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 introduce your guest here today. The person, Steve Cochran sitting behind me. I gather he is on the next panel. Thank you, mr. Chairman for allowing me to introduce. Chairman barosso, Ranking Member car per and other members thank you for allowing me to introduce Steve Cochran a dedicated Louisiana Public servant. Steve worked for many years in pursuit of a longterm solution and restore and protect louisianas incredibly fragile coastal ecosystem. He worked with former louisiana congressman and governor budly roemer. Lake pontchartrain foundation and Environmental Defense fund makes him uniquely qualified to speak to the need of an integrated strategy that utilizes innovative approaches to restore wetland and support coastal ecosystem. Now Coastal Louisiana is losing land as we speak. As we speak there is something on a google map that looks green that if you really had updated google map would no longer look green would look like open water. That is the crisis we have. It poses a serious threat to our state, to our communities and upon our state and nations economy. It is required our state to develop an in a bipartisan fashion a comprehensive plan referred to as the louisiana comprehensive master plan for sustainable coasts, 50 billiondollar over 50 years plan to restore louisianas coast based on sound scientific and modeling principles required to be updated every five years. Now while louisiana has been prepared to implement projects detailed in the master plan the problem is the Environmental Review and permitting process challenges that threaten to stop these projects from going forward. Currently the average time frame for the government to approve a federal project is close to five years. Now, remember i said were losing coastline like this minute . We get five years to permit something, and by that time there has been dramatic change. This time frame is unacceptable given the magnitude of the threat to louisianas coastline. Reis revising permitting process for corps and other ages involved is critical that regulation find ways to expedite consideration of longterm ecosystem projects that restore wetlands and protect communities rather than maintain the current shortterm regulatory focus again only seems to impede these important projects from moving forward. Base sediment diversion, wirda, authorized project south of new orleans offer as textbook example the need to increase transparency and improve coordination through federal agencies. They will take fresh water and sediment from the mississippi to threatened wetland on, western side of the river to build and sustain new and existing wetland. Now the existing regulatory hurdles in multiple federal agencies will likely lead to multiyear permitting delays for this and other large Ecosystem Restoration projects resulting in the loss of more louisiana coast. Working with this committee to restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition the corps of engineers and other interested parties to update and modernize the federal permitting process in the next wirda reauthorization bill so we are better able to sustain coastal environments and communities in both louisiana and across the nation. Thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning to introduce mr. Cochran. Thank you. Thank you very much, senator cassidy. I know you have other pressing matters. Youre welcome to stay as long as you like but i appreciate you coming here today to introduce mr. Cochran. I would like to call on miss julie ufner, associate legislative director for the National Association of counties. Welcome. Good morning chairman barrasso, Ranking Member carper and members of the committee. Im honored to testify before you on Water Infrastructure needs and challenges. My name is julie ufner. From the National Association of counties of the we represent the nations 3069 counties. Ive been asked to share with our western counties experience with the Water Resources Development Act. How we work with wirda to keep our development. These play vital roles to keep our economy safe. This especially plays out in the west where water issues can be more complex. The federal government owns vast tracks of land within counties which prevent counties from raising property taxes, yet were still responsible for Law Enforcement and Emergency Services on these lands while also protecting our residents on nonfederal lands. The federal government owns 97 of the land in the city borough of juneau, alaska. Which leaves us 33,000, 30 of usable land. Theyre highly dependent on tourism, mining fishing to drive the 2. 6 billion economy. A large part of that their success comes from wrda funding that helps them maintain the navigation channels leading it their port. In park county, wyoming, a community of 30,000 residents, comprised of 81 public lands, in the last year had mountain flooding and ice jams. This resulted in flooding which destroyed county bridges and roads, many of which lead to the gateways of the national parks. The counties are now working with Army Corporation and fema to replace these structures but wrda could do more. Counties have aging infrastructure in their communities. Some which are coast to 100 years old and we have a limited pot of funds to pay for this. One example, one county in california, where the local economy of 54,000 is almost solely dependent on a old wooden flume and ditch system for its water which was built in 1850s. This flume is located in a heavilyovergrown National Forest which is vulnerable to wildfires. If it were destroyed, the community would be without water for months t would take over a year to rebuild, devastating the local economy. Additionally, some federal regulations slow down construction and significantly increase costs for Public Safety projects. Orange county, california maintains several hundred miles of Flood Control channels that are intended to protect homes, businesses and roads from flooding. But for Maintenance Activity in these channels such as cleaning out debris, the county is required to obtain section 404 permits from the army corps of engineers. It took the county approximately three years to obtain the permit which mandated them to clear 13acres of vegetation and required 20 acres of mitigation at a cost of over 3. 5 million for a permit that is only valid for five years. This is not an isolated example. Additionally, our counties note there are challenges within the existing army corps structure which includes cumbersome and complex requirements, the length of time it takes to complete water studies, limited funding and competing agency requirements. Congress has a unique opportunity to address this issue. And we are encouraged by the senates stated commitment to complete a wrda bill this year. We look forward to working with you to identify ways which we can address challenges within the section 404 permitting program for Public Safety infrastructure. We would also like to address funding need because without wrda and the army corps, our counties would not have been able to accomplish the multitude of projects that weve been able to carry out in the past several decades. Finally, we encouraged congress to provide a framework of meaningful consultation between the army corps of engineers and state and local government partners on pending rules and policies that directly impact those entities. We believe that this will solve many of the conflicts that now exist between the army corps and its inner governmental partners. Simply put, wrda is a project that works. And together we can work to make the partnership stronger. On behalf of naco, thank you for the opportunity to testify and i would be happy to answer any questions. Thank you very much miss ufner i appreciate you being here today. Turn to william friedman, chairman elect of National Association of port authorities. Thank you for joining us. Thank you, chairman barosso and Ranking Member carper and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide remarks for the americas water needs and challenges. William friedman, president and chief executive per of the Cleveland Cuyahoga county port authority. We shorten to the port of cleveland. That is a mouthful. We have Major Economic contributor to our state and local economy. Maritime traffic in excess of 13 million tons annually through Cleveland Harbor drives 3. 5 billion in annual Economic Activity in our community and supports 20,000 jobs in our community as well. Im also speaking on behalf of the American Association of port authorities, apa, as the chairmanelect of its legislative policy committee that sets policy for our members. My remarks today will provide a illustrative examples of Water Infrastructure needs faced by public ports and recommendations for wrda legislation to improve the corps of engineers navigation program. Apa members appreciate that congress understands the importance of our seaports role in the u. S. Economy, constructing and maintaining the nations 21st Century Maritime infrastructure is essential to the nations economic future. Public ports and their private sector partners are committed to this challenge with plans to invest upwards of 155 billion between 2016 and 2020 in portrelated facilities. It is imperative that related infrastructure be a part of any broad Infrastructure Investment legislation the committee develops. Apa has identified 66 billion in potential waterside and landside investments over the next decade that will help insure benefits from anticipated 155 billion in port related capital Infrastructure Investments. The waterside amount consists of full use of Harbor Maintenance trust funds over 10year period, use of 9 billiondollar Harbor Maintenance trust fund surplus to restore federal navigation channels and 6. 