WALLY HERGER: “I thank the chairman. As you know, Mr. Chairman, a terrible situation occurred in my district in Northern California…”

“I thank the chairman. As you know, Mr. Chairman, a terrible situation occurred in my district in Northern California several years ago where a levee that protects one of the communities I represent had deteriorated to such a point that the Corps of Engineers predicted that this degraded levee, without repair, presented a threat to human life. Regrettably, repairs to that levee were unable to proceed in a timely manner due to the lengthy consultation process, even though this very serious warning had been issued by the corps. I am sure the chairman has heard of other similar examples where the application of the Endangered Species Act has complicated or delayed urgent and targeted levee repairs from occurring when they are needed to protect people from flooding.”