[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 14, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3395-S3397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, in the interest of all Senators, and 
frankly in the interest of the people of this country, we are moving 
forward on the Water Resources Development Act. The question is, will 
we be able to clear a list of amendments, some by voice vote, and a 
further list of more controversial amendments by recorded vote. I am 
hoping that is the case. Senator Vitter and I hope that is the case, 
that we can get clearance on these packages of amendments. If we do 
not, we have to decide whether to invoke cloture, which will bring 
debate to a close. If we have to go that way, we have to go that way. 
But I am very optimistic that we can get these amendments cleared 
because, frankly, almost every Senator here has a stake in this very 
important legislation.
  We have ports that are sometimes on the coast, sometimes they are 
inland. We have waterways. We have floods in our States. Not all of us 
but most of us. We have environmental restorations in our States with 
wetland conservation. We have work to do on our water infrastructure. 
Our infrastructure in this country has been rated a D-plus. That is not 
very heartening for the greatest country in the world. We have a weak 
infrastructure. Frankly, that is not good enough.
  I want to read a list of supporters for our legislation. I think what 
people will notice is how broad-based the list is. They are either 
representing workers or businesses, or they are businesses themselves. 
They are businesses that need to ship products. So let me read this. 
There are environmental organizations.
  The AFL-CIO supports us; the American Association of Port 
Authorities; the American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association; the 
American Council of Engineering Companies; the American Farm Bureau 
Federation; the American Foundry Society; the American Public Works 
Association; the American Road and Transportation Builders; the 
American Society of Civil Engineers; the American Soybean Association; 
Associated Equipment Distributors; Associated General Contractors; 
Association of Equipment Manufacturers; the Clean Water Construction 
Coalition; the Concrete Reinforced Steel Institute.
  I can't even go through it all, it is such a very long list. There is 
the National Association of Flood and Storm Management Agencies, the 
National Governors Association, the National Stone, Sand and Gravel 
Association, the National Waterways Conference, Inc, the American 
Institute of Architects, the National Association of Manufacturers, The 
Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the United 
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. There are more. It is 
such a long list.
  I ask unanimous consent to place this list into the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:


                National Organizations Supporting S.601

       AFL-CIO, American Association of Port Authorities, American 
     Concrete Pressure Pipe Association, American Council of 
     Engineering Companies, American Farm Bureau Federation, 
     American Foundry Society, American Public Works Association, 
     American Road and Transportation Builders Association, 
     American Society of Civil Engineers, American Soybean 
     Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, Associated 
     General Contractors of America, Association of Equipment 
     Manufacturers, Clean Water Construction Coalition, Concrete 
     Reinforcing Steel Institute.
       Construction Management Association of America, 
     International Federation of Professional and Technical 
     Engineers, International Liquid Terminals Association, 
     International Propeller Club of the United States, 
     International Union of Operating Engineers, Laborers 
     International Union of North America, Management Association 
     for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS), NAIOP, The 
     Commercial Real Estate Development Association, National 
     Association of Flood and Storm Management Agencies, National 
     Governors Association, National Grain and Feed Association, 
     National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, National Retail 
     Federation, National Society of Professional Surveyors 
     (NSPS), National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, National 
     Waterways Conference, Inc.
       Plumbing Manufacturers International, Portland Cement 
     Association, The American Institute of Architects, The 
     Fertilizer Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Transportation 
     Construction Coalition, U.S. Chamber

[[Page S3396]]

     of Commerce, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of 
     America Waterways Council, Inc., National Association of 
     Manufacturers; AASHTO.
       Letter signed by 160 organizations to Members of the United 
     States Senate (April 29, 2013)

