Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2007

Madam. Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 42: Passage of H. Res. 475. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

January 22, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 43: Table the appeal of the ruling of the Chair for H. Res. 476. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 44: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. No. 52. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 45: Motion to suspend the rules and Agreed to H.R. 390. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 46: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 29. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

February 8, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 87: Agreeing to the Amendment of H.R. 547, and amendment to include language which encourages the Assistant Administrator to utilize Land Grant Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and other minority serving institutions among other resources to undertake research for programs covered by the bill. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district. I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 88: Agreeing to the Amendment of H.R. 547, an amendment to add a new paragraph to section 3, Biofuel Infrastructure and Additives Research and Development, to include issues with respect to where in the fuel supply chain additives optimally should be added to fuels. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 89: Agreeing to the Amendment of H.R. 547, an amendment to add a new paragraph to section 3 which includes issues with respect to certification by a nationally recognized testing laboratory of components for fuel dispensing devices that specifically reference compatibility with alcohol blended and biofuels that contain greater than 15 percent alcohol. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 90: Agreeing to the Amendment of H.R. 547, an amendment to add a new section 7 entitled Additional Funding. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 91:

the Motion to Recommit with Instructions of H.R. 547. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 92: Passage of H.R. 547. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

February 28, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 111: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Con. Res. 52. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

March 12, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 136: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended on H.R. 85. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 137: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 136. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 138: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 89. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 187: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as amended on H.R. 802. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 188: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended on H.R. 137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 189: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended on H.R. 580. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

May 14, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 342: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass on H.R. 1124. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 343: Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 223. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 344: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree (H. Res. 385). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

May 16, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 358: Call in Committee Quorum. Had I been present, I would have voted ``present.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 359: Motion that the Committee Rise (H.R. 1585). Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

June 11, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district. I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 448: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass on H.R. 2356. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 449: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on S. 676. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district. I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 450: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 418. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

July 23, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 687: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 404, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 688: Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 553. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 689: Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 519. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 690: On ordering the previous question on H. Res. 558. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

August 1, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 781: Motion to adjourn. Had I been present. I would have voted ``no.''

september 4, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 847: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 694, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 848: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3020, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 849: Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 2669. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

september 17, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 867: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3246, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 868: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1657, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 869: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3527. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

october 1, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 924: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 185. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 925: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2276. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 926: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3325. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

october 15, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 961: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 738. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 962: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2089. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 963: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 20, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

October 17, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 980: Passage of H.R. 2095. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

october 29, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1010: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3224, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1011: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 573, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1012: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 747. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

November 5, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1034: Closing Portions of the Conference on H.R. 3222. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1035: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 513, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1036: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 744. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

november 7, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1058: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Con. Res. 236, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

november 13, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1082: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3315. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1083: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1593, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1084: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3403, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1085: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3461, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

november 14, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1095: Motion to Adjourn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

december 6, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1141: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2085. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3224) to amend the National Dam Safety Program Act to establish a program to provide grant assistance to States for the rehabilitation and repair of deficient dams, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3224.

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

Mr. Speaker, many people are not aware that there are approximately 80,000 dams in the United States; and, of these, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials has identified 3,500 dams that are considered deficient or unsafe. In my State of Colorado, we have over 1,800 dams. Of those, 131 are high hazard public dams, and an additional 19 dams are deficient. The State has determined that they are in serious need of repair.

Without proper maintenance, these dams are an obvious threat to public safety. It is critical that we help to ensure the safety and security of these dams. H.R. 3224, introduced by myself and the gentleman from New York, Mr. Randy Kuhl, is a bill that does help to ensure such safety and security by addressing rehabilitation and repair of safety-deficient State-owned dams.

This bill is direct, quite simple, and will go a long way to mitigate significant hazards to our communities. First, the bill adds ``deficient dam'' and ``rehabilitation'' to the definition section of the Dam Safety Act and thus makes this category of dams eligible for funding for rehabilitation. Second, the bill directs the administrator of FEMA to establish within FEMA a program to provide grant assistance to States for use in rehabilitation of publicly owned deficient dams. The grants will be awarded so that each State will get an equal share of one-third of the total amount, while the remaining two-thirds will be awarded by risk. The Federal cost share is capped at 65 percent.

The program's goal is to reduce the risks to life and property by establishing an effective national dam safety rehabilitation program that utilizes the resources and expertise of the Federal and non- Federal communities to achieve the reduction of dam safety hazards. In other words, one of the primary purposes of the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2007 is to provide financial assistance to the States for strengthening their dam safety programs.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill and urge its passage.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas for his leadership also on transportation issues. This is a very important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, this legislation has strong bipartisan support and outside groups, including the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, American Rivers, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Associated General Contractors, who all have endorsed this important piece of legislation.

