[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2766-H2767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1315
AMENDING THE FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT TO REAUTHORIZE LAKE
PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN RESTORATION PROGRAM
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1921) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to
reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1921
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 5 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 ``2022 through
2026''; 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
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. Rouzer) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.
General Leave
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 1921.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
There was no objection.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1921. This legislation
reauthorizes the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program for 5
years at $20 million annually and provides for regular reporting on the
progress of the program.
Some 2.1 million people live in the area surrounding Lake
Pontchartrain, which is threatened by pollution related to urban and
agricultural runoff, sewage overflows, and nonpoint source pollution.
The Basin Restoration Program helps address these environmental
challenges in a nonregulatory fashion and has made some progress. With
continued funding and reauthorization, the program can continue
implementing projects related to restoration.
During a Water Resources Subcommittee hearing last Congress, some
implementation issues related to this program were identified. Ranking
Member Graves and Chair DeFazio requested that the U.S. Government
Accountability Office study the program implementation; however, those
issues should not prevent us from acting on this bill today.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1921, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROUZER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 1921, the Protect and Restore Lake Pontchartrain
Basin Act, introduced by my friend Garret Graves from Louisiana, would
reauthorize the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Restoration Program to provide
assistance to the Federal, State, and local watershed partners in
addressing the water quality challenges that are in this especially
sensitive area.
I support the critical work these partners are doing to help restore
the water quality of the lake, and this bill will help continue this
work.
I commend Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves for his
leadership on this issue, and I urge support of this legislation. I
have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. ROUZER. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), who is the Aviation Subcommittee
ranking member.
Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the
opportunity to talk about this important legislation.
Before I get started, I do want to thank the chair of the
subcommittee, Mrs. Napolitano; the ranking member, Mr. Rouzer from
North Carolina; Chairman DeFazio; and Ranking Member Sam Graves as
well. I do want to thank some of the other partners from Louisiana we
worked with, Congressman Steve Scalise, former Congressman Cedric
Richmond, and Congressman Troy Carter, who all worked with us on this
important legislation.
Madam Speaker, Lake Pontchartrain is one of the largest saltwater
lakes in the United States. It is incredibly productive. It is a
productive ecosystem. There is much fishing, shrimping, and crabbing
and oysters that are produced there. As a matter of fact, since 1997,
over 40 million pounds of blue crabs have been produced almost
annually.
The secret, Madam Speaker, if you can keep this between the two of
us, is that much of that is actually headed to Maryland restaurants to
improve Maryland crab cakes. That is right. Just don't tell anybody.
They also put spice on the outside of the shells. It is really
confusing what they do. The meat is on the inside.
But in any case, Madam Speaker, this is a huge watershed. It is about
a 10,000-square-mile watershed, that comprises 16 parishes and four
Mississippi counties, into this lake.
But more importantly, and why there is a Federal nexus here, is that,
since the first time in 1937, they open the nearly 7,000-acre Bonnet
Carre Spillway to shift water from the Mississippi River into Lake
Pontchartrain and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico as an emergency
pressure relief valve. You see, Madam Speaker, the Mississippi River
drains 32 States and two Canadian provinces. This is one of the largest
watersheds in the world, and the Mississippi River is the largest
watershed in the United States.
When the water hits a certain level--again, since 1937, when they
began opening this, and it has been opened an
[[Page H2767]]
average of once every 10 years--it sends huge flows, hundreds of
thousands of cubic feet of water per second, out of the Mississippi
River into the Bonnet Carre Spillway and into Lake Pontchartrain, and
it shifts from a salt or a brackish lake into a freshwater lake because
of this huge surge.
As a result of the floodwaters coming from Canada and all over the
United States, they come and impact the ecosystem of this lake.
So, what this legislation does is builds upon some of the efforts for
ecological restoration.
I want to thank the great work of Carlton Dufrechou, Kristi Trail,
and others who have done an amazing job in working to restore the
ecological function of Lake Pontchartrain.
I again want to thank all the cosponsors and folks who have helped us
to work on this legislation. It did pass unanimously last Congress, and
I want to remind everybody here that there is a huge Federal nexus with
this legislation. I urge its adoption.
Mr. ROUZER. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1921 would reauthorize an important
program that supports the critical efforts of the Federal, State, and
local watershed partners in restoring water quality in the Lake
Pontchartrain Basin.
Madam Speaker, I urge support of this important legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1921.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
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