María Elvira Salazar: “Mr. Speaker, many people are not aware that there are approximately 80,000 dams in the United States; and, of these, the…”

“Mr. Speaker, many people are not aware that there are approximately 80,000 dams in the United States; and, of these, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials has identified 3,500 dams that are considered deficient or unsafe. In my State of Colorado, we have over 1,800 dams. Of those, 131 are high hazard public dams, and an additional 19 dams are deficient. The State has determined that they are in serious need of repair. Without proper maintenance, these dams are an obvious threat to public safety. It is critical that we help to ensure the safety and security of these dams. H.R. 3224, introduced by myself and the gentleman from New York, Mr. Randy Kuhl, is a bill that does help to ensure such safety and security by addressing rehabilitation and repair of safety-deficient State-owned dams. This bill is direct, quite simple, and will go a long way to mitigate significant hazards to our communities.”