To suspend temporarily the rate of duty on 4-Bromobenzyl Bromide.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern regarding the recent nomination of Rebecca Wodder as Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Until recently, Ms. Wodder served as president of American Rivers, an environmental organization that specializes in the removal of dams across the United States. Under the direction of Ms. Wodder, American Rivers removed over 200 dams in 13 states from 1999 to 2010. In total, the organization claims credit for the removal of 150 dams across America. In many cases, the lawsuits that preceded the removal of these dams cost U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars. This clearly demonstrates that Ms. Wodder's agenda hinges on practices that result in the expenditure of vast amounts of federal time and money in exchange for the promotion of an environmental agenda that has shown questionable results.

The Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks oversees and coordinates all policy decisions made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. For someone who has spent much of her career battling the very agencies she will control, this is a prime example of the fox guarding the hen house. Indeed, American Rivers touts the fact that they have ``secured the planned removal of more than 100 dams on some 55 rivers in the next five years.'' I doubt very seriously whether Ms. Wodder will conduct an unbiased assessment on the merits of these and other projects during her tenure at the Interior Department.

American Rivers is currently party to seven lawsuits against American taxpayers and the federal government. At a time when Congress is attempting to get our fiscal house in order, we do not need a litigious leader who has brought millions of dollars in lawsuits against our government.

Furthermore, many Americans living along rivers depend on them to support their livelihoods. During this summer alone, flooding has caused insurmountable damage to these communities. If we are going to expend capital on our inland waterways, Congress and the Obama Administration should be focused on maintaining flood control and preserving valuable river infrastructure, not increasing the disparity of funding between fish and wildlife conservation measures and human protection.

The protection of wildlife is a valid concern that should be addressed in a thoughtful manner. However, when efforts to protect wildlife result in irresponsible policy decisions, we must take a stand for the safety of our constituents.

I was proud to join 38 of my colleagues from all corners of this country in sending the following letter to the Senate. In light of not only the country's current financial crisis but also devastating floodwaters that continue to batter our river communities, I urge all of my colleagues in the House and the Senate to carefully consider the nomination of Rebecca Wodder as Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The consequences for millions of Americans could be dire.

Hon. Barbara Boxer,

Hon. Jeff Bingaman,

Hon. James Inhofe,

Hon. Lisa Murkowski.

Dear Senators: As you consider President Obama's nomination

of Ms. Rebecca Wodder as Assistant Secretary for Fish,

Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior, we

respectfully write to let you know of our serious concerns

with her record as the head of American Rivers, a single-

purpose interest group focused on litigating against the

federal government and removing economically important

infrastructure. We seriously question whether she could

adequately represent broader and more balanced interests at

the federal level, especially at a fragile economic time with

national unemployment exceeding nine percent.

The position for which Ms. Wodder has been nominated

oversees the management of at least 180 million federal acres

and would have a direct influence on current and potential

federal regulations impacting private lands, water rights,

energy projects and other infrastructure. This is troubling

given her past activities at the Wilderness Society and

American Rivers, a non-governmental organization with a long

record of receiving American taxpayer dollars while actively

litigating against the federal government on multiple fronts.

Between 1988 and 2011, American Rivers has either sued or

been a party to 150 lawsuits against various parties, mostly

the federal government. In fact, American Rivers is currently

party to seven lawsuits against American taxpayers and the

federal government.

One illuminating piece of litigation revolves around

American Rivers' longstanding lawsuit against the federal

government's operation of four multi-purpose dams in the

Pacific Northwest. These dams, located on the lower Snake

River in Washington state, provide multiple benefits

including emissions-free, renewable hydroelectricity (enough

power to serve a city the size of Seattle), navigation to

deliver agricultural products to market, recreation and the

good-paying jobs associated with these benefits. Writing in

the August 25, 2003 edition of The Dissident Voice, Ms.

Wodder wrote that ``Breaching the four dams on the lower

Snake River would be the single most effective way to bring

back wild salmon.'' This is a completely unproven statement

and the reality is breaching these dams is an extreme action

that would have devastating economic impacts across an entire

region while not actually assisting fish recovery. Despite

broad agreement, including from the Obama Administration, on

a biological opinion for Columbia Basin salmon recovery, Ms.

Wodder's organization continues an over decade long lawsuit

campaign against the federal government in an effort to

demolish these dams.

There are numerous examples of how the policies advocated

by Ms. Wodder at American Rivers will have serious impacts

throughout the country. First, she effectively advocated for

federal regulations that caused up to 40 percent unemployment

in parts of the San Joaquin Valley, California by diverting

farm water under the guise of protecting the Delta smelt, a

three-inch fish. Second, she endorsed last Congress'

controversial legislation (H.R. 5088 and S. 787) that many

argued could allow the EPA to regulate street and gutter

water run-off and man-made ditches. This could cause

significant job loss throughout rural America and the

National Association of Counties, a non-partisan entity

composed of locally elected officials, was concerned that

this legislation could lead to ``more court cases'' and

federal groundwater regulation. Third, by naming the

Susquehanna River as one of ``America's most endangered

rivers,'' her organization attempted to stifle the domestic

production of affordable natural gas through hydraulic

fracturing.

Furthermore, we are also concerned that this appointment

may run afoul of President Obama's own goal of ensuring that

political appointees would not work on regulations or

contracts directly and substantially related to their prior

employer. Ms. Wodder has received significant, long-term

compensation during her tenure at American Rivers. As

previously noted, the organization currently has numerous

pending lawsuits against the very agencies over which she

would have regulatory authority and for others that directly

or indirectly have been involved in litigation with the

Interior Department. This creates a very real and serious

conflict of interest.

As Members of the House of Representatives, we appreciate

the unique role of the Senate in the confirmation process.

Nonetheless, the policies advocated by this nominee would be

so detrimental to jobs, our economy and the livelihood of

rural Americans that we felt compelled to make our views

known and ask that you take them into consideration.

Sincerely,

Blaine Luetkemeyer.