Recognizing National Physical Education and Sport Week, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's offer to yield time on this bill as this bill discusses the need to create healthy lifestyles for children. I think that something we should also be discussing here is the need to create economic opportunities for children, to make sure that our children not only are having a lifestyle that's healthy in school, teaching physical fitness, but also making sure that we are dealing with policies up here in Washington that allow them to have real opportunities when they get out of school.

There is one bill that is moving through this body right now, the cap-and-trade energy tax, that would severely jeopardize our children's opportunities to have a better life, to have the opportunities that we had in our life. And so as we are talking about legislation right now to create healthy lifestyles, I think we should also be looking at the policies that come out of this body that could actually create big impediments, impediments that would deny them opportunities when they graduate from school.

Let's talk about that cap-and-trade energy tax that is moving through. We just got a new, updated report by the Congressional Budget Office. The cap-and-trade energy tax that has been proposed imposes $846 billion in new taxes, taxes on energy that would affect every American, denying people the ability to buy healthy food for their children because they would be spending, according to the President's own budget director, $1,300 a year more in higher utility prices, not to mention how much more money they would be spending in higher gas prices at the pump, creating a greater dependence on Middle Eastern oil at a time when we need to be creating a national energy policy that is comprehensive, that uses our natural resources to create good jobs here in America, to fund and bridge us into those alternative sources of energy, like wind, like solar, like nuclear power, so that we can truly reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil and give those young children an opportunity to have good jobs here in America, using American natural resources to propel them.

We have got an alternative bill called the American Energy Innovation Act, a bill that takes an all-of-the-above approach, that actually utilizes American natural resources, our oil, our natural gas. There are estimates that we have got almost 100 years of natural gas reserves here in this country. In fact, in Louisiana, the largest natural gas find in the history of our country occurred just 3 years ago. I know one of my colleagues will be talking about that. But we have got the ability here in our country to secure our energy independence. We've got legislation we have filed that would help us secure that energy independence, and they won't allow us a hearing on this bill because they are promoting this cap-and-trade energy tax, a tax on energy. Again, as we're talking about our young children, encouraging them to lead healthy lifestyles, we need to also be creating policies here that give them those opportunities so that they don't get out of school and have to go straight to the unemployment line.

Their bill, this cap-and-trade energy tax, and I have got a copy of it right here. There are 55 pages, 55 pages in their bill dedicated to job losses, to American jobs that will be lost due to a cap-and-trade energy tax. In fact, the National Association of Manufacturers has estimated the cap-and-trade energy tax would run 3 to 4 million jobs out of America to countries like China and India, who are just chomping at the bit to take our jobs.

So you would wonder why at a time when we are here discussing legislation to encourage our children to lead healthy lifestyles, as we should, there's also legislation moving through this Congress, pushed by the leadership in this Congress, that's trying to tax energy and run millions of jobs overseas to countries like China and India at a time when we are seeing record-level unemployment, over 9 percent. We broke the mark of 9 percent just in this last report, 9 percent unemployment in this country, at a time when so many people are cutting back because times are tough. And the answer that the leadership in Congress has is to promote a tax on energy, an $840 billion tax on energy that would run millions of jobs overseas.

The real irony, when they talk about the goal of reducing carbon emissions, the real irony is the countries that will be getting our jobs, China, to produce the same steel that's produced here in America today, will actually emit more carbon to produce the same steel because they don't have the current environmental regulations that we have here in America. So the real irony is that they would be running jobs overseas to countries that will actually emit more carbon.

Spain just did a study on cap-and-trade because they experimented with it for years. Spain, after finally realizing it was a bad idea, looked back and noticed that for every new job they

created in a ``green'' industry, they lost 2.2 regular jobs, and of those new jobs they created, 9 out of 10 of them were temporary jobs. So, in essence, they lost 20 jobs for every full-time job they created.

So we need to promote good policies, but we need to defeat this cap- and-trade energy tax.

I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, in this steady march and drum towards cap-and-trade or cap-and-tax, it strikes me that certainly the health of our Nation is really what's at risk here in terms of what cap-and-trade will do to our Nation, what it does to our businesses, our industries, what it does to our families, what it does to the individual citizens in terms of the costs that will be placed upon them, the burden that they have to bear, and it's a burden that affects all segments of the society. Those that I worry most about actually are those who live paycheck to paycheck and those who just barely get by in their household budgets and what this significant increase of costs will be, specific to turning a light switch on in Pennsylvania with energy costs going up 30 percent, with filling up your gas. I represent a very rural district, and in rural America we drive. We drive to work. We drive to pick up our groceries. We drive sometimes to pick up our mail. And the cost of gas is estimated to increase by 76 percent. Those are costs that our families and individuals cannot bear.

But I think there is something out there, as opposed to this big government proposal of cap-and-trade, that we should be looking at, and that is using our natural resources like natural gas. Natural gas currently accounts for roughly 23 percent of our overall energy consumption, and natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel. Natural gas is used for many energy sources, but it's also vital as a feedstock ingredient in many products we consume every day. Anything from plastics to pharmaceuticals use natural gas as an ingredient.

