Transcripts For CSPAN2 Water Infrastructure 20180112 : vimar

Government officials testified about the infrastructure needs at recent senate hearing. Good morning. I call this hearing to order. Today we are holding a hearing to highlight the importance of passing a new Water Resource Development act or werda during the 1 is 5th congress. It authorizes funding for the army corps of engineers Water Works Program which need past wedder today provisions. Prior congresses have too additionally passed werda on biannual basis going back to 1986. Unlike other contentious issues, historically, republican and democratic members of this Senate Environmental Public Works Committee, have been able to pass werda legislation. This is legislation that moves. Regardless of Party Affiliation we understand these kinds of investment are par too important to the community to fall to partisan politics. This represents a did i veers group of communities with different needs. Our committee has members that represent baltimore, maryland, anchorage, alaska. Wyoming and wilmington, delaware. They expect congress to do its job to pass bipartisan werda legislation to grow the economies and keep them safe. When it comes to core projects for their existence. We must minimize ice jams that cause the bighorn river to flood communities. Ice jams are major Public Safety concern for towns which cant afford out of control costs that come with severe flooding n wyoming and other Western States Rural Communities still face challenges associated with providing longterm water supply and storage. Federal water Storage Facilities out west continue to lose existing space as a result of sediment buildup. This is a major problem for Western State economies which have rapidly growing populations, significant ranching and farming communities and enlarging energy industry. I believe the corps and bureau of reclamation need to address this challenge. I hope this committee will move forward to find solution in bipartisan way to find our countrys infrastructure needs. Our coasts and inland waterways are just as vital to the countrys economic well being. Goods, commodities, Raw Materials from the heartland of america go through these ports for export. In wyoming our soda ash, key component of making glass, gets shipped out of the port of portland, oregon. We have vested interest in maintaining thee ports. I urge my colleagues to work with me in bipartisan way to find these solutions to the enactment of the wirda bill in 2018. I will hand to the Ranking Member, smart carper. Thank you for, this is really important issue, an issue we might be able to work on together and get something done. In past years senator inhofe working with senator Barbara Boxer have been good showing us how this is done. Hopefully we wont screw up good thing. With your help that will be the case. I want to say that this is extremely important authorization given we do it every two years. Most recent authorization, this december, as we all know coastal issues are extremely important to delaware but as the chairman just said i thought a very good statement, you dont have to be on a coast, massachusetts, you dont have to be in massachusetts or rhode island or delaware in order to have a strong interest in this issue. It affects us all every day but delawares economic reliance on the corps work is not unique. Over 99 of the u. S. Trade volume, over 99 moves through coastal channels that the corps maintains. Additionally the corps inland waterways and locks are form a network. This a water highway, connecting waters and ports connecting to international markets. It is critical structure for the u. S. Military the corps reduces risk to human safety and Property Damage from flooding. Flooding alone currently costs the United States billions of dollars annually. As in 2017 hurricane illustrated our nation needs to be a resilient one ready for the next storm or flood or drought event because they are coming. In fact just this week were told by noaa, national oceonographic atmospheric administration, announces in 2017 total cost for extreme weather and climate events exceeded 300 billion. A new, that seems like a lot of money that is. That is a new annual record in the u. S. So clearly not a matter of if the next extreme weather event is coming, just a matter of when. Together the corps navigation and flood Risk Management activities account for 70 of the agencys annual civil works appropriation but the corps has or shares jurisdiction over many other critical civil Works Programs as well including environmental stewardship, hydropower, recreation, Emergency Management and water supply. Unfortunately in the mid1980 as federal funding for new project construction and major rehabilitation began to steadily decline. With this trend the corpss actions shifted to operation, to maintenance, rehabilitation of existing infrastructure and backlog of deferred maintenance continued to grow ever since. As a result much of the corpss infrastructure is now exceeding its useful lifespan. We have a couple of graphics here. Looking at one christine is holding up for us. It is provided by our friend from the American Association of port authorities, a busy chart but good one nonetheless. Everybody has, should have at your desk a copy of this but about 66 bill dollars anyone investment in portrelated infrastructure is needed over the next decade to insure u. S. Job creation and Economic Growth, over 66 billion in investment in portrelated