[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S3160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT

  Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, this year Congress has not particularly 
been noted for much of an accomplishment of anything. We have been in 
cloture atrophy and we have been in political atrophy, but we are about 
to change that for a day.
  I want to pause for a moment and acknowledge the hard work of a 
number of Members in the House and the Senate on what is known as the 
Water Resources Development Act, which soon will be on the floor of the 
Senate, and I understand will be on the floor of the House today for 
its ratification.
  The Water Resources Development Act is the authority of the U.S. 
Government to move forward on infrastructure across the country.
  I congratulate Chairman Shuster in the House and Chairman Boxer in 
the Senate for their hard work on the conference committee.
  Ranking Member Vitter has been an untold hero for us and working hard 
for the Senate.
  I give thanks to Sylvia Burwell of the OMB. She has been a lifesaver 
for us on the Port of Savannah. I appreciate her cooperation and her 
help.
  I thank Vice President Biden. We did a tour of ports on the east 
coast of the United States to focus on the importance of improving our 
infrastructure.
  In this WRDA bill are improvements across the country, but the one I 
want to talk about for a second is an example of why infrastructure is 
so important, and that is expansion of the Savannah Harbor and the 
deepening project in the Savannah at the Port of Savannah. That is a 
project that was authorized 16 years ago--the year I was elected to the 
House of Representatives. It was authorized to be built, but it hasn't 
been expanded for 16 years or authorized for 16 years because of 
environmental concerns, atmospheric concerns, sometimes funding 
concerns, and sometimes political apathy concerns. But finally everyone 
has their act together. NOAA has endorsed it, Fish and Wildlife has 
endorsed it, the EPA has endorsed it, and the Corps of Engineers has 
endorsed it.
  Thanks to this Water Resources Development Act authorization, a $706 
million project in my State for the southeastern United States will 
become a reality over the next 5 years.
  Why is it important? It is important for this reason. As we sit and 
talk today, the nation of Panama is widening and deepening the Panama 
Canal. Within a few months, they are going to be taking through the 
Panamax ships of the 21st century, ships that can carry not 9,000, not 
11,000 but 14,000 containers.
  Ports along the east coast of the United States, such as the Port of 
Savannah, are not able to take that deep of a ship. They will have to 
wait until high tide to bring it in and then have to wait a day for 
high tide to come back to take the ship out. That costs money, and it 
causes people to divert to other ports, to other countries, and it 
hurts our economy.
  Over the next 5 years as we deepen the Savannah River and Savannah 
Harbor, and as we improve that port, we are improving the opportunity 
for the entire southeastern United States to grow, prosper, and be 
competitive in the 21st century. The Port of Savannah directly 
contributes to 297,000 jobs in our State. It contributes to 49 of the 
50 States on the continental United States. It provides jobs, economic 
vitality, tax revenues, and prosperity for America. Its time has come.
  I am so delighted the Water Resources Development Act is done. I am 
so delighted that Chairman Boxer, Ranking Member Vitter, and Chairman 
Shuster have put their teams together, dotted the last ``i'' and 
crossed the last ``t.''
  I encourage everybody in the Senate to ratify prosperity, employment, 
and economic development for America. When the bill comes before the 
Senate, ratify the Water Resources Development Act and that final 
conference committee report.
  I yield back the remainder of my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

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