Water Resources Development Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chair, this amendment would direct the Army Corps to expedite and complete dredging in Plymouth Harbor in time for the 400th anniversary celebration of the Mayflower landing in Plymouth and Provincetown, Massachusetts.

This is a huge international event that will attract people from all over the world, particularly from Britain--including Plymouth, England--and it is going to be a significant revenue producer for our Commonwealth but also for our country.

The 2020 anniversary is a proud milestone for our country as we commemorate the 400th anniversary of the successful settlement of Plymouth by the Pilgrims; the essential contributions of the Aquinnah and Mashpee Wampanoag tribes; and the number of key events that followed, including the signing of the Mayflower Compact, the 50-year Plymouth Pilgrim-Wampanoag peace treaty, and of course, the first Thanksgiving.

For my entire time in Congress, I have worked closely with my constituents to prepare for this Plymouth 400 event.

The Plymouth Harbor dredging project has always been a cornerstone to these preparations. A centerpiece of the anniversary will be the return of the fully restored Mayflower Two, a full-scale replica of the original ship that brought the Pilgrims to Cape Cod in 1620. However, the Mayflower Two cannot return to her home in Plymouth Harbor unless much-needed dredging is completed by that time.

Further, we anticipate a maritime salute to mark the return of the Mayflower Two as part of the commemoration. We also expect significant uptick in corresponding maritime traffic.

The amendment is part of a final piece to ensure that 2020 will be a memorable year for our community and our country, and I look forward to the completion of this project and all the good that will follow.

This is something that is critical not only in terms of the event but making sure there is safe navigation, which we will have to be able to, in some way, counter the influx of marine traffic as well.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chair, I just want to thank the chairman for his help working with this, and I want to say, you are welcome. In 2020, come be part of the celebration. It is so integral to our country, and it is something that will, I think, be a great revenue producer as well.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would grant the Army Corps of Engineers the authority to repair or replace any Army Corps bridge that is necessary for evacuation during extreme weather or natural disaster in New England.

In my district, Mr. Chairman, the Bourne and Sagamore bridges represent the only roads for crossing the Cape Cod Canal by car. These bridges, owned by the Army Corps, have long reached the end of their working lives. In fact, the Army Corps is already spending a significant amount of funds just to keep the traffic on the bridges moving. Anyone who has gone there in the summer and experienced that can well attest to that.

We cannot risk the safety of those vital roadways at any time, let alone at a time of an emergency. As the Corps already knows, it is important that we recognize that the canal bridges and other critical evacuation infrastructure across the Nation play a fundamental role in providing for the public safety of countless Americans. Much of this State and local work required to ensure the long-term safety of the canal bridges is already under way.

I have also been working closely with the Army Corps leadership in New England and in Washington to ensure that the funding necessary for the safest, most resilient evacuation routes remains a priority.

This amendment would authorize the Army Corps to continue down the path towards long-term safety for the people in my region, the people in New England, and, importantly, the over half a million people that the population swells to just in that small area over the summer months.

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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman again for his cooperation. This is a vital matter of public safety going forward, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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