Political Quotes

“I come to the well as an expert in what can happen when levees are not sufficient to withstand raging flood waters. Three weeks ago the city of Grand Forks went under. We have a city of 50,000, the second largest city in my State, which sustained hundreds of millions of dollars of damage. In fact, the Federal Reserve Board of St. Paul has estimated that the damage in Grand Forks and through the Red River Valley, the property damage alone is $1.2 to $1.8 billion. Mr. Chairman, I believe an ESA exemption sufficient to address levee repair, where necessary to protect human life or prevent substantial property damage, only makes very basic sense. This body must evaluate and weigh conflicting priorities on critical issues like the one before us. Clearly we have to come down on the side of protecting human life. We have to come down on the side of preventing major property damage. We have to protect levees. Let us pass this bill, as amended by the gentleman from California [Mr. Campbell].”