Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 19, 2007)

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Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, thank you to the chairman and the ranking member of this committee as we debate a very important piece of legislation in the Energy and Water appropriations bill.

I would like to talk specifically about an issue that is vitally important to literally hundreds of thousands of people in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa. The Lewis and Clark Rural Water System is a unique water project that I am hopeful will receive the appropriate funding as the Energy and Water appropriations bill moves forward.

This Lewis and Clark water project, when completed, will provide safe, reliable drinking water to over 300,000 people in roughly 5,000 square miles of South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. The project will move water from the Missouri River into those areas to provide safe drinking water and the ability of those communities to grow economically.

Minnesota is called the Land of 10,000 lakes. Unfortunately, they are not equally distributed. For example, in Rock County there is not a single natural lake. The lack of water has a profound impact on economic development. Businesses are reluctant to locate or expand because of the lack of reliable water.

I literally have communities that I represent that cannot permit a single new home to be built until someone moves out because their water shortages are that severe. Seventeen of the 20 local municipalities that are participating in this project, and I repeat on this and say it very carefully, have prepaid $87 million of their local share of the expenses in order to keep inflationary costs at a minimum. Additionally, all three States involved, Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa, have committed to prepay on the project as well.

Unfortunately, the Federal Government is the partner that's lacking. My constituents, the people of South Dakota and Iowa, clearly understand expenditures of Federal dollars for investments are not necessarily wasteful. If the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System receives its full $35 million in requests this year, this project will be completed by 2018. However, if we are funded at the level President Bush has requested in his 2008 budget, we will not see completion until past 2051.

The 300,000 people of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa can't wait that long. Previous Congresses have created a significant budget crisis. I hear my colleagues mentioning that, and they're absolutely right. We spent at deficit records. We created a national debt that is staggering, but we cannot be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

The longer we take to provide appropriate Federal funds, the more this project is going to cost, and it is already being built. It is already being prepaid, and it will produce significant economic gains for us.

I look forward to working with the chairman and ranking member to make sure this project is appropriately funded.

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