Ed Whitfield: “I thank the gentleman. These are very rural areas. I will tell you that the Fish and Wildlife Service provides a great…”

“I thank the gentleman. These are very rural areas. I will tell you that the Fish and Wildlife Service provides a great deal of protection and enforcement of broken laws in this area. Many of these people are quite familiar with each other, and I'm not going to be able to address the homeland security issue in detail, except to say that it is enforced. Many of the people who fish there through the fishing competitions and for the economic growth know each other. But on the safety issue, I would just say 14 drownings in 42 years around the dam itself, 881 in other areas, and so we're not asking that this be a permanent restriction. We are simply asking the Corps to work with the Governors, the Fish and Wildlife Services of both States, the Senate and House, and local county judges to address it in a more permanent way. So I would respectfully request that you approve the Senate bill, which would simply delay this for 2 years for additional study. {time} 1400”