Lake Hodges Surface Water Improvement and Reclamation Act of 2008

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2649, a bill that is looking at a precious resource that needs to be cleaned up and used.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you in working and speaking with me about other challenges we have environmentally around this country, one of them being the fact the Federal Government is still mandating the polluting of our air and the picking of our pockets with the mandate of corn and ethanol going into our gasoline. I don't know about in your State, but in our State, that impact has reached $6 a comparable gallon untaxed ethanol being forced into our fuel system by the misguided approaches here in Washington.

I look forward to working with you in eliminating that mandate and protecting our air and protecting consumers when we go to the pump. But as we talk about liquid gold, out west it is not just gasoline and ethanol that are liquid gold, but actually clean drinking water. This bill would address a problem that has actually been created by a well- intentioned but misguided application of the Endangered Species Act and other Federal regulatory activities.

Where Lake Hodges had traditionally had a clean watershed kept clear from debris and undergrowth, because of the Federal agencies' misguided application of our environmental regulations, such as the Endangered Species Act, the local agencies and community were not allowed to clear the watershed while the water was low so that once the water did rise up we did not have rotting organic material in our water source. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, that has occurred, and the water quality of the lake is now in violation of the Clean Water Act, 303(d). This bill will allow us to give a portion of the money, probably around one-quarter of it, to allow the local community now to purify the water so that it can be compatible with 303 of the Clean Water Act.

I hope that we will be able to work together, pass this bill, and be able to work with the local community. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Speaker, at not only cleaning up our water, but cleaning up our air and taking that ethanol out of our gasoline.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, I was unavoidably detained and thus I missed rollcall votes No. 331 through No. 337. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner:

On rollcall vote No. 331 on H.R. 6081, The Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 332, on H.R. 6074, Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 333, on H. Res. 1144. Expressing support for designation of a ``Frank Sinatra Day'' on May 13, 2008, in honor of the dedication of the Frank Sinatra commemorative, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 334, on Adjournment Resolution, Providing for the Memorial Day Recess, I would have voted ``nay.''

On rollcall vote No. 335, on H.R. 1464, to assist in the conservation of rare felids and rare candids, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 336, on H.R. 2649, to make amendments to the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall vote No. 337, on H.R. 2744, Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation. The author of the bill, who will speak in a moment, and I share the very banks of this water area of Lake Hodges. But, most importantly, at a time in which gas prices have risen to $4 a gallon, it's very clear that importing water or desalinating water in southern California, although necessary, should be avoided. We need to find ways to do better work, have more water, with less consumption of gasoline, diesel, and all the other fuels that are in such short supply and so expensive. So I strongly support this bill.

I would yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California, the author of the bill, Mr. Bilbray.

I have no additional speakers at this time. I would urge strong support for this bill which, like so many, will help California deal with its water shortage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2649) to make amendments to the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992, as amended.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days to revise and extend their remarks and include

extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

H.R. 2649, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to participate in the Lake Hodges Surface Water Improvement and Reclamation Project. This project would pretreat 13,000 acre-feet of impaired Lake Hodges water currently unavailable for consumptive use.

We have no objection to this noncontroversial bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge all Members to support the bill, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.