[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28962]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

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                         HON. RODNEY ALEXANDER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 1, 2009

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership 
standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information 
regarding earmarks I received as part of the Interior Appropriations 
Act, 2010, H.R. 2996.
  Congressman Rodney Alexander
  H.R. 2996
  STAG
  City of Monroe, Louisiana
  Monroe Wastewater Treatment System--$500,000. Portions of the 
wastewater collection system were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s 
and are in severe state of deterioration. Even with maintenance, breaks 
have developed along the pipeline and in manholes. These breaks allow 
excess rainwater and groundwater to enter the collection system adding 
extreme pressure to an overtaxed system resulting in Sanitary Sewer 
Overflows, SSOs, which are violations of the Clean Water Act. The City 
has entered into a Consent Decree with the Environmental Protection 
Agency, EPA, that requires the City to pay a fine of $235,000 and 
implement of a costly sewer rehabilitation program to eliminate SSOs 
within 11.5 years. The cost of this program is estimated to cost over 
$150 million. To date the City of Monroe has spent $110 million toward 
this goal, implementing many of the projects needed to upgrade its 
wastewater treatment system as mandated by the Consent Decree. This 
effort has put a severe financial strain on the City's resources 
limiting chances to fuel economic growth in areas of the City. Funding 
assistance from the federal government is imperative if the City is to 
meet the remaining requirements of the EPA Consent Decree, in 
particular, rehabilitation and general I/I abatement work, SSO 
corrective action.

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