Now, as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I must point out how important natural gas is to our farmers and our agricultural sector. We can't grow our food without fertilizer, and natural gas is an important ingredient in fertilizer. We only have to go back as far as last summer when we saw the price of energy skyrocket in our country, and that's what we are looking at now under cap-and-trade, to see what the impact of that was on our farmers and on food prices. Many farmers in the past few years have been hurting because of high energy costs.

The United States has an abundant supply of natural gas, and the vast majority of what we consume is produced right here at home. Let me repeat that. The vast majority of natural gas we produce, that's a homegrown product, and that's good for this country.

Oil, for instance, is a world price. That means that we pay $69 a barrel, today's price, but so does Germany, Japan, and Canada. However, natural gas is not a world price, meaning that the price of natural gas varies from country to country, and it's simply supply and demand. When we produce more natural gas, its costs will come down.

Now, having said that, I believe that we should expand upon our natural gas production, which could act as a bridge to get us into a future where renewables really will be the major energy source. Renewables such as wind, solar, and the like are all energy sources that we would like to utilize. But it's also important to bear in mind that these sources make up only about 1 percent of what we consume, and the major reason for that is because they are not as inexpensive as coal, oil, and natural

gas. However, the majority party in Washington would like to make renewables more viable by increasing the costs of fossil fuels through the proposed cap-and-trade bill.

Now, last fall the House Republicans had an important and major victory in Congress. They led the way in removing a longstanding moratorium on the Outer Continental Shelf. I would like to see us move forward in producing in the OCS, which estimates the project has a net royalty worth of $1.7 trillion.

Another area that shows great promise is my home State of Pennsylvania. Eighty percent of Pennsylvania rests upon the Marcellus Shale, which is likely the third largest natural gas field in the world. That's literally hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of clean- burning natural gas that could power our country for decades, bringing jobs and all of the economic benefits with it.

Just today, in The Wall Street Journal, there was an article on the marketplace page entitled, ``KKR Invests in Gas Explorer.'' Within cap- and-trade, we talk a lot about these renewables that only exist because of the subsidy that we're putting into them. This is a great article because this is what America is all about in terms of real science. It talks about the company KKR that has invested in gas exploration. It didn't take stimulus money. It didn't take subsidy money from the Federal government or from any other level of government. It was free market enterprise money for investing in natural gas because they recognized the value of it.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Pennsylvania for yielding me this time.

I think this is an important bill. I do rise in support of it. I'm a family physician who has treated diabetes even in and among teenagers, which is a sad situation when you consider the future of someone who develops diabetes so young. And certainly the physical future is very important.

But I am also very concerned about the fiscal future of our youth. I'm very troubled today. A constituent came to me today from the oil and gas industry and was discussing with me the problems that already are emerging with the loss of tax incentives to invest in exploration that is going on in my district and districts around. So, Mr. Speaker, I think that looking down the line here at the fact that we have not yet developed an energy policy, I know my side of the aisle, we Republicans, attempted to get to the floor a no-cost stimulus bill which would have, I think, been very innovative and certainly revolutionary in getting our energy costs down. But having said that, as gas prices now are approaching $3 a gallon and we are still in a severe recession, just think that even $4 a gallon pretty soon is probably going to be bypassed very quickly.

With that, I just want to reiterate what my friend also from Louisiana, Mr. Scalise, has discussed as we move into the cap-and-trade debate, the cap-and-tax debate, if you will, where every analyst that we have been able to read sees this as a pure form of taxation, that the real underlying purpose of it is to raise more money for, I guess, social spending or perhaps single-payer, nationalized, health care spending. I'm not sure. But the net effect of that is just what we have seen with the incubator that we call Spain, and that is cap-and-tax has been in play there for 10 years, and what has been the net result?

Well, today the unemployment rate in Spain is 17.5 percent. As Mr. Scalise mentioned, for every job that's been gained, a so-called ``green'' job--and again, I will get to that in a moment as to what a green job, I think, is supposed to be--there has been a loss of 2.2 real jobs. And I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, that in the State of Louisiana and surrounding States that the jobs that we have today that come from the oil and gas industry are very significant jobs. They carry benefits. They carry pay easily in the $50,000 to $100,000 range in many cases. And the so-called ``green'' jobs that are discussed, if you look at Spain and their experience, what they found was that 90 percent of the green jobs were implementation jobs, that is, construction. And, of course, once the construction or implementation period is over, that job goes away; so there is only left a remaining 10 percent of the total green jobs that even become permanent jobs.

But then if you look further underlying that, Mr. Speaker, what you find is that the green jobs are really a pass-through of taxpayer money into the system and then as payroll for these so-called ``green'' jobs. They are not a direct result of an exponential growth of a healthy economy or a healthy oil and gas industry.

