Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center Partnership Act

I thank my friend for yielding again.

Mr. Speaker, I got the whip report today and was looking over some of the bills that we're going to be going over today and this week. And I felt like, Mr. Speaker, it might be good just to remind our colleagues maybe of what all we're going to be doing this week so they can get their staffs down and start looking at this real hard.

I was hoping that we might be talking about some ways to improve our energy management because what has happened so far on this House floor by the majority has simply not worked. We voted, I guess, almost 6 weeks ago now, to stop sending oil into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and so thus far I believe, today is July 8; so at 70,000 barrels of oil a day, that's over half a million barrels of oil that we have kept from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and yet gas is at a new record of $4.11 a gallon. So that's not working.

The energy bill that the majority passed in January of 2007, which we called the ``No Energy Policy,'' has actually turned out to be a no energy policy because gas has gone from $2.35 a gallon to $4.11 a gallon. And light bulbs, or the CFLs, was mentioned over 350 times in that bill, and we have now learned that you can't dispose of those things because of the mercury in them, and they are only produced in China.

So we have got a long way to go on correcting our energy situation in this Congress, and for some reason the majority just keeps turning its head.

But I just felt like for some of our colleagues that are listening today they might know that we have already heard today that we amended High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act. We're going to get a chance to vote today to authorize the Preserve America Program and Save America's Treasures. We are now authorizing the Secretary of Interior to lease a portion of the visitor center to be constructed outside the boundary of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Porter County, Indiana. I know that's a big one. You all need to be looking at that, Mr. Speaker.

Number four, to amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992 to add sites to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park, and I know that's an important piece of legislation. We're also going to do the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act. And we're going to name three post offices today.

Now, tomorrow we are going to get into the real meat of some of this stuff. We've got 12 more suspensions, which are bills that really just come to the floor with about 20 minutes of debate, I believe, on either side, no amendments, not structured to any rule. We are going to look at the Pension Protection Technical Corrections Act, and I know, Mr. Speaker, these people at home will be glad to know that we're doing that. And then we have got to

honor the goal of the International Year of Astronomy; celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first American woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride; the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act; commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Space Foundation; commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Homes For Heroes Act; America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act; Community Building Code Amendment Grant Act; Lead-Safe Housing for Kids; and Money Services Business Act.

And then we have got one real bill that's going to be subject to a rule, Mr. Speaker: the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Designation Act. So any Members listening to this might want to get their amendments ready for that, and I don't know if we can amend that to talk about energy.

But, Mr. Speaker, I just thought it was important that we discuss here among ourselves what we are doing in this Congress this week. People are paying $4.11 a gallon for gas at the pump. People are having to make decisions about whether they can go to work or go visit a loved one in a hospital. We need to be discussing our energy crisis because this is not something that just happened.

And, look, we are not innocent in this. We had 12 years. We could have led the charge. But I remember back in April of 2006, then minority leader, now Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said, ``Elect us. The Democrats have a commonsense plan for lowering the skyrocketing price of gasoline.''

Please bring out that plan, Mr. Speaker. Bring out that commonsense plan so that we can see what can lower the skyrocketing prices because since that plan has not been revealed, gas has gone from $2.35 to $4.11.

So while we are talking about all these important things today, and I know the American people are sitting on the edge of their seat to see if these things pass or not because of the effect it's going to have on their lives, I think if they could honestly have a good, bipartisan debate with an open rule, a good energy bill that all the people could come that represent the people all over this country to come in and discuss what we can do to give them relief at the pump.

I want to thank my colleague for yielding to me.

Just to my good friend from Guam, I don't have a problem with what you said because it sounds like we have had a bite of the apple, the new majority has had a bite of the apple. People have seen their gas prices continue to go up. So why not come up with a bill that we could put on the floor, to have an open rule, because there is nothing more important in this country right now, not just because the price of gasoline is $4.11 a gallon. This is a national security issue. We are writing Hugo Chavez a check to the Venezuelans for $170 million a day. This is a national security issue. This is an economic issue that we are talking about. This is affecting our stock market. This is affecting our gross national product. This is affecting a loaf of bread. This is affecting a gallon of milk. This is something we need to be talking about.

So I'm glad to hear that you've taken notice that our plan of 2005 has not been totally successful because it has not been totally implemented yet. But I am more than willing to have a discussion on this floor, open rule, energy package. Let's write one. Let's let it go through regular order. Let's let it have amendments. Let's let it have discussion. And I think if we could do that, then we maybe could come up with something that could succeed.

Mr. Speaker, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, on the southern tip of Lake Michigan, is comprised of 15,000 acres along 15 miles of shoreline. This bill authorizes the Secretary of Interior to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Porter County Commission to lease space for the use of a visitor center. It also permits the Secretary to accept donations of lands that are located along the borders of the lakeshore but are separated by a right-of-way.

And today, as we are dealing with this particular unit of the National Park Service, I think it's fitting to remember that our constituents are dealing with high gasoline prices that are cutting into family vacations this summer, making it increasingly costly to visit our national parks.

Over the Independence Day work period back in my district, I spoke with a number of constituents who are still frustrated about high gasoline prices and also are frustrated with what they perceive as Congress' failure to do anything to adopt a comprehensive energy policy. This Congress needs to take action to put all of our available resources and technologies on the table, including increase American- made energy, conservation and efficiency to bring relief at the pumps.

