Commending the Orange County Water District and its employees for their sound financial management and innovative groundwater management, water quality, water efficiency, and environmental programs, on its 75th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I join with the gentlelady from Orange County in support of this resolution. But this resolution brings to mind one of the challenges we have in California. You see, in California, we don't allow coal to be used to make electricity. In California, we don't allow nuclear; we banned it for more than 30 years, no new nuclear. As a matter of fact, in California, with the exception of some geothermal that we can't seem to find a way to bring power lines from where it is to where we want it, all of our new power comes from natural gas.

And in California, we are not looking for natural gas. As a matter of fact, we don't allow any leasing, Federally or State, off of our coastline. Literally a thousand miles of coastline out 200 miles is off limits to natural gas. We can't take clean natural gas from our own shores in California. As a result, water projects are in danger.

The gentlelady from California rightfully so did speak about groundwater replenishment, which she has in her district and I have in my district. We also have desalinization in both of our districts. And guess what? Desalinization is another term for electricity-to-water.

In order to meet our water needs, whether it's pumping from the north to the south, pumping for replenishment or, in fact, desalinization, we need energy. That energy is electricity. That electricity comes from natural gas. That natural gas comes from unstable parts of the world in which it must be hauled in by liquefication because we don't meet our own natural gas needs.

Republicans here in the House support opening up the opportunity to get natural gas, at least allow some exploration for natural gas 50 miles off the California coast. That's not difficult. And the leaks, in fact, would be methane 50 miles offshore. You wouldn't see it, you wouldn't hear it, and it's nonpolluting. And yet, as of today, the Democrats continue to block that.

We need to open up. We've been talking about oil, but we need to talk about natural gas. California needs clean natural gas. It's off our shoreline, it's close to us today. And I would absolutely urge my colleagues, when they're looking at water in California, look at water as electricity and electricity as natural gas, and natural gas is something we have off our shore that is presently unavailable; millions, countless millions of acres unavailable.

And last, Mr. Speaker, I would hope that when people are talking about the acreage that isn't being used today, the 68 million acres that's not currently in use, and, you know, we can look at whether some of it just recently was granted and it's in exploration, whether it's in environmental, we can break it down. But the amazing thing is, out of only 41 million acres that is out on lease of any exploration or production, we're getting a huge amount of oil off Federal lands. Just think if we, in fact, used those 68 million acres over the next few years and opened up some major portion of 2.351 billion acres, that's 2,351 million acres that are not available today.

So when people talk about the 68 million that are, they should also talk about the 41 million that are under use today that are generating oil and natural gas, the many millions that are coming in from leases that are out that are just now beginning to bear fruit, and of course the 2,351 million acres that are presently closed, a lot of which is off the California and the gulf coast 50 miles out that no one would see, that, in fact, could be drilled in deep water safely, but of course is not available today.

If the gentlelady will yield.

What I was talking about is a portion of the 2.351 billion acres. Obviously, all of us would want to make sure that certain areas were not drilled in, but of course most of this acreage we have no idea what is there.

As you probably know, there are 3,400-plus oil wells throughout West Virginia. We have overdrilled West Virginia and Oklahoma. We haven't put a new drill even for exploration off the California coast in decades, not even to find out how much natural gas is out there. And that, in fact, from 50 to 200 miles, is an economic zone created by Ronald Reagan that belongs to the United States that could be explored.

Well, Madam Chair, of course it excludes it. But when we look at only 3 percent and 6 percent that are under oil leases, we have to look at all the available BLM land. Just, for example, though, there are 700 million acres that are presently held by the BLM. By definition, the Bureau of Land Management holds that for productive use. So that would be an example where there are no parks on BLM land, there are no national monuments or military bases on those 700 million acres alone.

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 am pleased today

the House of Representatives is considering House Resolution 1199, which honors the 75th anniversary of the Orange County Water District.

As a sponsor of this legislation, I would like to thank the Committee on Natural Resources, especially the gentleman from West Virginia, Chairman Rahall, for his assistance in bringing this resolution to the floor, and my good friend from Guam for managing this resolution. I also would like to thank the rest of my colleagues from Orange County, all of whom are original cosponsors of this resolution.

You see, this Water District, the Orange County Water District, began its operations in 1933 when then California Governor James Rolph, Jr. signed it into existence on June 14. At that time, the Water District covered more than 163,000 acres and was intended to serve about 60,000 people primarily in agriculture. That is the beginning of Orange County. But today, the Orange County Water District covers well over 200,000 acres, and it serves a population of more than 2.3 million people.

As it has grown, the Water District has stayed on top of its game at the forefront of efforts with respect to water supply and the efficient distribution of that through Orange County. And the best example of that, of course, is what we just opened in January of this year, and that is our groundwater replenishment system.

The replenishment system is on the cutting edge of water reuse technology. It will purify 70 million gallons of water a day to provide clean drinking water for more than 100,000 Orange County families.

