Water Infrastructure Revitalization Act

Madam President, the majority leader has given an excellent statement with respect to this issue, and I want to express my appreciation to him for the chance to make this yet another bipartisan kind of effort.

If ever there were a cause that ought to bring the Senate together, fighting childhood obesity is exactly the kind of thing where we ought to be teaming up. I thank my colleague for his excellent statement and for the chance to work with him.

The majority leader and I believe our legislation will help launch a national mobilization to reduce and prevent the epidemic of childhood obesity and help our kids grow up healthy in America. Today, kids are eating greater quantities of less healthy foods. They are exercising less and less.

Childhood obesity has doubled during the past 30 years. In my home State, it is far and away one of our most serious emerging health problems. Ten percent of the 8th graders and 7 percent of the 11th graders in my State are overweight. So, in my view, what we have is nothing short of an epidemic of kids who are not as healthy as they could be and they need to be and not as healthy as children were in previous generations. These kids today have a host of health problems that promise to worsen if nothing is done to change them.

I was particularly pleased that the majority leader highlighted some of the concerns we want to tackle. The situation with respect to type II diabetes is completely unacceptable. This is an illness that used to be virtually unheard of in children. Yet the increase in this disease is literally on a parallel with the documented track of an increase in childhood obesity. One-quarter of children 5 to 10 years of age show early warning signs for health problems such as elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. Doctors at the Oregon Health Sciences University Obesity Clinic say that referrals of youngsters as young as 6 are becoming virtually routine.

We are not going to see this change happen by osmosis. It is going to come about because adults working with parents, schools, and communities provide some real leadership, and that is what this bipartisan legislation seeks to do. We recognize in this bill that there is a fair amount of good work going on in our communities already, and we recognize this is an issue that needs to be addressed not from Washington, DC, with a one-size-fits-all approach, but it needs to be addressed in our schools and in our communities.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

What we seek to do is to encourage this kind of bottom-up approach, where schools and communities across the country, relying on leaders in their own hometowns, consulting with experts here from the Congress, will get out state-of-the-art information with respect to making sure we are using all the tools that are out there to fight obesity. We are going to be consulting and coordinating this effort with the President's Council on Physical Fitness so that both sides of the equation, nutrition and exercise, are addressed in the fight against childhood obesity.

We have also concluded it is absolutely critical to use state-of-the- art technology to get out this information. We have proposed a Web site be created to link schools to community groups and leaders who are already working to help kids stay healthy. With a few clicks of the ``enter'' button, it will be possible for kids in Des Moines to find out what the best approaches are for kids, say, in the rural West.

We believe using this kind of technology is going to allow us to use scarce resources, at a time when we are all concerned about the deficit, to better meet the health needs of children in our communities. Whether it is enlisting local organic farmers to make their produce available to schools or helping our kids become more physically active, what we propose in this bipartisan legislation is a wide variety of options for schools and communities to work together.

I am very pleased that an important feature of the legislation, as noted by the majority leader, is the foundation that would allow us to continue the work of our Congressional Council, which would end once the foundation is established.

Finally, it seems to me the point of this legislation is to target the area where we can make the most difference and that is our schools. Schools, of course, are where the children are. It is where they spend a lot of time. It is a place where they eat, and very often several meals a day. If children can learn in school how to balance their choices, wherever they go and whenever they are confronted with a variety of food options, they can make better choices for themselves.

I see the distinguished chair of the Armed Services Committee is back on the floor. He has an extensive schedule, I know. I don't want to hold this up. I want to wrap this up by saying to the majority leader how much I have enjoyed working with him. We have long felt that health care is one of the issues that can bring the Senate together. If ever there was a health cause that requires what I think is appropriately called a national mobilization in our schools and our communities, fighting childhood obesity is it.

Madam President, last Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that smoking among high school students has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade. As a heart and lung surgeon, as one who has seen the travesty of smoking and the devastation it causes in people's lungs and on their heart, this is great news. We are making great strides in this battle against smoking, especially in the teenage years.

Fewer students now say they have never tried cigarettes. The CDC gives part of the credit to effective antismoking media campaigns and antismoking education in the classroom. I mention this demonstrated success, because it energizes us in the battle against an issue that is equally important and, in fact, actually growing among young people, and that is childhood obesity.

The CDC report demonstrates that aggressive education can steer kids away from harmful behaviors and toward making healthier choices. While food is not exactly like cigarettes, one cannot just say no. Childhood obesity is a serious public health threat and a threat that is growing. In fact, the CDC reports that obesity is on its way to surpassing smoking as the leading preventable killer in the United States of America, and that is why Senator Wyden and I today are introducing a bill called the Childhood Obesity Reduction Act.

We believe early intervention with community and school support at the grassroots level is key to preventing lifelong obesity and the obesity-related illnesses that result. Ten percent of American children are clinically obese. More than 30 percent of American children are overweight, and we know that overweight and obese children have a lower quality of life than their healthy peers. They suffer significantly higher rates of type II diabetes and cardiovascular--that is, heart-- and blood vessel disease, including heart attack, stroke, and congestive heart failure. Later in life, they are more likely to suffer from lung disease or pulmonary disease complications like sleep apnea, musculoskeletal problems--that is, bone and muscle problems--which include degenerative joint disease and disk disease, and also are more likely to suffer psychosocial problems, including poor self-image, depression, lack of self-esteem, and isolation.

A recent study published in Pediatrics Magazine found that obese boys and girls were two times more likely than normal weight children to be intentionally left out of social activities. After adolescence, overweight kids have a 70-percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.

