Washington, D.C. – Prepared Statement by Aileen Roder, Water Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the House Resources Committee Markup of H.R. 2301:

This legislation would force federal taxpayers to pay the full cost of building an unneeded and wasteful bridge over the American River near Folsom Dam at a cost of $66.5 million.

The bill bypasses the standard approval process for highway improvements in order to help local interests avoid fiscal responsibility for building an upgraded bridge. If this bridge is so important why doesn't the City of Folsom and the State of California pay for this project? Local interests should not be allowed to raid the federal treasury to pay for a project that only has local benefits.

Supporters of the bridge cite security concerns as the main reason for replacing the Folsom Dam bridge, but these same proponents expect that taxpayers should pay to build a four-lane bridge rather than just replacing the current two-lane bridge. The proponents are taking advantage of our nation's patriotic generosity to push a project that is a pig in sheep's clothing.

The Bureau of Reclamation faces extreme challenges in meeting its obligation of managing western water supply over the coming decades. Instead of helping meet these challenges, H.R. 2301 places additional burdens on the Bureau by transforming it into a highway construction agency.

Instead of assuming that federal taxpayers pay for bridge upgrades, local and state interests should step up to the plate and take responsibility for project costs. Not one federal dollar should go to this project until it goes through the normal approval process for transportation projects.