Date: 2007-11-06
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. it was a little over 2 years ago that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita tore through the gulf coast leaving a trail of tragedy and despair in their wake. Endless news reports documented the disaster. the catastrophe. the misfortune and the heartbreak of the affected communities. Even some of our colleagues lost their homes. Many wondered how they could help these victims. whose homes. families and livelihoods were destroyed in a matter of hours. Washington may be geographically far from Mississippi. Louisiana. Alabama and Texas. but it gives us no excuse to dismiss the travails ofthose States. We cannot merely look at these events through protective glass. ruling on the fates of these communities from far away. We must be on the ground. planning recovery and reconstruction to ensure the devastation experienced never happens again. Most of ug have traveled to New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina to try and understand what needs to be done to help the region prepare for the future. I have seen firsthand the devastation faced by the citizens of New Orleans and the surrounding region. On September 15. 2005. President Bush stood in New Orleans. Louisiana. in the dark of the night and stated. "Throughout the area hit by the hurricane. we will do what it takes. we will stay as long as it takes. to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives." How is vetoing the Water Resources Development Act consistent with this pledge? We need to change how we deal with these events. Our Federal emergency planning should not consist of afterthefact recovery. We must institute prevention. We cannot simply wait for tragedy after tragedy and then hastily truck in meals ready to eat or trucks of bottles of water. We need to truck in reform now. Prior to the hurricanes. the gulf coast had but a patchwork of protection. The wetlands had disappeared. The buffer that could have reduced the wrath of the winds and storm surge of Katrina and Rita had been vanishing. This legislation authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to begin to replenish the water coastline. WRDA 2007 also closes the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. commonly known as "Mr. Go." taking a proactive step to help the people and the businesses of Louisiana. Mississippi and the entire Gulf Coast States. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet was authorized to provide a shorter shipping channel from the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans. yet the projected traffic for this corridor never materialized. Unfortunately. the outlet may have substantially contributed to the severe flooding of the City of New Orleans and the lower Ninth Ward during Hurricane Katrina. WRDA 2007 is also essential to fulfill the Presidents commitment to rebuild New Orleans even better and stronger than before the storm. Unfortunately. by vetoing this legislation. the President is turning his back on the commitment to rebuild this great city. vetoing the authorization for the Corps to raise enhanced flood protection levees surrounding the City of New Orleans and to achieve a 100year level of protection. Some may think that investment in our Nations infrastructure should have a cost ceiling. We will never be able to contain this cost until we do some of the work. That investment in ouir Nations future should only cost so much. Well. for those who make this argument concerning this bill. I urge them to study the recent past of this legislative body. This bill is not new. As many times as we dont finish it. cost goes up. WRDA 2007 contains water resource projects that have been pending in the halls of this Chamber for far too long. Water resources legislation is most effective when authorized every 2 years. Even the executive branch department indicated that we need $19 billion every other year to bring this. all the infrastructure. up to par. This hasnt happened. The last bill was signed in 2000 by President Clinton. This bill clears a 7year logjam. A larger bill is necessary to carry a larger load. When President Bush states that this bill is too costly. he is not considering the time lag. This debate is not about whether this legislation could cost $14 billion or $15 billion. but about whether this legislation authorizes projects that reinvest in the Nations crumbling infrastructure. We do right by this country when we invest in its infrastructure. Regrettably. we are falling miserably behind. China spends 9 percent of its gross domestic product on infrastructure. India spends 3.5 percent and the U.S. spends a meager .93 percent. We must do better. We dont want a situation where our beaches remain contaminated with open sewage or other contaminants. We passed this particular conference report on August 1. 2007. the same day that the highway bridge 135 collapsed in Minnesota. We stood on this floor considering investment in infrastructure at the same time that emergency personnel were working the wreckage of a structure that unexpectedly is unstable. Our country cannot continue to put an arbitrary cost ceiling on investment in our public works. If we do this on a regular basis. we wont have to do that. Simply put. this legislation is about meeting our commitments to the Nation on protecting lives and livelihoods. ensuring economic competitiveness in the global marketplace. and restoring the Nations ecological treasures. For example. WRDA 2007 authorizes the first three projects in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. the Picayune Strand. Indian River Lagoon. and the Site 1 Impoundment Project. Since 2000. all 15 components of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan have been delayed. Costs have decreased. and even in my paper this weekend. there was an article on how the Everglades were disappearing. Floridas Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park continue to be listed in the directories of our countrys most endangered parks. As the population of the State of Florida has boomed. land management has not kept pace. This bill begins the journey to a better Florida. If safety and human protection are not good enough reasons to secure the passage of this legislation. I urge the President to consider our industry. WRDA 2007 seeks to improve our waters for our industry and our environment. This bill authorizes seven locks and dams in the Upper Mississippi River. as well as the ecosystem restoration projects in the Midwest region. Fl 1645 This bill doesnt just address large water resources projects. Many smaller projects are contained within this legislation. seeking to improve cities and small towns across the Nation. Wed like very much for drinking bottled water to continue to be a selection and a choice. rather than a necessity. These projects do not make national headlines. but they make a difference in the quality of life for those who live in these vicinities. Without these projects. many communities would be without necessary flood control. ecosystem restoration. and economic and public health necessities Lastly. Mr. Speaker. Id be remiss if I failed to mention the flood control needs of my district in Dallas. The Dallas Floodway accepts 1.600 square miles of Trinity River watershed runoff and safely moves the flood waters through the City of Dallas by virtue of levees that form both sides of the 2.000 footwide floodway. The flooding has been projected to flood the downtown area where all of the basis of our economy is. The floodway levees protect the downtown Dallas vicinity from a potential flood damage loss to property and infrastructure of $8 billion or more. The 23 miles of levees for the Dallas Floodway were originally constructed by local interests in 1932 and reconstructed by the Corps in 1960. Since 1960. the upstream watershed has experienced the exploding population growth. which has significantly increased runoff. overwhelmed our antiquated interior drainage pumps. and greatly reduced the flood protection afforded by the levee system. My districts flood control needs are great. and like other communities across the Nation. they are anxiously anticipating the resumption of a predictable. consistent and 2year WRDA cycle. Mr. Speaker. it is imperative that this Congress send a message to the American people today that we intend to make our Nations infrastructure a priority. I urge my colleagues to join with me and vote "yes" in making our infrastructure a priority. vote "yes" for your districts. and vote "yes" to override the illadvised veto. I reserve the balance of my time.