So, as we move into this debate--and I understand it's being pushed pretty hard right now--we've got to decide are we going to continue to put more taxes on our citizens in the way of higher utility bills, which will impact the poor and those on fixed income to the tune of over $3,000 a year of added electrical bills, or are we going to see our manufacturing have to leave this country and go overseas because it can no longer compete with the higher energy costs? What is really the question here? How are we going to have more revenue into our Treasury by killing off jobs?

So I don't think this is any longer a theoretical discussion. I think we are talking about real people and real jobs. And all we have to do is to look at Spain and other countries who have attempted this.

But just in summary, Mr. Speaker, I think that we need to be very careful about what government is taking over and what it's controlling. If you look to Western Europe, where socialism has been rampant for years, you actually see a retraction, a move away from that. Even Pravda made a statement recently that we are going headlong into Marxism when, in fact, the rest of the world is pulling back.

With that, I thank you for your time in the discussion.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 503) recognizing National Physical Education and Sport Week, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 503 into the Record.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 503, which supports efforts to increase physical activity and participation of youth in sports.

Physical education is necessary in the face of our Nation's growing childhood obesity crisis. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that by 2010, 20 percent of children in the United States will be obese. Without physical education and youth sports, this epidemic would surely be worse than its current situation.

Childhood obesity places a significant burden on our health care system. Overweight adolescents have a 70 to 80 percent chance of becoming overweight adults, a key predictor of chronic disease and disability. The rise in childhood obesity has also been accompanied in the rise of prevalence of type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents.

Teaching children about physical education and sports provides not only physical activity during the typically sedentary school day but also instills in children the importance of physical activity as a way to stay healthy. It is important that we recognize and encourage physical education in our Nation's schools as a necessary component of a holistic education.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to recognize the value of physical education and youth sports. A 2006 survey by the Department of Health and Human Services found that only 3.8 percent of elementary schools, 7.9 percent of middle schools, and 2.1 percent of high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school. Twenty-two percent of schools do not require students to take any physical education. This exists despite research that shows a positive correlation between physical activity and academic performance. In addition, physical activity provides our children with self-esteem and improves their emotional health.

We recognize that our Nation shares a collective responsibility in reversing the trend of childhood obesity. National Physical Education and Sports Week reaffirms the central role that these activities play in encouraging healthy practices for children.

The future of our children's health is an issue that deserves our Nation's utmost attention. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague, Congressman Altmire, for introducing this resolution, and I urge our colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize an outstanding colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire), for 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, does the gentleman from Pennsylvania have any further speakers?

Mr. Speaker, routinely, this Chamber is visited by many young people, by many groups of young people, reminding us that we are in need of promoting and of advancing sound and principled ideas and policies that will be inherited by them, by their generation. They will inherit the good and the bad works that we do, and they will count on us for finding sound and reasonable solutions.

That being said, I believe it's very important for us to advance the opportunity for them to have a sounder environment. They have the right to breathe cleaner air. We have within our grasp the opportunity to reduce that carbon footprint. We have the opportunity to go forward and to cut this pattern of advancing $475 billion annually to foreign economies for fossil-based fuels. We can do better with green solutions, and we can advance House Resolution 503, which allows for us to promote physical education and sports, which will advance the general health and well-being of our students and which will give them stronger academic performance.

I strongly urge our colleagues to support House Resolution 503. I encourage them to vote ``yes'' on Representative Altmire's resolution.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 503 to recognize National Physical Education and Sports Week, which took place this year from May 1 through May 7.

The health and wellness of America's children is undoubtedly a subject of great concern at this time in history. Over 33 percent of America's elementary school children are overweight or obese, and over 13 percent of America's high school children are obese.

Overweight and obese children are developing diseases and vascular conditions that were once thought of as conditions affecting only the middle-aged.

Obese children have been shown to be at an increased risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, respiratory problems, and numerous other debilitating diseases. In addition, they often suffer from low self- esteem and feelings of isolation and other psychological side effects.

Physical activity is an important aspect of health in preventing obesity and obesity-related illnesses in both children and adults. Regular physical activity substantially reduces the risk of a number of preventable diseases, such as coronary heart disease, the Nation's leading cause of death, and decreases the risk for stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It also helps to control weight, contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints, reduces falls for older adults, and is associated with fewer hospitalizations.

Physical activity need not be strenuous to be beneficial, but in the age of innumerable video games, computer activities, and television channels, it often takes a back seat in the lives of America's youth.

Physical education and sports encourage children to participate in physical activity on a regular basis in a group setting that can foster teamwork, competition, and a sense of accomplishment. In addition, a correlation has been seen between children that participate in sports and higher academic achievement in the classroom.

Participation of children in organized sports has grown in recent decades. However, the percentage of children participating in daily physical education programs has declined in recent times; although the importance of physical activity has become increasingly apparent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children engage in 60 minutes of physical activity 5 or more days a week. Only 35 percent of children regularly meet this recommendation, however. Physical education programs and sports create an opportunity for children to build lifelong healthy habits in a fun and engaging environment. As such, they should be supported and encouraged.

I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Fleming).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. Speaker, I do not have any additional speakers. I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.