[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING INVESTMENT IN OUR NATION'S INFRASTRUCTURE AND LEVEE SYSTEM

  (Mr. CRAWFORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CRAWFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of funding for 
the Army Corps of Engineers directed toward improving infrastructure 
and the damaged levee system that needs critical restoration after this 
historic season of flooding.
  The unprecedented flooding along the Lower Mississippi River Valley 
area touched every part of the First District of Arkansas, my home 
district, and profoundly impacted our way of life. Homes and property 
were damaged, businesses were closed, and a vast amount of cropland was 
under water shortly after planting season had begun.
  Preliminary estimates of crop damage across Arkansas has surpassed 
half a billion dollars, a huge toll on my district's agriculture-based 
economy. Farming is our way of life, and this bill provides farmers 
with the assurance necessary to reinvest in future production. Much of 
America's commodities are produced along the Mississippi Delta, and we 
must take the necessary steps to ensure our safe and reliable food 
supply is protected.
  This vital investment in our Nation's infrastructure and levee system 
will provide security not only to our farmers but the families who live 
and work there as well as our consumers all across the country.

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