Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 9:30 a.m., in open session, with a possibility of a closed session, to receive testimony on the Department of the Navy in review of the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2009 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 28, 2008, at 10 a.m., in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``Semiannual Monetary Policy Report To Congress.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 10 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building, in order to conduct a hearing. The purpose of this hearing is to review the President's proposed Department of Transportation budget for the 2009 fiscal year.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate in order to conduct a hearing on Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 9:30 a.m., in room SD366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. At this hearing, the Committee will hear testimony regarding the impact of increased minimum wages on the economies of American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 10 a.m., in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Real Estate Market: Building a Strong Economy.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. in order to hold a hearing on U.S. policy options in post-election Pakistan.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, in order to conduct an executive business meeting on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 10 a.m. in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Agenda

I. Bills: S. 2304, Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2007, (Domenici, Kennedy, Specter, Leahy); S. 2449, Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2007, (Kohl, Leahy, Graham); S. 352, Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2007, (Grassley, Schumer, Leahy, Specter, Graham, Feingold, Cornyn, Durbin); S. 2136, Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act of 2007, (Durbin, Schumer, Whitehouse, Biden, Feinstein); and S. 2133, Home Owners ``Mortgage and Equity Savings Act'', (Specter, Coleman).

II. Nominations: Kevin J. O'Connor to be Associate Attorney General, Department of Justice; Gregory G. Katsas to be Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, Department of Justice.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Economic Committee be authorized to meet, during the session of the Senate, in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``War at any cost? The total economic costs of the war beyond the Federal budget'' on Thursday, February 28, 2008. The hearing will commence at 9:30 a.m. in room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 28, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. in order to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 10 a.m. in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in order to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Nuclear Regulatory Commission Oversight: Security of Our Nation's Nuclear Plants.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``Weaknesses in the Visa Waiver Program: Are the Needed Safeguards in Place to Protect America?'' on Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Witness list

Paul Rosenzweig, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC; Tony Edson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC; Jess Ford, Director, International Affairs and Trade, Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC; Susan Ginsburg, Director of Programs on Mobility and Security, Migration Policy Institute, Washington, DC; and Jessica Vaughan, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Immigration Studies, Washington, DC.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate in order to conduct a hearing on Thursday, February 28, 2008, at 2 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. At this hearing, the Committee will hear testimony regarding the following legislation:

S. 177/H.R. 2085, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the McGee Creek Authority certain facilities of the McGee Creek Project, Oklahoma, and for other purposes;

S. 1473/H.R. 1855, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Project;

S. 1474/H.R. 1139, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to plan, design and construct facilities to provide water for irrigation, municipal, domestic, and other uses from the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, Santa Ana River, California, and for other purposes;

S. 1929, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to conduct a feasibility study of water augmentation alternatives in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed;

S. 2370, to clear title to certain real property in New Mexico associated with the Middle Rio Grande Project, and for other purposes;

H.R. 2381, to promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific basis for the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on February 28, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 177/H.R. 2085, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the McGee Creek Authority certain facilities of the McGee Creek Project, Oklahoma, and for other purposes; S. 1473/H.R. 1855, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Project; S. 1474/H.R. 1139, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to plan, design and construct facilities to provide water for irrigation, municipal, domestic, and other uses from the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin, Santa Ana River, California, and for other purposes; S. 1929, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to conduct a feasibility study of water augmentation alternatives in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed; S. 2370, to clear title to certain real property in New Mexico associated with the Middle Rio Grande Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 2381, to promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific basis for the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, and for other purposes.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to Gina_Weinstock@energy.senate.gov.

For further information, please contact Michael Connor at (202) 224- 5479 or Gina Weinstock at (202) 224-5684.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill I have authored that will help scientists and local officials make informed, scientifically based decisions about one of the most important natural resources in this country, the Upper Mississippi River.

The Mississippi River is one of America's great national treasures, running right through the heart of this country. It is North America's largest migratory bird flyway, with 40 percent of the continent's waterfowl species using this corridor during their annual migrations. It also waters the Nation's breadbasket, providing the nutrient-rich soils we enjoy in the midwest and water for irrigation. It also provides drinking water for nearly 30 million Americans and a passageway for billions of dollars in commerce.

But, the Mississippi is threatened by increasing sediment and nutrient flows that gum up the river and poison its ecosystems. H.R. 2381, The Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act, is a commonsense piece of legislation that would establish a coordinated public-private approach to reducing these threats, which affect all parts of the river and even the Gulf of Mexico where nutrients have created and continue to enlarge the gulf dead zone.

We can address these issues, but we need hard scientific data to do it. That is where this bill comes in. H.R. 2381 establishes a sub-basin monitoring program whereby the United States Geological Service will monitor where nutrients enter the river and use computer modeling to follow the nutrient flows downstream. This will allow local conservationists and land managers to pinpoint exactly where conservation and education are most needed.

This scientific approach has received widespread approval and been endorsed by the five Upper Mississippi State Governors. I thank the Natural Resources Committee staff for helping put this innovative piece of legislation together, and I thank the chairman for his support of the bill. This bill has passed the House in each of the last three Congresses, and I urge my colleagues to support it again today.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2381) to promote Department of the Interior efforts to provide a scientific basis for the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days 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, H.R. 2381 directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the United States Geological Survey, to establish a nutrient and sediment monitoring network for the Upper Mississippi River Basin. We strongly support H.R. 2381, championed by our colleague on the Natural Resources Committee, Congressman Ron Kind. This bill would put into place a coordinated public-private approach to sediment and nutrient monitoring in the Upper Mississippi River Basin as part of an effort to improve water quality.

The Upper Mississippi River is extremely important not only to the communities and States along the route it flows, but also to the Nation as a whole. Twenty-one years ago, Congress designated this river segment as both a nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant navigation system. It is the only inland river in the United States to have such a designation. Our colleague, Ron Kind, has worked hard to secure enactment of this legislation. I commend him for his diligent effort on this important bill.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2381.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I do understand that Representative Kind has been delayed, as well, by the storm; and he wanted to be here.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2381, the Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act, which improves the management of sediment and nutrient loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin by establishing a coordinated public-private strategy.

Water quality in the Upper Mississippi River is critical to the ecological health of the system and is intricately linked to the basin's vast drainage. The Mississippi River is a multi-use resource where commercial navigation, water supply, and recreational demands co- exist with natural resources. Millions of tons of commodities are transported on the river annually. More than 30 million residents rely on the river water to supply their communities with water. And the river hosts about 12 million recreational visitors annually. At the same time, the Mississippi River is home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Unfortunately, the health of the Upper Mississippi River Basin has deteriorated over the years as a result of nonpoint source runoff from land. While agriculture is the lifeblood of many economies along the river, it has contributed to sediment and nutrient buildup that has been detrimental to the health of the river. These sediments and nutrients are transported downstream creating a zone of low dissolved oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico called the ``Dead Zone.''

We must find ways to harmonize our economy with our environment in order to preserve the Upper Mississippi River Basin. H.R. 2381 take steps in that direction by supporting a sediment and nutrient monitoring and data collection system for the Upper Mississippi River Basin. This Act will provide much-needed objective data to help manage the increasing sediment and nutrient crisis this river faces.