2 billion for the federal share of costshared channel improvements tore rised in wrda 2014 and 2016 and projects currently being studied that will get authorized in the coming years. Aap believes significant federal investment would grow the u. S. Economy, increase family wage supporting jobs, enhance Americas International competitiveness and generate additional tax revenues. I provided two infographics which senator carper pointed out at the outset of hearing. Both are available to you. They look like this. The first provides details on the 66 billion needs and second infographic highlights the types of portrelated projects that can benefit from Infrastructure Investment legislation. Turning to wrda, it is vitally important that this legislation be passed on twoyear cycle as it enables major and smaller policy changes and improvements to the made in navigation projects to be authorized. I look forward to the next wrda legislation to continue making these improvements in the legislation and with, point out aapas three key Priority Issues for the next wrda as follows. First, wrda 2014 was landmarked legislation establishing a path to full use of the Harbor Maintenance tax revenues for its intended purpose which is navigation channel maintenance. Win 2016 adjusted annual funding target approach so progress is made toward full hmt use. Were grateful to the funding targets, annual funding targets currently being met by congress you there appropriations process however we maintain ultimate solution is full hmt revenues provided directly to the corps of engineers. We appreciate bills proposed to address this issue. My fellow aap members are working on an approach that accomplishes full hmt revenue use that includes industry supported spending formula. Number two, authorize and proceed to construction navigation project improvements recommended in chief of engineers reports. This includes a projectorrization change for the sulocs major rehabilitation on great lakes. Number three, past wrdas include streamlining of corps of engineers study process for navigation channel improvements. That worked well. We think additional streamlining improvements can be made in the upcoming wrda. Aapa will submit a list of improvements to the submit tee soon. I commend the Committee Leadership recognizing nexus between Water Resource Development and economic prosperity. I urge you to develop and pass Infrastructure Investment and wrda legislation at earliest possible time. Would be happy to address any questions you may have for me. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your testimony, mr. Friedman. We look forward to questions in a little bit. First turn to Nicole Carter, Research Policy specialist for National Resource services. Thank you for joining us. Members of the committee my name is nicole darter im specialist at Congressional Research service National Resources policy. Thank you for inviting us here to he have it. The committee requested that crs focus on legislative process for Water Resources Development Act, a wrda. Related issues in 2018. I will start with a wrda primer, discuss executive branch reports relative to wrda deliberations and end with broader context for water resource authorization and infrastructure deliberations in 2018. Congress often involved at the project level when it comes to the u. S. Army corps of engineers. Congress authorizes the corps so perform specific projects to improve navigation, reduce flood damage and restore aquatic systems. Corps authorizes new project in statute in omnibus corps authorization bill, wedder today, prior to providing federal funding. Most authorities for previous wrdas do not rerequire reauthorization. A small number of time limited authorities and authorizations of appropriations end in 2018 and 2019. Authorization however does not guarranty federal appropriations for a project. Although congress does not appropriate fund in a wrda, wrda provisions may affect use of appropriations. For example, wrda provisions provided targets for Navigation Trust funds and established the northern federal, federal split of project costs. Timing enactment of wrdas has varied. Wrda 1986 mark ad decades long stalemate between congress and executive branch regarding cost sharing and user fees. Since wrda 1986 congress aimed to avoid long delays between the planning and execution of projects. Biannually enactment of wrda was roughly followed from 1986 until the early 2000s. Since then enactment has been less regular. Issue complicated enactment in the 11 is 1 and 112 congresses how to develop a bill without geographically specific activities commonly referred to as earmarks. 113 congress developed new reporting processes that i discuss later. 113th congress enacted Water Resources reform Development Act of 2014. It authorized 34 new construction project es. It authorized 30 now Core Construction projects as well as dozens of studies. Wrda 2016 was title of broader water authorization bill, bureau of reclamation and edpa all 64 new Core Construction projects authorized in wrda 2014 and wrda 2016. Completed by the end of 2018. Congress also used wrda to offer significant changes in prison authorized projects here in the Course Company report recommending an increase in the authorization of appropriations for the savannah harbor expansion project. Wrda 2014 at a requirement for the second army to annually collect and report on publicly submitted proposals for studies and projects pick the most recent annual report was delivered in march 2017 and includes 13 public proposals for feasibility studies for existing projects. The deadline for the next annual report to congress is that go 2018. Many topics may ship deliberations on water resource infrastructure in 2018 such as you set to Navigation Trust funds and the safety of operation of dams and levees. Three broad topics of opens to the liberation of 22 our Infrastructure Initiative. How may a broad Infrastructure Initiative relate to authorize projects and reinvestment in aging federally owned infrastructure. Nonfederal expectations and partnerships. What will the federal government expect that nonfederal project sponsors in coming years . What can nonfederal entities expect from the federal government in terms of partnering and financing of projects . Three, floods. Recent disaster including the toy 17 hurricanes and raise numerous questions, like how effective and efficient article and processes for identifying priority of investments reduce the nation split risk . Thank you. This concludes my statement. Thank you very much we appreciate your testimony and there may be questioned and livt it. Id like to welcome mr. Steven cochran. Thanks so much for joining us today. [inaudible] also to thank senator cassidy for coming here this morning. I do not if you noticed it but hes got a bad cold and so i particularly appreciate him being willing to come out here today. What do they send it a kennedy from our state as well. Both due diligent work of half of our states. For the record im steven cochran, with Environmental Defense fund and director of the coalition called restore the Mississippi River delta. We are a coalition of three national organizations, and primal defense fund, the National Audubon society and the National Wildlife federation. In addition our coalitions Work Together on landscape scale restoration across louisiana coast. To my own written statement which is better for the record, coalition members, National Wildlife federation had submitted written testimony and help the committee can give them consideration as well. Id like to tell you about the challenges in my home state louisiana where to be blunt as senator cassidy said we have a coastal crisis. As Congress Begins to look at wrda i want to focus on possible solutions from what we believe are lessons from the front. Louisiana coast, since the 1930s, has lost about 1900 square miles. As senator carper knows that loss is roughly the size of the state of delaware. Without action we are projected to lose up to another 4000 square miles within the next 500 years. These losses have dramatic implications for millions of people and their communities along the coast from National Significant energy, to go with significant port facilities at the worldclass habitat and sports counts one might speak this including the huge diversity of commercial and recreational fisheries. While the crisis is unique, is challenges are reflected across the country. 