north and south hemisphere, the furthest
point of Brazil sticks out of the South Atlantic Ocean, and that is
Recife. From that port are exported soybeans. That is 2,500 miles
further out in the Atlantic than New Orleans. They market to the same
destinations that we do for soybeans, we in the great Midwest, to east
and west Africa, and to the Pacific rim. They have a 5-day or 6-day
sail advantage.
If we don't do the modernization on the locks, we continue to lose
market share in the world marketplace. As I said earlier, grain moves
on as little as an eighth of a cent a bushel.
So we have to do this, and it is going to be done. It has waited far
too long.
Mr. HULSHOF. I appreciate my friend from Minnesota.
I would tell the gentleman that I grew up in the shadows of the
levees of the Mississippi River, and I am the son of a Missouri farm
family. We are about 8 miles from the Mississippi River as the crow
flies, and the ability to have that navigable waterway means the
difference between being in the black or being in the red for our
family farm. So that lesson has imprinted itself upon me. And I am
pleased to support the gentleman in this conference report, and I thank
the gentleman for the additional courtesies.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to an outstanding member
of the T&I Committee on the Republican side of the aisle, the gentleman
from Beaumont, Texas (Mr. Poe) for 3\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. POE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to congratulate
the chairman, Mr. Oberstar, and Ranking Member Mica for their work on
getting this long-delayed bill to the House floor, and I certainly
support it. Both
[[Page H9528]]
the ranking member and the chairman have said, as long as I have been
on this committee, that this is the most cooperative committee even
though it is the largest committee in Congress. And it is true. It is a
bipartisan committee that gets things done. We disagree, but we do it
in a civil manner.
I am also impressed with Mr. Oberstar's knowledge of transportation
history. He knows more about transportation that has occurred in the
United States probably than all of us put together.
I do want to thank the committee for including in this WRDA bill the
expedited completion of the study for the Sabine-Neches Waterway
Project. I have been frustrated for the lack of progress by the Army
Corps of Engineers to finalize this completion study.
The study report was started by the Corps in the year 2000, with a
completion date of 2004. It was supposed to cost $6 million. And now it
is 2007, and this project study is still not completed, and estimates
on final cost of the project have now risen to $13 million. I
appreciate the chairman's support for this study to be completed as
soon as possible.
The Sabine-Neches Waterway is the riverway that separates Texas from
Louisiana and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Sabine-Neches is vital to
not only southeast Texas, but it is essential for the national security
needs of our Nation. It is the home of America's largest commercial
military port and the Port of Beaumont, and it is second largest in the
world. It is crucial for shipping military cargo to our troops in Iraq
and Afghanistan and is America's largest importer of crude oil by
tonnage. Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the Nation's jet fuel is
produced by refineries on this waterway, including 80 percent of the
jet fuel used by our military. This riverway supplies petrochemical and
energy needs for southeast Texas and the rest of the Nation.
Section 508 requires the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite
completion of this study whether or not to expand, widen, and deepen
the riverway for the Sabine-Neches Waterway, and the joint statement
further directs that this would be done as soon as possible. I hope
this study is finished this year so that it will be included in next
year's full WRDA bill and we can start moving dirt to widen, deepen,
and make this riverway important not only for southeast Texas but for
national security reasons as well. It is important for our economy, it
is important for our recovering economy after Rita in southeast Texas,
and I look forward to working on the next WRDA bill after this one is
passed to have it completed.
Once again, I want to thank the ranking member and the chairman for
their full support.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mahoney). And I thank the gentleman from
Texas for his kind remarks.
Mr. MAHONEY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the
Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
I want to begin by thanking Chairman Oberstar, Congresswoman Johnson,
and my colleague, Ranking Member Mica and their staffs on behalf of
Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie County for all the efforts that they
have done to ensure that one of our Nation's greatest treasures is
preserved for future generations, the Everglades.
