Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2007
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to express my support for H.R. 5386, the fiscal year 2007 Interior-Environment appropriations bill and I urge my colleagues to vote for it.
I would like to begin by commending the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. TAYLOR), the chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, and the distinguished gentleman from Washington (Mr. DICKS), the ranking member of the subcommittee, for their outstanding work in bringing this bill to the Floor.
I recognize that extremely tight budgetary constraints this year made the job of the subcommittee much more difficult. Therefore, I believe the subcommittee should be commended for its diligence in creating this fiscally responsible measure.
In light of these fiscal constraints, I am very pleased that the bill includes $1 million for a sanitary sewer crossing between Nebraska and Iowa. This new crossing is a very immediate need for the community of South Sioux City, NE. The existing crossing is more than 40 years old and 3 years ago, the pipe carrying sewage between South Sioux City to the treatment plant in Sioux City, IA, broke. For several weeks, about 1.6 million gallons of raw sewage each day was dumped into the Missouri River. The pipe was eventually replaced, but the incident highlighted the need for a second crossing. The new crossing that is proposed, to be located south of the city, would provide a more direct link to the regional treatment plant in Sioux City.
Since the original sewer pipe was installed in the early 1960s, South Sioux City's population has increased more than 60 percent. Also, the community's economic base continues to grow, which places an additional burden on the sewer system. In an effort to meet the growing needs for an improved sewer system, the city's residents have seen significant rate increases over the past several years. However, it is now clear that Federal assistance is necessary.
Again Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the subcommittee's inclusion of $1 million for the South Sioux City sanitary sewer crossing project. I support passage of H.R. 5386 and urge my colleagues to vote for it.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
http://thomas.loc.gov