[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 62 (Thursday, April 21, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2389-S2390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself and Mrs. Capito):
  S. 2835. A bill to amend the National Dam Safety Program Act to 
establish a program to provide grant assistance for the rehabilitation 
and repair of high hazard potential dams, and for other purposes; to 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am pleased to be introducing, along with 
Senator Capito, the High Hazard Potential Small Dam Safety Act. This 
legislation seeks to provide grant assistance for the rehabilitation 
and repair of non-Federal high hazard potential dams.
  High hazard potential dams are those dams where failure is probable 
to cause loss of human life and endanger population centers and 
ecosystems, especially in periods of extreme weather and flooding. 
According to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, ASDSO, the 
number of high-hazard potential dams increased nationally from 9,281 in 
1998 to more than 14,700 in 2013. In testimony before the Senate 
Committee on Environment and Public Works, on February 10, 2016, the 
president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE, Norma Jean 
Mattei, indicated that the average age of dams in the United States is 
52 years, and she called for a dam rehabilitation program to address 
this growing problem. In Rhode Island, we have dozens of high hazard 
potential dams in need of rehabilitation, many of which date back to 
the nineteenth century.
  Currently, there is no Federal program to assist states with the 
repair or removal of non-agricultural, non-hydroelectric, non-Federal 
high hazard potential small dams. Such a program does exist to address 
dams built by the Department of Agriculture, but this leaves many dams 
vulnerable and some states without the ability to address the risks 
posed by small dams whose failure would likely result in the loss of 
human life.
  The bill Senator Capito and I are introducing today expands FEMA's 
existing National Dam Safety Program to allow non-Federal entities to 
apply for

[[Page S2390]]

matching grants for the repair and removal of non-Federal, non-
agricultural, non-hydroelectric small dams that have been identified by 
a state dam safety agency as a high hazard potential. The program is 
non-mandatory, allowing states to determine which, if any, dams they 
would submit for assistance. The allocation of funds is based on a one-
third equal distribution and 2/3 need-based formula, with a 65-35 
percent cost share, to ensure the participation of a wide number of 
states. This legislation builds upon a bipartisan bill introduced in 
the 110th Congress by our former colleague, Senator Akaka of Hawaii, of 
which I was a cosponsor.
  By assisting in the repair or removal of high hazard dams before they 
fail, the bill makes an investment in future cost savings, not to 
mention lives and property saved. Estimates show that one dollar of 
pre-disaster mitigation spending can save between $3-$14 in post-
disaster spending.
  This bipartisan bill, which is supported by the Association of State 
Dam Safety Officials and the American Society of Civil Engineers, will 
improve dam safety across the Nation. I look forward to working with 
these and other stakeholders as well as Senator Capito and our 
colleagues to pass the High Hazard Potential Small Dam Safety Act.
                                 ______