Patty Murray: “in several of those 21 States that are waiting for funds, officially declared natural disasters wiped-out roads and…”

“in several of those 21 States that are waiting for funds, officially declared natural disasters wiped-out roads and bridges, completely creating obvious safety hazards but also cutting off some of our rural communities and disrupting families and commerce. Here is a picture that gives us an idea of the scope of the problem we face in my home State alone. Sections of roads such as this one in Gifford-Pinchot National Forest were completely destroyed in recent floods. If the Federal Government doesn't provide help, these States are going to have to either wait to fix these roads or pay for these emergency repairs by diverting money from their annual highway funds and delaying or cancelling critically needed projects. At a time when we know our economy is slipping and gas prices are at an alltime high, our States can't afford to do this. A State such as Oklahoma would have to spend almost 7 percent of its entire annual highway program to help repair roads that were destroyed during recently declared disasters. Mr. President, 2007 was an unusually hard year for Oklahoma. The problems that were caused by storms last year were compounded by more storms this past April. As a result, the backlog of highway repairs now waiting for the Federal aid emergency relief program totals $33.5 million. That money is contained in the amendment we will be voting on this morning. So, as I said, my home State of Washington was hit by devastating floods last December.”