Water Resources Development Act of 2016

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would enable the Army Corps of Engineers to use the best technology available to ensure our infrastructure is structurally sound and avoid the loss of property, money, and lives. Specifically, it directs the Secretary of the Army to use structural health monitoring to evaluate its construction projects and current infrastructure to mitigate damage from floods, earthquakes, sea level rise, and other disasters both before and after a major event.

The increased frequency and magnitude of the extreme weather events have high recovery costs for the Federal Government. In 2012, Superstorm Sandy caused an estimated $50 billion in damages and forced more than 775,000 people to flee their homes. The Federal Government provided $136 billion in assistance, amounting to $1,160 per taxpayer.

These costs can be prevented. Research has shown that every $1 spent on preparedness saves $4 in disaster recovery costs. How we prepare before disaster strikes determines how much we spend and, more importantly, how many lives we save.

Successful planning and preparation require consultation with experts and access to the best available data with structural health monitoring sensors that can detect in near realtime the existence, location, and severity of the damage to infrastructure. Data from these sensors can provide essential information on the condition of infrastructure, ranging from bridges to skyscrapers, following a natural disaster like an earthquake; but effective management of these structures is not one size fits all. Access to realtime-specific data through structural health monitoring technology will enable the Army Corps to prioritize buildings and structures that need immediate maintenance. By working proactively rather than reactively, we can avoid further damage and higher costs.

Data show we will only be more likely to see more extreme weather, sea level rise, and floods that can significantly damage our buildings and bridges in the future. Those disasters are not only costly but dangerous. We need to provide the groups responsible for maintaining our Nation's infrastructure the tools they need to do so.

I thank the chairman, the ranking member, and the committee for considering this amendment. I ask my colleagues to support this smart, commonsense amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source