Larry Pressler: “I rise tonight to comment on this amendment, offered by Senators Bond and Mikulski, to provide, among other things…”

“I rise tonight to comment on this amendment, offered by Senators Bond and Mikulski, to provide, among other things, additional funding for the Environmental Protection Agency. I am a cosponsor of this amendment because it includes funding that is very necessary to the people of Watertown, SD. This amendment would provide $13 million for the reconstruction of a wastewater treatment facility in Watertown, SD. The city of Watertown has worked for more than 10 years to overcome Clean Water Act violations. Now, the city is facing an expensive lawsuit, fines of up to $25,000 per day, and the high costs of restructuring the wastewater treatment plant. I have worked closely with Watertown's Mayor Brenda Barger, who is seeking a reasonable settlement to the lawsuit with the EPA. The city of Watertown's innovative/alternative technology wastewater treatment facility was built as a joint partnership with the EPA, the city, and the State of South Dakota in 1982.”