Washington, D.C.- -U.S. Sixth District Congressman Frank Lucas was the lunchtime featured speaker yesterday in Washington at the Agriculture Research Service's (ARS) Watershed National Program Component Workshop. In his speech at the national symposium Lucas focused his message on the rehabilitation of aging, small upstream flood control dams. Lucas authored legislation at the end of the 105th Congress addressing this issue and intends to reintroduce the "Small Watershed Amendments" in January as soon as the first session of the 106th Congress begins.
"If passed, this bill would provide a responsible legislative proposal aimed at addressing the infrastructure needs of our aging watershed dams," Lucas said. "It defines the problems, calls for an assessment of the problem, creates a cost-share program to address the need and authorizes funding of the program.
"These approximately 10,000 flood control dams across the nation--over 2,000 of which are located in Oklahoma--were given a life expectancy of 50 years when construction began on the very first of these dams in 1948 in my Congressional District just outside the town of Cordell, Oklahoma," Lucas continued. "That dam just celebrated its 50th birthday this summer and the number of aging dams is going to increase exponentially from there."
The symposium was directed at just over 200 people from across the nation with an interest in watershed protection. Included in this influential group were Agriculture Research Service scientists and researchers and representatives from several federal agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among many others with an interest in preserving the nation's water resources.
"I truly believe that the undertaking that has been started with this workshop provides a clear belief that our federal government is committed to finding the necessary balance between environmental preservation and commercial agriculture," Lucas said. "As we move toward the next millennium, it is imperative that progress toward this goal is made. Preserving our water resources is a proper place to start."
Lucas, who already has the support of several national groups for his watershed bill, took this opportunity to educate those in the room about the project and ask for their support.
"I am hopeful that those here today will support these efforts by contacting their Members of Congress next year during the 106th to ask for support for this legislation," Lucas said. "The more educating and awareness and support we have right off the bat, the faster this critical project can make its way through the legislative process and get underway.
"It is time to address the rehabilitation needs of these aging structures."
The ARS is the in-house research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture charged with the task of conducting research to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority.
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