infrastructure is needed over the next 10 years to insure that the u. S. Job creation Economic Growth continues. We have another graphic also provided by the American Association of port authorities and as this graphic shows investment in our Freight Network which is interconnected network of ships barges, trucks and trains is essential to the safe and efficient goods both into and out of United States. This Freight Network serves as backbone of our economy. Not just ships, not just barges, not just trains and trucks, it is all of the above and more. American National Association of engineers report card tells you unsettling story where dams, inland waterways receiving a grade of ds deplorable, representing cumulative investment backing log of 140 billion, authorized but unconstructed portfolio of another 60 billion. The corps faces a sizable math problem as they try to service that roughly 200 billion, if you add 140 billion, add that to the 60 billion requirement and more. Match that up if you will with the annual budget hovers around 4. 6 billion. The math just doesnt work, does it . Clearly we have a lot of important work to do. We need to work in bipartisan fashion if we really to address these concerns and build consensus on a path forward, and a smart, cost efficient way leveraging both green and as well as gray infrastructure solutions. Again, mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this important hearing. I look forward, we all look forward to hearing from our witnesses. I have something i want to submit for the record, is that right . Isnt letters of acclaim for newest member of our committee. This is the new deal. This information deals with our material, say to chris, welcome aboard. [inaudible]. Senator harris said im moving off your committee. Sorry to hear that. Not because im not interested in the issues. Keenly interested in the issues, want to be part of your extended family. I thought we could work that out. Attorney general wants to be on Judiciary Committee if you get there. I think its a good thing. She will still be part of our team. Thank you very much. I would like to welcome senator van hollen with the committee, you and senator cardin. Since my mom grew up in maryland in dundof, maryland, summer job, two of you from maryland, this history now we make sure that the Chesapeake Bay is fully protected. I know that mr. Chairman, i will say no more. [laughter]. Welcome to the committee. Were now going to hear from our witnesses. Well start with a introduction in a second from senator inhofe. We have mr. Scott robinson. Miss julie ufner, associate legislative director of the national zooks of counties. William friedman, chairman of association of port authorities, Nicole Carter National Resource policy expert for and Steve Cochran, coastal protection, restore the mississippi Delta Coalition. I believe senator cassidy will be here to introduce mr. Cochran. If i could start by senator inhofe please introduce our guests. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I appreciate that. Having presence of Scott Robinson here. He has spent a lot of time in this business. We became good friends. I have to say one thing, building a little bit on what carper just said, it is not just the coastal states were interested in. We are in oklahoma, the americas most inland warm water port. The problem is nobody knows it. I remember back when i was in the state senate many years, back in the 70s, conceived something we thought well tell the whole world were navigable in oklahoma. So the World War Ii Submarine veterans came in. We worked out a deal. If you can procure a submarine we have to figure out a way to get all the way up from texas to oklahoma. Were talking about a submarine. Uss bat fish, it was length of a football field. Huge thing. So, all my adversaries were saying well sink inhofe with his submarine. Nonetheless we got them up there. And there it is in your port, port of muscogee, 300foot submarine, shows the world we are in fact an inland port. So anyways, scott, nice to have you here. You have a tremendous background here. Youve been at the port of muscogee for 28 years now. With more than 1000 acres of land within the jurisdiction the port is poised to continue its growth and provide several Transportation Options for oklahoma industries. Scotts been active in the waterway communities serving on a variety of related boards and commissions including the National Waterways conference, the marine transportation system, National Advisory council, arkansasoklahoma Port Operators Association. So it is great to have you here. You will bring a lot of knowledge to this meeting and i appreciate it. Thank you very much, senator inhofe for that introduction. Good to see you. I could spend my five minutes talking about stories about but i wont do that. Well extend your dont feel limited to five minutes if youre going to talk but i do want to talk to the all witnesses your full testimony is made part of full hearing record, except for mr. Robinson, ask to keep your statements to five minutes so we have time for questions. Mr. Robinson. Chairman, and Ranking Member and members of the committee privilege to testify about the americas infrastructure needs and what they are for 2018. Thank you for this opportunity to contribute my thoughts. I am as senator inhofe said, Scott Robinson, port director of port of muscogee. Ive been there since 1990 of the port of muscogee one of two ports in oklahoma and one of five in oklahoma panned arkansas. I commend the committee on work accomplished in as i hope to illustrate further in my testimony today the absence of regularly enacted wirda legislation during the period 2001 and 2013 caused serious harm to an important infrastructure develop mane project along the mcclellan Arkansas River Navigation System which in the interests of time i will refer to as mcarns. That is 445mile multipurpose waterway runs through arkansas and oklahoma completed in 1970 as cost of 1. 