OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Water Resources Development Act of 2018

Floor Speech

Date: June 6, 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Infrastructure

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Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Chairman, I would be remiss if I didn't thank Chairman Shuster for his leadership on this important legislation, subcommittee Chairwoman Napolitano and the other members of the committee and the staff as well.

Mr. Chair, my amendment is pretty straightforward. It simply expresses a sense of the Congress that the construction of a new lock at the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is vital to our national economy, to our national security, and to our vital infrastructure.

Why? Well, really briefly, that lock is a gateway for the Port of Duluth and all of the commerce out of Lake Superior. That is the iron ore; that is the corn; that is the soybeans; that is the forest products, all of which are essential to our national security, our national economy.

I would just cite one thing. Homeland Security did a study. They found that 13 percent of the Nation's gross national product goes through those locks, which is why we have military protection there; because if those locks fail from a military attack or if they fail from obsolescence, which we are in danger of having occur, it would throw the country into a great depression.

So let me just conclude by saying that these locks and the rebuilding of them are vital to our national security, our national economy, and our vital important infrastructure.

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Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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