Seven years ago, Congress authorized the largest environmental
restoration plan in the Nation's history, the Comprehensive Everglades
Restoration Plan. Despite its broad bipartisan support for the plan in
2000, Congress has not honored its commitment to the Everglades. As a
result, this plan once envisioned as an equal partnership between State
and Federal Government has become the sole responsibility of Florida,
whose citizens have invested over $2 billion. Today, Congress has an
historic opportunity to renew its promise to be an equal partner in
Everglades restoration by passing the WRDA conference report for the
first time in 7 years.
The conference report would authorize funding for numerous projects
that are a part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, most
notably the Indian River Lagoon and Picayune Strand. The Indian River
Lagoon project located in my district is not only critical to the
success of the Everglades, but it is critical to the economic well-
being to the Treasure Coast of Florida.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Congress to pass this long overdue legislation
and renew Congress' commitment to restoring one of our Nation's
greatest treasures, the Everglades. And, once passed, I urge my
colleagues to join me in telling the President, after 7 years of
neglect, it is time to do the people's business and sign this bill into
law.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison), whose district I mentioned
earlier on the transportation bill had a terrible tragedy this
afternoon.
Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, of course I rise in very strong support of
the bill tonight, and it is a very tragic irony that it is over a body
of water that a tragedy occurred in Minneapolis today.
I rise tonight with every Member of that Minneapolis delegation. We
stand united in our heartfelt concerns over the news of the collapse of
the 35W Bridge spanning the Mississippi River in my hometown of
Minneapolis, which occurred early this evening. I spoke with Mayor
Rybak regarding this tragic situation, and I pledge to work with him in
every possible way to recover from this disaster.
As of now, we simply do not know the magnitude of the tragedy. Early
reports are that eight cars and one truck are in the river. About 50
school children very narrowly avoided falling into the river. I do not
know the depth of the injured. As of now, we know there are three
confirmed dead. We pray for the deceased, for those still in peril, and
for the families who have not yet heard the news from their loved ones.
{time} 2130
Our delegation stands united in marshaling the resources for our
Minneapolis emergency forces in need of search and rescue efforts.
I want to express my profound thanks for the dedicated work of the
responders who are on the scene risking their own lives to save others.
We are grateful for those who we know have survived this tragedy,
including, miraculously, the school bus containing perhaps as many as
50 youngsters.
Again, I am very saddened by the depth of this tragedy, stand
together with all eight members of the Minnesota delegation, and I
intend to return home tomorrow morning to Minneapolis on the earliest
possible flight to do everything I can to help the citizens of my city
recover from this horrible tragedy.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ramstad).
Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, the dean
of our delegation, Mr. Oberstar; and I strongly support this Water
Resources Development Act and thank, again, Chairman Oberstar for
yielding.
I rise with tremendous sadness and grief about an awful tragedy that
took place this evening in Minnesota. Full details on the tragedy are
still sketchy, but we know that, as of 6:10 p.m. Minnesota time, during
the midst of evening rush hour, a bridge on Interstate Highway 35W in
downtown Minneapolis, very close to the Metrodome, collapsed, causing
at least 40 cars to fall into the Mississippi River.
As my colleague, Keith Ellison, mentioned, at least three people are
confirmed dead. A number of others have been hospitalized at the nearby
Hennepin County Medical Center, and now we get word at five other
hospitals as well. Rescue operations are still under way at this late
hour, as fires continue to burn and people remain unaccounted for.
The Minnesota Congressional Delegation, thanks to our dean, Mr.
Oberstar, has already met and pledged our total support to obtain
whatever Federal assistance is needed.
In addition, on behalf of Governor Pawlenty, with whom I've been in
constant contact, I want to offer the gratitude of all Minnesotans to
Speaker Pelosi, who has already pledged her full support for any
Federal assistance our State needs to address this bridge disaster.
I also want to pay special thanks to the first responders who are on
the scene at the moment and rescue operations and other services. Every
single Fire Department in the seven county
[[Page H9529]]
metro area is there on the scene, as well as all the Police
Departments, emergency medical personnel. And, again, we all thank
those brave first responders.
Our thoughts and prayers, Mr. Speaker, finally, are with the families
of all those affected by this horrible disaster. We will continue to
monitor the situation very closely, of course; and we ask all Americans
to pray for the victims, the survivors and their families.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).
Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. The words of my colleagues from Minnesota
reflect how we all feel at this time; and those of you in the Chamber,
I know, are sharing our grief on this very, very sad day.
We need to stand united to make sure that infrastructure all around
this country is properly maintained and cared for. We don't know the
cause of the accident as of yet, but I know that we will do a thorough
investigation and do whatever we can to prevent tragedies like this
from happening in the future.
And to my congressional colleague from the other twin city,
Minneapolis, please know that the City of St. Paul stands in
solidarity. This is a time for grief for both cities, and we'll do
whatever we can to be supportive.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the tragedy that
occurred today in Minnesota and assure our colleagues from Minnesota
and the families of Minnesota victims that we stand in solidarity with
them.
Thank you, Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica for all your
hard work to finalize what would be the first WRDA bill to become law
since the year 2000. I would also like to thank the staff for their
diligence in finalizing the details of this important legislation.
Simply put, enactment of this bill is long overdue, not just because
we have billions of dollars of water infrastructure projects that
desperately need to be completed but because this bill means more jobs
throughout the country and each project we undertake provides a net
benefit to the economy in terms of improved commerce, new jobs and a
cleaner environment.
In particular, this bill is vitally important to my State, and the
chairman and members of the California delegation know all too well
that much of Northern California that I represent is held together by a
fragile web of 100-year-old levees with varying degrees of stability.
As a source of drinking water for 25 million Californians, the mix of
natural and manmade channels in the San Joaquin Delta need constant
oversight and perpetual maintenance to remain functional.
Of particular importance is a flood protection project near the city
of Morgan Hill in my district that improves the Llagas Creek, a
waterway that runs several miles through Morgan Hill south to Gilroy.
I'm very pleased that we are correcting a jurisdictional issue in this
legislation that stopped the Corps from completing work on Llagas Creek
for years. Specifically, we are now directing the Corps to complete the
Llagas Creek.
Mr. Speaker, as a conference member on this legislation, I want the
Record to indicate that the Llagas Creek project is meant to be
completed under the national directive language we included in the bill
and under the cost-sharing ratio we have explicitly included in H.R.
1495.
I'm hopeful the Corps will expeditiously complete the project so the
residents of Morgan Hill can rest easy in the knowledge that we're
protecting them from periodic flood damage.
Again, I want to compliment the chairman for his hard work.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining on both
sides?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida has 12 minutes
remaining; the gentleman from Minnesota, 2.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time; and
I'll be pleased, if the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) needs
additional time, to yield to him in light of the tragedy that has
struck his State.
Mr. Speaker, again, my heartfelt sympathies are expressed to any of
the Members from Minnesota as they deal with this very difficult
tragedy and also to the families who've lost loved ones in the collapse
of the span of Interstate 35 West, which I understand connects
Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The information I have is that some of the sections were under
construction, and the span was closed last night for construction and
reopened this morning and scheduled to be closed again tonight. But,
unfortunately, we have seen from news accounts a very significant
disaster and loss of life in the failure of that infrastructure.
I, too, would pledge my support in working with Chairman Oberstar,
with the Minnesota delegation and working with this administration and
the Congress to bring whatever resources to reopen that span and try to
repair that infrastructure.
While we can replace the infrastructure, we can't replace the lives;
and, again, our sympathy goes to those who mourn their loved ones
tonight.
As we conclude debate on this water resources infrastructure bill,
once again we're reminded of the importance of infrastructure, whether
it's bridges, dams, the highways that are along our beaches, the
natural reserves we have in this country that depend on Congress to
protect them and protect that water resource infrastructure.
I yielded earlier to our ranking member and thank him again, Mr.
Baker; and I said the Good Lord sent us Mr. Baker to lead the
Republican side of the Water Resources Committee. And again, we have
the example of the failure of water resource infrastructure, the levees
and some of the infrastructure in New Orleans and Louisiana. No one is
more knowledgeable, has a better firsthand experience than Mr. Baker.
And this bill also contains a considerable amount of authorization for
projects in Louisiana and New Orleans.
