A bill to extend through March 31, 2006, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal public entities and to expedite the processing of permits".

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman, and the gentleman from Louisiana as well, and want to begin by extending my condolences to Jimmy Duncan and his family at the loss of Congressman Duncan's mother.

I rise today to support H.R. 4826, a bill to extend section 214 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 until December 31 of this year, 2006. This is a commonsense bill that will save jobs and continue to promote economic growth.

Section 214 was enacted in WRDA 2000 to permit non-Federal public entities to contribute funds to the Army Corps of Engineers to help expedite the processing of corps permits. This provision has allowed municipalities and ports to move forward with vital infrastructure projects; and in doing so, these entities that are providing funding are given no partiality by the corps in their review of the projects. By funding additional staff to work on specific time-intensive permits, the staff in the corps' budget is freed up to work on the permit backlog.

Let me give an example of this: the Army Corps' Seattle district has been utilizing this authority very well. They have seen their total average review time per project reduced from 804 days

to just 69 days in the first 3 years of implementation. The city of Seattle alone estimates that for $114,000 spent, they have saved over $5 million.

This is particularly urgent as the Corps staff have volunteered to assist in Hurricane Katrina response efforts, as well as reconstruction and rebuilding efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Seattle Corps alone has deployed a total of 233 civilian and military staff, or approximately 29 percent of their staff, to these areas, and that leaves a limited number of staff to handle the urgent needs of local areas.

It is during times of emergency response that expedited processes such as 214 become particularly vital in continuing to support regional growth and economic need.

Let me underscore a few points. Section 214 was extended last year unanimously as H.R. 3765 in both the House and the Senate, and is currently set to expire on March 31, 2006. That is the need we face today. An extension of the provision was also passed in the House WRDA bill in 2005, and a permanent extension is included in the other body's WRDA bill. Unfortunately, WRDA is not likely to pass both Chambers before March 31 when the provision expires, so we are seeking an essential short-term extension until the end of this year.

This provision is absolutely vital to Corps activities. Although the authority exists for all regions, it has been utilized primarily in the Pacific Northwest by the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, the city of Seattle, the Port of Los Angeles, as well as the city of San Diego, and by public entities around Sacramento due to the huge backlog of Corps permits in those regions. In addition, it has been utilized by a number of ports in my home district along the Columbia River.

In the Pacific Northwest, we have seen the backlog of permits with the listing of endangered species grow to over 1,000 permits in the last years, and the residual effects have been harmful to our region's economy, resulting in expensive and costly delays.

Without extension of this authority, the Corps will need to make up the shortfall in funding the analysis of projects either through project delays or layoffs in Corps staff.

I am pleased to have the support of this legislation of all of the House Members representing my home State of Washington, our friends and neighbors in Oregon and Idaho, as well as Members representing California. I want to join my colleagues in thanking Chairman Young and Ranking Member Oberstar, reiterate my gratitude toward Mr. Duncan and the gentlewoman, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson. I appreciate their leadership. I also want to acknowledge the outstanding work performed by the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, and my own staff, Katie Stevens, on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to my good friend and subcommittee chairman, Representative Jim Duncan, on the passing of his 89-year-old mother, Ms. Lois Swisher- Duncan. I want Jimmy and his wife, Lynn, and the entire Duncan family to know that my thoughts and prayers are with them. It is my prayer that God brings peace to each of their respective hearts during the days ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I support the passage of H.R. 4826. This bill extends through December 31, 2006, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend the funds contributed by non-Federal public entities to process permits under the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbor Act of 1899. This program is popular and well received, particularly in the northwest part of our country.

I congratulate my committee colleague, Mr. Baird, for his attention to this issue and for securing today's consideration of this bill. I can think of no other Member who has served his local and regional issues with more enthusiasm and effectiveness.

The language in H.R. 4826 is similar to language contained in H.R. 2864, the Water Resources Development Act of 2005, which passed the House on July 14, 2005, by an overwhelming vote of 406-14. The difference between the language contained in this bill and that contained in the comprehensive Water Resources Development Act is that this provision only extends the program for 9 months. The water resources bill is a full 12 months longer, but 9 months is all the Senate would agree to. However, this bill should likewise receive strong support.

Today's consideration of one section of the larger Water Resources Development Act should not be viewed as an indication that the larger bill will not be enacted this year. I remain optimistic that the other House of Congress will soon consider this vital legislation, particularly in light of the vital role of flood damage reduction, navigation, and storm damage reduction projects in protecting lives and property and enhancing economic well-being.

