[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21728]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 6014

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RICHARD W. POMBO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 2006

  Mr. POMBO. Mr. Speaker, California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta 
provides water for millions of Californians and is a recreational and 
environmental treasure. In addition, it serves as a home, where 
generations of us continue to live and work.
  The Delta, however, is also one of the most flood-prone areas in the 
world. Hurricane Katrina reinforced the need to do everything possible 
to protect the Delta. To do otherwise would risk tempting the same 
human and environmental disaster that devastated New Orleans. Simply 
accepting that the Delta will flood catastrophically is unacceptable.
  Over the past two years, we have held productive hearings on 
protecting the Delta and have steered funding towards actual levee 
construction. Long-term studies are underway, but I worry that our 
federal and state agencies are studying levee protection to death and 
do not have a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan. The reality is 
hearings and long-term studies don't protect Delta Residents and water 
users from the immediate threats that swollen waterways present.
  That's why I introduced H.R. 6014. Experts on the ground who work to 
keep the levees safe have told me that the most effective levee 
protection is performed through the California Levees Subvention 
Program. It's a proven program with tangible results. While we continue 
to develop long-term strategies for protecting the Delta, funding this 
existing program will cut through bureaucratic red tape and get needed 
dirt and rock on the levees in a cost effective manner.
  My bill is not a cure-all, but it is a bipartisan step in the right 
direction. It rightly forces the Bureau of Reclamation to funnel money 
to a proven program that will benefit the agency and the 22 million 
California water consumers who depend on reliable levees in the Delta.
  The 2004 Jones Tract levee failure demonstrated that what happens in 
the Delta, does not stay in the Delta. Private levee failures can have 
a significant impact on federal agencies: The Jones Tract failure 
forced the Bureau of Reclamation to shut down its export water pumps to 
those south of the Delta for several days. The funding in my bill helps 
prevent future levee failures that could have far- reaching impacts on 
the entire State. It is simply an ounce of prevention for a pound of 
cure.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for considering this important and timely 
legislation. Studies and history have shown that levees in the Delta 
are vulnerable to breaks at any moment. We must act now to protect our 
communities and water supply and this bill does exactly that.

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