James Oberstar: “I rise in support of H.R. 2864, the Water Resources Development Act of 2005. This legislation fulfills the commitment of…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2864, the Water Resources Development Act of 2005. This legislation fulfills the commitment of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to produce water resources legislation for the Nation on a biennial basis. Unfortunately, while the Committee produced a bill in the last Congress, it was not enacted into law. We are now nearly 5 years since the last water resources bill was enacted. That is too long. The Corps of Engineers has served the Nation well for 230 years. During those years it has established itself as the Nation's oldest, largest, and most experienced government organization in the area of water and related land engineering matters. From its early works during the Revolutionary War, to navigation improvements, to the unrivaled efforts to reduce the devastating floods in the Mississippi River valley, to the current efforts to save the Everglades from extinction, the Corps is the entity that the people call upon to solve the problems facing the Nation's vast water resources. Few people today know that the Corps of Engineers, among its many responsibilities, had jurisdiction over Yellowstone National Park. The Corps managed Yellowstone Park for 30 years.…”