[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H805-H806]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       REAUTHORIZING LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN RESTORATION PROGRAM

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 4275) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program, and 
for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4275

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN RESTORATION PROGRAM 
                   REAUTHORIZATION.

       (a) Review of Comprehensive Management Plan.--Section 121 
     of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1273) 
     is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)--
       (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
     semicolon;
       (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period and inserting 
     ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(7) ensure that the comprehensive conservation and 
     management plan approved for the Basin under section 320 is 
     reviewed and revised in accordance with section 320 not less 
     often than once every five years, beginning on the date of 
     enactment of this paragraph.''; and
       (2) in subsection (d), by striking ``recommended by a 
     management conference convened for the Basin under section 
     320'' and inserting ``identified in the comprehensive 
     conservation and management plan approved for the Basin under 
     section 320''.
       (b) Definitions.--Section 121(e)(1) of the Federal Water 
     Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1273(e)(1)) is amended by 
     striking ``, a 5,000 square mile''.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 121(f) of the 
     Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1273(f)) is 
     amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``2001 through 2012 and 
     the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2009 for each of 
     fiscal years 2013 through 2017'' and inserting ``2021 through 
     2025''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) Administrative expenses.--The Administrator may use 
     for administrative expenses not more than 5 percent of the 
     amounts appropriated to carry out this section.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Napolitano) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Mitchell) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4275, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter in support of H.R. 4275 
to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program from 
the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation.

                                                Lake Pontchartrain


                                             Basin Foundation,

                                                 February 4, 2020.
     Re H.R. 4275: Support to amend the Federal Water Pollution 
         Control Act to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin 
         Restoration Program.

     Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
     Speaker, House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Kevin McCarthy,
     Minority Leader, House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Speaker Pelosi & Minority Leader McCarthy: I would 
     like to express our support for H.R. 4275--the 
     reauthorization of the Pontchartrain Basin Restoration 
     Program within the Environmental Protection Agency. This 
     program provides resources vital to the restoration of the 
     ecological health of the Basin, as well as public education 
     projects.
       Although Lake Pontchartrain and its surrounding area 
     continue to face environmental challenges, the Lake and its 
     resources have made a tremendous comeback. Much of this 
     success is due to interested and concerned citizens who want 
     a clean, healthy Lake and Basin for this and future 
     generations, all of which would not be possible without your 
     support of this PRP funding.
           Sincerely,
                                            Kristi L. Trail, P.E.,
                                               Executive Director.

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4275 will reauthorize EPA's Lake 
Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program for the next 5 years.
  Introduced by the gentlemen from Louisiana, Mr. Graves and Mr. 
Richmond, it reauthorizes the program for the next 5 years with 
continued funding of $20 million annually over 5 years. It also caps 
EPA's administrative expenses at 5 percent.
  At our June subcommittee hearing, we received testimony on current 
threats to the Lake Pontchartrain region and its watershed. Covering a 
10,000-square-mile area, the basin faces

[[Page H806]]