I want to thank the gentleman from New York, Mr. Randy Kuhl, for working with us on this critical bill, as well as other committee members of the Transportation Committee who have supported this bill as well. I would urge my colleagues to swiftly pass H.R. 3224.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3224, as amended, a bill to further enhance the safety of and bring to a state of good repair our Nation's aging dam infrastructure. This important bill has broad bipartisan support.

I commend the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Salazar) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Kuhl) for introducing this legislation and for their strong support. I would also like to thank Subcommittee Chairwoman Norton for her leadership and for diligently guiding the work of the Subcommittee on the issue of dam safety and rehabilitation.

During a May 8, 2007 hearing, the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management received compelling testimony about the need to rehabilitate our Nation's dams. The statements of witnesses reinforced some troubling statistics. There are approximately 80,000 dams in the United States; of these, approximately 10,000 dams are considered to have high-hazard potential, meaning their failure could result in loss of life or severe property damage. From 2000 to 2006, the number of high-hazard dams increased by almost 20 percent.

Further, States have identified approximately 3,400 dams as currently deficient or unsafe. These dams have been identified as having hydrologic or structural deficiencies that make them susceptible to failure triggered by a storm, an earthquake, progressive deterioration, or inadequate maintenance.

Since 1972, Congress has helped to mitigate the risk of dam failure by establishing a program to provide technical and financial assistance to States for dam safety. Through the National Dam Safety Program, the Federal government has helped to increase the level of knowledge and preparedness to prevent and mitigate the effects of dam failures across the country. Dam safety inspections have increased significantly and greater direct assistance has been provided for training State officials and providing technical seminars and workshops.

H.R. 3224 builds on this successful program and authorizes the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (``FEMA'') to provide grants for the rehabilitation and repair of publicly-owned dams. States must provide at least 35 percent of the funds necessary to rehabilitate a dam. While all States are eligible to apply, grants will be distributed after prioritization by the Administrator, along with the National Dam Safety Review Board, of all applications, based on degree of deficiency.

The bill is a necessary step in the right direction to upgrade our Nation's aging dam infrastructure.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3224.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3224 amends the National Dam Safety Program Act to establish a program to provide grant assistance to States for the rehabilitation and repair of deficient dams.

I would like to commend Congressman Randy Kuhl for his steadfast leadership on this issue. He was the original sponsor of similar legislation this year, and he was instrumental in the reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program last year. I would also like to thank Mr. Salazar, again, for his leadership in this issue also.

This bill would authorize a program at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide funding for repairs to publicly owned dams that would pose a direct risk to human life if they failed. The number of unsafe dams has risen by 80 percent since 1998 to more than 3,200.

This grant program would fund repairs of the most critical dams, which the Association of State Dam Safety officials estimates is a $10 billion need over the next 12 years. Dams require ongoing maintenance, monitoring, and rehabilitation. Many States are unable to fund necessary repairs to publicly owned dams without assistance from the Federal Government. This new program will provide assistance up to 65 percent of the cost of the repairs. H.R. 3224 authorizes the program for 5 years at $200 million.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important issue throughout the country in areas with numerous old and abandoned dams. Too often, the 19th century companies that built the dams no longer exist and local governments are left with orphaned dams in their jurisdiction. These downstream communities have a responsibility to protect their population, but they rarely have the tax base or revenue to repair the failing dams.

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

Madam Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following votes. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

October 29, 2007: rollcall vote No. 1010, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended--H.R. 3224, the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2007--I would have voted ``nay''; rollcall vote No. 1011, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended--H. Res. 573, Recognizing and commending the efforts of the United States public and advocacy groups to raise awareness about and help end the worsening humanitarian crisis and genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and for other purposes--I would have voted ``aye''; rollcall vote No. 1012, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Res. 747, Recognizing the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali--I would have voted ``aye.''

October 30, 2007: rollcall vote No. 1013, on ordering the previous question--H. Res. 773, Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3867) to update and expand the procurement programs of the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes--I would have voted ``nay''; rollcall vote No. 1014, to suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment--H.R. 3678, Internet Tax Freedom Act

Amendments Act of 2007--I would have voted ``aye''; rollcall vote No. 1015, on motion to suspend the rules and pass--H.J. Res. 58, Country Music Month--I would have voted ``aye.''