[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15632]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, the single most important vote of the 
week and one of the most important of the year is buried in the massive 
Water Resources Development Act coming before Congress this week: the 
Upper Mississippi Lock project. This is the ``Big Dig'' of water 
projects. Actually, it is like five or six big digs, since 10 percent 
of all water resources for years to come will be spent on this single 
project.
  I urge my colleagues to look closely at the amendment that I will be 
offering with my colleague, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake), 
which will require that before this project moves from planning to 
construction in 5 years, that the minimum justification for the demand 
for barge traffic, the rationale for the project, is justified. 
Taxpayers deserve no less for the largest water resources project in 
America's history.

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