Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is about setting priorities. The Army Corps of Engineers construction account has a serious backlog of over $60 billion. According to a recent CRS report, there is a backlog of more than 1,000 authorized studies and construction projects.

The President's budget inadequately addresses this backlog, only allocating $1.1 billion for these important infrastructure projects, a 32 percent reduction over fiscal year 2014-enacted levels.

Now, I applaud the committee for providing $48 million more for Corps construction over the 2014-enacted levels, but more needs to be done. This is especially prevalent with the recent passage of the bipartisan water resources conference report, which contained authorizations for existing projects, such as the Louisiana Coastal Area, and new projects, such as Morganza to the Gulf.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment transfers $5 million out of the Department of Energy's administrative account and moves that money into the Corps of Engineers construction budget. The goal is to move more projects forward, to reduce the backlog, and to open up the door for projects across the country vital to our Nation's waterways, our economy, and our ability to export.

Louisiana, for example, contains 3 million acres of coastal wetlands. Louisiana's coast is home to over 2 million people, supporting vital ecosystems, national energy security, thousands of jobs, and a unique culture.

As you may know, our coastal wetlands are rapidly disappearing. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that if present land-loss trends continue, Louisiana will lose 2,400 square miles of land between 1932 and 2050. That is an area about 25 times that of Washington, D.C.

Morganza to the Gulf, which is one of five new projects authorized in WRRDA's hurricane and storm damage risk reduction subsection, is of immense importance to Louisiana's coastal restoration and protection efforts. The project's purpose is to protect the remaining fragile marsh and wetlands from hurricane storm surge. This is one of many projects around the country that needs funding and is vital to our Nation's infrastructure.

Taxpayers wish to see this backlog cleared out and other projects important to our Nation's economy moved forward. That is what this amendment intends to help achieve.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. Chairman, unfortunately, the President's 2015 budget request cuts O&M funding by 28 percent, reflecting an overall $1 billion cut in the Corps of Engineers' civil works budget from the levels set in the fiscal year 2014 omnibus budget bill.

While I appreciate the House Appropriations' mark of $44 million above the fiscal year 2014 level, more must be done to help ensure our waterways are properly maintained.

This is especially true with the Water Resources conference report, which allows for 100 percent of the funds generated by the cargo tax to be utilized for harbor maintenance and dredging by the year 2025. We need to help bridge this gap now, as nearly 1,000 Federal ports and harbors have not been adequately maintained, and are dredged to their authorized depths and widths only 35 percent of the time.

The amendment myself and my colleague from Louisiana are coauthoring directs $1 million from the Department of Energy's administrative offices and directs $1 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' operation and maintenance accounts.

The purpose of the funding redirection is to make strategic and justified investments in our Nation's port and waterway infrastructure, such as the Calcasieu Ship Channel. For example, Port of Lake Charles officials announced yesterday that vessel traffic is expected to increase by more than 50 percent over the next 5 years and double within the decade. With more than $67 billion worth of capital investments in southwest Louisiana, the increased channel use is attributed to expanded operations of existing terminals and the construction of several proposed facilities.

Mr. Chairman, we need to work to provide the resources to maintain and dredge these vital navigation and shipping channels.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany).

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