[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 125 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ESTABLISHING ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS VETERANS' CURATION PROGRAM

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                               speech of

                           HON. PHIL GINGREY

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 2010

  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
5282, a bill that would create a Veterans' Curation Program at the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers to hire veterans and members of the Armed 
Forces to assist in carrying out curation and historic preservation 
activities.
  I commend my colleague from Georgia, Mr. Barrow, for his work on this 
legislation. H.R. 5282 again shows the necessary commitment from the 
federal government to assist our veterans and military personnel 
through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  While I am supportive of H.R. 5282, I would be remiss if I did not 
take a few moments to discuss perhaps the biggest issue for the Corps 
of Engineers in the State of Georgia--updating the current manuals that 
affect both the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) and the Alabama-
Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) Basins. Over the next 18 months before the court 
ordered deadline for negotiations to be completed, Georgia, Alabama, 
and Florida must develop a workable water sharing plan with the 
resources within these two basins.
  Madam Speaker, one of the critical aspects of these negotiations will 
be how Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier are treated. I firmly believe 
that both of these lakes should be considered water supply lakes for 
the purposes of serving the local communities. Knowing that the 
negotiations are ongoing, it is my hope that common ground on the 
treatment of these lakes will be reached.
  To that end, I applaud the leadership of both of Georgia Senators--
Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson--on these water issues. 
Specifically, both Senators have championed the notion of authorizing 
Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona to be used for water supply and 
reallocation of storage to meet the current and future needs of the 
surrounding towns and cities.
  As for the governors of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, I hope that a 
compromise including the use of these lakes for water storage and 
further, that allows them to be part of the water supply for the State 
of Georgia is on the horizon.
  Madam Speaker, I am supportive of the efforts of the bill that we 
have before us and believe that it is another way in which we can help 
those who have so bravely served our country through the Armed Forces. 
I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 5282.

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