Water in the News	Linder Press Releases
Editorials and Statements	Text of H.R 135
Drought and Water Resources	Congressional Water Caucus
Earth Day 2008 Dear Colleague Letter	Support H.R. 135 Dear Colleague

 

Water is a precious natural resource, and one that we too often neglect.  Like other natural resources, it is finite, and, therefore, it is essential that we educate ourselves about the current drought situation, ways to mitigate future water shortages, conservation efforts, and long-term water planning.  This "21st Century Water Security" section of the web site will hopefully give each and every citizen of the Seventh Congressional District the information necessary to make informed decisions about our nation’s water future.

 

Introduction

In John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, East of Eden, the narrator’s observation about Mother Nature speaks volumes about human nature, even to this day:

 

“…And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.”

In 1978 I wrote a newspaper article in which I predicted that one of the two major challenges we were facing in the next century was providing enough fresh water for our booming population.

 

We know a lot of things about water.  Seventy one percent of our planet is water.  Ninety seven percent of that is salt water.  Of the remaining three percent, two thirds is in ice packs leaving one percent of the world’s entire water supply for all plants and animals – including humans.  But, frankly, that is enough if we fix the problems.

 

We know that conservation is important.  California is doing a wonderful job on conservation.  In Philadelphia, however, 85 million gallons of fresh water go unaccounted for each day, due in part to leaky pipes.  Boston is not far behind that number in terms of daily water loss.  About 85% of our water is used in agriculture and 40% of that never reaches a plant.  We are told that if we raise the dams in Idaho by six feet it would substantially increase their water supply. 

 

We need to conserve, repair, use new irrigation techniques and increase storage.  The storage part will create a battle with those who are more concerned about the mussel or snail darter than our grandchildren.

 

We are currently dealing with severe drought conditions in Georgia.  This should give us a unique opportunity to take some bold steps.  If we do not, five or ten years from now we will have to ask the government for permission to take a bath or wash our clothes.

 

We have about 1,000,000 people working on water at the Federal, state and local levels, as well as in the private sector.  They don’t talk to each other. 

 

That is why I have introduced H.R. 135, the “21st Century Water Commission Act.”  It has passed the House in each of the last two Congresses.  It was never considered by the Senate.

 

My bill creates a 21st Century Water Commission that will bring together a number of top-ranked water experts to form an advisory board to study all aspects of water management on the federal, state, local, and private levels and develop recommendations to ensure an adequate supply of fresh water for U.S. citizens over the next 50 years.  The purpose of my bill is to ensure coordination, reduce duplication, and eliminate the red tape that local water entities face when working to build a reservoir. 

 

The members of the commission will be made up of water experts from the private sector.  It will be authorized to consider all technologies for increasing water supply efficiently and effectively while safeguarding the environment, including recommending a means of capturing excess water for future droughts.  The commission will also respect the role of the states in adjudicating, administering and regulating their own water rights and uses.  (This is important.  In the West they say that whiskey’s for drinking and water’s for fighting.  They take local water rights seriously.)  Based upon the recommendations of the commission, Congress and the President can work together to enact a comprehensive water strategy for future generations.

 

Finding a solution to our looming crisis is going to be costly. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort. It’s going to require risks and bold leadership. But so did creating the interstate highway system.

 

This bill reflects President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1938, which laid the foundation for what became known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways.  The Federal-Aid Highway Act established the National Interregional Highway Committee tasked with evaluating the need for a national expressway system.  Six years later the committee’s report supported a system of 33,900 miles, plus an additional 5,000 miles of auxiliary urban routes and, nearly 80 years later, the project was completed. 

 

A program that was initially viewed by many as a pipe dream – an expensive and unnecessary waste of taxpayer dollars on a project that could never work – has enriched the quality of life for virtually every American, improved our international competitiveness, and enhanced our international security.  Where would we be today if our leaders had not stepped up to the plate and taken some enormous risks to make this happen?

 

Are we going to take the risk to ensure sufficient fresh water for our children and grandchildren?  What is the risk of not doing so?