Alaska Remote Generator Reliability and Protection Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

I spent about a year in Alaska going to college, have been back a number of times, and it is, as the gentleman from Alaska describes, a very unique area. It is unlike anywhere else in America.

When you get out into these remote villages, you may fly in in a small Cessna airplane, land on a gravel strip, as I have done, and get out, and there may only be 25 or 50 people there. That is it.

By the way, in the winter, it can be--what?--50, 60 below. I have seen that. And I have seen it in spring at break where we had to try to take off three different times on a runway because it had begun to soften up. The snow had begun to soften up, and we had to get out of the plane, turn it around, get back in. Eventually, we had to leave one guy behind in order to get off the ground. This is a very unique place.

The poverty that the gentleman from Alaska describes is very real. So, yes, of course, I wish we had had more time to work this out.

And to my colleague from New York, he and I have worked out most of these things along the way quite well. This bill came to us late, and, frankly, we didn't have time to deal with all of the finite pieces. Perhaps we could go back in the next session and do that, but this is before us today. The problem is before us today.

I believe this is a reasonable solution and that we should pass it. So, Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to approve this bill and send it to the President. I commit to work to make it even better next year.

I won't be the chairman, I understand that, but Mr. Tonko, Mr. Speaker, will be, I think, the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee, and I would work with him and the gentleman from Alaska.

But this is the time, as we know, when things finally get done, and they may not be perfect, but in this case, I would err on the side of passing this bill and then fine-tweak it later if we have to.

This is a real serious issue in these tiny, remote, impoverished villages. I would defer to the gentleman from Alaska, who knows it better than any of us, and encourage passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to pay tribute, in closing, to our chief counsel on the committee, Karen Christian, who will be leaving us at the end of this Congress. She has been a remarkable member of the staff, engaged in the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee for years, doing incredible work, and is going off to greener pastures.

After 13 years in the committee, I just want to say to Karen: Thank you for your service. Thank you for your leadership. We are going to miss you. Good luck to you and your family

Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I'm convinced we have the best members in Congress and the best staff. In her thirteen years with the Committee, Karen Christian has been one of our finest. At the end of this Congress, Karen will move on, and while we are sad to see her do, we wish her well.

Karen joined the Committee in 2006 as a counsel on our Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. She's served as both the deputy chief counsel and chief counsel of that subcommittee, and for the last four years she

has served as general counsel of the Committee.

As deputy chief counsel, Karen led several major Committee investigations, including investigations into the Department of Energy's management of the Loan Guarantee Program, including a failed loan guarantee to Solyndra; the stimulus bill, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; cyber security and critical infrastructure, including an investigation of Huawei Technologies; and the Federal Communications Commission's handling of a license application from LightSquared.

As chief counsel, she led the Committee's investigations into General Motors ignition switch safety failures; the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including the failure of HealthCare.gov; the fungal meningitis outbreak due to contaminated drugs; mental health care and treatment, including federal programs related mental health and serious mental illness; the opioid addiction epidemic; and the Environmental Protection Agency's consideration of carbon capture technologies in developing greenhouse gas emissions standards for new power plants.

And as general counsel, Karen has been responsible for overseeing and managing the legislative process for the entire Committee--that includes a 27-hour, marathon markup in March 2017 and regularly battling to preserve the Committee's jurisdiction.

By every measure, Karen's time at the Committee has been a complete success. While we are sad to lose our friend, we look forward to seeing her next accomplishments.

Karen, we wish you and your family--Dave, Christian, Andrew, and Charlotte the very best. We thank you for your service, your hard work, your guidance, and most of all your friendship. Your work made a difference . . . America is better because of your efforts.

Thank you and remember--at Energy and Commerce, the fun never stops.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to S. 1934, which would roll back public health standards under the Clean Air Act for dirty diesel generating units in remote areas of Alaska.

This legislation would undermine protections for human health, protections for the environment, and protections for our climate.

Adding insult to injury, this bill is being brought up under suspension of the rules at the last minute, over the objections of Democrats.

The Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over the Clean Air Act and where I serve as the Environment Subcommittee ranking member, held no hearings on this subject nor considered any legislation relating to this matter.

