[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20860-20861]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sodrel). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, the whole Nation has been saddened by the 
terrible and tragic events of Hurricane Katrina. Because of our great 
concern about this, I would like to read a portion of a story the Los 
Angeles Times ran just 12 days ago on September 9.
  The Los Angeles Times said: ``In the wake of Hurricane Betsy 40 years 
ago, Congress approved a massive hurricane barrier to protect New 
Orleans from storm surges that could inundate the city.
  ``But the project, signed into law by President Johnson, was derailed 
in 1977 by an environmental lawsuit. Now the question is: Could that 
barrier have protected New Orleans from the damage wrought by Hurricane 
Katrina?
  ``If we had built the barriers, New Orleans would not be flooded,' 
said Joseph Towers, the retired chief counsel for the Army Corps of 
Engineers New Orleans district.
  ``Tower's view is endorsed by a former key Senator, along with 
academic experts, who say a hurricane barrier is the only way to 
control the powerful storm surges that enter Lake Pontchartrain and 
threaten the city.''
  Still quoting the Los Angeles story: ``The project was stopped in its 
tracks when an environmental lawsuit won a Federal injunction on the 
grounds that the Army's environmental impact statement was flawed. By 
the mid-

[[Page 20861]]

1980s, the Corps of Engineers abandoned the project.''
  The story goes on, but I will just say this: that project, which was 
stopped by environmental lawsuits, really led or allowed the damage, 
the horrible events that happened in New Orleans and the surrounding 
areas. Environmental extremism, Mr. Speaker, has caused almost every 
highway, aviation, and water project in this country to take three or 
four times longer than it should and cost about three or four times 
more than it should. This hurts the poor and the lower income and the 
working people of this country most of all.
  Perhaps wealthy environmentalists do not realize how much they hurt 
people by driving up costs and destroying jobs; but hurt they do. Some 
projects they are able to stop altogether. This barrier protection for 
New Orleans is just one of many examples, but certainly the worst.
  However, some people say the city was at fault in its response to 
this tragedy. Some say it was the State. Some say it was the Federal 
response that was too slow. Actually, there were mistakes made at all 
levels, but most people at all levels responded more quickly and with 
more money than any other country in the world would have been able to 
do when faced with a similar natural disaster.
  We should be proud of how the American people have responded. I doubt 
there is a fire or police or sheriff's department of any size in this 
country that has not sent people to the affected area. Private 
contributions and volunteer help worth billions has been provided. 
Congress has voted to send $62 billion there. Fortunately, the death 
toll, while still terrible, was not even close to the predicted 10,000, 
probably with apparently a few hundred.
  What should we do now? The best way we can help is for the other 
body, the Senate, to follow the leadership of this House and pass the 
Water Resources Development Act. This bill was passed several weeks 
before our August recess by a vote of 406 to 14 here in the House. We 
passed it in the House by a similar margin in 2003, but it bogged down 
in the Senate.
  This bill provides roughly $2 billion for hurricane and flood 
protection and environmental restoration for the Louisiana coastal 
region and the gulf coast. No bill before the Congress will do more to 
protect those areas in the future than this worthy bill. The Senate 
should not let this bill be bogged down again. It should follow the 
lead of the House and pass this very important bill just as soon as 
possible.
  No bill does more to provide protection against these tragedies, not 
only in Louisiana and Mississippi but in other at-risk areas, than does 
the Water Resources Development Act.
  I hope everyone will work together to pass this very important 
legislation just as soon as possible.

                          ____________________