Byron Dorgan: “I want it to be clear that if an amendment is offered on Lake Traverse, I will oppose that amendment. The issue is a…”

“I want it to be clear that if an amendment is offered on Lake Traverse, I will oppose that amendment. The issue is a lake in South Dakota. There is some concern about the water level in that lake. The water level and the amount of water held for flood control disadvantages people around Lake Traverse. It is also true, that Lake Traverse is used less for flood control and as the lake water level is lowered, more water would be flushed out of the lake and into the Red River, adversely affecting a good number of communities along the Red River. We did have a meeting with the St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers folks and the staffs of a number of congressional delegations about what kind of collaborative effort could be developed to make sure the interests of all parties are resolved in an appropriate way. Legislation introduced here in the Senate, if such an amendment is introduced, would represent a unilateral way to do this. I will not support that.”