[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16456]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             FLOOD PROTECTION FOR THE MISSOURI RIVER BASIN

  (Mr. BERG asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BERG. Mr. Speaker, North Dakota has experienced devastating and 
unprecedented flooding this year. To provide additional flood control 
storage, our State requested that the Corps lower the water levels in 
Lake Sakakawea. This could help prevent a repeat of this year's 
flooding. Last night, the Corps denied our State's request. I strongly 
disagree with this decision.
  The people of North Dakota are more than just frustrated. They have 
lost so much to flooding, and they deserve more say in the Corps 
management of the water levels. I have called on the Corps to testify 
before Congress on what went wrong this last spring, and I will 
continue to press for an honest conversation about the Missouri River 
Basin's flood protection. The Corps should do everything within its 
power to prevent another devastating flood next spring. Unfortunately, 
this recent decision suggests that the Corps is continuing forward with 
the same management plan that failed so badly this spring. Things need 
to change now before the people of North Dakota and other Missouri 
River States are faced with another devastating loss.

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