[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 21, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H2346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFE CLIMATE CAUCUS

  (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the importance of 
the ambitious investment in water infrastructure in every community 
across our great Nation.
  I recently wrapped up a tour of several water systems in upstate New 
York, and what I saw was infrastructure in urgent need of attention--
broken pipes, flooded communities, and a lack of technical support for 
our municipalities. I have spoken with colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle here in the House, and I have heard similar problems.
  We as a Nation must always keep an eye on our debt and on our 
deficits, both current and those years down the road. To that end, we 
must realize that investment is needed now to save dollars in the 
decades to come. We live in a world in which we upgrade our phones, our 
TVs, our cars, and other personal items almost every 2 years. It is 
time to apply that same mentality to the delivery systems that move 
around our most precious commodity--water.
  To my colleagues who haven't already done so, I urge them to get 
involved in this issue within their own communities because it is not 
just H20 flooding out of those broken pipes just under our feet; it is 
water plus taxpayer dollars--hard-earned taxpayer dollars.

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