Hearing of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee - Proposals for a Water Resources Development Act of 2008
Interview
Hearing of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee - Proposals for a Water Resources Development Act of 2008
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REP. DORIS O. MATSUI (D-CA): Thank you, Madame Chair.
I'm very pleased to be here today and thank you for calling a hearing on such an important issue.
Since coming to Congress, I have made protecting my citizens from flooding one of my top priorities. I'm encouraging -- I'm encouraged that the committee is further examining this issue. I'm also thankful that this committee has such tremendous leadership. Both Chairman Oberstar and Chairman Johnson have been leaders and advocates for flood protection. Thank you both.
And congratulations to Mr. Boozman on your new leadership position.
My district sits at the confluence of two great rivers. Sacramento is considered to have the highest flood risk of any major metropolitan city in the United States. More than 440,000 people, 110,000 structures, the capitol of the state of California and up to $58 billion are at risk. Yet my district has surely been a positive poster child in its efforts to bolster our flood control system since our near-catastrophic flood in 1986.
We have investigated our levees, planned our projects, assessed ourselves millions of dollars, pushed our state to be a full partner and begun to build a project that will get us to greater than (200- year ?) level of protection. In fact, our latest assessment commits over $400 million of local dollars to this effort. We are fully committed to flood protection.
I'm very proud of the flood control work we've accomplished. We know we still have a long way to go, and I'm pleased that the committee is working to bring WRDA bills up as they are designed, every two years.
I'm looking forward to continuing the good work we accomplished on last year's bill to continue to increase public safety, provide a comprehensive approach to flood protection and create efficient policy.
I also want to ensure that we craft policy which recognizes the good work that states such as California are doing. When you have a state like mine that is pouring enormous financial resources into flood protection, I want to make sure that the federal government meets their commitment. We cannot take months and months to review permits while literally tens of thousands of taxpayers are sitting at risk.
The federal government must make sure that it does everything to meet the infrastructure needs of states and does nothing to impede progress.
Madame Chair, I thank you for your constant leadership and your commitment to this issue. I yield back the balance of my time.
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REP. MATSUI: Thank you.
Mr. Woodley, Secretary Woodley, it's great to see you here. I know you're supposed to be in Sacramento today, but it's great to see you here.
MR. WOODLEY: I'm delighted to be in either place, but certainly especially to see you.
REP. MATSUI: Thank you.
I have a couple of questions specific to Sacramento. The city of Sacramento has initiated its own effort to evaluate the needed improvements in the Natomas section of Sacramento; I think you're aware of that area. We're working to provide at least 100-year flood protection as quickly as possible, as you well know.
I'd like to ask you for your commitment to expedite federal actions including technical regulatory and environmental reviews. I'd also like to ask for your commitment to expedite approvals of requests for credit by nonfederal interests. As you know, we're advance funding this here, because we realize the importance of working as quickly as possible. So I'm wondering, can you help the people living in that area with this?
MR. WOODLEY: Yes, ma'am. We have been taking -- we're paying very close attention to the issues in the Sacramento area and we'll be doing everything we can to expedite the approvals necessary to accomplish that work.
REP. MATSUI: You know, I have long felt -- thank you. I have long felt that in order to make our communities get the highest level of protection in the quickest time possible, we really need to localize some policy and I know that the district folks have been really quite helpful and we have a very good relationship with them and they understand what's happening on the ground.
And specifically I'm talking about the 408 permit process. By allowing the local corps districts to approve 408 permits in certain circumstances, obviously not all but certain circumstances, so that work can be done quickly to upgrade levies, a commitment to public safety will be demonstrated.
Can you tell me what the corps is doing to quickly address 408 permits and that you realize that the corps and the local authorities (SAFECA ?) and the state have been working very closely together, particular in the area of Natomas.
And they have certainly -- the corps understands what is happening there and has been working as quickly as we can. On the other hand, sometimes there's a concern that we may have to wait for the national -- here in Washington to make some decision and then we'll have to wait.
So can you tell me if there's a possibility in certain circumstances to quickly address this at the local level?
MR. WOODLEY: Yes, ma'am, there is. The Section 408 process is not one that we have used very often, but I have -- it's becoming more and more common, particularly in that part of California, and my instruction to the corps -- you know, that is the secretarial authority; I have delegated it to the chief of engineers with authority to sub-delegate and instructed him to sub-delegate that as soon as he has the standards in place that can govern the exercise or the discretion by his subordinates.
I believe that we are also exploring the specifics of delegation in the case that you mentioned of Natomas. I believe that is under active consideration and I would expect that -- well, I don't know if they're going to do that or not. They haven't yet told me they're going to do it. I know they're seriously thinking about it and I have encouraged it.
REP. MATSUI: Okay. Thank you, Secretary Woodley, and I hope that you will follow up with this so I can go back and let them know that this is something that's going to be occurring as quickly as possible. So thank you very much.
Mr. Brown?
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REP. MATSUI: Thank you.
And I have a final question for you, Mr. Woodley. As you know, prior administrations have forwarded comprehensive legislative proposals to Congress containing recommendations for water resources bills, and the last one that we here could remember was submitted by Assistant Secretary Joseph Westphal during the Clinton administration. And other than the new lock fee proposal that you discuss in your testimony, is this administration going to put forward a comprehensive legislative proposal for a 2008 water resources bill?
MR. WOODLEY: Ms. Matsui, I believe that we do not now have a plan to do so.
REP. MATSUI: There's no way that we can give you some suggestions? (Laughter.)
MR. WOODLEY: I'm always open to suggestions from you.
REP. MATSUI: Okay, but at that this time you have no plans?
MR. WOODLEY: At this time, we have no plans to do so.
REP. MATSUI: Thank you. Secretary Woodley, thank you for your testimony, and I suggest that all members of this subcommittee may have some follow-up questions for the record, and we'd all expect a timely response to any questions forwarded to you. And thank you very much for being here.
MR. WOODLEY: Certainly, I'm delighted.
REP. MATSUI: Our next panel consists of Mr. James H.I. Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers' Association; Mr. Nat Williams, state director of the Nature Conservancy Maryland and acting director of government relations for the Nature Conservancy; Mr. Stephen Little -- is it "Steven" or "Stephan"? -- okay -- president and CEO of Crounse Corporation and general counsel of Waterways Council Incorporated; Mr. Chad Berginnis, chief of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency Mitigation Branch, testifying on behalf of the Association of State Flood Plain Managers Incorporated; Mr. Warren "Dusty" Williams, general manager and chief engineer of the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District testifying on behalf of the National Association of Flood and Storm Water Management Agencies; and Mr. Richard Brown -- is he here? -- president of the National Federation of Federal Employees. And as we noted to previous panels, your full statements will be placed in the record.
Mr. Weakley, please proceed.
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