I thought the best story that I heard was a lady that came to me and I asked her, I said, what do you think we ought to be doing about this energy issue that we're dealing with? And she said, Mr. Wittman, do you remember the movie Apollo 13? And I said, yes, I did. And she said, do you remember the scene there where the oxygen tank on the outside of the service capsule blew up and the engineers there had to figure out how they were going to get those astronauts back to Earth? So they moved the astronauts into the command module, but the problem with the command module is it didn't have enough capacity to take CO2 out of the air, so eventually the astronauts would be asphyxiated if they didn't come up with a solution to that problem and still have enough oxygen to propel the spaceship back to Earth.

So what did they do? They sent the engineers to the duplicate capsule they

had there at Mission Control in Houston. And they sent them in there and they said take everything out of there that's available to these astronauts and put it in a box. So those engineers put those materials in a box and they brought it downstairs to Mission Control and they laid those pieces out on the table. And they told those engineers, solve the problem, make sure we get those astronauts back here. Come up with a CO2 scrubber that gets that CO2 out of the air so those astronauts can survive and get back to Earth. And lo and behold, those engineers did just that. But they weren't crippled by saying, well, you can only use this in the box and that in the box. They were there to use everything.

Folks, if we're going to be successful in this effort for our comprehensive energy policy, we need to make sure that we use everything. And that includes looking at the energy that we have available here in the United States, being aggressive with conservation, being aggressive in developing alternative and renewable sources here. And this country has shown to have the engineering and ability and the willingness to get to work on these tough issues and to solve them. Our history has been wrought with just those efforts to make sure that we solve these problems.

The American people are looking at us now to make sure that we solve this problem. And they don't want us to take anything out of that Apollo 13 box to solve this problem. They expect us to put everything there and to make sure that we come up with a solution to this, and I believe that this country can do that.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I want to thank the gentlelady.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1423, the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center Lease Act, as amended. I am proud to sponsor this legislation, and I thank Mr. Donnelly for joining me as a cosponsor.

I also do want to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Don Young, the chairman of the subcommittee, as well as the ranking member, and especially the exceptional staff of the subcommittee and the full committee of Natural Resources for their consideration and good work on this measure.

This measure will grant the Secretary of the Interior the authority to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a joint partnership with Porter County. This partnership will allow the National Park Service and the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission to develop a plan to maximize the efficiency of the Visitor Center at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and enhance the visitor experience. The measure also will provide funding to develop exhibits for the center.

Additionally, the bill will help us enhance the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the most affordable fashion possible. It will permit, but not require, the Secretary of the Interior to accept donations of lands located outside the present boundaries of the Lakeshore if they are contiguous with the park or separated by only a right-of-way. At present, the Secretary of the Interior cannot accept such donations. This provision makes a minor technical correction that has no financial impact, and will allow this natural treasure to expand by the generosity of those wishing to enhance the Lakeshore. It is my sincere hope that this legislation will continue our efforts to protect and enhance the Lakeshore, and to ensure that all Americans can benefit from the park.

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is an incredible natural treasure, as was mentioned, comprised of about 15,000 pristine acres along the southern shore of Lake Michigan in the midst of an urban environment. With its vast array of flora and fauna in northwest Indiana, a short distance from downtown Chicago, the Lakeshore receives over 3 million visitors from that urban area each year.

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore owes a great deal of gratitude to Dorothy Buell, who was instrumental in its establishment and development. Buell devoted much of her life to saving the dunes. In 1952, she founded the Save the Dunes Council to obtain dunes land and to give it to the National State Park so that the unique habitat could be preserved and enjoyed by the general public.

In 1992, Buell's extraordinary contributions to the dunes were recognized when the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Access and Enhancement Act was signed into law, thereby naming the park's visitor center for her and commemorating her vision, dedication and work.

The Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center is an excellent facility for providing environmental education programs and recreational activities. Visitors can enjoy displays and exhibits.

I am very proud of the continued investment in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore by the National Park Service staff, our local communities, and Lakeshore volunteers in Indiana's First Congressional District. They seek to preserve, protect, and restore the Lakeshore and surrounding resources for an enhanced quality of life.

Mr. Speaker, I want to again thank the members and the leaders of the committee and subcommittee as well as the staff, and I ask my colleagues to support the measure.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1423) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease a portion of a visitor center to be constructed outside the boundary of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Porter County, Indiana, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1423 would allow the National Park Service to share visitor center facilities for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore with the Porter County Indiana Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission.

The bill also allows the National Park Service to construct exhibits at the visitor center and authorizes National Park Service employees to work there. Congress must approve the spending and the use of personnel because the visitor center lies outside the established boundaries of the park.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1423 would clarify the definition of ``contiguous lands'' in the park's original legislation so that the National Park Service could accept donations of contiguous land even if that land is separated by a right-of-way such as a road, a railway line or utility corridor.

I commend the sponsor, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), for his work on the legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana, the bill's sponsor, Mr. Visclosky.

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

First and foremost, I would like to remind my colleagues across the aisle that I feel that all legislation that is heard in the U.S. Congress is important legislation. I want to go on record saying that.

And I would remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that in 2005, just 3 years ago, 2005, when you were in the majority, you passed an energy bill that you claimed would produce America's energy independence. It did not work, did it? What were gas prices then in 2005, and what are they today?

So I would again say the blame game is not working and we should truly sit down and get serious, dispense with the rhetoric, and address the issues facing the American people.

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

Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues, all of the Members of Congress, to support this very important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately last night, July 8, 2008, due to my plane being delayed by over an hour and a half due to mechanical issues, I was unable to cast my votes on H.R. 3981, H.R. 1423, and H.R. 4199.

Had I been present for rollcall No. 471, on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 3981, the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act, I would have voted ``yea.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 472, on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 1423, the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center Lease Act, I would have voted ``yea.''

Had I been present for rollcall No. 473, on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 4199, to amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992 to add sites to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, I would have voted ``yea.''