Finally, I want to thank, again, Ms. Johnson. Next week, I'll get to
travel to her district. Under her leadership they bring together all
the transportation leaders in the State of Texas for probably one of
the country's largest, it's grown to the country's largest
infrastructure conferences, and they've asked me to come down and speak
and be with them as they plan Texas' policy and transportation projects
for the future. I look forward to that opportunity of being with her,
and I thank her again for her distinguished leadership and working in a
bipartisan fashion to craft this long-overdue legislation.
So again, I thank all of those. I have John Anderson, Mr. Speaker,
with me, who represents all of the staff on the Republican side; and I
thank the staff on the majority side for their hard work in trying to
make this bill a reality.
And, again, I thought of one of the most important projects, as the
gentleman from Florida, other gentleman from Florida pointed out
tonight, that restoration, the first work on the Everglades being in
this bill, important not only to Florida and our districts in Florida
but also to the Nation because of the environmental treasure that we're
trying to preserve. We do make positive steps towards its restoration
and preservation for future generations.
So it's a good bill. I know the President's probably going to veto
it. It'll be back here. We're going to, unfortunately, have to override
that veto to make this a reality.
But, as I said earlier, the President has to do what he has to do,
Congress has to do what the Congress has to do, and we will work
together again to make certain that the infrastructure of this country
and water resources are preserved for the future.
For the first time since 2000, the Congress is on the verge of
passing a major bill authorizing projects, studies, policies, and
programs related to the Army Corps of Engineers.
There has been a WRDA introduced in every Congress since 2000,
however, controversy always seemed to arise that dashed our hopes for a
new authorization bill. Over the years we have worked to bridge the
gaps created by those controversies and have arrived at the point where
we now have a product that the Congress can approve and send to the
President.
This bill has been under development for many years. It is the result
of much debate and much compromise. This is not the bill that
[[Page H9530]]
any of us in the room would have written, if we were writing a bill by
ourselves. However, it is a bill that all of us can support because it
addresses important needs of our Nation.
This is a good bill that represents investments in America. These
investments will improve trade, protect our homes and businesses from
flood damages, and enhance our quality of life by restoring aquatic
ecosystems. This legislation ensures our ports and waterways remain
viable in the international marketplace by authorizing critical
navigation deepening projects. Without these projects shippers will go
to other foreign ports like those in Canada and Central America.
For some goods, as much as 50% of the ultimate price paid by the
consumer is attributable to transportation costs. Keeping these costs
low not only benefits consumers here in the United States, it also
makes products produced in the United States more competitive on the
world market. Congestion at an outdated lock on a waterway can result
in increased costs that rob the farmer of his or her profit. Delay and
its associated costs also can rob a farmer of his or her market. This
is not a speculative concern.
Recently, improved transportation systems in South America have
allowed farmers there to keep their costs low enough to underbid United
States grain farmers for customers located in the United States!
America's farmers, like the rest of the United States economy, depend
on modern and efficient waterways as an integral part of the intermodal
transportation system.
Trade builds wealth. But to realize the economic benefits of trade,
we must have a modern transportation system. To maintain our place in
the global economy, the United States must have modern ports and
waterways that can bring the world's goods to our door and make
America's products competitive on the world market. Our ports and
waterways need to be improved to handle the additional traffic and
larger class of ships that we know are coming. This Conference Report
addresses these needs in several ways including authorizing
improvements to waterways in my home State of Florida, as well as in
Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia. In addition, it authorizes 7 new locks
and other navigation improvements on the upper Mississippi River.
The WRDA Conference Report authorizes critical projects to provide
flood protection to millions of Americans. Flood damage reduction
projects save Federal dollars by reducing the probability that disaster
relief will have to be used in the future. This bill includes a
multitude of projects that protect our cities from floods and coastal
storms.
As our Nation has become more environmentally conscious, and sought
ways to improve aquatic ecosystems, the Corps of Engineers has become a
leader in planning and carrying our environmental restoration projects.
This Conference Report is by far the ``greenest'', most
environmentally-friendly Water Resources Development Act ever. The most
frequent purpose of new Corps of Engineers project authorizations in
this bill is environmental restoration.