This system is the premier groundwater replenishment project in the world. And Orange County is often visited by other people from our country and from dignitaries from around the world, scientists from around the world, engineers from around the world, who want to come and see what we are doing. And yes, basically what we're doing is that we dispose of the water by flushing the toilet, send it into a tertiary process, clean it purer than the water you would find in the ground. We put it into the ground, and about 3 or 4 years later the same water is being used through your house once again. This makes it self-contained. It means that in a desert like southern California, we are not importing water for our usage, we're actually using our own water over and over, and this is the wave of the future. As I said, so many from around the world, from Israel and from other places, are coming to take a look at what we have done. And even just recently, the Mayor of Los Angeles said he would like to try to make a system like that work in the County of Los Angeles.

So the Orange County Water District's vision and initiative in establishing this system is the reason that it received the 2008 Clair A. Hill Award from the Association of California Water Agencies, and it was also named the Public Water Agency of the Year in 2008.

Throughout its 75-year history, the Orange County Water District has proven that it is a leader in identifying and creating new and existing options to meet the water needs of California, of our Nation, and of the world. Along with the entire county delegation, I hope that all of my colleagues will vote for this resolution today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1199, a resolution congratulating the Orange County Water District on its 75th anniversary. The Orange County Water District and its employees have effectively delivered innovative groundwater management, water quality, water efficiency, and environmental programs which will reduce our region's dependence on imported water.

We all know that with increased demand, decreased availability of imported water, and higher water quality requirements, future water supplies will become even more limited and expensive. If we want to sustain southern California's economic growth and provide for a rapidly increasing population, we must ensure efficient and reliable access to water resources and pursue a modernized sanitation infrastructure. The Orange County Water District recognized that we needed a reliable source of quality water and has pursued multi-pronged strategies for capturing and recycling water that would otherwise flow downstream to the ocean.

The first initiative involves a series of agreements between the Orange County Water District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to allow the District to conserve water behind Prado Dam. This water, which would otherwise flow downstream to the ocean, is captured to recharge the local aquifer. In addition, the Orange County Water District has partnered with the Orange County Sanitation District in the development of the groundwater replenishment system. This system will take highly treated sewer water and treat it above and beyond existing drinking water standards by undergoing an advanced purification process that includes two membrane filtration and treatment by ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide. Once purified, the water will be sent to groundwater recharge facilities or injection wells. This project is a model of self-reliance and should be replicated throughout water districts around southern California.

The Orange County Water District is working to ensure water reliability for generations to come. This is a comforting thought to businesses as well as residents interested in moving to Orange County. Their efforts will allow our economy to grow without being restrained by potential water shortages.

I congratulate the Orange County Water District for their 75 years of service to the region and I am proud of the Federal, State, and local agencies that have worked together to serve the community and address the region's growing water needs.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1199) commending the Orange County Water District and its employees for their sound financial management and innovative groundwater management, water quality, water efficiency, and environmental programs, on its 75th anniversary.

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 resolution under consideration.

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

House Resolution 1199 commends the Orange County, California Water District and its employees for their sound financial management and innovative groundwater management, water quality, water efficiency, and environmental programs upon the occasion of its 75th anniversary.

During its 75-year history, the Orange County Water District has been a model for implementing groundwater recharge projects. Starting in 1950, the Water District developed the region's first sustained artificial recharge replenishment system. Earlier this year, the District opened its groundwater replenishment system, the world's largest sewer water purification project. This project, Mr. Speaker, currently is providing a new supply of high-quality water to Orange County, while making the region less dependent on imported water from Bay Delta and the Colorado River.

I wish to commend my colleague from California, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, for sponsoring this very important resolution before us today, and I ask my colleagues to support its passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) such time as she may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I was listening intently to the previous speaker, and I'm wondering if he is suggesting that we drill in national parks and military bases--when you mentioned all the acreage that's available.

I will yield.

So the 2 billion acres that you're referring to does exclude national parks and all of the military bases?

Well, Mr. Speaker, I was just requesting that the gentleman clarify. I want to be sure that his numbers are accurate.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution that was introduced by our colleagues from southern California.

The Orange County Water District has experienced rapid changes since it was created in 1933. It once relied on pumping ground water for agriculture, now it uses a combination of sources, including imported and recycled water, for its urban needs. Due to environmental litigation, the Orange County Water District will more than likely experience significant imported water cutbacks, leading to higher water costs that will be passed on to the consumers.

These same water reductions are forcing family farmers to fallow ground and let their crops die. The situation is so dire the Governor of California, Governor Schwarzenegger, last week declared parts of California under a state of emergency. These same family farmers are experiencing higher costs of living caused by the high cost of water as well as the high cost of gasoline prices. It is almost a perfect storm, and yet we have done nothing to help them to reduce those gas and oil prices.

This resolution is a nice reward to Orange County Water District for its hard work over the years, but Congress' time actually should be spent in devising energy solutions because, once again, real people are suffering and real needs are there.

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

I yield such time as he may consume to another of the good representatives of southern California, the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

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