[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23011-23012]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




EXTENDING THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2007, AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF THE 
   ARMY TO ACCEPT AND EXPEND FUNDS CONTRIBUTED BY NON-FEDERAL PUBLIC 
             ENTITIES TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESSING OF PERMITS

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in 
the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 3765) to extend through 
December 31, 2007, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept 
and expend funds contributed by non-Federal public entities to expedite 
the processing of permits.
  The Clerk read as follows:
       Senate amendments: Page 2, line 10, strike ``December 31, 
     2007'' and insert: ``March 31, 2006''.
       Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to extend through 
     March 31, 2006, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to 
     accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal public 
     entities and to expedite the processing of permits.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from

[[Page 23012]]

Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Salazar) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).


                             General Leave

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, on September 20 of 2005, the House passed H.R. 3765, 
which provided a 2-year extension of the authority of the Corps of 
Engineers to accept funds to help process permit applications. This 
program, which has broad bipartisan support, expired on September 30 of 
this year. Unless it is extended, some regulatory personnel will have 
to be reassigned or let go, reducing the Corps' ability to process 
permits in a timely manner.
  On October 7 of 2005 the Senate passed H.R. 3765 with an amendment to 
extend this program for only 6 months, until March 31, 2006. To prevent 
a reduction in the Corps' ability to process permits, Congressional 
action is urgently needed. For that reason, I ask Members to agree to 
the Senate amendment.
  This issue of how long the authority to accept funds to process 
permits should be extended will be revisited in the House-Senate 
Conference on the Water Resources Development Act, after the other body 
passes their WRDA bill.
  This is an important thing for the Army Corps of Engineers. This is 
very helpful to them and it is important particularly to the west 
coast. It is limited to public entities such as ports and highway 
departments and other similar public entities. It is available 
throughout the Nation but it is used primarily on the west coast 
because it is important to them.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I support passage of H.R. 3765, as amended by the 
Senate. This bill extends through March 31 of 2006 the authority of the 
Secretary of the Army to accept and extends funding contributed by the 
non-Federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits under 
the Clean Water Act and Rivers and Harbor Acts of 1899. This program is 
popular and well-received, particularly in the northwestern part of our 
country.
  I congratulate my colleague from Washington (Mr. Baird) for his 
attention to this issue and for securing consideration of this bill. 
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the gentleman from Washington State, 
this short-term extension should quickly move to the President's desk 
for signature.

                              {time}  1345

  I can think of no other Member of Congress who has served his local 
and regional issues with more enthusiasm and effectiveness.
  The language of H.R. 3765 is modeled after language in H.R. 2864, the 
Water Resources Development Act of 2005, which was passed by this House 
on July 14 by an overwhelming vote of 406 to 14.
  As a freestanding bill, H.R. 3765 was approved by the House under 
suspension on September 20 in a voice vote. Although the length of 
authorization contained in this bill was shortened slightly by the 
Senate, even as modified this bill would continue to receive strong 
support.
  Madam Speaker, despite concerns expressed by the other body, the 
Senate, on this legislation today, today's consideration of one of the 
provisions of the larger Water Resources Development Act should not be 
viewed as an indication that the larger bill will not be enacted later 
this year.
  I remain optimistic that the other House of Congress will soon 
consider this vital legislation, particularly in light of the vital 
role of flood damage reduction, navigation and other storm damage 
reduction projects in protecting lives and properties and enhancing 
economic well-being. The tragic events associated with Hurricane 
Katrina indicate how important our water infrastructure truly is.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), our 
chairman of the subcommittee, for helping us on this issue. I urge 
support for this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I would also like to commend the gentleman 
from Washington (Mr. Baird), a member of our subcommittee, a very 
active member, for his work on this legislation; and as I mentioned 
earlier, it has broad bipartisan support, so I urge its passage.
  Mr. BAIRD. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Subcommittee on 
Water Resources and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for 
expediting the passage of H.R. 3765, a commonsense bill that will save 
jobs and continue to promote economic growth.
  I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Senator Murray and 
Senator Cantwell for their efforts in reaching a compromise with their 
colleagues and ensuring swift passage by the Senate. Although I was 
hoping for a longer extension of section 214, I was pleased that both 
Chambers were able to pass a temporary fix before the delay caused 
irreparable economic damage to the Pacific Northwest.
  I have been a strong proponent of the section 214 provision since its 
enactment in WRDA 2000. This provision permits non-federal public 
entities to contribute funds to the Army Corps of Engineers to help 
expedite the processing of corps permits. In the Pacific Northwest, we 
have seen the backlog of permits grow to over 1,000 in past years and 
seen the residual effect that this has on our region's economy. This 
provision has allowed municipalities and ports to move forward with 
vital infrastructure projects. By funding additional staff to work on 
specific, time-intensive permits, existing corps' staff is freed up to 
work on the backlog. It is important to emphasize that these entities 
providing funding are given no partiality by the corps in their review 
of the project.
  This provision was extended in 2003 in the FY04 Energy and Water 
appropriations bill, and expired on September 30. The temporary 
extension passed today, will allow the Army Corps to continue section 
214 projects until this bill expires on March 31, 2006. It is my hope 
that we can permanently extend this provision by passing WRDA this 
year, a bill that is long overdue for reauthorization.
  Additionally, some of my colleagues have expressed interest in a 
thorough study of the use of section 214, and I would urge these 
efforts to be expedited. It is my view that a report by the GAO to 
study the effectiveness of this program in the Pacific Northwest would 
only yield valuable information that can be used to improve and, 
perhaps, expand the program.
  I am proud to be the primary sponsor of this bill and have the 
endorsement of the entire Washington State delegation. I thank my 
colleagues for their vote to pass this bill today and promptly send it 
to the President for enactment.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) that the House 
suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill, H.R. 
3765.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate amendments were 
concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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