This Conference Report contains critical provisions to restore the
Everglades. Everglades restoration has been talked about for years, but
with the projects authorized in this bill, actual work and construction
of projects can begin. Not only is the Everglades vital to the economy,
environment and people of Florida, it is a national treasure that must
be cared for and protected for future generations of Americans.
These projects have been brought forward by the Corps in partnership
with the State of Florida. The State of Florida has stepped up with
their share of funds for these projects. Now that we have these first
authorizations, Congress should be supportive of funding this important
effort to save a national treasure. These are just the first of what
will be many projects over the next several decades to clean up, store,
and redirect water for the Everglades.
This bill does not provide guaranteed funding--money will have to be
appropriated to meet these authorization levels, but it represents a
critical commitment by the Congress to restore an ecological jewel of
the United States. This legislation will help ensure a revitalized
Everglades for generations to come.
Also addressed in this bill are policy issues that improve how the
Corps of Engineers does projects. We have instituted an Independent
Peer Review into the Corps' planning process to enhance the agency's
credibility. We are improving project monitoring to determine if the
projects are performing as designed.
I know that some are not happy with the size of this bill; however,
we must remember that the Conference Report represents the pent-up
demand of 3 WRDA bills. This legislation is overdue by 5 years. And if
we wait any longer it will just be a bigger bill, because the Nation's
needs are not going away by themselves. We must address them like we
are doing here today.
I want to thank Don Young, the former chairman of this Committee, who
worked for many years to resolve the difficult issues surrounding this
bill; and also Jimmy Duncan who chaired our Water Resources and
Environment Subcommittee for 6 years and worked closely with the
Ranking Members Jerry Costello and Peter DeFazio to create many of the
compromises that made this Conference Report possible.
I certainly want to thank you, Chairman Oberstar, for your leadership
over the years both as Ranking Member and now as Chairman of the Full
Committee. It has been very rewarding to work with you on this bill and
it shows what we can accomplish when we work together in a bipartisan
way to address the Nation's needs.
Under the leadership of Senator Boxer and Senator Inhofe, the Senate
passed a bill that included many of the same projects addressed in the
House bill. I think it is appropriate that the package before us today
represents a compromise of the House and Senate bills into a good
product that both chambers can proudly support.
Lastly, I want to thank the staff of the Full Committee, Jim Coon,
Amy Steinmann, Charlie Ziegler, and Jason Rosa. I also want to thank
the staff of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, John
Anderson, Geoff Bowman, and William Collum for their dedication in
finishing the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
And on Mr. Oberstar's staff, I want to thank David Heymsfeld and Ward
McCarragher of the Full Committee, and especially the Subcommittee
staff of Ryan Seiger, Ted Illston, Beth Goldstein, and Mike Brain.
I urge all Members to support the Conference Report.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield the balance of my time
to the gentleman from Minnesota.
Mr. OBERSTAR. I thank the gentleman very much for his kind words, for
his prayers and his thoughts about our fellow Minnesotans and the
tragedy that's occurred this evening; and I join my prayers with his
and those of my colleagues who spoke earlier this evening on that
bridge collapse. We certainly keep the members, the family members and
the victims in our prayers as we go forth this evening.
We reach a milestone this evening with this legislation. I said at
the outset and I say it again, this is a historic moment. We have
accomplished in 7 months what it has taken 7 years to put together, but
it is a good bill, and it is evidence that this body can and does work
together constructively for the common good, for the purpose of
building a better Nation, for moving people and goods efficiently and
effectively in the domestic economy.
Getting us to this point was not easy. The staff had to put in long
hours, as the gentleman from Florida already expressed.
{time} 2145
I want to specifically mention Ryan Seiger, Beth Goldstein, Ted
Illston and Mike Brain on the Democratic side; John Anderson, Geoff
Bowman, William Collum and Tracy Mosebey on the Republican side; Rod
Hall, Chairwoman Johnson's staff member; Stewart Crigler, staffer for
Ranking Member Baker.
