Kent Conrad: “What has just been stated is not the case. The Corps of Engineers is not opposed to this project. They have been working…”

“What has just been stated is not the case. The Corps of Engineers is not opposed to this project. They have been working on this project for years. EPA has not registered opposition to this project. We have met with the Director. Let me show my colleagues the problem we face. We have a lake called Devils Lake that has risen 26 vertical feet since 1992. The Federal Government has already had to spend $350 million raising roads, raising protective dikes, and moving threatened structures and populations. The Corps of Engineers has determined that if we have to continue to buy out communities--we have already had to buy one; the water is lapping at the edge of a second town--if we have to buy out the town of Devils Lake, it will cost billions of dollars. The answer is, more storage in the upper basin and outlet.”