William Tauzin: “Mr. Chairman, I think it is appropriate, as we discuss this amendment, to consider what is happening in California as…”

“Mr. Chairman, I think it is appropriate, as we discuss this amendment, to consider what is happening in California as repairs to levees are proposed. We heard the testimony of flood managers and levee managers from California before this bill was passed through our committee. I want to give an example of what happened, as the chairman of our committee just alluded to. A repair was requested to a project in California on the west bank of the Mokelumna River that would involve approximately .37 of an acre, one-third of an acre. This is what the Interior Department required in a letter of instruction to those wanting to repair the levee. First, they would have to find every single elderberry bush in that one-third of an acre and transplant it. They would have to transplant it to an acreage five times as big. They would have to plant new elderberry bushes, five times as many as they transplanted from the old site. In addition, biologists had to be on site to monitor the transplanting of these elderberry bushes. Second, they had to provide to a resource agency or a private conservation organization fee title. They had to buy the land and give it to this organization to maintain these elderberry bushes. It had to be maintained, and money had to be provided to maintain it in perpetuity. Understand, the levee may not be maintained in perpetuity, but the elderberry bushes will be.”