Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, thank you for recognizing me to discuss this revised Young amendment No. 49. I appreciate Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio's help and the help the majority and the minority staffs have given us with their assistance to get this amendment to the floor. This amendment requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of dams classified as Class III under the Dam Safety Action Classification of the Corps of Engineers. Once the assessment is complete, this amendment requires the Secretary to provide a report to Congress describing two things: what will happen to local communities should the Corps give up the control of dam versus what will happen if the Corps continues to maintain the dam. This amendment will show the importance of accurate design and construction. Currently, there is a hole the size of a family sedan in a dam mitigation outlet tunnel that serves the city of Seward, Alaska. The Corps assumed responsibility for this dam, and the design and construction flaw will only get worse until the Corps fixes it, which they are committed to do. The current study for an alternative solution will not be completed until 2019. This amendment is critical to the Alaska community because it prevents Seward from bearing undue hardship from frequent flooding and continuous damage to the outfall due to the unforeseen design faults.…”