James Oberstar: “I rise in support of H.R. 6040, a bill to make a technical correction to a Water Resources and Development Act of 2007…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 6040, a bill to make a technical correction to a Water Resources and Development Act of 2007 provision authorizing the Secretary of the Army, acting through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to establish a Committee on Levee Safety. Title IX of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 authorizes the Corps to establish a committee of Federal, State, local, tribal, and private sector experts on levee safety to develop recommendations for a national levee safety program. As the events of the last few years have clearly demonstrated, there is a serious concern with the condition of the Nation's primary structural flood control measures--the Nation's system of levees. These structures, which range from the Federally constructed and maintained levees along the lower Mississippi River and tributaries, to Federal, State, and local levees nationwide, protect our lives and livelihoods from the risks of flooding. Within the jurisdiction of the Corps of Engineers alone, there are between 12,000 to 13,000 miles of levees protecting everything from major metropolitan cities to towns and townships throughout the nation. Without a doubt, the health, safety, and security of countless lives depend on the resiliency and upkeep of these essential structures.”