Jeff Duncan: “Mr. Chairman, I urge all Members to support H.R. 2557, the Water Resources Development Act of 2003. Under the great…”

“Mr. Chairman, I urge all Members to support H.R. 2557, the Water Resources Development Act of 2003. Under the great leadership of the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) our committee has focused on the need to meet our Nation's navigation, flood control and environmental restoration needs. In our subcommittee, we have held numerous hearings in which witnesses have testified about the importance of these water resources projects to our economy. Just last week, our subcommittee held a hearing on the contributions of ports and inland waterways to the Nation's intermodal transportation system. It is clear from the testimony we received that if we do not take action now to improve our ports and waterways, we could severely harm our economy as a result of congestion in our transportation systems. That is just one reason why we need to pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2003. There are many other reasons. Each of the over 400 provisions of the bill meets an important national purpose.”