The tragic events associated with Hurricane Katrina indicate how important our water infrastructure truly is. However, the Senate is not likely to act on the broader legislation before the Secretary's authority to accept funds expires March 31, in just a little over 2 weeks from now. By providing this extension, the program can continue uninterrupted.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4826) to extend through December 31, 2006, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4826, to authorize an extension of the Army Corps of Engineers' section 214 program. Section 214 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 allows the Army Corps of Engineers to accept and expend funds provided by non-Federal public entities to hire additional personnel to process regulatory permits.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4826 is urgently needed since authority for this program expires on March 31 of this calendar year. If this program expires, the corps will have to fire some regulatory personnel, reducing its ability to process permits in a timely manner.

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has heard from Members on both sides of the aisle supporting this section 214 program. H.R. 4826 is nearly identical to section 2003 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2005, which passed the House on July 14, 2005 by a vote of 406-14.

While the other body has not yet acted on the Water Resources Development Act this year, I am hopeful, in the wake of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, they will move quickly to pass the bill providing for the water resources needs of the Nation. But because the authority for section 214 program is expiring, it is necessary to move this piece of legislation separately.

I thank Representative Baird and our colleagues from the western United States for introducing this bill, and I urge all Members to vote in favor of H.R. 4826.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to express my condolences to Chairman Duncan on the loss of his mother. I want to thank the ranking member on the subcommittee, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), and I also want to thank my colleague from Washington State for introducing this very important piece of legislation and I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for expediting the passage of H.R. 3765, a commonsense bill that will save jobs and continue to promote economic growth.

I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell for their efforts in reaching a compromise with their colleagues and ensuring swift passage by the Senate. Although I was hoping for a longer extension of section 214, I was pleased that both Chambers were able to pass a temporary fix before the delay caused irreparable economic damage to the Pacific Northwest.

I have been a strong proponent of the section 214 provision since its enactment in WRDA 2000. This provision permits non-federal public entities to contribute funds to the Army Corps of Engineers to help expedite the processing of corps permits. In the Pacific Northwest, we have seen the backlog of permits grow to over 1,000 in past years and seen the residual effect that this has on our region's economy. This provision has allowed municipalities and ports to move forward with vital infrastructure projects. By funding additional staff to work on specific, time-intensive permits, existing corps' staff is freed up to work on the backlog. It is important to emphasize that these entities providing funding are given no partiality by the corps in their review of the project.

This provision was extended in 2003 in the FY04 Energy and Water appropriations bill, and expired on September 30. The temporary extension passed today, will allow the Army Corps to continue section 214 projects until this bill expires on March 31, 2006. It is my hope that we can permanently extend this provision by passing WRDA this year, a bill that is long overdue for reauthorization.

Additionally, some of my colleagues have expressed interest in a thorough study of the use of section 214, and I would urge these efforts to be expedited. It is my view that a report by the GAO to study the effectiveness of this program in the Pacific Northwest would only yield valuable information that can be used to improve and, perhaps, expand the program.

I am proud to be the primary sponsor of this bill and have the endorsement of the entire Washington State delegation. I thank my colleagues for their vote to pass this bill today and promptly send it to the President for enactment.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding me this time.

I rise in support of section 214, which was introduced by the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird), my friend and colleague.

This is a critical piece of legislation for many States including Washington, and I hope that every member of the delegation rises to voice strong bipartisan support.

We have, in the last few weeks, seen in Katrina what nature can do, and section 214 enables communities to fund a fast-track Federal permit process by the Army Corps of Engineers. A modest investment by local governments can reap enormous community benefits in time and money without compromising either the independence or the integrity of the permit process.

Seattle, the community I represent, has used section 214 to save time and millions of dollars on a number of important local projects including the Seawall-Viaduct project. Unless we act, this important tool will expire by the end of the month.

Hurricane Katrina reminds us how vulnerable we are to natural forces. Seattle is an earthquake zone. There is no one living in Seattle who does not think we are going to have another earthquake. And we must move quickly, in my view, to replace the aging and fragile viaduct along the waterfront which carries over 100,000 cars a day. The viaduct is a lifeline of the region. If it falls, the port of Seattle will be blocked. It will create havoc in the whole area. It connects our communities and is the transportation artery for goods arriving at the port of Seattle and going to the middle of the country. In fact, Seattle is often called ``Chicago West.''

It would be a national catastrophe if we lost the viaduct, and we are trying to prepare for it. We are counting on 214 as part of our comprehensive viaduct replacement strategy, and we really do not want to lose this tool at this point. Without it, the seawall, the viaduct's foundation, will surely take much longer; and time is not on our side. We had an earthquake here about 3 years ago which shook for 60 seconds. Had it shaken for about 90 seconds, we probably would have had the catastrophe at that point.

It is not a matter of if. It is really a matter of when this happens in Seattle, and we must prepare. And we need this tool.

I thank the committee for bringing this bill forward and urge every Member to support it.