Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008 - (Page 45)

Water being transported for many miles presents unique challenges, especially when the terrain is not cooperative. Regional systems can have great benefits as well, but they are difficult to build. That is why I believe it is important for the state and federal government to assist small communities that are not often able to comply with the costs of the regulations. work on in the Committee include the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, the Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Smithsonian, the Indian Tribes, the offshore resources we have — like offshore drilling — and the EPA. Last year, the new leadership had an especially tight budget, and some people did not think we ought to have a specific line item for rural water. Some members of Congress just wanted to trust the EPA. Well, the people at EPA are dedicated and they work very hard. But from my perspective, I do not want to give them that consideration. I want to have more input and I want to make sure rural water has a designated line item, so it does not get diverted elsewhere. When I found out in the Environmental Protection Agency that more than half the budget goes toward >>46 Third Quarter 2008 • 45 summer’s ﬂooding in southeast Kansas. Without your assistance, our fellow Kansans would not have had the ability they had to overcome the tough situations they were facing. And it would have taken a lot longer to get back on their feet. I cannot think how they could have done it otherwise. So let me personally thank you because I have met these people and I have talked to them. Thank you for what you have done. You have made Kansas a better place and I know you will in the future as well. In Washington we have all kinds of members; it is a representative form of government. We have people from rural areas and we have people from urban areas. We are seeing a big shift from rural to urban areas. In fact, it is reflected in our farm bill. In the farm bill, more than two-thirds of the money goes to the cities instead of the farmers. Think about that. This reflects a shift and what’s going on in America. There are some members in Washington, like Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, who is from Harlem, N.Y. Now, I don’t know if very many of you have been to Harlem. I have. Life is a little different there than Sedan, Kansas. They don’t understand the problems we’re facing in rural America. So when it comes to advocating for smaller communities, sometimes the members of Congress representing these big cities and urban areas forget, or just don’t know how important it is to have access to clean dependable water for rural America. Last year I was named ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee on Interior and Environment. Serving on this committee allows me to be in a position to advocate for rural water issues. The issues I ©www.Istockphoto.com/Joseph C. Justice Jr.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008

Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008 Contents From the President From Hypo to Gas - A Forward Leap If You Lose All Your Data Today... Would You Still Be in Business Tomorrow? Weaving the Wireless Web Rural Water and the Farm Bill Ensuring Your Water System's Security Guarding Against Becoming a Victim of Fraud 10 Ways to Improve Utility Efficiency New Technology Making a Difference By Being Involved Regulatory Update Source Water Protection Corner Throwing My Loop Cub Scouts Visit Alliance of Indiana Rural Water's Spring Conference Advertisers.com Index to Advertisers From the CEO

Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.