[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 25831]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 25831]]

                WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2000

  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, I applaud the Senate's passage of the 
Water Resources Development Act of 2000, WRDA, S. 2796. This 
legislation is critical to my State of New Jersey, which is so 
dependent upon its rivers, estuaries, and coasts for its livelihood. 
New Jersey relies on these unique resources as avenues for freight and 
business, recreational and harvest fishing, and a vibrant tourism 
industry. Indeed, it is imperative that these resources be kept 
environmentally and economically viable.
  Along these lines, I am pleased that the Senate has agreed to pursue 
environmentally responsible alternatives for addressing flooding along 
the Passaic River. I originally introduced language to address this 
issue, which represents a new era in flood control, in 1998. S. 2796 
authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to use up-to-date 
criteria in developing a new environmentally and economically 
responsible alternative. Such an alternative will take into account 
non-structural options, such as land buyouts and wetlands preservation. 
The bill also directs the Corps to study the possible acquisition of 
open space in the Highlands region of New Jersey as a way of reducing 
low-land flooding.
  I also applaud the Senate's authorization of more than $1.7 billion 
to bring the channels of the New York and New Jersey Harbor to a depth 
of 50 feet. This authorization is based on the findings of the New 
York-New Jersey Harbor Navigation Study which was designed to evaluate 
the navigational needs of the Port of New York and New Jersey over the 
next 50 years. The results of the study have made clear the need for 
deepening the channels of Port Jersey, Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, 
Arthur Kill, and Bay Ridge Channels to a depth of 50 feet.
  While the region has relied on the maritime industry for over two 
hundred years, the port lacks the capacity to accommodate new deep 
draft shipping vessels. More than a decade ago, Congress authorized the 
deepening of these channels to 45 feet which has begun and is on track 
to be completed in the next few years. But this is only the beginning. 
In order to maintain the 165,000 jobs and $22 billion in annual 
economic activity port commerce generates, these channels must go to 50 
feet.
  Once clean materials from these deepening projects, and other 
projects from around the nation, have been dredged we should not 
neglect possible beneficial uses. Within WRDA, there is a $2 million 
annual authorization for the Corps to develop a program that will allow 
all eight of its regional offices to market eligible dredged material 
to public agencies and private entities for beneficial reuse.
  I want to thank my colleagues, particularly Senators Smith, Baucus, 
and Voinovich for their assistance and cooperation in developing this 
legislation. My colleagues have been remarkably helpful in this matter, 
having worked closely with me to ensure that the final bill 
incorporated language based on my legislation S. 2385, the Dredged 
Material Reuse Act, which I introduced earlier this year. They have 
understood the need, and I am grateful that they have agreed to include 
it in this legislation.
  Beneficial reuse is a largely underutilized concept. As a result, 
unwanted dredged material is often dumped on the shorelines of local 
communities. Through a program of beneficial reuse the dredged material 
would be sold to construction companies and other developers who would 
be eager to have this material available.
  Mr. President, the people of Southern New Jersey are all too familiar 
with this situation. Current plans by the Corps calls for more than 20 
million cubic yards of unwanted material dredged from the Delaware 
River to be placed on prime waterfront property along the Southern New 
Jersey shoreline. However, with some effort and encouragement, the 
Corps has recently identified nearly 13 million cubic yards of that 
material for beneficial reuse in transportation and construction 
projects.
  We should learn from beneficial reuse that contracting companies, 
land development companies, and major corporations want this material. 
This means we need to encourage the Corps to market dredged material 
for beneficial reuse up-front so that communities will not be 
confronted with the same problems faced by the citizens of Southern New 
Jersey.
  The program created by this legislation will give the Army Corps the 
authority and the funding they require to begin actively marketing 
dredged material from projects all across the United States. It 
recognizes the need to keep our nation's rivers and channels efficient 
and available to maritime traffic while ensuring that communities are 
treated fairly.
  Of equal, if not greater importance, to the small businesses and 
shore communities of New Jersey is the protection of our beaches. 
Recreational activity at our beaches is extremely important to NJ, 
supporting an annual tourist economy of $17 billion.
  However, due to beach erosion, many of our shore communities have 
lost revenue on which they depend. This lost revenue affects the local 
tax base, property values, results in lost jobs and diminished quality 
of life in coastal regions.
  Rebuilding and protecting our beaches is vital to the health of our 
economy. With 127 miles of shoreline and a booming tourist industry, 
simply watching the beaches erode is not an alternative. From 
commercial and recreational fishermen, to bait and tackle shops and 
restaurants, our shore communities depend on healthy coastlines.
  With this in mind, I applaud the Senate for authorizing in WRDA 
several Corps projects to protect and re-nourish New Jersey beaches.
  One project authorizes the Corps to re-nourish beaches along the 
entire stretch of Long Beach Island, from Barnegat Inlet to Little Egg 
Inlet, in Ocean County, New Jersey. This $51.2 million project 
authorizes the Corps to create dunes and beaches along the coastline 
municipalities of Long Beach Island, including: Harvey Cedars, Surf 
City, Ship Bottom, Beach Haven and Long Beach Township.
  Another project for shore protection authorizes the Corps, at a total 
cost of $30 million, to re-nourish beaches on the 1.8 mile stretch in 
Port Monmouth along the Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay Shoreline, by 
constructing floodwalls, levees, dunes, dune grass, dune fencing, dune 
walk-overs, and suitable beachfill.
  Finally, I commend the Senate for including language I supported that 
would direct the Secretary of the Army to develop and implement 
procedures to give recreational benefits the same budgetary priority as 
storm damage reduction and environmental protection in cost-benefit 
analysis for Corps beach replenishment projects. Currently, the Corps 
is not required to list recreation benefits in its cost-benefit 
analysis of beach projects. This language is similar to legislation I 
introduced earlier this year, and I am pleased that this initiative has 
been passed in the Senate's WRDA Conference Report.
  Prior to the 1986 Water Resources Development Act, the Corps viewed 
recreation as an equally important component of its cost-benefit 
analysis. However, the 1986 bill omitted recreation as a benefit to be 
considered, and New Jersey coastal communities have suffered.
  It is imperative that federal policy base beach nourishment 
assistance on the entirety of the economic benefits it provides. Beach 
replenishment efforts ensure that our beaches are protected, property 
is not damaged, dunes are not washed away, and the resources that 
coastal towns rely on for their lifeblood are preserved.
  Mr. President, it is for these reasons that I support the passage of 
WRDA. New Jersey relies on its unique water resources and this 
legislation will go a long way towards maintaining our economic and 
environmental health.

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