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Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024

Floor Speech

Date: Dec. 9, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 4367, the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act.

Included in today's legislation is language which addresses an issue that means the world to many of my constituents. I have spoken from this podium many times over the past 10 years highlighting the importance of the lock and dam to the residents of the CSRA.

Due to environmental mitigation from the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, the Corps of Engineers was responsible for constructing a mitigation feature that would allow sturgeon and other endangered fish to access new spawning grounds.

Unfortunately, the corps selected a rock weir as an alternative to replace the lock and dam, which I strongly opposed as it would drop the pool level far below the needs of the community, and disregarded the requirements established in the 2016 WIIN Act.

In a disastrous simulation carried out by the corps, we saw firsthand the dreadful impacts of the lower water level that would result from the installation of a rock weir.

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Mr. ALLEN. Throughout this tenuous process and legal battles, many of my colleagues and I worked closely with community leaders and stakeholders who have all agreed that maintaining the water level above the lock and dam is critical, so our residents are not affected.

I am thrilled to finally stand here today with a message for my community: A legislative solution to maintain the pool level and repair the lock and dam will soon be on its way to the President's desk.

I thank all of those who worked tirelessly on this issue, my colleagues who helped push for these changes for so long, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee led by Chairman Graves and Subcommittee Chair Rouzer insisting the language stay in the final bill.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the Senate to pass this bill and President Biden to sign it into law.

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