2017 set the record for weatherrelated damages across the country. The majority of which were from hurricanes and floods. As you would imagine we spend a lot of time in the delta thinking about solutions. So from that perspective here are some general concepts we would recommend as you consider wrda. First, coastlines are complex system and each area, each Failure Party requires its own carefully considered measures to adopt to changing conditions. Second, no engineered our natural structure is 100 effective against all storms. But Structural Solutions can be rendered far more effective in concert with restored natural features and processes. Third, in many cases our nations wetlands and floodplains are themselves critical infrastructure. They need to be restored so in addition to the ecological benefits they can be used specifically produced the impacts and costs applied and stores. In louisiana the state and its partners have used these concepts instructing their own approach. Louisianas master plan for sustainable coast is a document which you guys comprehensive Estate Planning initiatives based on cutting edge science and modeling which is driven by priorities, recognizes inet funding and enjoys quite remarkable bipartisan support. This plan is iterative which means its updated every five years to incorporate the latest science and reflect progress. Each update is the approved by the state legislature at each of its three iterations over 15 years have all been approved unanimously. This plan is to provide exceptionally growing Public Engagement process giving communities a voice in their own future. We strongly recommend other states facing significant flooding challenges examine the master plans approach as a useful guide. As for details, Great Projects like rock shorelines or levees are consummated with restored wetlands, barrier islands, oyster reefs as well as nonstructural approaches. These combination of these measures are organized to create a multiple lines of defense, if you can see my colleague holding her, you see the array of various approaches that can be married married together but structural and natural to really provide this sort of multiple line the defense. Thats true all along rivers, coastlines and its this kind of thinking we would recommend to the committee in thinking about the kinds of projects that it encourages and supports incentives that goes are builto the system going forward. This next chart is simply a version done specific to louisiana where you can actually see how it works in our study. These charger in the written testimony and you can look at them in more detail that way. Now, the natural aspects of these are really beneficial because that so many cobenefits. Oyster reefs which help reduce weight problems also grow oysters. While the storm surges that can be stopped by wetlands and wild weapons maintain significant habitats. Maritime swamp and mangrove forest can lower wind speeds from storms but also sporting estimates of wildlife and commercial species. If these things together we think make the most sense, particularly as we limited assets and finite resources going forward. One final elephant elevator i o tell you about, senator cassidy mansion, was the sediment diversion is unique and innovative approach. This was originally authorized to make this point in wrda 2000s have picked would take up to 75,000 ft. 3 of fresh water and sediment from the Mississippi River at strategic times in the river cycle, delivered to the threatened wetlands on the western side of the river and it would use the power of nature to build and sustain tens of thousands of wetland acres including those created two separate projects. These weapons will in turn provide buffering for the levees which inside of which are our communities and industry that we depend upon. So you get the mix of natural infrastructure protecting build infrastructure, protecting our 20s and coast. Its accommodation with it makes the most sense. Its a wonderful approach for us but have to add that these kind of projects are not without challenges. In this case because of the projects essential nature for our work, the state has decided to fund it and died on its own through resources that came to the deepwater horizon penalties. Those of course are subject to federal Agency Permitting as they should be, and why to underscore the importance of our perspective of Environmental Review and even our opposition to some of the forms of streamlining that weve seen. However, the federal permitting timelines of nearly five years for this project already long study project is unacceptable given the urgency that we face. And in this case some delays stem from several factors including the challenges some agencies confront and accounting for what happens if no action is taken at all. Now, given the urgency of this crisis and the challenges associated with it, it may be that a target legislative solution is required which if done carefully and without damage to the underling statute we support. Here and elsewhere where encouraging permitting agencies including the court and noaa to work cooperatively and expeditiously to nine ways to consolidate the timelines. In summary louisiana is the point multiple lines of defense and pursuing innovation to address the coast and crisis but to be successful it needs reliable effective federal partner that can provide timely and appropriate resources, and stay focus on solution. As the giving this form with this authorization we encourage you to think about the formula for the rest of the country as well. I went a little bit long and thank you for your patience. We appreciate all of you. We will now move on to a series of questions from members and ill start with you, ms. Ufner, if i can pick many stakeholders to work with the corps of engineers have commented and complained about the bit about the process it follows to get from identifying and Water Resources problem to implement a solution. They can be long, costly delays. For example, in the area of west there many water supply challenges that havent yet been solved such as removing sediment from reservoirs to provide a more water supply capacity and effectively managing multiple water supply needs such as flood Risk Management, treating water, irrigation all from a a single reservoir. The water supply is becoming scarce and more expensive. Could you please share any thoughts you might have as how to improve the corps processes so the water resource projects operated more efficiently . Thank you, senator. We actually have a number of suggestions, but any interest of time im going to limit it to two. First, improve the intergovernmental collaboration between the corps and local governments. The court has a lot of Technical Assistance that is very valuable to local governments of the processes and permits they have often prohibit or slow down projects are moving forward. Secondly, congress may want to consider doing, requiring the corps a regulatory efficiency effectiveness of corps processes and have the corps submit to congress the results of this with potential alternatives on how theyre going to address it. Thank you. As you say though youre just going to shoot two. Is there some addition once you like to provide a bike and we would be with happy to do so. Thank you. Mr. Robinson as those mr. Friedman. Ports and inland waterways are important to the lifeblood of the American Economy and Economic Activity. Every year over 1 trillion with of goods moves the fourth and inland waterways and to every basic one of the United States, and around the world. Can you talk a little bit more about importance of ports and inland waterways and how the management impact your ability to transport goods allowing us to keep jobs at home and help us to more effectively compete globally . Senator barrasso, just speaking on behalf of of the mkarns and from tulsa oklahoma to muskogee, just in that segment of the waterway, 53 miles, there are more than 8000 jobs, annual payrolls to the counties and to the cities are 329 annually. In muskogee which is a community of 39,000 people, most of the manufacturers in that community in muskogee is a manufacturing, depend on the waterway so they depend on the reliability of the waterway. They depend upon the transportation cost savings for delivering and receiving goods on the waterway. Its critically important to the economy of rural america. Were not investing in the system like we should be. Therefore, we are encountering delays and not a good situation in rural america. Mr. Friedman, would you like to add. Was yes. Thank you for the question, senator barrasso. Ill address that from the perspective of the great lakes and the st. Lawrence seaway where we are all interconnected as sports and we trade with one another both within the system domestically and is also of course the international waterway, st. Lawrence seaway where they connect to all parts of the globe. The partnership that we have with the army corps under wrda to keep our harbors fully drenched is a critical lifeline for big cities like cleveland, detroit, chicago as well as a number of Rural Communities. Its critical for agriculture, for heavy manufacturing, for still making which takes place in cleveland based on iron ore which comes down from minnesota as one of the prime examples of the types of trade in our region. Then we have many cargoes that float in and out of the heartland to the st. Lawrence seaway, both export from american manufacturers and imports like specialty steel that we rely on in the appliance Manufacturing Sector and other Manufacturing Sectors. I think in total the number for the entire system is something in the order of 227,000 jobs both on the u. S. And the canadian side of the seaway and the great lakes. So making sure that we continue to get wrda right, streamlined the process, authorized new projects and get to full use and full span of