On the recordOctober 23, 2013
I certainly support the amendment and the underlying bill. I wanted to speak to one concern that I had. Mr. Chair, Congress has consistently limited the authority of the Corps of Engineers and recognized the long-established State water rights to protect federalism. This bill is certainly no exception. In my State of South Dakota, and in the Upper Missouri Basin, the Corps is planning to charge for water from the Missouri River. This is after the Dakotas gave up hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland during the creation of the dams along the Missouri River, for which we have never been fully compensated. The issue of the Corps charging for surplus water is a concern for many communities, tribes, and cities up and down the Missouri River. Chairman Shuster has assured me that he would work with us into the future to move forward on conferees to resolve this issue and to stop this attempt to take our water. For that, I certainly appreciate the efforts.
