To raise the ceiling on the Federal share of the cost of the Calleguas Municipal Water District Recycling Project, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at 3 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 745/H.R. 2265, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Magna Water District water reuse and groundwater recharge project, and for other purposes; S. 1138/H.R. 2442, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to expand the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program, and for other purposes; S. 1573/H.R. 2741, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the city of Hermiston, Oregon, water recycling and reuse project, and for other purposes; S. 3099, to reinstate and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project involving the American Falls Reservoir; S. 3100, to reinstate and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project involving the Little Wood River Ranch; H.R. 325, to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Avra/Black Wash Reclamation and Riparian Restoration Project; H.R. 637, to authorize the Secretary, in cooperation with the City of San Juan Capistrano, California, to participate in the design, planning, and construction of an advanced water treatment plant facility and recycled water system, and for other purposes; H.R. 1120, To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Central Texas Water Recycling and Reuse Project, and for other purposes; H.R. 1219, to make amendments to the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992; H.R. 1393, to amend the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 to authorize additional projects and activities under that Act, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2522, to raise the ceiling on the Federal share of the cost of the Calleguas Municipal Water District Recycling Project, and for other purposes.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact Tanya Trujillo at (202) 224- 5479 or Gina Weinstock at (202) 224-5684.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on National Parks. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to review the National Park Service's implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact David Brooks at (202) 224- 9863 or Allison Seyferth at (202) 224-4905.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has scheduled a hearing entitled, ``Wall Street and the Financial Crisis: The Role of Credit Rating Agencies.'' This hearing will be the third in a series of Subcommittee hearings examining some of the causes and consequences of the recent financial crisis. This third hearing will focus on the role of credit rating agencies in the financial crisis, using as case histories the credit rating agencies of Standard and Poor's and Moody's. A witness list will be available Monday, April 19, 2010.

The Subcommittee hearing has been scheduled for Friday, April 23, 2010, at 9:30 a.m., in Room G-50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. For further information, please contact Elise Bean of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations at 202-224-9505.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has scheduled a hearing entitled, ``Wall Street and the Financial Crisis: The Role of Investment Banks.'' This hearing will be the fourth in a series of Subcommittee hearings examining some of the causes and consequences of the recent financial crisis. The fourth hearing will focus on the role of investment banks in the securitization of residential mortgage related products, and the development, marketing, and trading of residential mortgage related structured financial products such as collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and credit default swaps (CDS). The hearing will also review certain investment and trading activities of investment banks that involve residential mortgage based securities and related products. A witness list will be available Thursday, April 22, 2010.

The Subcommittee hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at 11 a.m., in Room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. For further information, please contact Elise Bean of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations at 202-224-9505.

committee on indian affairs

Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my strong support for H.R. 2522, which is a bill introduced earlier this year that would raise the ceiling on the Federal share of the cost of completing the Calleguas Municipal Water District Recycling Project.

I believe most of the country knows about the water shortage plaguing the state of California. In my district, maintaining adequate water supplies has also become increasingly problematic, especially as the traditional sources of imported water have become unreliable. For this reason, I introduced H.R. 2522, which will assist the Calleguas Municipal Water District with the development of new water sources.

Specifically, this legislation would authorize an additional $40 million in funding for the Bureau of Reclamation to support the completion of a salinity management pipeline, also known as a brine line. This pipeline will collect salty water generated by desalting facilities and excess recycled water and then transport that water for reuse elsewhere. The result will be both improved water quality and an enhanced supply of local groundwater.

The increased use of recycled water will expand the water available for approximately 600,000 of my constituents and, at the same time, reduce dependence on water from the sensitive Bay-Delta ecosystem. In an era of drought and water shortages throughout California, local water districts need to do all they can to reduce their dependence on increasingly scarce supplies of imported water.

I want to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Hastings, along with their staffs, for their assistance with moving this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I wish to make the following disclosure in accordance with the Republican Earmark Transparency Standards requiring members to place a statement in the Congressional Record prior to a floor vote on a bill that includes an earmark that I have requested.

H.R. 2522, a bill to raise the ceiling on the Federal share of the cost of the Calleguas Municipal Water District Recycling Project, and for other purposes, which I introduced on May 20, 2009, contains one earmark as defined under House Rule XXI, clause 9. The earmark contained in H.R. 2522 would authorize additional appropriations for a project under Title XVI of Public Law 104-266, the Reclamation Recycling and Water Conservation Act of 1996.

The project authorized under H.R. 2522 would authorize an additional $40 million in federal spending authority, not to exceed 25 percent of the total project cost, to allow the Calleguas Municipal Water District to fully complete their Salinity Management Pipeline, which will generate an additional 27,000 acre feet per year of groundwater and facilitate the use of an additional 16,000 acre feet per year of recycled water in the area.

Consistent with the Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to an entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for other entities unless the use of funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2522) to raise the ceiling on the Federal share of the cost of the Calleguas Municipal Water District Recycling Project, and for other purposes.

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.

H.R. 2522, introduced by our colleague Representative Elton Gallegly, would raise the existing authorization ceiling to authorize funds for phases 2 and 3 of the Calleguas Municipal Water District Recycling Project. When these phases are completed, it is expected that the project will produce 43,000 acre-feet of water annually.

At a time when reported water is unreliable, the title XVI water recycling program is a tool that communities can use to create a reliable local supply to meet all of the future demands.

I ask my colleagues to support passage of this legislation.

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

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