the Harbor Maintenance tax is a critical part for us. Thank you. Senator carper. Thanks. Thanks, mr. Chairman. Lets start off with Nicole Carter if i could. Excellent testimony, very helpful. A question for you if i could. Given our current operating environment with recently passed tax reform which reduces revenues over the next ten years by about 2 trillion, state of our crumbling infrastructure with a grade of d, talked about the situation we face with a ports and so forth that you suspect with with respect to roads, highways and bridges. I believe with limited numbers of cheese reports and a large backlog of corps projects would of the big issues that we should tackle on the next Water Resources Development Act . Thank you for the question. In wrda 2014 congress to establish new ways for nonfederal entities to be involved in projects, and this has resulted upon an additional projects being led by nonfederal entities. In trying to understand how well are this projects and processes working for this nonfederal entities as well as delivering in projects would be part of the process to understand how to incorporate a corps projects into a larger investment package. Basically right now that process consists of the nonfederal entities often providing the funds upfront and essentially signing an agreement that upon the availability of appropriations they may receive some reimbursement. Gao recently did a a study that identified the are about 4 billion a projects like this in the country and that about 400 million has been reimbursed but we dont know the total amount that requires to be reimbursed. How well those are working, how will other nonfederal agencies in the future want to make those investments and what they can expect in the way of the federal government partnering in those investments, if they do choose to lead rather than wait for the corps. Hanky. Thank you very much. I want to turn next to mr. Friedman. Thanks very much. Does the Cuyahoga River to catch on fire . No, sir. Were coming up on the 50th anniversary of that infamous fire, senator carper, and im happy to report that environment help of the river has been restored significantly. So were proud of what been able to achieve since that dark day. I was a student at Ohio State University and the type and we used to talk about the price up on the Cuyahoga River. The wrong kind. The wrong kind. [laughing] a question for you if i could. By 2020 the total volume of cargo ship by water is expected to more than double by what it was just 17 days ago in 2001. Ships continue to get bigger, we see more congestion at the docks. Larger ships require deeper navigational challenges as we know. With only a few u. S. Fortunately have. How do we ensure ports can distribute and receive goods as ships continue grow in size . Is their policy issues or funding issue, is a both . Is it, if it is a funding issue, what can we do, how do we go about doing more with less . Thank you for the question. It is certainly sort of an issa policy issue both. As you revisit earlier, apa is asking for 66 billion over the next ten ten years to address y of those issues that you just spoke to, deepening waterside projects such as deepening in order to keep up with the ships that are of course enormous today, as well as some lan side project to ensure we have the intermodal so once that cargo comes off that ship at a board formants onto that ship, they can get to that port efficiently from inland point. We absolutely need a federal partnership. I would also point out that there is already what i would call a robust Publicprivate Partnership in place because our port authorities worked very closely with the private sector Port Terminal operators and shipowners invest heavily in our ports. So there is a leverage, the federal dollars will leverage additional private investment and go toward those sorts of Infrastructure Projects which there is no direct payback on. We look forward to this next round of wrda and this infrastructure discussion you will be having this year to ensuring that we can put a plan in place to find those important needs at our ports . In my Opening Statement i mentioned the corps faces a rather, a real sizable math bomb as a tidy service roughly 200 billion requirement and more within your budget but hovers around 4. 6 billion. Think about that. Think about that. 200 billion if you will requirement to meet at the annual budget that hovers about 4. 6 billion. We know it costs a lot of money. We know how economically important it is in our country. Were just not spending the money. We are not investing the money, and we can do streamlining from now until the cows come home. Weve done a lot of smart streamlining and think were prepared to do some more. Theres a Good Opportunity to figure out how to leverage federal resources, state resources to bring in private sector resources. Were doing that by with extension of the port of wilmington. But at the end of the day one of the things we need is for the federal government to do its it share, to do its part. Thats that something that requires a response of any of you. I think thats the and hundred pound gorilla in the room. That is the 800pound gorilla in the room. Thank you. Senator inhofe. I think senator carper brought up something that is significant and is the unique, that is in this area where were trying to bring in private sector funding, we actually had to pass a bill and a provision into the law to allow that to take place i cant think of any other place in government we had to ask permission to at the private sector pay for something. That was something that was good. Mr. Robinson, i can appreciate your being here so that we can make it very visible to people that we had problems on this inland waterway. I can remember back when i first came to congress, i would go up to some of the Eastern States and to the problems had with their old ports thinking were pretty fortunate and oakland would not those problems. Now we get this problems. Enough years has gone by without land allies of some of our ports, and so we have to address that. We had a subcommittee meeting that i chaired not long ago on transportation and infrastructure, and someone suggested that in the cost share of the inland Waterway Trust fund, it should be changed in some way. One suggestion was from 50 to the trust fund and 85 85 froe general fund. Are you the money with that suggestion . Yes, senator inhofe, i am. And i think it probably needs to be an adjustment. The problem as senator carper acknowledged is not doing more with the list that we were trying to get for everything its not working. We need to do more with the more, and to efficiently and in a businesslike manner. Yeah, and those of us have been down there and after the problems that we have in some of these relatively new ports that carry our goods and services, our nations system directly touches 38 states has been brought out big its not just the coast. Three of our ports go through senator boozman state, and two more ports are in oklahoma. Now, in the fast act for the first time, and ive been through to all seven of them since 1987, we were able to have a free provision. That freight provision left a lot of the authority up to the states as to how to spend that and so forth. So i would ask the question would allowing the states to use fast act freight find out our waterways, if they chose to do it, with it be a valuable tool to address the issues and the needs of our inland states . I think so, senator inhofe. I think we need more tools and that would be one of them. The question of course would be whether state who are so focused on their highways needs, roads and bridges, how much effort from which expenditure they would allow from those funds for waterways. And at the question is, what with the use those funds for . Would they use to cost share new projects . If that were the case i think theres a real need to cost share new projects. Theres not enough money in the inland Waterways Trust fund to do that. Perhaps the states are going to have to pick up a little bit of the load there. So yes, i think that its a good habit of assuming that something. Thats exactly right. Youve got to get aggressive and coming with the state and decide what the alternatives are. And then what percentage press might be appropriate for that . Because i look at sources and i have run out of ideas. Anyway, thats something i think we can do and something that doesnt affect us you are in the federal government as much as it does in the state government. Well, and i also think the Water Infrastructure financing act that the congress authorized in 2014 is another tool that could be used. Its leveraged because the federal government is giving the money back. Its loads i think thats thats another one of the tools at our disposal. Tiger program. Okay, and there is a variety we can get together to decide what we want to do at the state level. Ms. Ufner, the counties and cities are facing about issues what comes to Water Resources. In trying to address these. Item of the states not just oklahoma have some of these problems. In the city of bartlesville, oklahoma, the community is going and the need of additional water storage. We had water storage and as a result from one leg in that city, and as a result increased the rates to the customers over 100 but when we tried to open up another one, and an usher you are familiar with this particular issue, but we went to the corps of engineers and the increased, they had a rate increase of 3000 which obviously that particular city of bartlesville was unable to do anything. When asked the gm to investigate how the corps comes up with the prices, they reported back that they couldnt because the recordkeeping was so bad, it buried. They could not actually study had agency arrived at the numbers. Does that shockey . I almost feel like thats a trick question, senator. No, its not a trick question to a straight question. We have new people come in and without a a hearing already wih the Civil Division to the corps of engineers, and they recognize changes that been made. Not if we all sit around and keep quite a dont talk about it. I think that you had have a strong point on the head. There is a lot of information that is not available out there, and is something that we need to figure out and Work Together to do it. Yet. Well, my time is expired at the something we need to address. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator whitehouse. Thank you, chairman. I appreciate the panel being here, particular welcome to mr. Friedman. Rhode island has two ports that were investing in and proud of and where the home of warren shipping agencies which was the best ship servicing agencies. So we are keenly interested in ports and an interested in your take on what Sea Level Rise infrastructure impacts our ports are looking at. I think our ports are keenly interested in and concerned about Sea Level Rise and what they can do in partnership with local, state, and federal government to enhance resilience is. We heard mr. Cochran speaking to earlier. I think we would look towards this wrda bill to increase our ability to work speedy we will be discerned for a moment moment, take you live to the floor of the senate before a pro forma session pics senators will take up legislative work again tuesday considering the house passed fisa bill with a vote to limit debate tuesday at 5 30 p. M. Eastern and been made in in the week action on extending government funding past friday. The presiding officer the senate will come to order. The clerk will read a communication to the senate. The clerk washington, d. C. , january 12, 2018. To the senate, under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3 of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable ben sasse, a senator from the state of nebraska, to perform the duties of the chair, signed orrin g. Hatch. President pro tempore. The presiding officer under the previous order, the Senate Stands adjourned until stands adjourned until the senate back tuesday taking up the house passed fisa bill with the boat to limit debate on that bill at 5 30 p. M. Eastern. Later in the week next week extending government funding past next friday. Act now to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Water Infrastructure. As well as being inundated right on the docks. No question all our ports are focus on the question at a think theyre all hard to figure out how to we mitigate going forward. Ms. Ufner, you are here on behalf of all counties but if i can direct your attention to coastal counties. Two details what us what you ring from coastal counties about the infrastructure hazards and risks and problems and challenges they are seeing related to Sea Level Rise and storm surges and so forth . Well, its even broader than Sea Level Rise and storm surges. Were definitely getting the flooding in the coastal counties. I also worked very closely with the article states counties and parishes caucus, and especially with the hurricanes that have come through this past fall. They are increasingly focusing on how to address those issues because the weather events have been getting more severe and the population growth within those communities makes it even more essential that the communities can address these issues at the local level. My view on this is that this is this is a problem that Coastal Community space, counties and municipalities, that very often those counties and municipalities dont have a lot of resources to do the planning your i see your head nodding for the record, yes, good. Its also my view that a lot of the fema mapping has proven itself to be wildly inaccurate. And so, so you have counties that account on the federal government for planning as to what Sea Level Rise and flood risk looks like and there being given that information which puts that again back on the community to try to reach its own better planning process but without the resources. Its really hard to ask a local community to take on a task like that. Is that a fair description of the problem as you see it as well . It is. Counties to write a large part income from property taxes, and state set the limit that we can even raise property taxes. So its such an ugly cycle friday we find for something to strengthen our local communities. Thats what the federalstate partnership is so valuable to u us. Let me just come get just a few seconds left to make me let me make one point to my colleagues. As we beginning to address these wrda issues, one of the areas in which we can become more efficient and more helpful to the army corps would be to try to fund a good, honorable and transparent way for congress and this committee to be able to assert its own priorities in the process. It concerns me that we shovel projects in one side of the wrda bill and we shovel money in the other side of the wrda bill. How the army corps of engineers connects that money to those projects is a giant black hole. And i think we need to fix that. I know weve been through a problem of earmarks that received a lot of justified criticism. Our response was to abandon this responsibility entirely. I think that was an overreaction, and that we cant and should in this Committee Try to frame out and honorable, transparent, proper way for these priorities to be met under our supervision rather than just sort of to the army corps bureaucracy. I hope that statement was not an welcome and appreciate the extra time. Very welcome. Thank you very much, senator whitehouse. Senator wicker. Thank you. Mr. Friedman, lets talk about the Harbor Maintenance trust. I notice in your testimony you have full use of hmt revenues over a ten year time. What weve been doing as has been pointed out is weve been taking an more hmt revenue and sort of setting it aside and make the deficit look better by not spending it for its intended purpose. If we take your recommendation and restore over a a ten year period the full use of these revenues, will that get as what we need to be in terms of meeting our funding needs . Thank you, senator wicker. It gets as part of the way there but not all the way there. If you look at the numbers that apa has submitted in the info graphic, and they can provide more detail, were calling for full spend every year of the revenues that are brought into the trust fund and spending the roughly 9 billion surplus that is been built up, as you just mentioned, and then on top of that we would need additional mice to an infrastructure built to reach the 66 billion which we identify as the full need. So we would certainly be fully maintain our harbors at that point if we fully spent the Harbor Maintenance trust fund, catching up with the backlog if we use the surplus, and then for some additional water site improvements such as deepening, which was mentioned earlier, some of our largest harbors for the larger ships, some of the big container ports, and did some critical landside multimodal connections using infrastructure dollars, we think that gets as to where we need to be as a nation. So its your hope that the president s infrastructure plan which should be outlined to us into the public within a couple of weeks or perhaps a lease within a month, that that 1 trillion infrastructure plan will be the third step in getting as what we need to be to meet our needs . We hope so, senator, this. And i hope so, too. Thank you for this chart. Senator carper, or these graphics. Senator carper showed a bigger copy of this, but illustrative examples of port related investment needs. And i notice you have three rail projects, one being the mississippi rail relocation project and Marine Terminal project at pascagoula, mississippi. Thats the only city in the United States the rhymes with hallelujah. You might [laughing] you might type thataway as a fact to be learned today. Also, cross harbor rail tunnel in new jersey and port arthur rail project. How are we doing in rail access to ports . And why are we not where we need to be . What had been some of the challenges in getting that rail to the parts . Okay. Well, i think weve made Good Progress in the last 20 or 30 years or so improving our rail access to ports. It will definitely or the whole concept of putting a container onto a train is not that old concept, and so many of report said to be retrofitted with the kinds of real connections that would be functional for them. The granddaddy of all those would be the alameda corridor project in Southern California which consolidate all the rail lines in a cut source to a limited grade crossings. We seen those projects on some smaller scale at many of our ports, and thats been i think a good Publicprivate Partnership between the railroad industry, between ports themselves, between the federal government but we do need