impacts from logging, urban, and agriculture runoff, sewage overflows 
and nonpoint source pollution.
  This is an example of human development having an extreme impact on 
the entire watershed, capable of causing entire dead zones as we are 
now seeing. With impaired wetlands prevented from acting as natural 
filters for these pollutants, the entire lake is at risk.
  This program represents a collaborative effort for Federal, State, 
and local entities to restore the ecological health of the basin.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4275, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4275. H.R. 4275 represents 
good governance to reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration 
Program. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin watershed is home to 
approximately 2.2 million people and covers 5,000 square miles.
  In June of last year when the Subcommittee on Water Resources and 
Environment held a hearing on many of these regional watershed 
programs, we invited Ms. Kristi Trail from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin 
Foundation to testify on the need and importance of reauthorizing this 
program.
  During that hearing, we heard that Lake Pontchartrain and its 
surrounding watershed play an integral part of the wetland ecosystem of 
the Gulf Coast, contributing over $35 million to the local economy.
  As a result of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation's work through 
this program, the lake is making a tremendous comeback by constructing 
multiple reefs for fish habitats, improving previously impaired water 
bodies, and growing their community outreach programs.
  I would like to thank Mr. Garret Graves, the sponsor of this bill, 
for putting this forward and for his support.
  I also would like to recognize the fact that we limit the EPA's 
administration to 5 percent. So the money goes to restore Lake 
Pontchartrain.
  For these reasons and numerous others, I urge support of this program 
and this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I promise to conserve time and 
conserve the lake.
  Mr. Speaker, Lake Pontchartrain is perhaps not a very well-known 
lake. It is actually the second largest saltwater lake in the United 
States, but it wasn't always this way.
  Lake Pontchartrain, as a result of coastal land loss in Louisiana, 
has had this intrusion of saltwater that has fundamentally changed the 
ecosystem of that lake and the communities.
  This is a lake that serves as a watershed for 16 parishes in 
Louisiana, 4 counties in Mississippi, and most importantly, this lake 
takes the brunt of the surge from 2 Canadian provinces and 31 States.
  Mr. Speaker, what happens is each time we have these high-water years 
on the Mississippi River system which drains 31 States and 2 Canadian 
provinces, there is an emergency relief valve that sends water through 
the Bonnet Carre Spillway into Lake Pontchartrain.
  This isn't water that is coming from Louisiana. In fact, less than 1 
percent of the water is even coming from the State of Mississippi. It 
is water coming from all of these States, from Montana, to New York, to 
Canada, and all of these States in this large watershed funnel in-
between.
  And so on average, the Bonnet Carre Spillway had been operated once 
every decade; once every 10 years. Yet, in recent years, we have had to 
open it four times, including last year. Last year, for the first time 
ever, it was opened in January, and for the first time ever, it was 
actually operated twice in 1 year.
  And so this is in the State of Louisiana. This is this lake, this 
basin, this watershed that has been taking it on the chin for the rest 
of the country.

                              {time}  1445

  The reason this is important, Mr. Speaker, is because this lake is an 
incredibly productive ecosystem with recreational and commercial 
fishing. You see lots of folks out there in sailboats and other boats 
out there enjoying the lake.
  What has been happening as a result of all the Nation's water's 
drainage coming into here is that the health of the lake has been 
compromised and challenged, which therefore affects our fisheries, both 
recreational and commercial, and the millions of pounds of crabs that 
are harvested out of the lake.
  This lake bounds New Orleans and Jefferson Parish. It bounds the 
north shore and the river parishes, such as Saint John Parish and Saint 
Charles Parish over on the west side.
  This is an important part of Louisiana. Because of the coastal land 
loss that we have experienced and the change in this ecosystem, we must 
make investments to maintain this as we help to manage this rapid and 
unfortunate transition from a freshwater lake into a brackish and 
saltwater lake that we now have.
  Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank my good friend from California, the 
chair of the subcommittee, Congresswoman Napolitano, and her staff, 
Ryan. I want to thank Congressman Westerman, the ranking member of the 
subcommittee; Ian Bennitt as well as Maggie Ayrea on our staff for all 
the work they put into this; and, of course, Chairman DeFazio and 
Ranking Member Sam Graves for all their work in ensuring that we get 
this bill right and that we have the right caps on here to ensure that 
the money goes to actually investing in the lake, as Congressman 
Mitchell mentioned, as opposed to going toward bureaucracy.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bipartisan legislation that we 
have introduced with my friend, Congressman Cedric Richmond of New 
Orleans.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. I am prepared to close, Mr. Speaker, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Graves of Louisiana, 
and all sponsors in support of this bill. As I indicated earlier, it 
has bipartisan support of the committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume to close.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank both sides' staff. They have been doing 
a marvelous job. Of course, I thank the chairmen and the ranking 
members of both committees for all the support they have gotten on all 
these important bills on water.
  Water is the economy, and we realize that we have to clean it up and 
help the communities work with the States and other entities. We will 
get it done.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4275, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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