From the Office of Legislative Counsel: David Mendelsohn, Curt
Haensel, Heather Arpin over in the Senate, and Rosemary Gallagher.
And from the Senate staff: Ken Kopocis, Jeff Rosato, Tyler Rushford,
Angie Giancarlo, Jo-Ellen Darcy, Mike Quiello and Let Mon Lee.
All worked very closely together to craft this legislation, spending
enormous amounts of time, weekends. While Members were back home in
their respective districts, staff were here in this oppressive heat of
Washington, although, I think, comforted by air conditioning at least,
but putting in extraordinarily long hours to craft this bill, bridge
the gaps, reach agreements, report back to Members so that we could be
here this evening.
It is a significant moment for America, for this Congress to have
this comprehensive water resources bill together. And, again, I express
great appreciation to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) for the
time that he has spent and the cooperation that we have had; the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for the time that
she has devoted, for her care, concern, and energy; and the gentleman
from Louisiana (Mr. Baker), who put his heart and soul into this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to
[[Page H9531]]
submit into the Record a letter from E.G. Pittman, Chairman of the
Texas Water Development Board, strongly supporting the passage of this
conference report.
The State of Texas has recently completed a nationally recognized
comprehensive water plan. Provisions in H.R. 1495 would greatly assist
the State in addressing changes in the population, water availability
and quality, technological improvements, and promotes increased
collaboration with the Corps of Engineers.
Texas Water Development Board,
Austin, TX, August 1, 2007.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Hon. James L. Oberstar,
Chairman, House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, Washington, DC.
Hon. John A. Boehner,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Hon. John L. Mica,
Ranking Member, House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, Washington, DC.
Dear House Leaders: The Texas Water Development Board
(TWDB) strongly supports the passage of H.R. 1495 by the end
of this week. The conference report on the Water Resources
Development Act (WRDA) embodies seven years of deliberations
on this important and urgent issue. Further delays are
incomprehensible after such protracted discussions have
finally resulted in a bill that is a crucial step towards
addressing the nation's water resources needs, which have
accumulated since the last WRDA was enacted.
The Nation can no longer wait for passage of this important
piece of legislation. We are faced with numerous water
resources challenges that over time have increased and
continue to increase in cost and urgency. We cannot afford to
neglect this flood of needs because they will only grow and
not dissipate.
WRDA's time is now. I appreciate your leadership in
acknowledging the importance of H.R. 1495, and I look forward
to a successful House vote on the bill this week. If you or
your staffs would like to further discuss this issue, please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Dave Mitamura of my staff.
Respectfully,
E. G. Rod Pittman,
Chairman.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the
Subcommittee on Water Resources and the full Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee for reporting out the Water Resources
Development Act (WRDA) and getting through conference so we can send a
bill to the President.
The previous two Congresses have failed to do so, and because of
that, much needed flood control projects in Houston, TX, had been put
on hold. I appreciate the inclusion of our language for the Halls Bayou
Federal Flood Control Project in Houston, which will allow the Harris
County Flood Control District, HCFCD, to start work on this project in
the near future.
Historic flooding along Halls Bayou has been severe and frequent in
some neighborhoods. During Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, Halls
Bayou was hit very hard, with more than 8,000 homes flooding within the
watershed. No project can keep all homes from flooding, but a project
can help reduce the risk of flooding for a significant number of
families, reducing the need for Federal assistance, property damage,
and loss of life.
The purpose of section 5157 of this legislation which pertains to
Halls Bayou is to allow the HCFCD to conduct the General Reevaluation
Review, GRR, and any subsequent Federal interest project on Halls
Bayou. The Corps is limited in its staff, resources, and time with the
many projects in the Galveston District and the Southwest Division.
Local project sponsors with the necessary expertise, like Harris
County, can provide efficiency by becoming more involved.
Halls Bayou, a major tributary of Greens Bayou, was authorized in
WRDA 1990 as part of the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Project. The
original Halls Bayou authorization assumed the Greens Bayou project in
place, which is now finishing a GRR. Results indicate that the work on
Greens Bayou downstream of Halls Bayou will not have Federal work,
although it will have significant local projects. Therefore, a GRR is
now needed for Halls Bayou as well.