more. We are seeing increased volumes to and from our ports. I think its important for exports. We tend to think about containers come into our ports but where i am in cleveland with think a lot about exports and many though the strong real cos from the hinterland into the port in order to move exports which quite often are heavy and bulky products that we make here in the u. S. Thats what in that 66 billion with included those critical real connections. In some cases its title clear to us, cases is rail bridges, grade crossings. More track in order to manage the straight as in the in and out of the ports. Thank you. Quickly, mr. Cochran. This loss of land in louisiana a something of the money with as a nextdoor neighbor. The truth of the matter is, im not advocating doing away with Flood Control, but its actually Flood Control over the centuries and decades that has caused the absence of sediment and the loss of land, is that correct . One of the significant factors, yes, sir. Just the point i would make is no one would advocate the solution to the problem is to go back to the wild days that were used to have that cause the sediment. I appreciate you and your testimony of thinking of different ways of innovative ways to address something that we cant change back to the way it used to be. And i appreciate that. Also let me just say i understand that were all for streamlining permitting. You have some doubts about some of the suggestions some of the other into the table. We will have to come together across the aisle on ways that we can streamline the permitting process. So im glad to see a consensus among all five of her witnesses, i believe, that we need to address that. And i hope we can work on nuances that can be a happy solution and a winwin for all parties. I just would offer, and i appreciate that. I think the key is what identified, which is sitting down together, sitting down together. One of the things weve been lucky enough and may be threatened with louisiana to do is to recognize that hurricanes and other things, theyre completely nonpartisan. We need to be as we figure this out. So look at how to make the system work better, how to make a killing protections do with their intended to do, but to do so in the most efficient way, thats a great conversation to have. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you. Individual event. Thank you mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, im grateful for your holding this doing. Its important work that our committee does pick my state of new york has a wide range of diverse Water Infrastructure needs and challenges. We are a coastal state threatened by the impacts of Climate Change, coastal storms and Sea Level Rise. Were also at great lakes state constantly chose by aquatic Invasive Species like asian carp that have potential to destroy our fisheries if youre not stop in gaining a foothold in the great lakes basin. We have the largest and basest port on the east coast which is essential to international commerce. And we have a number of small ports and harbors across our state are important to their local economies and need to be properly maintained. We cannot address all of these challenges without a strong investment in the army corps, but fun it is only part of it. We need to ensure we are investing our federal dollars so that we are more resilient in the face of these challenges. I was very disappointed that the Trump Administration shows to rescind the flood Risk Management standard implemented by the Obama Administration which required federally funded projects to incorporate best available and actionable science on Climate Change and Sea Level Rise and built above the base for elevation levels. If were spending as we are in the northeast billions of dollars to build the infrastructure to protect our communities, it defies logic that we would leave taxpayers exposed to the types of catastrophic losses we saw after super storm sandy, and more recently hurricanes harvey, am and maria by not building to withstand the current flood risk. So to ms. Ufner, what are the consequences to counties and local governments and the taxpayers it would fail to properly assess risks both current and future . Planning to build and floodplains . Thank you, senator, for yor question. Ultimately, counties are responsible for a Public Health and safety of our communities, and probably if you look at whats happened in Santa Barbara county california within the last day with the flooding that is due from the wildfires, theres a limited things that you can do after i wildfires to address risk, but it demonstrates that when floods happen people die, homes disappear, roads are gone, memories are gone. This is something that local governments want to prevent, and they want to be there to help with their residence. Are we doing enough to ensure that we are adequately protecting ourselves and our assets from future storms and floods . And what can we be doing better . Its a combination approach. There is a responsibility on the local governments. Im not of our local governments though have limited income and Technical Assistance to follow through with these projects. And thats what it really looked to the army corps of engineers and other federal agencies to bring the Technical Assistance, the data, the modeling that communities can use. Weve been working with our counties on best practices that they can use in their own communities to build their resiliency at the local level. What else could we be doing . We just keep on going in the direction we are doing. And the way, these are steps on a ladder that we can help the communities that are out there really being aggressive. They are trendsetters and theyre the ones that we learn from on what may work in other communities. Thank you. To mr. Cochran, what needs to change in terms of army corps policies and procedures to allow for greater use of natural, naturebased solutions to mitigate flood risks along coastlines . One of the things i want to point out is that this multiple lines of Defense System chart that we use early to illustrate the integration of hardened Infrastructure National infrastructure is actually based on a chart that the corps put together following in its posts and efforts as as a did a comprehensive coastal studies in the northeast. I think that is both a positive sign, that too often we get is learned about these things after the fact. This is a post sandy study, not a priest and the study. One of the things we need to really encourage within the corps is to take the learnings that have occurred in this in e postsaving situations in the make sure that they penetrate across the corps, across the verse divisions not just singularly in one place so the all as both coastal and inland can get the clear benefit of this kind of thinking, this kd of an approach. Because from that counts actual information and data so that you can actually do the kinds of comparisons that let you select the things of a work best, not just one oh system because thats what weve always done it but integrate these things so they become not unprotected but sustainable in the process. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank thank you, senator chi. Senator ernst. Thank you, thank you, mr. Ch. Number of my coastal colleagues have mentioned the detriment to hurricanes and so forth and i would just offer them the opportunity to come in and a little bit. Iowa has about 1000 miles of coastal setback in either direction. But regardless of those largescale effects that come from hurricanes, we do have Flooding Issues in iowa that occur on a much more regular basis and those 100 year floods or 500 year floods that a recorded out there. Senator whitehouse mentioned that black coal that exist within the army corps of engineers. We get the project and once at an easy said the the other side. I tend to agree with the senator in that there is a black coal and we need greater transparency. Part of that black coal i feel is a benefit to cost ratio. And, mr. Cochran coming to testimony you encourage congress to direct the corps to modernize that vcr, the benefit to cost ratio analyses, because you believe the estimated costs are often inaccurate. And a priority of mine has also been to modernize the vcr metrics so that more communities, particularly our rural ones, have an opportunity to get their projects funded. We have a flood mitigation project in cedar rapids, iowa, that was authorized by wrda in 2014. It was mentioned for prioritization in wrda in 2016, but has not received any funding due to the low vcr the results from iowas relatively low Property Values. And i know that that is, that is true in other areas as well, and maybe, mr. Cochran, in louisiana, too, because your Property Values are the also. Do you have any thoughts another vcr metrics could be modified so that projects like this flood mitigation project in cedar rapids have a better chance of receiving funding . One of the recommendations that we have is really a focus on making sure that you can, in fact, take account for the range of benefits that can come from projects when you are doing protection. A lot of that has to do often with the benefits of wetlands, the benefits of setbacks, things like that that you are used to in your river green situation that really dont get the counter for any benefits when you get into the cost benefit. There