Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am pleased to be introducing, along with Senator Capito, the High Hazard Potential Small Dam Safety Act. This legislation seeks to provide grant assistance for the rehabilitation and repair of non-Federal high hazard potential dams.

High hazard potential dams are those dams where failure is probable to cause loss of human life and endanger population centers and ecosystems, especially in periods of extreme weather and flooding. According to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, ASDSO, the number of high-hazard potential dams increased nationally from 9,281 in 1998 to more than 14,700 in 2013. In testimony before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, on February 10, 2016, the president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE, Norma Jean Mattei, indicated that the average age of dams in the United States is 52 years, and she called for a dam rehabilitation program to address this growing problem. In Rhode Island, we have dozens of high hazard potential dams in need of rehabilitation, many of which date back to the nineteenth century.

Currently, there is no Federal program to assist states with the repair or removal of non-agricultural, non-hydroelectric, non-Federal high hazard potential small dams. Such a program does exist to address dams built by the Department of Agriculture, but this leaves many dams vulnerable and some states without the ability to address the risks posed by small dams whose failure would likely result in the loss of human life.

The bill Senator Capito and I are introducing today expands FEMA's existing National Dam Safety Program to allow non-Federal entities to apply for matching grants for the repair and removal of non-Federal, non- agricultural, non-hydroelectric small dams that have been identified by a state dam safety agency as a high hazard potential. The program is non-mandatory, allowing states to determine which, if any, dams they would submit for assistance. The allocation of funds is based on a one- third equal distribution and 2/3 need-based formula, with a 65-35 percent cost share, to ensure the participation of a wide number of states. This legislation builds upon a bipartisan bill introduced in the 110th Congress by our former colleague, Senator Akaka of Hawaii, of which I was a cosponsor.

By assisting in the repair or removal of high hazard dams before they fail, the bill makes an investment in future cost savings, not to mention lives and property saved. Estimates show that one dollar of pre-disaster mitigation spending can save between $3-$14 in post- disaster spending.

This bipartisan bill, which is supported by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials and the American Society of Civil Engineers, will improve dam safety across the Nation. I look forward to working with these and other stakeholders as well as Senator Capito and our colleagues to pass the High Hazard Potential Small Dam Safety Act. ______

By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Franken, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Coons, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mr. Vitter):

S. 2840. A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize COPS grantees to use grant funds for active shooter training, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

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