[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 199 (Wednesday, December 21, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S9770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     
     
        175TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, BALTIMORE 
                                     DISTRICT
     
       Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise on behalf of myself and my 
     colleague Senator Van Hollen to congratulate the Army Corps of 
     Engineers, Baltimore District, on the occasion of its 175th 
     anniversary. The Baltimore District has a long and storied history from 
     the early 1800s and the construction of Fort McHenry, protecting 
     Baltimore against British attacks in the War of 1812. When the threat 
     of coastal attack diminished in the 1820s, the Baltimore District 
     turned its attention to work that signified the start of its civil 
     works mission, developing roadways, railways, canals, and more. Today, 
     the Baltimore District's mission is to deliver vital engineering 
     solutions in collaboration with its partners to strengthen the Nation, 
     energize the economy, and reduce disaster risks. With approximately 
     1,200 employees, the District's work spans Maryland; northern Virginia; 
     Washington, DC; West Virginia; Pennsylvania; Delaware; lower central 
     New York; overseas locations; and across the Susquehanna, Potomac and 
     Chesapeake Bay watersheds.
       The Baltimore District has an extensive flood risk management 
     program, inspecting nearly 150 miles of levee systems and operating 16 
     dams, contributing to the prevention of more than $16 billion in flood 
     damages to date. The District maintains 290 miles of Federal channels, 
     including dredging for Baltimore Harbor, from which material is used 
     beneficially in projects such as the expansion of Poplar Island in the 
     Chesapeake Bay and the construction of the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island 
     Ecosystem Restoration project. The District carries out important 
     restoration work for native oyster populations in the Bay. The 
     Baltimore District is the only district to operate a public utility--
     the Washington Aqueduct--that produces an average of 135 million 
     gallons of drinking water per day at two treatment plants for 
     approximately 1 million people living, working, or visiting the 
     National Capital Region. The District also cleans up Formerly Used 
     Defense Sites, decommissions and deactivates former nuclear power 
     plants, and performs cleanup of low-level radioactive waste from the 
     Nation's early atomic weapons program. The Baltimore District executes 
     a robust military construction program and provides real estate 
     services. These civil and military missions and diverse engineering 
     services support communities and our military while protecting our 
     national security. With today's ever-evolving and complex challenges, 
     the urgency of climate change, and the connections between ecosystem 
     health, environmental quality, and economic growth, the work of the 
     Baltimore District is more vital than ever.
       Senator Van Hollen and I congratulate the Baltimore District on its 
     175th anniversary; we are proud of its headquarters' presence in 
     Baltimore, and we look forward to its ongoing and future collaborations 
     in Maryland and the wider region it serves.
     
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