Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, over the past 50 years, our country has gone from being a construction society to a consumption society. As a result, our bridges, our roads, our dams, and our waterways have suffered. President Trump has said that rebuilding America's infrastructure is a priority for his administration. He said that we will build ``with American heart, American hands, and American grit.'' That is what President Trump said in the State of the Union this year.

Yesterday the Committee on Environment and Public Works took a big step toward meeting that goal. We voted to approve the America's Water Infrastructure Act.

There are a lot of people in Wyoming and around the Rocky Mountain West, as well, who say that--well, it was originally attributed to Mark Twain, and it goes like this: ``Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.''

Surprisingly, in this case, we actually didn't fight over the water of the United States. This legislation was written by Republicans and Democrats, and it passed with unanimous, bipartisan support of 21 to 0. Both parties agreed that there is a lot we can do to improve America's water infrastructure.

Basically, the bill comes down to three big things. It grows the economy and creates jobs, it cuts redtape by getting more control out of Washington, and it keeps communities safe.

The first way this legislation supports America's economy is by increasing water storage. That is a big concern in my home State of Wyoming and across the West. We have had a serious problem over the years where sediment builds up behind dams in the lakes where water is stored. That sediment limits the amount of water the lakes can hold. We are telling the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies to develop plans to deal with this sediment at Federal reservoirs. That is a simple thing that Washington can do, and now it is going to get done.

We are also expanding water storage capacity by making it easier to get permits for additional reservoirs. We have a facility in Lincoln County, WY, that is called the Fontenelle Reservoir. We have been trying to expand the water storage at that reservoir for years. This legislation makes sure the expansion will finally occur.

Farmers, ranchers, and communities nearby will get a new, reliable supply of the water they need. Of course, the water doesn't do much good if people can't get it where they need it. So we fix the failing irrigation systems that are so important in rural areas.

We are also improving America's inland waterways, which people rely on to move products to market. On the coasts, we deepen some of the most vital ports, and we can ship goods from there around the world.

The pro-growth policies, like the tax cuts we passed last year, have helped America's economy take off. Now we need to make sure that we have the water infrastructure in place to keep it growing, to keep people working, and to keep American raw materials and American-made products moving.

The second thing this legislation does is to cut some of the burdensome and unnecessary redtape that does nothing but get in the way of economic progress that we need. We are going to make sure that these water projects reflect the priorities of the American people, not the priorities of Washington bureaucrats. That means more local control over which projects get built. Local leaders know what they need, and they know which projects will make the biggest difference.

Once we identify the best projects, then we need to make sure that they actually get built. Today, the permitting process can drag on for years, while people get more and more desperate for projects to be finished.

The America's Water Infrastructure Act will push the Army Corps of Engineers to complete all feasibility studies for new projects within less than 2 years. We also eliminate the need for multiple benefit- cost-ratio assessments for a single project. These are expensive, and they take lot of time. Often, the Army Corps of Engineers will require new assessments several times for a single project. This legislation gets rid of these redundant studies. It is going to make a big difference in getting things built on time and on budget.

The third big thing that this legislation does is to help keep American communities safe. We are going to repair some of the old drinking water and wastewater systems across the country. We provide help for places that need to clean up pollution in their water and to keep the pollution from getting into the water in the first place. As a doctor, I can tell you that this is extremely important for the health of our families and for our communities. That is why it is a priority in this legislation.

We also take some important steps to reduce floods in rural areas. In my home State of Wyoming and in other parts of the West, this is a continual threat for many people. Every spring they have to worry about floods caused by snow and ice melting. We have dams and levees where maintenance has been put off for so long that people are anxious every time the water starts to rise. We are addressing the backlog of maintenance as well. We are looking for ways to permanently fix some of these areas where ice backs up along the rivers and cause serious damage.

Most people don't give a lot of thought to the water that comes into their home. They turn on the faucet, water comes out, comes into the house, and water goes out of the house. This legislation makes sure that people don't have to worry about that changing. Their water will be safe, reliable, and abundant so they will not have to worry about it.

For most of us in the West, water is always on our minds. It is vital to our way of life. We rely on irrigation and water storage for our livestock and our crops. We rely on water to transport our products to markets far away. We rely on dams and levees to protect us from floods. This legislation makes sure that people in rural communities can still count on the water being there when we need it.

That is good for all of us. Republicans and Democrats agree. We know there is a lot of work to be done to address America's water infrastructure needs. We know we need to get the job done right. We need to get it done faster, better, cheaper, and smarter. The America's Water Infrastructure Act does just that. This cooperative piece of legislation passed the committee 21 to 0. Now it is time for the entire Senate to act.

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