William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3687 by myself authorizes prepayment of amounts due under a water reclamation project contract for the…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3687 by myself authorizes prepayment of amounts due under a water reclamation project contract for the Canadian River Project in Texas and is cosponsored by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Combest). This bill does not authorize transfer of the title to any Government property. It is strictly a bill to authorize prepayment of a debt. Title transfer is already authorized by the original Project authorization act and by the repayment contract to take place automatically when the debt is paid. H.R. 3687 has the support of all the affected or involved parties. There is bipartisan support for the bill and the Bureau of Reclamation representatives have stated that the bill has their support. Passage of H.R. 3687 is badly needed during the current session of Congress. Further delay will cause the eleven cities which are members of CRMWA to suffer unnecessary hardship, especially if the current drought in Texas were to continue into next year. H.R. 3687 and the subsequent title transfer will clear the way for CRMWA to provide additional supplies which will prevent water shortages. Over five hundred thousand people rely on water from the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority.”