Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, with Congressman Donnelly’s support, the House voted 381 to 40 to adopt the conference report on H.R. 1495, The Water Resources Development Act of 2007. The final conference report included language that would authorize the federal government to appropriate funds in future fiscal years for the Army Corps of Engineers to make improvements to the Mt. Zion Mill Pond Dam.
The project was originally added to the Senate version of H.R. 1495 by Senators Lugar and Bayh. When the conference committee between the House and the Senate convened to negotiate the final version of the legislation, Congressman Donnelly wrote a letter to the members of the conference committee urging them to keep the project in the final version that would be sent back to both legislative bodies for final approval.
“As the representative of Fulton County in Congress, I wrote a letter urging the members of the conference committee to keep the Mill Pond Dam in the final version of H.R. 1495 because I know that improvements to it are vital to ensuring the safety of residents living near Lake Manitou,” Donnelly said. “I commend Senator Lugar and Senator Bayh for their hard work in getting the Mill Pond Dam in the Senate version of the bill and am pleased that the final conference report includes the project. I encourage the President to sign this legislation as soon as possible and look forward to continuing to work on securing funding for the dam.”
H.R. 1495 authorizes the Secretary of the Army to provide assistance to enhance Mt. Zion Mill Pond Dam. Although funding to make these improvements is not likely to be appropriated in Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08), it will be eligible for federal funding in the next fiscal year.
The Senate is expected to consider the conference report on H.R. 1495 this week. If adopted, the legislation will go to the President for his signature.
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