On the recordDecember 8, 2016
I thank the chairman and the ranking member for all of their work on this legislation, particularly on the water resources component. Mr. Speaker, you can look at water resource policy across the United States, whether it is building levees or it is restoring the coast. We have one of the most expensive and one of the most delayed processes for implementing infrastructure projects in the Nation. This bill begins to correct that process. It begins to expedite it. It begins to give better local control. It begins to provide people protection. It begins to restore the environment. Just in August of this year, Mr. Speaker, we had one of the worst floods in U.S. history that will result in billions of dollars in flooding. We simply could have spent millions, once again, in preventing the flooding from happening, thus saving lives and saving this country billions of dollars. So I urge the adoption of the bill. I want to quickly say that the West Shore project authorized in here and the environmental banks are critical and are going to result in much protection and efficiency.
