What I'm very interested in doing is making certain that water retention is considered up and down the Valley for farms and small towns beyond the three major population centers.

We're going to work with them through the Water Commission, and we'd love some help from the Federal participation as well.

If Fargo, for example, and others determine that they need for their own reasons to build a $45 million treatment plant, where would the money come from for that and is there a commitment from the State to fund that?

The city of Devils Lake fully supports efforts from the North Dakota Department of Health and the North Dakota State Water Commission to remove additional water from the lake to reduce flood damages.

Thank you for your long term support of the Devils Lake Outlet program.

transferring water problems from one region of North Dakota to another is not acceptable.

I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the operation of the Devils Lake Outlet and its importance--not just to the community of Devils Lake and the Devils Lake area, but also to downstream interests.

. . . I have always insisted, I am not interested in transferring the problems from one region of our state to another.

The testimony of the mayor in Fargo, and I suspect that the concern of Valley City and probably West Fargo, about the issue of treatment is because from their perspective they anticipate that there will be higher levels of sulfates…

All right. Thanks for being available. I have a couple of other questions as well.

We do not believe in our area that enough studies have been done as to what's going to happen down the road.

We have worked hard to provide information to all concerned regarding the operation of the Devils Lake Outlet, and I thank you, Senator Dorgan, for your support of the outlet.

Thank you for holding this hearing and allowing me to speak.

I don't think anybody in this room believes or understands that this outlet that exists is not going to release some water.

I happen to agree with Joe and you and others--that the potential of coming over the divide naturally has devastating consequences to a lot of the downstream areas, so we want to try to prevent that.

I have included, I think, the single largest appropriation that has ever been moved from our subcommittee...

Devils Lake has risen 27 feet since 1993.

Mr. President, I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet on Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 2:15 p.m. in room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a business meeting to consider the nomination…