Thomas E. Petri: “I thank my colleague from Alaska for yielding, and I rise to support the Young amendment. I am pleased to be a cosponsor…”

“I thank my colleague from Alaska for yielding, and I rise to support the Young amendment. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of the amendment. It is important that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers be encouraged to use the private sector for surveying and mapping services whenever practical. Congress should take steps to end the increasing duplication of and competition with the private sector by the Corps of Engineers. This amendment would allow the Corps to continue to manage mapping and surveying for its projects, but it should rely on the private sector to perform the mapping and surveying services and activities that are commercially available to the maximum extent practical. At a time when Federal funds for infrastructure, including water resources projects, are limited, the Corps should be increasing its use of the private sector for surveying and mapping, where it makes sense, not wasting tax dollars by competing and duplicating the private sector. So I encourage the House to adopt the Young amendment to increase the Corps' reliance on the capable and qualified private sector surveying and mapping services wherever practical.”