[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16280]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            ENERGY AND WATER

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have been engaging in 
discussion on the appropriations regarding the Energy and Water bill. 
Much of our attention has been on the gas prices, which is clearly a 
key element of need for the American people. I believe that when we 
finish this bill, we will have a strong and positive response.
  But at the same time, water is a concern for the American people as 
well. Flooding is a concern for the American people as well. I use as 
an example the City of Houston, Texas, that has just received the flood 
mapping that goes on under the process of FEMA, meaning that they have 
described areas of residential housing where the maps are changing what 
is a flooding area and what is not.
  The tragedy for Houston is that these are older neighborhoods where 
Members of the community have invested in one of their major assets. 
Unfortunately, based upon FEMA's maps and the lack of infrastructure as 
it relates to water and flooding, these individuals are finding 
themselves without the opportunity to protect their property. We have 
got to change that. We have got to make a difference. I look forward to 
working with my constituents to do so.

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