[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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