New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 2006

Mr. Speaker, this week, due to a death in the family, I have requested and received a leave of absence. Since Monday, September 25, I have missed the following rollcall votes. I have noted how I would have voted had I been present:

Roll No. 471, September 25, H.R. 5059, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, ``nay''; 472, September 25, H.R. 5062, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, ``nay''; 473, September 25, H.R. 6102, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, ``yea''; 474 September 26, H. Res. 1038, on agreeing to the resolution, ``nay''; 475, September 26, H. Res. 1039, on agreeing to the resolution, ``nay''; 476, September 26, H.R. 5092, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, ``nay''; 477, September 26, H.R. 4772, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, ``nay''; 478, September 26, motion, motion to resolve into secret session, ``yea''; 479, September 26, S. 403, on passage, ``nay''; 480, September 26, H.R. 2679, on passage, ``nay''; 481, September 26, H. Res. 723, on motion to suspend the rules and agree, as amended, ``yea''; 482, September 26, H. Res. 992, on motion to suspend the rules and agree, as amended, ``yea''; 483, September 26, H. Res. 989, on motion to suspend the rules and agree, as amended, ``yea''; 484, September 26, H. Res. 1017, on motion to suspend the rules and agree, ``yea''; 485, September 26, H.R. 6164, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, ``yea''; 486, September 26, H.R. 5631, on agreeing to the conference report, ``yea''; 487, September 27, H. Con. Res. 483, on agreeing to the resolution, ``nay''; 488, September 27, H. Res. 1042, on ordering the previous question, ``nay''; 489, September 27, H. Res. 1042, on agreeing to the resolution, ``nay''; 490, September 27, H.R. 6166, on motion to recommit with instructions, ``yea''; 491, September 27, H.R. 6166, on passage, ``nay''; 492, September 27, H.R. 5637, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, ``yea''; 493, September 27, H.R. 6115, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, ``yea''; 494, September 27, S. 2856, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, ``yea''; 495, September 28, H. Res. 1045, on ordering the previous question, ``nay''; 496, September 28, H. Res. 1046, on ordering the previous question, ``nay''; 497, September 28, H. Res. 1046, on agreeing to the resolution, ``nay''; 498, September 28, H. Res. 1052, on ordering the previous question, ``nay''; 499, September 28, H. Res. 1052, on agreeing to the resolution, ``nay''; 500, September 28, H.R. 4954, on motion to instruct conferees, ``yea''; 501, September 28, H.R. 5825, on motion to recommit with instructions, ``yea''; 502, September 28, H.R. 5825, on passage, ``nay''; 503, September 28, H.R. 6143, on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, ``yea''; 504, September 29, H. Res. 1054, on ordering the previous question, ``nay''; 505, September 29, H. Res. 1054, on agreeing to the resolution, ``nay''; 506, September 29, H. Res. 1053, on ordering the previous question, ``nay''; 507, September 29, H. Res. 1053, on agreeing to the resolution, ``nay''; 508, September 29, S. 8930, on passage, ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5059) to designate the Wild River Wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest in the State of New Hampshire, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I commend Congressman Bass for introducing this legislation to designate within his district 23,700 acres of new wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest. The Wild River Wilderness created in this bill was developed with the Forest Service through their forest planning process and with substantial input and involvement from the public and local interest groups. Since it has the strong support of New Hampshire's citizens, environmental groups, the forest products industry, elected officials, the Forest Service, and the administration, it deserves our support as well.

I urge you to vote in favor of H.R. 5059.

I include an exchange of letters with Chairman Goodlatte of the Agriculture Committee on this bill and related H.R. 5062 and thank the chairman for his cooperation in scheduling this bill and H.R. 5062 today.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Resources,

Washington, DC, September 25, 2006.

Hon. Bob Goodlatte,

Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I ask your help in scheduling H.R. 5059

and H.R. 5062, two bills which establish wilderness areas in

the State of New Hampshire, for consideration by the House of

Representatives as soon as possible. H.R. 5059, authored by

Congressman Charles Bass, and H.R. 5062, authored by

Congressman Jeb Bradley, were both referred primarily to the

Committee on Resources and additionally to the Committee on

Agriculture. The bills implement two recent Forest Service

recommendations for wilderness areas in the White Mountains

of New Hampshire, H.R. 5059, the Wild River Wilderness, and

H.R. 5062, the Sandwich Range Wilderness.

In hope that the Senate will be able to act on these bills

this Congress, I ask that you allow the Committee on

Agriculture to be discharged from further consideration of

the bills. This action would not be considered as precedent

for any future referrals of similar measures or seen as

affecting your Committee's jurisdiction over the subject

matter of the bills. Moreover, if the bills are conferenced

with the Senate, I would support naming Agriculture Committee

members to any conference committee.

I look forward to your response and would be pleased to

include it and this letter in the Congressional Record during

Floor consideration of the bills by the House of

Representatives.

Sincerely,

Richard W. Pombo,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bradley).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, once again I thank my colleagues from Guam and New Mexico for their support of this legislation. Like Congressman Bass's bill previously, my bill expands by nearly 11,000 acres the Sandwich Range Wilderness Area in the central part of the White Mountain National Forest.

The Forest Service in the State of New Hampshire, working once again with environmental groups, with businesses involved in the forest products industry, developed a comprehensive plan for the management of the White Mountain National Forest. Both of these wilderness proposals have seen fit to have garnered the support of everyone in New Hampshire that I am aware of.

The Forest Service plan had absolutely no appeals and is in the process of being implemented. The legislation that myself and Congressman Bass have separately proposed would implement the two wilderness proposals and, as I have repeatedly stated, has received no objections.

It is certainly my hope, and I appreciate the support of my colleague on the other side of the aisle, as well as my colleague from New Mexico, for this legislation, should go forward this afternoon. It will protect the New Hampshire environment. It will also serve the forest products industry in my State. And I would urge my colleagues in the strongest possible way to vote for both of these bills later on today, despite the call for a vote potentially by my colleague on the other side of the aisle

Mr. Speaker, I rise to explain my votes in opposition to H.R. 5059 and H.R. While I agree with the substance of these bills, I strongly opposed the decision of the House Republican leadership to use these important bills as part of an effort to play politics with the environment. The Republicans had an opportunity to vote on the New England Wilderness Act (S. 2463), bipartisan legislation passed by the Senate last week that would designate wilderness areas in both New Hampshire and Vermont.

Instead they chose to separate the New Hampshire wilderness areas into two pieces of legislation and refused to include the Vermont wilderness in either bill. They apparently did this to hand a victory to the Republican representative from New Hampshire but deny Rep. Sanders a legislative win on the eve of his upcoming Senate election in Vermont. Shame on them. By putting these bills on the Suspension Calendar, the Republican leadership ensured that wilderness bills in New England will not be signed into law this year as it is virtually impossible to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate bills given the amount of time left in this legislative session.

The New England Wilderness Act enjoys the full backing of the two states' bicameral, tripartisan delegation. It is disappointing that in the final days of this Congress, Republicans are abusing their power and the American people are paying the price.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5062) to designate as wilderness certain National Forest System land in the State of New Hampshire.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would like to thank Representative Bradley for introducing his legislation to designate, within his district, 10,800 acres of new wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest. The Sandwich Range Wilderness additions proposed in this bill were developed with the Forest Service through their forest planning process and with substantial input and involvement from the public and local interest groups. Since it has the strong support of New Hampshire's citizens, environmental groups, the forest products industry, elected officials, the Forest Service, and administration, it deserves our support as well.

I urge you to vote in favor of H.R. 5062.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bradley).

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and yield back the balance of my time.