Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 489, a bill that will permanently end the bureaucratic wrangling that has occurred between the Departments of Interior and Agriculture-- a jurisdictional dispute that compromises the routine maintenance of critical water infrastructure in the State of Arizona, the C.C. Cragin Dam and Reservoir. The Federal Government employs over 2.1 million civilian employees. There are hundreds of agencies, and within each agency there are divisions, departments, and subgroups. Sometimes, especially with respect to land management, more than one agency has jurisdiction; and when that occurs, bureaucratic disputes arise and government no longer serves the people. {time} 1620 This is the exact circumstance that has necessitated my legislation. The C.C. Cragin project consists of a number of facilities, including a dam and reservoir, diversion tunnel and pump shaft, pumping plant, priming reservoir, pipeline, electrical transmission line, and a generating plant. The majority of the project is located on Federal lands in the Coconino and Tonto National Forests. This critical water infrastructure project is an important aspect of the Salt River Project's Federal Reclamation Project. It is integral to providing a water supply for Phoenix and is instrumental in making 3,500 acre-feet of water a year available to Gila County.…”