While conducting the GRR to find a possible Federal interest, Harris
County can begin project implementation in order to reduce future flood
damage as soon as possible. Adding Halls Bayou to Section 211(f) allows
Harris County to be reimbursed if the project is later approved by the
Secretary. I thank the Subcommittee, full Committee, and the Conference
for their work on this Issue.
I support this bill and the balance that it strikes between the need
to improve water resources for human purposes and to preserve our water
uses for the environment and future generations. The projects in this
bill are much needed, and I'm pleased the conference committee was able
to complete its work so we can get a bill to the President.
Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman
Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica, as well as Subcommittee Chairwoman
Johnson and Ranking Member Baker and the committee staffs for their
hard work and leadership on this important legislation--the first water
improvement and conservation package in seven years.
Following several earlier impasses, I want to take this opportunity
to commend the spirit of bipartisan and bicameral compromise on this
important measure.
This bill benefits all Americans and their families who use and enjoy
our Nation's waterways, public beaches--including over 300 miles of
coastline along my district--and for U.S. businesses that depend on
healthy and viable waterways throughout the country.
My district benefits from the good work that the Army Corps of
Engineers does for coastal communities by helping small towns deal with
multiple concerns ranging from erosion to longstanding environmental
challenges. WRDA will allow the Corps to continue work on several
projects on eastern Long Island that will protect the TWA Flight 800
Memorial, restore the quality of the Long Island Sound watershed,
protect the famous Montauk Lighthouse, and continue environmental
monitoring of the Atlantic coast of Long Island.
In addition, H.R. 1495 will go a long way toward supplying the Corps
with all the resources it needs to protect coastal communities and
vacationers by modernizing project planning and approval.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking member again for their
hard work on this issue, and I look forward to working with my
colleagues to make sure that we get a WRDA bill to the President as
soon as we can. We simply cannot afford to let another year go by
without passing this legislation.
Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, today we are considering the conference
report for the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. This has been 7
years in the making to enact a WRDA bill that addresses the critical
infrastructure needs of our country.
I would like to thank Chairman Oberstar, Chairwoman Johnson, Mr.
Mica, and Mr. Baker for a job well done in bringing this conference
report to the floor today.
Without their strong leadership, dedication, and persistence we would
not have a final conference report on the floor today.
I am pleased that projects for major flood control, navigation,
environmental restoration, and other water resource projects, including
projects in my congressional district, are being authorized.
I am also pleased we are finally authorizing the Upper Mississippi
and Illinois Waterway system project. This project is extremely vital
to the State of Illinois and the Nation because we are going to be able
to move commerce more efficiently and effectively.
Modernizing that infrastructure is the right thing to do--it is a
necessity--and I am glad to see this bill is moving forward on such a
significant project to our economy and commerce.
Mr. Speaker, I again salute and thank Chairman Oberstar, Chairwoman
Johnson, Mr. Mica, and Mr. Baker for their leadership and hard work. I
strongly support this conference report and urge my colleagues to do
the same.
Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Port of New Orleans and the
economic and business interests throughout the State of Louisiana that
rely on the maritime trade and commerce through the Port, I am
especially pleased today to commend the conferees on H.R. 1495, the
Water Resources Development Act of 2007, WRDA, for their support of the
navigation project to improve access to the Port's Napoleon Avenue
Container Terminal. Section 1004(a)(7) of the WRDA conference report
will allow the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge and maintain a channel
leading to the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal berthing area at a
depth not to exceed the authorized channel depth of the Mississippi
River Ship Channel. This will ensure that the transportation benefits
of the authorized channel depth of the Mississippi River Ship Channel
will continue to be realized by the adjacent Port terminal and the
larger container and other oceangoing vessels that desire to use that
facility. This small navigation enhancement project will create
significant economic and business benefits for the Port, and aid in the
continuing recovery of the greater New Orleans area. I thank Chairman
Jim Oberstar and Ranking Member John Mica of the House Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee for their support of this initiative in
the vital WRDA legislation.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the conference report.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the conference report.
[[Page H9532]]
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
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