Date: 1982-06-08
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 4347. a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to proceed with development of the WEB rural water development project that would provide water to 50 towns and about 30.000 people in the northern area of South Dakota. First. however. Mr. Speaker. I feel it necessary to comment on the background. need and purpose of this legislation. The economy of South Dakota is heavily dependent on agriculture and for years South Dakota suffered from disastrous floods from the Missouri River which caused considerable losses of life. livestock. crops and damage to soil. Recognizing these problems. Congress enacted the PickSloan Act in 1944 which initiated a program for the construction of a series of mass!ve mainstream dams. resulting in the inundation of over a million arres of the upper basin States most agriculturally productive bottom lands. 500.000 acres of which were located in South Dakota. In return for this sacrifice. South Dakota was to receive substantial irrigation development to stabilize and insure the longterm economic growth of the region. In 1968. Congress authorized the initial stage of the Oahe unit to assist in compensating South Dakota for the loss of its prime agricultural lands. Construction began in 1974. Problems at the local. State and Federal level. however. resulted. The Rural Development Policy Act of 1980 authorized the appropriation of $1.9 million for initial planning and construction of the WEB project. This sum was subsequently appropriated. but the use of the funds deferred until certain conditions were met: that legislation deauthorizing the Oahe unit be enacted by September 30. 1981. The original linkage of the WEB rural water development project with deauthorization of the Oahe unit was a precondition for support by the prior administration. H.R. 4347 reflects an agreement by all parties concerned. thus resolving the points in controversy. The Rural Development Policy Act of 1980 also authorized the approprlation of an additional $68.1 million for further planning and construction. However. this authorization lapsed on October 1. 1981. H.R. 4347 restores the authorization for appropriations. In order to get a clearer assessment of future development to best serve the needs of the agriculture community of South Dakota. the bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studiesand report his findings to Congressof certain South Dakota projects. such as. first. alternate uses of the Oahe unit facilitiesinitial stage. second. future South Dakota use of water delivered by the Garrison unit. and third. a modified plan of development for the PollockHerreid unit. including alternative lands or a project of a smaller scale than that authorized by the Reclamation Authorization Act of 1975. Under that act. the Bureau of Reclamation had determined that approximately 15.000 acres of land were necessary for irrigation purposes and to provide a water supply for municipal and industrial needs. However. the Bureau of Reclamation subsequently discovered that only 4.000 acres were irrigable. Therefore. the bill calls for a modified plan of a smaller project or alternative lands. H.R. 4347 also authorizes the Secretary of the Interior. in cooperation with the Department of Energy. to make available Missouri River Basin II 2207 H 3208 CO pumping power to new irrigation projects constructed by Indian tribes or by public entities authorized to receive such power by the Flood Control Act of 1944. in addition. such power is also made available. at the Secretarys discretion. to other Federal. cooperative FederalnonFederal irrigation projects. if found to be economically and financially feasible. in compliance with environmental laws and approved by Congress. CBO estimates the total cost of this legislation to be $82.1 million. with 25 percent of that amount. about $20.5 million. to go for loans under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act provisions. In closing. Mr. Speaker. I simply wish to remind my colleagues that it has been many years since South Dakota gave up thousands of acres of its highly productive agricultural lands to the U.S. Government for the flood control projects on the Missouri River Basin. They have patiently awaited compensation. H.R. 4347 is a compromise effort by the Federal Government to liquidate that obligation and carry out Its part of the original agreement. I ask all Members to join me in supporting enactment of H.R. 4347. Mr. Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from South Dakota .