News : WATER CAUCUS ADDRESSES AMERICA’S WATER WOES  [7/31/2008]
Washington, D.C.-Yesterday, Representative John Linder (R-GA) joined three of his colleagues and Water Caucus Co-Chairs, Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA), and Bart Stupak (D-MI), in hosting the third in a series of summertime educational briefings on one of the most important issues facing our nation: ensuring an adequate and dependable fresh water supply for all Americans for years to come.    “As a Co-Chair of the Water Caucus, I am very pleased to again join with my colleagues to provide a forum for experts in the water industry to share their efforts with Congress in studying, managing, and providing solutions to our nation’s growing water problems.  The increasing threats to our water supply are troubling, to say the least.  Just look at recent headlines around the country and you can see how dire the situation has become.”   Linder went on to list the following series of articles that have posted recently:   April 8, 2008 – AP, U.S. Water Pipes are Breaking  June 17, 2008 – Washington Times, Break Signals Aging System July 3, 2008 – Seattle Post, America’s Crumbling Infrastructure Requires A Bold Look Ahead July 20, 2008 – LA Times, Aging Sewers Threaten Environment, Public Health July 24, 2008 – AP, Gaps in Aging Levees Leave DC Landmarks Exposed July 25, 2008 – AP, Georgia Official:  Why Wait for Feds to OK Water Study?   Today’s briefing was led by Ms. Julia Anastasio of the American Public Works Association, and it focused on the challenges facing our nation’s water infrastructure.  Included among them are unfunded mandates, inadequate and decreasing funding for public works projects, a lack of coordination among the entities responsible for water management, population growth, and increased industrial output.  The list is long, and as our water resources systems are in decline, the price tag to repair them is on the rise.  Ms. Anastasio called for the creation of a national water commission to help solve these problems.   “As many of my colleagues in Congress are saying, ‘You can’t manage what you don’t measure.’  I cannot agree more.  That is why I am fighting to get the Twenty-First Century Water Commission signed into law this year, so that we can provide each of the states with a blueprint for managing water supply.  If we wait another 5 or 10 years to get serious about solving these problems, it will be too late.  Sadly enough, America tends to reexamine its water policy only after a crisis hits.  We need to begin building new and larger pipes and reservoirs, recharge our aquifers, and increase the size of our dams, and we need to do these things now.  Providing all Americans with fresh water is a matter of life and death, and I hope that Congress will act expeditiously to support my objective.”   Linder expressed his hope that this first series of Congressional lectures that have been hosted by the Water Caucus would set the foundation for future talks about water conservation.  The next series of briefings has been scheduled to begin in the Fall, and will feature speakers from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.  
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