Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2007

ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007

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Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of Mr. King's amendment.

As many of you know, earlier this month the Army Corps of Engineers decided to move forward with a spring rise on the Missouri River. I continue to remain strongly opposed to this policy because it significantly raises the chances of something adverse happening to the over 1 million Missourians that live along the river's flood plain.

Mr. Chairman, the spring rise is a huge gamble. We are gambling with the livelihoods of all the farmers, landowners, homeowners, and merchants along the river. All for what? To maybe trigger the spawning patterns of the pallid sturgeon. This is a risky science experiment to me, and I will continue to fight against this and future spring rises.

It's the farmer that we need to protect. I wish to remind this body how important farmers are to us three times a day when we eat. A spring rise substantially increases the chances of down river flooding and we cannot risk that potential damage to our agricultural community. Farmers play a critical role in America and to the countless countries that rely on them to feed their populations. We must protect our farmers and their livelihoods before we consider this unfounded experiment.

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