Volume 145, No. 125 covering the 1st Session of the 106th Congress (1999 - 2000) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE ``LAKE PONCHARTRAIN BASIN RESTORATION ACT OF 1999''” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S11358 on Sept. 23, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE ``LAKE PONCHARTRAIN BASIN RESTORATION ACT OF 1999''
Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, I am pleased to cosponsor with my colleague from Louisiana, Senator Mary Landrieu, the ``Lake Ponchartrain Basin Restoration Act of 1999,'' S. 1621. Our goal for this bill is clear and straightforward: to help with the ongoing restoration of the Lake Ponchartrain Basin.
As one of the largest estuarine systems in the nation and the largest one on the Gulf Coast, restoration of the basin merits federal assistance.
Pollution problems accumulated in the basin for years. The clean up of the watershed has been under way for about a decade, but more work remains to be done.
Spearheading the current restoration has been the Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation, created by the Louisiana Legislature in 1989. Since then, the Foundation has implemented 38 water quality, habitat and education programs and projects.
Coordination and cooperation have been hallmarks of the basin restoration initiative. The State of Louisiana, local governments and officials, citizens, businesses, universities and federal agencies all have contributed to it.
Three key basin-area institutions have allied themselves and have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to help facilitate the basin's restoration.
These organizations include the Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation; the Regional Planning Commission, consisting of Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. Tammany Parishes; and the University of New Orleans.
The legislative initiative which Senator Landrieu and I have undertaken has been assembled through these organizations' leadership.
Is the basin better off today than it has been for many years? Are there obvious signs of improvement? Has the grassroots campaign of the past 10 years been successful?
In 1995, pelicans were spotted again and their numbers are on the increase. In 1998, a sea turtle appeared, as well as two manatees. Now there are four manatees. This year, dolphins have been seen for the first time in 40 years.
The pelicans, manatees, dolphins and a sea turtle confirm that the hard work and commitment of citizens, the state and the local governments have improved the basin. With these successes in hand, it is vital to the basin's 5,000 square-mile ecosystem that the restoration work continue as vigorously as it has to this point.
The bill which Senator Landrieu and I have introduced would authorize a federal Lake Ponchartrain Basin Restoration Program, to be housed at the Environmental Protection Agency. A key component of the bill would be the authorization of federal funds for the restoration program. As important, the bill would direct the Federal Government to coordinate the restoration with the State and local agencies and organizations.
To carry out the Federal restoration program, the EPA would be directed to establish the Lake Ponchartrain Executive Council. Council members would include the EPA, the State of Louisiana, the Regional Planning Commission, the University of New Orleans, and the Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation.
The EPA, in cooperation with other Federal agencies, the State and local authorities, would assist the Council with the preparation of a comprehensive, multi-use watershed management plan to restore and protect the basin.
Federal grant funds and technical assistance would be available through the EPA. Certain planning, research, monitoring and voluntary restoration projects would be eligible for funding. In accordance with the management plan, the voluntary restoration projects would address various waste, runoff, discharge and water quality problems to improve the basin's watershed.
Also to be authorized for continued priority funding would be the New Orleans Inflow and Infiltration Project.
Lake Ponchartrain, the basin's namesake, is located in its midst. The lake plays a vital environmental, economic and quality of life role for the 1.5 million people who live around it in 16 Louisiana parishes. A 630 square-mile body of water, the lake is a major beneficiary of the basin's restoration.
Other beneficiaries of the restoration program would be the many species of fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and plants which are found in the basin.
Federal assistance should be provided for a watershed program of this size and impact to assist with the cost of the voluntary restoration projects as well as planning, research, and monitoring projects.
I commend all those who have organized and implemented the current basin restoration program over the past decade. They have given so much of their time, energy and support to make the basin environmentally healthier today than it has been for many years. All of them deserve the highest tribute and recognition.
It is my privilege and honor to serve on behalf of citizens who recognize a serious problem and work cooperatively to solve it and also to introduce legislation which would help them continue such a major undertaking.
For these reasons, I have joined with Senator Landrieu in cosponsoring the ``Lake Ponchartrain Basin Restoration Act of 1999.'' I urge the Senate's prompt consideration of the bill and look forward to working with other Senators on behalf of its passage.
I thank the Chair.
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