Congresswoman McCollum's Remarks at the USGS Coalition Leadership Award

[as prepared]

Good afternoon to everyone, and welcome to Washington, DC. Thank you to the US Geological Survey Coalition for this presenting me with this Leadership Award. Thank you Harvey for your introduction.

I am proud to hail from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. A state fortunate to have as much water above as below. And home to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area located in the middle of a bustling urban setting.

The USGS collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems. Congress looks to the USGS scientific expertise to carry out large-scale, multi-disciplinary investigations and provide impartial scientific information.

That is why it is critical to have the USGS Coalition to promote the vital work of the USGS. I thank the Coalition for helping policymakers and the public understand the critical role that the USGS provides to the nation.

In Congress, as a member of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, my priority is to protect our natural resources for not just Minnesota but the entire country. I have let it be known to the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee asking them to support increased funding for USGS's programs. Specifically, support for additional funding for the State Water Resources Research Institutes which provide important support to states in their long-term water planning, policy development and resources management.

Only USGS has a jurisdiction wide mapping and monitoring oriented, long term mandate. This allows programs like the National Streamflow Information to support monitoring stations around the country that track river levels. And the National Water-Quality Assessments which supports our nation's only long-term data on U.S. water quality. Geological survey agencies in the US operate as a federal-state coordinated partnership. This is salient as disasters and non-native species know no boundaries. Recently, I held an Invasive Species Roundtable Event in my district where the USGS was at the table with other stakeholder to deal with the emerging invasive species, specifically Asian Carp.

The work USGS is critical to our economy and maintaining our quality of life. Minnesota is one of six states to have conducted a pilot project with the USGS to begin implementation of the National Groundwater Monitoring Network.

In my Congressional District, White Bear Lake has been experiencing record-low levels of water. This is driving home values down, leading to decreased city tax revenue. The community could not figure out why the water levels were so low. Thanks to USGS conducting a groundwater/surface study, we found that too much water was being drawn from a local aquifer. Which combined with declining precipitation, were the main factors behind the water levels dropping so low.

This is a prime example of how valuable the work done by the USGS is to the communities all across the country.

It is all our responsibility to make sure that for the next generation, when a mom or dad takes their child to a drinking fountain, they don’t need to be worry about the safety and availability of that water. I appreciate all the businesses, nonprofits, scientists and engineers today who are working hard to make sure our vital natural resources are protected and available to all of us.

Before I close, I would like to take a moment to honor my colleague on the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee and recipient of the award, Mr. Steven La Tourette. Mr. La Tourette and I have not always agreed on issues, but we have always had a good working relationship. He will be deeply missed by me and others. I will continue working with my Republican and Democratic colleagues in Congress to ensure USGS has the resources it needs to serve the American people.

It is an honor to be recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey Coalition for the work we do together to wisely manage America’s natural resources so that we can improve public health and grow our economy. Communities and businesses across our country rely on the scientific information the USGS provides to make informed decisions.