Elijah Lewis: “I am here to lend my strong support for these three tri-State water compacts. It was not easy, but the States of…”

“I am here to lend my strong support for these three tri-State water compacts. It was not easy, but the States of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama had come together with the Federal Government behind a proposal that we all can agree on. This legislation will protect the environment, the water supplies, and the interests of everyone involved. A lot of dedicated people spent a lot of time working on this legislation. I want to thank my colleagues, the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Barr] and the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich], for their work on this project. I also want to thank Rob Hood with the Speaker's office and Bob Herriott with the office of the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Barr], Spinner Findley with the Department of Justice, Philip Mancusi-Ungaro with the EPA, Joe Tanner with the State of Georgia, and State Representative Bob Kerr, who deserve recognition for their contribution. In addition, I thank Sally Bethea with the Upper Chattahoochee River people for her work to ensure that these compacts adequately protect the environment. Mr. Speaker, lastly, I thank Harold Reheis, head of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. More than any other individual, Harry Reheis deserves recognition for bringing us to where we are today.”