2 billion. It was the largest federal investment ever made in a civil works project. Connecting the two states oklahoma and arkansas with domestic river ports and terminals along the inland waterways of the United States and with ports all over the world via the port of new orleans and gulf of mexico. In 2015 there was a regional impact study for the mcarns conducted being published, documenting the impacts 8. 5 billion in sales, 55,000 jobs, 289 million in taxes to the national economy. You will find a copy of that in attachment a to my testimony. In attachment d you find a letter signed by the president of the oklahomaarkansas, Port Operators Association endorsing its priorities for the mcarns you will find my briefing that we made to the congress and to stakeholders and congressional staffers in attachment b and c. I would like to take a few minutes to talk about three infrastructure priorities for the mkarns, hopefully give the committee a glimpse of waterway infrastructure needs of the nation. Number one, priority was modification of an existing structure. The melinda structure near the confluence of the mcarns and Mississippi River, Arkansas River and white river trying to come together every time it floods the corps has to spend money trying to fix the problem. Failure is i amment and solution is imperative. The permanent solution to the problem will soon come out after corps study now in progress costs shared by the state of arkansas. Once the study is completed and the chiefs recommendation is issued, the melinda structure will face new start and costshare hurdles. Until then mcarns is at risk of failure. Number two of backlog of critical maintenance. There is series going backlog of maintenance 140 deemed critical bit corps of engineers. The corps defines critical maintenance having 50 chance of failure within five years. In march of 2017 there were 42 such critical maintenance items on the mcarns more alarming that than the critical backlog is growing rapidly in his testimony to this committee in 2016 tulsa port of katusas bob port tis expressed concern that the critical backlog reached 70 million. It is twice as much today. The problem is the no different than the problem faced across the nation in order to spread two little funding funding too far were fixing critically important infrastructure as close to failure as possible, in some cases after it fails and on emergency basis. This is not an acceptable Asset Management strategy. It is a prescription for failure. Number three was the 12foot channel. The vacuum created by absence of regularly enacted wirda legislation before 2014 and 2016 wirda, the congress in section 136 Energy Water Development appropriations act of 2004 authorized deepening from nine to 12foot in. The 2005 energy and Water Development appropriations act 7 million was appropriated for the channel deepening. 5. 4 million was used used in 20r design and construction activities reduced 172 milliondollar project by like amount. In 2009 the corps expressed 40 milliondollar capability but never ended up in the president s budget. In oklahoma we call this the we woke a switch. I wont have it time to explain. Suffice being lost in the switch is not good. The committee can rescue the 12foot channel and resolve the new start dilemma by including clarification language in wirda 2018 as follows. Congress finds that the initial funding was provided and construct started on a 12foot navigation channel of the mcclellan Arkansas River Navigation System as directed in section 136 of the energy and Water Development appropriations act, meeting new start requirements. Institute of water resource from 2010 and 2012, the still Works Program of the Army Corporation of engineers provided annual National Economic benefit net benefit 87 billion and stimulated 27 billion in returns to the u. S. Treasury. 16 to one returns in terms of economic ben gets and five to one return in term of to the treasury. Waterway investment is a wise investment if there is finally going to be comprehensive infrastructure reinvestment plan my believe on behalf of mcarns stakeholders not just be for roads and bridges but waterways too. Not just for deep draft coastal ports and harbors but inland waterways as well. Together with modern, multimodal connections truck and rail for efficient, competitive movement of freight. To the extent waters way projects are favorably considered in such a Infrastructure Investment plan and require private investment as leverage, then the Water Infrastructure finance and Innovation Act Program created in wirda 2014 may be just the tool necessary to track such investment in projects for which the inland Waterway Trust funds revenues are not sufficient to share. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have. I realize i have gone over my time. If you want me to tell some of those stories i will. Thank you very much, mr. Rub bin son. Before moving to miss ufner, senator cassidy convenient time to i