Oregon reclamation projects not under construction: The Dalles project (western division). 173,000 173,000 Oregon rehabilitation project (under Rehabilitation and Betterment Act): Rogue River Basin (Medford and Rogue River Irrigation Districts).. se. Oreg.-Wash math, Oreg.-Calif.. B. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE $365,000 $365,000 38, 400 STATEMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE EDITH GREEN OF OREGON Mr. ULLMAN. Might I, Mr. Chairman, yield to my senior colleag in the House for the purpose of inserting a statement in the recor Mr. CANNON. Yes, indeed. We would be very glad to hear f the Congresswoman, Mrs. Green of Oregon. The lady from Oregon, Mrs. Green, submits a statement, which be included in the record at this point. (The statement referred to follows:) STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE EDITH GREEN, a Member of CONGRESS FROM OSS Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee, I want, first, to thank y affording me an opportunity to submit this statement of the needs of my 9 and congressional district in the field of public works. I would like to preface these remarks with a word of appreciation fa vision, and the care with which the members of this subcommittee have ex the requests of the members of the Oregon delegation in past years. Th? committee and the parent committee have always given my State an region, as they have given the Nation, the benefit of a basically sound and seeing concept of the potential of our still-growing country in spite of the all Presidential budget policy. This committee understands the differen tween capital investment and so-called pork-barreling—a distinction which of the critics of public works appropriations do not understand, but a d tion of major importance to the comprehensive development of our Na waterways. The largest public works projects in the State of Oregon lie outside trict. But I would not want to pass over them in silence, since some of the are of tremendous importance, not only to the people of my district, hat? the entire Nation. Such for example is the great John Day Dam on the Co bia River, and the Dalles Dam on the same river. I am pleased to see that th budget contains funds for both these projects, to the full extent uste urge the committee to recommend the appropriation of the full amount of bat requests for these major projects. Other members of the delegation have and will appear before the committee discuss these programs in detail. To save the time of this committee, in disIssing these projects. I have limited my comments to projects of immediate terest to my district. But I want once again to point out that the best interests the State of Oregon, and of the entire Nation are served, in my opinion, by e principle of comprehensive development-a principle which has received me body blows in recent years. Public works projects outside my district, itside my State, even outside the great Columbia River Basin, can be and are importance to my constituents as American citizens and American taxpayers. want again to congratulate this committee for the understanding of the necesty of viewing public works from a nationwide point of view which the comittee's reports have so clearly demonstrated throughout my service in the Con'ess. I submit my recommendations and the accompanying chart, in the hope at they will be examined in that national context-the best context from any gion's point of view. GENERAL CONSTRUCTION This year's budget recommends the appropriation of $590,000 for completion the flood control construction work in Multnomah Drainage District No. 1. his project provides flood protection for the Portland International Airport nd adjacent areas, where a lack of such protection might cost millions of ollars. The continued joint civilian-military use of Portland International, ith its jet capacity, makes flood protection for this installation a national ecurity question, as well as an important economic investment. I am deeply ratified at the fact that the budget recommends the full amount needed for ompletion of this project, and I hope this committee will see fit to approve the udget requests. Two other authorized flood control projects are of considerable importance to y area. These are the Sauvies Island Drainage District and the lower olumbia bank protection locations. Last summer substantial erosion damage as caused to existing flood protection structures in these areas from the bow 'ash of a group of Canadian destroyers which had been visiting Portland and ere departing downstream. This incident initiated lengthy conversations beween myself and the Corps of Engineers, and eventually, through the courtesy nd cooperation of the corps, I made an inspection tour of the area. During he course of that tour, I was shown a number of locations in which sewer rosion had taken place due also to recurrent high water on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. Emergency work, under Public Law 99, has been underaken at these locations, at a cost of some $44,000 and $96,000 respectively. The emergency work will help to rebuild dike protection. In accord with ustomary corps forethought, it is work of a kind which will fit in with the permaent work that must be undertaken in these districts. But this highlights the mportance and the necessity of beginning this permanent construction. The um of $150,000 is needed this year in the Sauvies Island project to initiate construction. Nothing is now budgeted. A total of $400,000 is budgeted for the lower Columbia bank protection locations, but this falls short of this year's need by $200,000. I hope the committee will add the $150,000 for Sauvies Island, and recommend a total of $600,000, for the lower Columbia bank protection work. I might point out, parenthetically, that the benefit-to-cost ratio at Sauvies Island is in the order of 8 to 1-a sound investment by anyone's standards. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE Under the heading of "Rehabilitation," which is, I understand, the new term or what we have previously thought of as deferred maintenance, the budget requests $50,000 for use at the Columbia River mouth. According to the inormation I have, a total of $460,000 is needed there and now. Though this ocation is clearly outside my district, its importance to the great ocean port of Portland cannot be overstated. I certainly hope the committee will approve this needed investment now, without waiting for rising costs to increase the amount of money needed to do the same work. I recommend the appropriation of $460,000 for this project. At the same location, $2 million is called for in the budget for current O. & M. work. This request is adequate to the needs, and I urge the committee to grant it. Listed as a separate project, but really part and parcel of the overall national nvestment in the commerce and navigation capabilities of the Columbia River, is the existing 35-foot channel in the Columbia River from the mouth to Portland. Dredging on this channel this year will require $3,460,000—an increase of $725,000 over the budget estimate of $2,735,000. A third segment of the basic navigation improvement program which deserves the support of this committee is operation and maintenance work on the now completed 27-foot channel from Vancouver to The Dalles. The budgeted amount of $1 million is $300,000 short of the needed total. Again, as in other projects wi where the capabilities of the corps and the needs of the situation have not fully been met by the budget requests, I know that this committee will be mon concerned with true, long-range economy than with putting off until an inflated tomorrow what ought to be done today. Much the same principle applies to the O. & M. work on the existing navigation Tes project beginning at Portland and extending up the Willamette River. The project needs $435,000. The budget request is for $400,000. I urge the mittee to appropriate the full amount needed. I am gratified that the full amount needed for operation and maintenance & the locks and dam at Bonneville has been requested. This $2,074,000 sho be approved by this committee, as should similar requests at McNary Dam u the Dalles Dam. GENERAL INVESTIGATIONS In past years members of the Oregon delegation have come before the co mittee asking for funds to make possible a study of the feasibility of a 40-fot channel from the Columbia River mouth to Portland. I am deeply gratified to le able, this year, to say that approval of this year's budget request of $31.90 will provide for the completion of this very important study. I hope the request is approved by the committee. SUMMARY In asking this distinguished committee to give Oregon projects its usual careful and understanding consideration, I have kept rigidly to the principle for which I believe this committee itself has always stood-the principle that public works are not a vast national "pork barrel" to be carved into equal bits for everybody, that public works, while they do contribute heavily to c bating the unemployment which has plagued my State and other States, are not make-work projects. I have asked for funds for projects which are in themselves defensible as investments in the economy of a great region of or great Nation. The projects recommended above for your consideration are moneymaking, wealth-producing investments in the future. Synopsis of recommendations of Hon. Edith Green, Member of Congress, to Appro priations Committee |