The good news is that we can reverse these trends. We need to reverse these trends, and we can reverse these trends. Our kids simply should not have to suffer from a condition that is preventable and treatable based on what we know today. The best way is to start in those earliest of years.

The bill Senator Wyden and I are introducing today encourages schools to promote physical activity and to teach children how to make healthy food decisions. It also sets up a public-private partnership foundation to fund innovative projects that improve eating and exercise habits in school.

The Childhood Obesity Reduction Act authorizes $2.2 million for a Congressional council on childhood obesity. The council will seek out model anti-obesity programs in both public and private schools and will award these schools with the Congressional Achievement Award. After 2 years of selecting model programs for other schools to follow, the council will create a public-private partnership called the National Foundation for the Prevention and Reduction of Childhood Obesity. The foundation will give challenge awards to schools that implement those model anti-obesity programs.

In closing, we know that kids need to run, jump, and play. We know that is good for their bodies. We know it is good for their spirits. They need nutritional food that gives them energy, the type of food that really does keep them sharp. They need a school environment that encourages healthy habits, vigor, expenditure of energy, and vitality.

I thank my colleague, Senator Wyden, for his leadership in this important public health effort. I urge my colleagues to be a part of the solution and am delighted to be able to join with my colleague, Senator Wyden, in submitting and ultimately passing this legislation, all of which will help Americans keep fit.

Madam President, I am introducing the Water Infrastructure Revitalization Act, which authorizes $60 million through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assist communities in North Dakota with water supply and treatment projects.

Imagine if you went to turn on your kitchen faucet one day and no water came out. This scenario became true for thousands in the communities of Fort Yates, Cannonball, and Porcupine just days before Thanksgiving last year. The loss of drinking water forced the closure of schools, the hospital and tribal offices for days. About 170 miles upstream, the community of Parshall faces similar water supply challenges as the water level on Lake Sakakawea continues to drop, leaving its intake high and dry. These and other communities in the State have faced significant expenditures in extending their intakes to ensure a continued supply of water. In addition, the city of Mandan faces the prospect of constructing a new horizontal well intake because changes in sediment load and flow as a result of the backwater effects of the Oahe Reservoir have caused significant siltation problems that restrict flow into the intake. These examples barely scratch the surface of the problems faced by many North Dakota communities in maintaining a safe, reliable water supply.

Since 1999, the Corps of Engineers has been authorized to design and construct water-related infrastructure projects in several different States including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Montana. The State of North Dakota confronts water infrastructure challenges that are just as difficult as those in these other States. In fact, many of these challenges are caused directly by the Corps of Engineers' operations of the Missouri River dams. As a result, it is only appropriate that the Corps be part of the solution to North Dakota's water needs.

The Water Infrastructure Revitalization Act would provide important supplemental funding to assist North Dakota communities with water- related infrastructure repairs. Under the Act, communities could use the funding for wastewater treatment, water supply facilities, environmental restoration and surface water resource protection.

Projects would be cost shared, with 75 percent Federal funding and 25 percent non-Federal in most instances. However, the bill reduces the financial burden on local communities if necessary to ensure that water rates do not exceed the national affordability criteria developed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

This bill is not intended to compete with or take away funds for the construction of rural water projects under the Dakota Water Resources Act. Instead, it is meant to provide important supplemental funding for communities that are not able to receive funding from the Dakota Water Resources Act. I am pleased that the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association has recognized the need for additional water project funding and endorsed this bill. It is my hope that this authorization will be included as part of the Water Resources Development Act that will be considered this year.

Madam President, I am introducing the Water Infrastructure Revitalization Act, which authorizes $60 million through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assist communities in North Dakota with water supply and treatment projects.

Imagine if you went to turn on your kitchen faucet one day and no water came out. This scenario became true for thousands in the communities of Fort Yates, Cannonball, and Porcupine just days before Thanksgiving last year. The loss of drinking water forced the closure of schools, the hospital and tribal offices for days. About 170 miles upstream, the community of Parshall faces similar water supply challenges as the water level on Lake Sakakawea continues to drop, leaving its intake high and dry. These and other communities in the State have faced significant expenditures in extending their intakes to ensure a continued supply of water. In addition, the city of Mandan faces the prospect of constructing a new horizontal well intake because changes in sediment load and flow as a result of the backwater effects of the Oahe Reservoir have caused significant siltation problems that restrict flow into the intake. These examples barely scratch the surface of the problems faced by many North Dakota communities in maintaining a safe, reliable water supply.

Since 1999, the Corps of Engineers has been authorized to design and construct water-related infrastructure projects in several different States including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Montana. The State of North Dakota confronts water infrastructure challenges that are just as difficult as those in these other States. In fact, many of these challenges are caused directly by the Corps of Engineers' operations of the Missouri River dams. As a result, it is only appropriate that the Corps be part of the solution to North Dakota's water needs.

The Water Infrastructure Revitalization Act would provide important supplemental funding to assist North Dakota communities with water- related infrastructure repairs. Under the Act, communities could use the funding for wastewater treatment, water supply facilities, environmental restoration and surface water resource protection.

Projects would be cost shared, with 75 percent Federal funding and 25 percent non-Federal in most instances. However, the bill reduces the financial burden on local communities if necessary to ensure that water rates do not exceed the national affordability criteria developed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

This bill is not intended to compete with or take away funds for the construction of rural water projects under the Dakota Water Resources Act. Instead, it is meant to provide important supplemental funding for communities that are not able to receive funding from the Dakota Water Resources Act. I am pleased that the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association has recognized the need for additional water project funding and endorsed this bill. It is my hope that this authorization will be included as part of the Water Resources Development Act that will be considered this year.