  Mrs. BOXER. The point is this legislation represents jobs. This 
legislation represents moving products. This legislation represents 
flood control. This legislation represents fixing our ports, making 
sure we have some reforms that work well. This makes sure that when the 
Army Corps sets a project timeline, the resources agencies are in the 
room. It is very important. I have to say, as this country sees, there 
is a lot of partisanship going on; this is a bipartisan bill.
  The bill made it through the Environment Committee without a single 
``no'' vote. Since then, Senator Vitter and I have been working with 
all Senators, whether they are on the committee or off the committee, 
to meet the needs of their States to work with them. I think we have 
done everything in our power to help every State.
  We know the last WRDA bill was 2007. We used to have a WRDA bill 
every couple years, but everything has gotten so controversial. What 
happened between then and now is a ban on earmarks. This bill used to 
be a bill that listed projects. We can't do that anymore. What we have 
to do is figure out a way to fund the needed projects while averting 
earmarks.
  We did it by saying if there is a completed Corps report then, in 
fact, the project can go forward. We set up a way for future projects 
to be handled with the local communities coming forward.
  I think we handled that issue well. We focused on flood control, 
ports, and environmental restoration. We have a piece that deals with 
the Everglades. If you have never been to the Everglades, it is a 
national treasure, River of Grass. That is what it is called. It is a 
magnificent, amazing, fabulous, environment, but it needs to be 
preserved and protected.
  When my spouse and I went there with Senator Nelson, we went down 
through the Everglades. All of a sudden we see a deer jump up. The deer 
is actually living on the water on these little berms. It is the most 
remarkable thing I have ever seen.
  We put WIFIA in here based on a program we call TIFIA, which will 
allow us to help local areas leverage their funds and build these 
projects more quickly. It goes on and on. We have terrible threats from 
flooding in places such as Sacramento, for example. We are looking at 
tens of thousands of Californians at risk and $7 billion in property. 
We say, OK, it is time to get that done.
  We look at flood protection for the 200,000 residents of Fargo, ND, 
and Moorhead, MN. They have been fighting rising floodwaters in recent 
weeks. We will restore the reliability of levees that protect places 
such as Topeka, KS. It goes on to Texas. I could name literally every 
State in the Union that has something at stake.
  Mr. SANDERS. Will the Senator yield for a moment?
  Mrs. BOXER. I yield to the Senator.
  Mr. SANDERS. I thank the Senator from California and the chair of the 
Environment and Public Works Committee for her work on this important 
project. I do wish to mention we have in Vermont one small concern that 
I hope will be addressed in this bill. In Vermont we have suffered 
through Irene, and it was a devastating experience for many communities 
in the State and for businesses.
  The problem we are having now is that we have State regulations which 
correctly require that culverts be built which can, in fact, deal with 
the real problems of flooding. Unfortunately, what FEMA is prepared to 
pay for is inadequate infrastructure--culverts, among other things, 
that will not address the problem if we have to deal with another 
problem such as Irene.
  This is a very modest proposal. Senator Leahy and I feel strongly 
about this issue. I know the chairperson is sympathetic. There appears 
to be some problems on the other side, and I very much hope we can 
resolve this.
  Mrs. BOXER. Yes. There is an amendment, I would say to my friend 
through the Chair, on our list that we have agreed to, Senator Vitter 
and I. There will probably be a vote on this proposal. I will ask my 
staff is that correct, on the Leahy-Sanders amendment on the culverts 
if it is on the list.
  Mr. SANDERS. I had heard there was some objection on the other side.
  Mrs. BOXER. We are trying to work out the objections, but we will 
have a vote on it if we cannot. We are working on it.
  Mr. SANDERS. It is very important to Senator Leahy and me that be 
addressed.
  Mrs. BOXER. I thank the Senator. We are doing everything in our 
power. This shows the American people right on the floor of the Senate 
the way Senators have been working with us. I wish to say to my friend 
I am so proud he is on the Environment and Public Works Committee and 
how he has looked after his State. He has some very important things in 
this bill.
  As a matter of fact, his work on the extreme weather title is very 
important and would allow us to prevent these terrible floods before 
they start. Yes, we are looking at things such as this in every State. 
We are trying to do everything in our power to meet every Senator's 
needs.
  Sometimes what happens is it is kind of like that pop-up game. 
Something pops up over here, and it is OK, but then something else pops 
up over here. It is the legislative fix we are trying to meet and get 
to here, the legislative fix so every State feels comfortable.
  This is an important bill. There is no other bill that deals with the 
Everglades. There is no other bill that will deal with the Chesapeake 
Bay. There is no other bill that is possible that would allow us to 
move forward with these important flood control issues, because when we 
ended earmarks, we had no way to authorize any programs.
  This Boxer-Vitter bill is not just an important bill, it is an 
essential bill. We need to move forward.
  The extreme weather title I talked about that Senator Sanders helped 
us write will require the corps and the National Academy of Science to 
jointly evaluate options for reducing risks related to future extreme 
weather events. Let me say that again. Right now the corps is not 
authorized to look ahead and say, given the extreme weather we are 
having, what is it we can do across this country to prepare. This study 
will give us a roadmap to that.
  Without this bill, we don't have it. Without this bill, we have no 
reforms in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. People are paying good 
money into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for dredging our ports. 
Yet the full amount of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is not going 
for those uses.
  We make moves toward capturing more of those funds. The smaller ports 
have a good title, the Great Lakes, the seaports that are large donors 
such as Los Angeles and Long Beach make progress. I think it is a win-
win. Our bill is certainly not perfect. Every one of us could write it 
in ways that benefit our States even more, I think there is no 
question, starting with the chairman of the committee. But we have to 
deal with everybody's issues, everybody's concerns, everybody's 
problems.

  We support 500,000 jobs in this bill. There are very few bills that 
come before us that could make that claim.
  I think we can show the American people we can work together. We have 
this one last stage, and we are working so hard.
  I wish to say to my staff--who are still working. My staff and 
Senator Vitter's staff have worked nonstop. I am talking about 
Saturday, Sunday, last night. They were still in the office at 11 
o'clock. I just want to praise them. People don't see that. People 
don't understand these bills don't magically appear.
  Dealing with every Senator, I think everyone knows every one of us 
has a very strong personality. They truly care about their States and 
fight for their States. It is tough to try to preserve everyone's 
rights and everybody's wishes. We have to work with Senator Mikulski in 
a very good way and Senator Shelby. Senator Landrieu has worked hard on 
this bill, and now she has an amendment we are trying to dispose of. I 
hope we will get the approval to do that.
  Once we finish our work, Congressman Shuster, Chairman Shuster over 
in the House, needs to pass a bill or could take up our bill and pass 
it.
  When I read this list to you, I didn't even get to all of the names. 
This is

[[Page S3397]]

one of the broadest coalitions I have ever seen behind any piece of 
legislation. It is a huge and important coalition. It represents 
America. It is people who work every day at building the 
infrastructure, utilizing the infrastructure, and making sure our homes 
are safe from flooding. The list includes the National Governors 
Association. It is a rarity to have that kind of a list.
  At this point, we are supposed to vote at noon, and we will be back 
to you with some further comments.
  I yield the floor.

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