Orchard Detention Basin Flood Control Act

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Orchard Detention Basin Flood Control Act for myself and Senator Ensign. This Act will release approximately 65 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Clark County, NV, from the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area. The release will allow for the construction of an important flood control project.

The Orchard Detention Basin project is part of the Clark County Regional Flood Control District's Master Plan to protect the Las Vegas Valley. This comprehensive floodplain management program is designed to protect private and public lands from flood damage and to save lives in this rapidly growing metropolitan area. When completed, the Orchard Detention Basin project will protect approximately 1,200 acres of urban development from flooding, including 2,500 homes and three schools. The project will also reduce the magnitude of flooding further downstream.

The boundary change executed by this legislation is needed because a portion of the detention basin project lies within the boundaries of the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area. An ``instant study area'' designation places development restrictions on public lands similar to those on wilderness study areas. This designation currently prevents the construction of this important flood control project, leaving the land and residents living downstream vulnerable to flood damage.

Even though the Las Vegas Valley is a desert, flash flooding is an all too common problem affecting the people in Las Vegas. In just the last decade, Las Vegas Valley has been hit with five 100-year storm events. A severe thunderstorm in 1999 dropped over 3 inches of rain in 1\1/2\ hours, resulting in a disaster declaration. Along with property damage and deaths related to flooding, Clark County residents experience inconvenience resulting from impassable roads during flooding events. Support services such as police, fire and ambulance can also be delayed, creating life-threatening incidents.

The House of Representatives has already taken up and passed this legislation during the current Congress. The version that I am introducing today reflects the amendments that were adopted in the House. I look forward to working with the Energy Committee and my other distinguished friends to move this bill in a timely manner during the current session.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Orchard Detention Basin Flood Control Act for myself and Senator Ensign. This Act will release approximately 65 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Clark County, NV, from the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area. The release will allow for the construction of an important flood control project.

The Orchard Detention Basin project is part of the Clark County Regional Flood Control District's Master Plan to protect the Las Vegas Valley. This comprehensive floodplain management program is designed to protect private and public lands from flood damage and to save lives in this rapidly growing metropolitan area. When completed, the Orchard Detention Basin project will protect approximately 1,200 acres of urban development from flooding, including 2,500 homes and three schools. The project will also reduce the magnitude of flooding further downstream.

The boundary change executed by this legislation is needed because a portion of the detention basin project lies within the boundaries of the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area. An ``instant study area'' designation places development restrictions on public lands similar to those on wilderness study areas. This designation currently prevents the construction of this important flood control project, leaving the land and residents living downstream vulnerable to flood damage.

Even though the Las Vegas Valley is a desert, flash flooding is an all too common problem affecting the people in Las Vegas. In just the last decade, Las Vegas Valley has been hit with five 100-year storm events. A severe thunderstorm in 1999 dropped over 3 inches of rain in 1\1/2\ hours, resulting in a disaster declaration. Along with property damage and deaths related to flooding, Clark County residents experience inconvenience resulting from impassable roads during flooding events. Support services such as police, fire and ambulance can also be delayed, creating life-threatening incidents.

The House of Representatives has already taken up and passed this legislation during the current Congress. The version that I am introducing today reflects the amendments that were adopted in the House. I look forward to working with the Energy Committee and my other distinguished friends to move this bill in a timely manner during the current session.

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

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 9, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 2443 and H.R. 2246, to provide for the release of any reversionary interest of the United States in and to certain lands in Reno, Nevada; S. 2779, to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to clarify that uncertified States and Indian tribes have the authority to use certain payments for certain noncoal reclamation projects; S. 2875, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide grants to designated States and tribes to carry out programs to reduce the risk of livestock loss due to predation by gray wolves and other predator species or to compensate landowners for livestock loss due to predation; S. 2898 and H.R. 816, to provide for the release of certain land from the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area in the State of Nevada; S. 3088, to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as wilderness, and for other purposes; S. 3089, to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as wilderness, and for other purposes; S. 3089, to designate certain land in the State of Oregon as wilderness, to provide for the exchange of certain Federal land and non-Federal land, and for other purposes; and S. 3157, to provide for the exchange and conveyance of certain National Forest System land and other land in southeast Arizona, 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 [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact David Brooks at (202) 224- 9863 or Rachel Pasternack at (202) 224-0883.

Mr. President, I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet on Thursday, June 26, at 9:30 a.m. room 562 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on Access to Contract Health Services in Indian Country.

Those wishing additional information may contact the Indian Affairs Committee at 224-2251.

Mr. President, I would like to inform Members that the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will hold a hearing entitled ``Examining Solutions to Cope with the Rise in Home Heating Oil Prices,'' on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at 10 a.m., in room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building.