Barbara Boxer: “I offer this amendment on Sacramento flood control at the Folsom Dam, and I want to speak on behalf of my amendment. My…”

“I offer this amendment on Sacramento flood control at the Folsom Dam, and I want to speak on behalf of my amendment. My statement will be brief because I am very pleased that my amendment has been cleared on both sides of the aisle. Again, I thank Senators Inhofe and Jeffords and their staffs. We will be voice-voting this amendment, and it means a great deal to Senator Feinstein and to me and the people from California, be they Republicans or Democrats or Independents. I again extend my thanks to Letmon Lee with Senator Bond, Angie Giancarlo and Stephen Aaron, Catherine Ransom and Jo-Ellen Darcy. I am saying their names again because I think all too often staff just don't get the credit they deserve for the long hours they put in. Their work on this amendment, like so many others in this bill, has been invaluable. I thank Senator Feinstein for being a cosponsor of this amendment. I offer my appreciation for her help in this effort. Very briefly, I want to talk about why this amendment is so important, and then we will have a voice vote and we can move on to Senator Specter's amendment. Sacramento is one of America's largest metropolitan areas that has less than 100-year flood protection, less than 100-year flood control protection. The Sacramento-American Rivers floodplain contains 165,000 homes--I want my colleagues to think about that--nearly 500,000 residents, the State Capitol is there, and many businesses providing 200,000 jobs.…”