is some land and with little actual look at the benefits associate with it. This kind of benefits we get those, so true accounting for the benefits from natural infrastructure for the benefits really needs to be done. It will end up benefiting these discussions along the way sure talking about because it gives a true picture, not one that is just slanted towards an old redoing thing. Part of the townspeople had with these analyses is a real lack of transparency. Its difficult to understand exactly where the numbers came from or how they got there, and no real requirement that they be justified in way that allow people to engage in that conversation. We think that transfers transpa fundamental piece of this. Data transparency, real accounting for real benefits, those things together can really make a difference. That is too true. Again, going back to the black hole that senator whitehouse was referencing. Thank you. I think that support at hope that were taking a look at the vcr as we move forward. And, of course, ms. Carter, the army corps component of the wfia program established by wrda in 2014 has yet to get off the ground, thats the army corps portion. The epa has already implemented their portion. What are some of the challenges that the corps is facing in implementing this program . And that his current pace how long will it take for the corps to catch up to what epa has . Thank you for the question. Indeed, the wfia program for the corps has not been funded, and part of what has been going on is that the corps has no real history with a loan or Loan Guarantee program pics of developing the guidelines and then understanding how will those projects he scored in terms of the risk to the government have been some of the primary challenges. So as basically, as those issues get works through with either congressional or administration involved in those discussions of how do you score the risk, as those progress then one day could be provided in the corps could start providing those loans and Loan Guarantees which could assist with projects like flood levees where communities could potentially proceed on their own to be able to perform those projects. So those are the main ones is that the ability to understand the scoring of it. And then would it be helpful since epa only has an established process, when to be helpful then if the corps could determine those projects and then fund those through United States wfia and epa . I dont look at that as an option but i believe are some legislation that affect to that effect. We have an expert the covers the wfia program any questions for the record that you like to provide first we are happy to answer. I appreciated. Thank you very much thank you, mr. Chair. Chairman boozman. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I dont have a question for you, ms. Carter, but we do appreciate the arrest, appreciate all of your knowledge and crs in general think youll do a great job and probably are not think enough by us as we try and get things together. So give yourself a big pat on the back. Those type of comment on what keeps us going, so thank you. We do appreciate you. Mr. Robinson, to capitalize on americas of changing economy, its clear necessary if her section proves that the mate to her in the waterways imports. Arkansas and oklahoma have been working for years to deepen the mclellan kerr Arkansas River Navigation System so barges and votes can carry larger votes. I think about 40 greater load. So its very, very significant. We both understand and we appreciate his leadership but also the National Significance of the 12foot channel first what we have now, were going to work really hard in wrda 22 to try and get that accomplished. Can you explain what the 12foot channel would be a benefit . Will, as you said, senator boozman and not just arkansas and oklahoma but for the country as a whole. But if you can example. You know Scott Mcgeorge with pine bluff sand and gravel operating a rock quarry there in the plane bluff area. The closest rock quarry to new orleans come in the country, and so Scott Mcgeorge and pine bluff sand and gravel were not able to compete when new orleans needed rock desperately. So as a nation we paid more for the proximity of the whites without because we were not willing to deepen the channel. We started the channel but we didnt complete it. We didnt go forward with it. Along that line, i have great concern in the sense as recently as 2016, bob portis expressed concern that the critical backlog on the mkarns was of that nature. That number is now ballooned to 143 million in less than two used if we continue to kick the can down the road and do not address the critical backlog, talk about that. Talk about how the effect of it, if we actually had to shut the system down, again, not only for arkansas and oklahoma but for the rest of the country. Also, according to the u. S. Army corps of engineers, 58 of locks and dams are past their 50 your life expectancy. Talk about it we could do some more things, the positive effect. The locks and dams on the mkarns of 47 years old. I realize that locks and dams on the rest of the system in the nation are older than that, but one of the reasons that the backlog of critical maintenance is going at such an alarming rate is because we are nearing the end of the 50 your life that most projects like that have roman engineering standpoint. So were discovering new things every time we dewater a a lock, and we do that quite often in order to make sure that we keeping up with the main does that needs to be done. Unfortunately the funds are not available to do the maintenance even when they know they need to be done. If the mkarns were shut down as a result of failure of the system in one way or another, then we have calculated that the cost and oklahoma would be 2 billion a day. Thats a significant cost to shippers, to portland from operators, and to the nation. Its just not a good way to do business. These projects were justified on expectations that the benefits would exceed the cost. They have done that. There are significant earnings to the government, to the federal government that go into the treasury. Its not a matter of not enough benefits and revenues. Its a matter of using those revenues for other purposes. Mr. Friedman, a top priority for the chairman and Ranking Member but entire community is passing a wrda bill. We went through a time from 20072014 really had a gap. 2014, 2016, weve got back on track. Can you talk about what it means to have certainty with having a wrda bill every two years to address these problems . Sure. Thank you send it. Yes, its critically important for the fort industry, the maritime industry to have a wrda reauthorized every two years on a regular cycle. Because the adjustments need to be made to the new construction start authorizations as projects are designed and then being built, that as we know the corps, army corps, has been plagued with projects that string out for many, many years adding costs. It hurts the competitiveness of the nation if we cant complete these harbor improve the projects, these beatniks. So gap of seven years as you mentioned is very, very harmful. That also gives us an opportunity to address the issue that was brought up in terms of transparency and sort opening of the decisionmaking process at the corps, the socalled black box which we think would be good for all stakeholders to be able to input to modernize the benefit to cost ratio to make sure were funding best projects for the nation. So apa is strong in favor of getting back to the regular order on wrda. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator boozman. Senator carper. Thank you, sir. A question for you, ms. Ufner, dealing with stakeholder involvement. I think we all realize that stakeholder and project sponsor collaboration with the army corps of engineers is essential to solving our water resource challenges, which are many. This collaboration helps to limit the cost of missed opportunities, promotes better planning, provides transparency, results in more fiscally and if i mentally sound projects. A question for you, if i could. How can the army corps adapt its efforts to promote integrated planning and management . Please. And youre talking integrated planning from the concept of Environmental Protection agency, but using it also within the army corps of engineers . Yes. And basically, its a big issue for us with water issues, whether in the corps or the army corps to address clean water act issues in a holistic way. That essentially includes potentially i do want to say underling projects, but its a way for us to look at what is the most important thing. We are still many are clean water act goals in the corps or epa, but we can do in a much more affordable way and thats something that we have been supporting within the realm of the clean water act. As the 2017 i spent some time in puerto rico and the verdure and islands and in houston and saw the devastation we will pay for for a long time. As the recently departed Hurricane Season departed, we have to be ready for the next storm or event because it is coming. Just this week, noah estimated that the total cost for extreme weather and climate events exceeded 300 million which is a new record for the u. S. Its not a matter of if but our next extreme weather event comes, but when. It accounted for more than 70 of the agencys