Providing for Consideraton of H.R. 2864, Water Resources Development Act of 2005

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2864, WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - July 13, 2005)

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from West Virginia for yielding me this time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. MATSUI asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and strongly support the underlying measure, H.R. 2864, that would provide for the water infrastructure needs of our Nation.

The Water Resources Development Act before us today reflects a shared commitment to the larger goal of developing our national water resources to address economic, environmental, and also public safety needs.

H.R. 2864 is a comprehensive bill. It does more than just authorize nearly $10 billion for the construction of nearly 700 water resource development projects and studies by the Army Corps of Engineers. It seeks to improve the corps' implementation of projects.

From working with the corps year after year, we know there are better ways to implement projects. This bill includes provisions to ensure that corps projects are managed in a coordinated and efficient manner, with improved financial management.

To improve the planning and execution of ongoing projects, the committee is asking that the corps submit yearly financial reports, including anticipated spending needs for future years.

The measure also streamlines the project review process for environmental reports and analyses.

Further, it would also allow for better coordination between the Federal review and State agencies affected by the project. And these are just a few examples of the many provisions this bill includes to encourage better management and coordination of U.S. Army Corps projects. These improvements are common sense. They will not only facilitate better economic and environmental benefits of the projects, but they will also allow projects to reach completion faster.

With a number of ongoing water projects in my district of Sacramento, California, these provisions will translate into real and tangible results. Sacramento has a long history intertwined with floods.

When the city endured a near catastrophic flood in 1986, the community quickly realized it did not have nearly the level of flood protection necessary to fully safeguard the region. After the city again faced more floods in 1997, the community redoubled its efforts to achieve 200-year flood protection. However, until that day arrives, flooding remains a very constant and genuine threat. And continued Federal assistance plays an important role in obtaining that goal.

Despite years of effort, Sacramento still remains one of the most flood-prone and threatened cities in the country, paling in comparison to the level of protection enjoyed by other river cities.

Thanks to the leadership of this committee, much has been done to address the flood control needs of the region. Indeed, several project authorizations already in place that, once completed, will provide in excess of 200-year flood protection for much of the area. With the continued support of Congress, Sacramento has already made incremental progress toward our initial goal of achieving 100-year flood protection for the region, and ultimately moving as quickly as possible towards 200-year flood protection.

Fortunately, as a result of lengthy bipartisan negotiations, Congress has authorized a suite of projects that will achieve 200-year flood protection. Upon completion of the authorized projects to improve area levees, modify the outlets of Folsom Dam and raise Folsom Dam by 7 feet, Sacramento will obtain its long-term flood control goal.

I deeply appreciate the years of support of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has provided to ensure these projects continue to move forward, providing Sacramento the level of flood protection that it both needs and deserves.

In this bill, the committee embraced a project which seemed to be bogged down and hopeless, but because of a little bit of innovation and a strong commitment to finding success, it will be authorized today.

After the Corps of Engineers recommended a flood control project at Magpie Creek in Sacramento, the project faced an unavoidable redesign that nearly doubled the total cost of the project. The cost increase put the project out of reach of local affordability, and the project seemed to be stalled indefinitely. Taking the initiative, the local sponsor, the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, developed a revised plan that is not only less costly, but also has less of an environmental impact.

What is significant is the cooperation between the local stakeholders, the Corps and Congress to work together to find a solution. Because of this cooperation, Sacramento now has a more efficient project which will better protect us.

Just as thought went into this project's plan, it is apparent that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee put great deliberation into this bill. I would like to offer my deep gratitude for the hours of work that the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Chairman DUNCAN) and the ranking members, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) have put into this bill. Their long negotiations have produced a bill that will save lives, homes and businesses from devastation of floodwaters and improve the quality of life.

These are stakes Sacramento knows well. My district is located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers. Sacramento is the hub of a 6-county regional economy that provides 800,000 jobs for 1.5 million people. A major flood along the American River will cripple this economy, and cost between $7 billion and $16 billion in direct property damages and likely result in significant loss of life.

The risk of serious flooding poses an unacceptable threat to the safety and economic well-being of Sacramento and to California's State capitol. It is because of the bipartisan commitment in the Sacramento region and the bipartisan commitment of these committee members that Sacramento is slowly reducing its risk of flooding. We are on a path, and I thank the committee for forging ahead with my community, to bring Sacramento the long-awaited flood protection it needs and deserves.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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