[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H21]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ANNIVERSARY OF THE TIONESTA DAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Tionesta Dam, located in 
Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District, in Forest County.
  This vital flood control project is estimated to have prevented more 
than $570 million in flood damage over the past seven decades. The 
Tionesta Dam, located in Forest County, was officially dedicated on 
January 9, 1941, as a result of the Flood Control Act of 1936 and 1938. 
The dam itself is located on the Tionesta Creek just over one mile from 
the Allegheny River. It is key to flood protection along the Allegheny 
and upper Ohio Rivers.
  Mr. Speaker, this dam is so important that during the 1972 Tropical 
Storm Agnes, which caused damage all across the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania, it is estimated to have prevented more than $60 million 
in additional damages.
  Today, the dam and the lake it created serves purposes beyond flood 
protection. Tionesta Lake and the area around it amount to more than 
3,000 acres available for camping, hiking, fishing, and hunting. The 
lake itself is a hotspot for boating, water skiing, and other 
activities for families each summer.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the Army Corps of Engineers for their 
years of work at the Tionesta Dam, and I wish the Park Rangers and 
staff the best for the future.


             Saving Trees in the Allegheny National Forest

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
recognition of efforts by the Allegheny National Forest, located in 
Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District, in addressing invasive 
insects which are threatening the forest's ash, beech, and hemlock 
trees.
  Invasive species are a major concern for national forests across the 
United States, with the emerald ash borer decimating white ash, the 
wooly adelgid affecting Pennsylvania's State tree, which is the eastern 
hemlock, and the beech bark beetle killing American beech trees.
  In some areas in the Allegheny National Forest, steps are being taken 
to proactively manage and treat trees. Over the summer, I met with the 
local forest service and helped apply a wooly adelgid treatment to 
eastern hemlock trees. In other areas of the forest, the best approach 
is to harvest these trees while they still have value.
  That is what is proposed across 4,000 acres in the forest, which 
includes high percentages of these tree species. The harvesting project 
itself will spread across the forest's four counties, adding up to a 
total scope of more than 100,000 acres.
  I appreciate the approach of the Allegheny National Forest's 
personnel, their hard work, their dedication, and their continuation to 
advocate for such proactive management practices.
  Now, I will continue to do what I can in the House and as chairman of 
the House Agriculture Subcommittee for Conservation and Forestry to 
help our national forests address these invasive species, which 
threaten both the health of the forest and the timber resources which 
helped build this Nation.

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