annual civil works appropriation. The court has jurisdiction over any number of civil Works Programs including recreation, Emergency Management and water supply. Unfortunately, in the mid 1980s, federal funding for new project construction major rehab began to decline. Course of action has shifted to operations, maintenance, rehabilitation of existing infrastructure and a backlog of deferred maintenance has continued to grow ever since. As a result much of the Core Infrastructure is now exceeding its useful life plan. If you are sitting on the side , members of this committee, what would you be doing about it. We will start with you. And the situation you described is incredibly debilitating to the people who work at the corps of engineers. Many of them are quite skilled , quite talented, quite able, and yet the division of what it could be and what they need to be is completely overwhelmed by a backlog of things they are not getting done. It does seem to me that its essential to find a way to overcome the backlog, not by doing all the projects, frankly thats not going to work, but by creating a new vision that actually does get ahead of the next storm. The same way you talk about it in your Opening Statement. They are playing catchup. Thats all they can do. I dont actually mean is, but we should give them a real job to do or get rid of them because the way it is right now, mr. Robinson said earlier everyone has learned how too do more with less. Thats business as usual. If you do that long enough, you give up on what you need to do. I think thats what the core has done. Thank you for that. Ms. Carter. One of the topics of concern in the future is dm and levee safety issues. The court should be coming out in the next few months with reports related to infrastructure needs in that area. Also related to i walls which are one of the piece of infrastructure that failed in new orleans and retreated to the cost of the federal government for Emergency Response and recovery. Figuring out how aging infrastructure fits into that package will eventually help or hinder the governments ability to manage its risks. With my hat on i would repeat what i said which is that they want to see continued Movement Toward full use and trust fund which would make a tremendous difference for a spread we are grateful for the progress that congress has made and you have made in that direction recently, the numbers are remarkable from where we were five or six years ago and then we would again submit that our waterways, our Water Infrastructure needs to be viewed as very high priority in any upcoming infrastructure legislation that is passed out of congress, and speaking for myself, if i were on your side, in your shoes i would think back to when the army corps, the days when the army corps was building some of the greatest public Works Progress known to man, the panama canal and great dams and other waterworks and i think we need to get back to that spirit of we can do this. We have to fund it but we can do it and address these issues. I think it shares the view that without enough funding theres not much the court can do, they are fighting this backlog perpetually but i think we have to start thinking bigger, on a bigger scale to address these problems and make that a national priority. Thank you. Actually, two thoughts on that. Several thoughts. There is such a backlog within the core and the need within the communities are so huge, there are communities out there that would love to partner with the core on projects but theres no funding. They dont meet the costbenefit analysis. The Technical Assistance of the core offers is so valuable. Theres a lot of challenges with the processes. The civil Works Program in the country has delivered significant benefits to the country and revenues to the treasury. Revenues far in excess of the program. Its time to reinvest some of those earnings back into the system instead of using up the principal, the capital that was originally invested. Good words of wisdom. We appreciate very much what youve added. Thank you. Mr. Freeman, you talk about the days of the panama canal, theres an excellent book by david mccullough. I dont know if you had a chance to read it, the path between the seas but the comment about the time and the complexity and the bureaucracy, all of those things, i think the title is actually in market now, 1870 to 1914. Its been 44 years in planning and actually had to find a cure for major disease that was killing a lot of people down there at the time the construction. It was a remarkable achievement over a hundred years ago. Thank you for bringing that up. Several projects and programs passed in the Water Infrastructure improvements for the nation act, they are important to reduce flooding, you mentioned mitigation and in your view, how important is preventing flooding to the Economic Health of Rural Communities . To reiterate, what we mentioned before, it is immeasurable. Communities are responsible, counties in particular are responsible for health and Public Safety and we take many measures to ensure that our public is protected. We are the first on the scenes of any emergencies, flooding disasters, and when they result in death and or damage to our economys, ultimately it impacts the national economy. Its huge that we are able to address this longterm and figure out the steps that we need to get there in the end, together. One of the things, i dont think i had mentioned, in terms, ive continue to advocate maintaining this network of stream gauges and snowpacked monitors throughout the upper missouri basin. I know youre familiar with these. There gauges used to monitor soil moisture to inform agencies like the core as to potential Flooding Issues of drought as well. Is there more that can be done to better predict flooding and drought with what were doing here . There is definitely more that can be done and what were hearing from our counties is that there needs to be more available data and that its reliably updated. We hear this a lot about the data used for an sip or Flood Elevation data that is not readily available and or update updated, and for communities to make the most efficient of decision in their community, they need the most uptodate information. Thank you. Thank all of you. Have a question but im not ask it now. I just want to flag it that, cost ratios, also met my question for the record, but one of the things thats important to realize is the issue of costbenefit ratio with relationship to our coasting communities. We will send that to you and ask you to take a look at that. Members may be smitten questions to each and every one of you so i asked a follow up quickly for the record but the record will remain open for two weeks. Thank you for being here for your time and testimony. This hearing is adjourned. Thank you. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] sunday night on after words words, Georgetown University law professor Peter Edelman looks at the way the courts penalize the poor through excessive fines and fees in his book not a crime to be poor. The criminalization of poverty in america. Hes interviewed by hank johnson. Was poverty an issue in terms of the war on drugs . How did poverty play into it . What happens to the men who have been locked up and they cant get jobs and are not allowed to live in public housing. 45000 laws across the country, the collateral consequence of one kind or another, it destroys somebodys life. If they were poor when they went into prison, they are definitely povertystricken for the rest of their lives. Its totally connected to poverty. Watch afterward sunday night at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on booktv on cspan2. This weekend on American History tv on cspan three, saturday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on lectures in history, Lebanon Valley College professor on the lead up to the american revolution. We will have a tax on things for import, paper, lids, Glass Committee and we will collected at the ports and a real test be part bothered and thats that. Big surprise, more outrage, more anger and more fear. Sunday at 4 00 p. M. On real america, 1963 film assignment around. They learn techniques to sustain himself in different areas of the jungle or arctic wasteland. Above all, he knows the ultimate alternative faced by this special forces man in action. Adjust or die. And at six, american artifacts, a preview of collections for the u. S. Diplomacy center museums set to open next year. Arthur lee is a professional diplomat and im connected to these two treaties in this treaty of commerce was essential. Granted france most favored nation trading status and the french were very excited about being able to get into the economic trading war with Great Britain after the war was over and this treaty would remain in effect for several years after words. American history tv, every weekend on cspan three. The Washington Times reported today on comments made during cspans interview with House Speaker paul ryan that he worries his colleagues will sink into the worst days of porkbarrel spending if they return to earmarks. They must be wary of the abuses of the past, that it could lead to bad government. Heres the interview with the speaker in its entirety during which he also talks about whats ahead in congress, his relationship with the white house, and his portico future