[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 107 (Thursday, July 10, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2015

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                               speech of

                      HON. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4923) making 
     appropriations for energy and water development and related 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and 
     for other purposes:
  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of 
H.R. 4923, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for 2015. Contained 
in the bill's Committee Report is language that benefits the Inland 
Northwest Region. Specifically, the ``Lower Snake River Project'' 
encourages the Walla Walla District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to 
continue working with certain landowners to resolve an ongoing issue 
regarding the use of Corps lands along the Snake River. I commend 
Chairman Simpson as well as Chairman Rogers for their work in crafting 
this legislation in a bipartisan manner.
  In recent years, the Corps of Engineers has targeted several 
cattlemen for trespass and eviction as the result of their decades-old 
use of Corps lands adjacent to the Snake River. For many of these 
cattlemen, access to Corps lands is essential for the grazing and 
pasturing of their livestock. Without a timely and permanent 
resolution, the livelihoods of these small businessmen and women remain 
in jeopardy.
  The report language not only encourages the Walla Walla District to 
continue working with the affected cattlemen but also directs the Corps 
to maintain the status quo use of these lands as long as good-faith 
efforts are being made to find a solution. To ensure that Congress 
remains informed on this issue, the language also directs the Corps to 
provide both House and Senate Appropriations Committees with an update 
on the status of the situation, including any actions taken, as well as 
any legislative authority needed to resolve the dispute.
  Mr. Chair, I believe this language does a great deal in helping 
resolve a serious issue affecting residents in my district and across 
the entire lower Snake region. I am grateful for its inclusion in the 
Committee Report and I urge my colleagues to maintain this language in 
the final appropriations bill.

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