National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman for this opportunity to discuss a matter of great interest and importance to the Tri-Cities community in my district.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acquired land along the shoreline of the Columbia River in Tri-Cities, Washington. The land, 34 miles of the McNary shoreline, is currently underutilized. The local communities continue to be saddled with hundreds of thousands of dollars of M&O costs annually for upkeep of land of these shoreline properties that they don't even own.

I support the community proposal to convey the land back to the cities. I have been working with the chairman on proposed amendment language to do so but respect the fact the chairman has let me know there is still some work to be done.

I continue to encourage further community engagement and believe public meetings are necessary to ensure all voices are heard, including that of the local Tribes.

It is also a requirement that the city governments fully understand the responsibilities and potential costs that could arise from having this land conveyed.

There must be further coordination between conveyance proponents, community stakeholders, city governments, and the Army Corps.

Mr. Chairman, you have raised concerns about the language in its current form and have urged further efforts. I am committed to continuing to work with the local communities to address these concerns.

Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I respectfully ask: Will you commit to continuing to work with me as the NDAA process moves forward to try to address concerns with the proposal while the communities continue to assess their needs?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. NEWHOUSE. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the chairman for that colloquy.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source