Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016
Floor Speech
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First, let me thank the committee chairman and the staffs for their hard work in putting this bill together. I know it has taken a lot of time and the work of a lot of people to get it here today.
Mr. Chairman, my amendment restores funding for the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project, which is the largest flood control project in the world, to its FY15 enacted levels. The MR is critical in preventing widely devastating floods and to ensure this waterway remains open and able to carry the massive stream of trade that is so vital to American commerce. The Mississippi River is a thriving economic thoroughfare in the United States, with billions of tons of cargo being transported up and down the river each year.
The MR has played an integral role in protecting the lower Mississippi valley from floods and enabling continuous navigation along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Since its inception in 1928,
our Nation has received $45 for every dollar invested while preventing $612 billion in flood damages and protecting 4 million residents of the lower Mississippi River valley. The success of the project was on
display in 2011, when the system withheld historic flooding that exceeded the benchmark set by the very 1927 flood which spurred the creation of the MR
Not only does the MR protect lives and property in the lower Mississippi valley, but it also promotes navigation along the river and its tributaries, and it helps support a vibrant agriculture economy. Over 500 million tons of cargo move on the Mississippi River system each year, saving billions of dollars in domestic transportation costs and giving U.S. businesses a natural advantage.
At a time when the fiscal environment forces us to carefully evaluate where every dollar goes, I believe it is prudent to sufficiently fund projects like those covered under MR, which give taxpayers a return on their investment. I urge the support of this critical project.
I thank the chairman for his consideration, and I look forward to continuing to work with the committee and the chairman through the appropriations process on this critical investment in the Midsouth region.
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