EPA already gives special considerations for diesel generators in remote areas of Alaska. These special considerations allow remote areas to use stationary diesel generators that are certified to marine engine standards rather than more stringent land-based, nonroad engines.

However, all diesel generators in these areas that are model year 2014 or later, and not for emergency use, must be certified to meet EPA's tier 4 emission standards. If they cannot meet tier 4 standards, then they must meet certain alternative requirements for particulate matter or install an emission control device that reduces PM emissions.

S. 1934 directs the EPA Administrator to revise downward the existing New Source Performance Standards for diesel generators, so that these units would have to meet only EPA's tier 3 standards rather than the more protective tier 4 criteria.

Certainly, it is legitimate for Congress to consider assisting these remote areas with unique power needs and pollution problems. However, we should be looking to help these areas obtain cleaner, healthier air, not rolling back standards and pretending that the pollution and associated health and environmental problems don't exist.

Further, I note that the bill directs the EPA, in consultation with the Department of Energy, to submit a report assessing options for the Federal Government to meet the energy needs of remote areas in the State of Alaska in an affordable and reliable manner while addressing air emissions. That study is the right first step, and I would be happy to support it and then work with my colleagues to find ways to help these areas, based on the results of that particular study.

Unfortunately, this bill takes the backward approach of rolling back standards and then studying the problem. Perhaps if our Republican colleagues had come to us sooner than this week, we might have been able to find a way to come together on legislation.

Unfortunately, Republicans have chosen to take this up without consultation, at the last minute, over our objections. They have left us no option other than to fight. I wish it were otherwise.

For the past 2 years, the Trump administration has engaged in a consistent effort to undermine the Clean Air Act and its protections for everything from mercury and hazardous air pollutants to smog and particulate matter.

We have seen the Trump administration walk away from the Paris climate agreement, undo the Clean Power Plan, and gut fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for motor vehicles. We must continue to stand firm against these actions that endanger public health, our continued economic well-being, and most certainly our planet.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I urge my colleagues to stand up for our public health, for our climate, and against those continued rollbacks of our Nation's most successful environmental statute, the Clean Air Act.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote a strong ``no'' on S. 1934, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I respect and I share the gentleman's concern for the people of Alaska. I am talking about a bill that is drafted incorrectly. While it may be specific to Alaska, it is not specific to remote areas.

So we can share compassion for the people. I am just saying, if we had done this in regular order and exchanged dialogue with one another, perhaps the outcome would have been stronger.

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

Mr. Speaker, to Karen, from this side of the aisle, I wish her well, too. It was enjoyable working with her, and I look forward to working with the Members of the other side of the aisle in the 116th Congress on this issue and others.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, so I will close saying that I am concerned about the loosely defined language in this bill. I am concerned about the attacks on the Clean Air Act that are so important to all Americans.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I have 10 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Committee on Armed Services

The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 10 a.m. to conduct hearing on the following nominations: Anthony Kurta, of Montana, to be a Principal Deputy Under Secretary, and James E. McPherson, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of the Army, both of the Department of Defense, and Gregory E. Maggs, of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 9:30 a.m., in SD-366 to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Finance

The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 9 a.m., in SH-216 to conduct hearing on the bill entitled ``Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.''

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 10 a.m., in SD-430 to conduct hearing entitled ``Gene Editing Technology: Innovation and Impact''.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on S. 1928 and the following nominations: of Eric M. Ueland, of Oregon, to be an Under Secretary (Management), Lisa A. Johnson, of Washington, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia, Sean P. Lawler, of Maryland, to be Chief of Protocol, and to have the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service, Irwin Steven Goldstein, of New York, to be Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Rebecca Eliza Gonzales, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho, and routine lists in the Foreign Service, all of the Department of State.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on the President's Nuclear Authorities.

Select Committee on Intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 2:30 p.m., in SH-219 to conduct a closed hearing.

Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and

Data Security

The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 2:30 p.m., in SR-253 to conduct a hearing entitled ``Technology in Agriculture: Data-Driven Farming''.

Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity

Policy

The Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy of the Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing entitled ``American Leadership in the Asia-Pacific, Part 4: View from Beijing.''

Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety

The Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety of the Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 10 a.m., in SD-406 to conduct hearing on the following legislation: S. 1857, to establish a compliance deadline of May 15, 2023, for Step 2 emissions standards for new residential wood heaters, new residential hydronic heaters, and forced-air furnaces, S. 203, to reaffirm that the Environmental Protection Agency may not regulate vehicles used solely for competition, S. 839, to allow for judicial review of any final rule addressing national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for brick and structural clay products or for clay ceramics manufacturing before requiring compliance with such rule, and S. 1934, to prevent catastrophic failure or shutdown of remote diesel power engines due to emission control devices.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for bringing this up.

This is not a Trump bill. This is a bill that affects one area: Alaska. This bill was asked for by the people who live in Alaska, not New Yorkers, by people who need power, that have not had power. It has been put in, in the past, they can't meet these standards imposed by the EPA. It doesn't work in the cold climate. They do not have the money to buy new generators.

Some say we have to protect their health. The gentleman from New York is going to shut down the clinics, the schools, and individual homes that cannot be heated, because there will be no electricity. There are no roads.

I am talking about small villages, 60 people, 25 people. They all have generators now that are outdated, but that is the only thing they can afford.

You know, we hear a lot from that side of the aisle, and sometimes this

side, about how we are protecting the people. Well, let's see how you are protecting them when they don't have healthcare, and they don't have schools. You really are helping them out.

As usual, the other side of this aisle, unfortunately, stands on this House floor and says what is best for people when they haven't the slightest idea.

You know, I don't wish bad luck on anybody, but maybe we want to have a blackout in New York and see how you would feel in a snowstorm. Maybe we would have some people understand that you are affecting people's lives directly by not supporting this bill.

This is a Senate bill that passed unanimously, supported by Tom Carper, supported by Ed Markey, supported by, I think, every Senator. It doesn't have opposition on the House floor.

Unfortunately, this is under suspension, and you will probably have enough votes to defeat this bill. Go home and feel good, say: I did the Lord's work. I kept the air clean. I protected the people.

And you are full of it, really full of it. You are hurting the people, hurting my Alaskans, my rural Alaskans.

I stand on this floor and watch this time and time again. Why would you oppose something that is going to help people? Impose an unfunded mandate on these villages is what, very frankly, the EPA has done.

The new ones, I might see, but the ones that are established there, I would suggest, respectfully, we ought to let them use that, so they could have heat in their houses, not air-conditioning. They can keep their food frozen. They can have their clinics take care of their people. And their schools can stay open.

These rural communities of my Alaska Natives, that is who you are hurting.

I hear it all the time: We are going to help the impoverished. We are going to help the poor.

You are not helping them. You are hurting them.

When you go to sleep tonight in your nice, warm house, and you fly in your nice plane, and you get in your nice car and feel good about helping the poor people, I say you are hurting them.

I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.

A village has, probably, no roads, only an airport, small, fuel has to be shipped in by air or by boat.

It depends. In some areas, it is 3 hours, and you are having to fly in the fuel.

They have had this generator. They had enough money to buy it maybe 10, 15 years ago, and now they will have to put on a so-called air cleaner. They don't have the knowledge to run it, and it doesn't work.

Oh, 25, 50, 100. My village that I live in has got 550. That is all.

To give you an idea, if the gentleman would yield to me for a second: If you took Alaska, all the land east of the Mississippi River, to the Atlantic Ocean, to the tip of Maine, to the tip of Florida, that is part of Alaska. In that area that I am talking about, Maine to Florida, there are 253 Congressmen and 52 Senators. Think about that.

Think about that. Why I say that, there are no roads, and you are going to punish those people who finally got enough money to buy an older generator by the EPA, an unfunded mandate, and say you are helping them.

More than that. Usually, in that area, probably about $150,000, if.

By the way, there is no income. This is a poverty subsistence-style life.

They do have a school trying to improve their lot. They do have a clinic trying to help their health. But you are going take the power away because you want to keep the air pure?

Shame on you.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present for the vote today on the enrollment correction to H.R. 4174, the Foundations for Evidence- Based Policymaking Act of 2017 (Roll no. 483), I would have voted ``aye.''

On concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 4174, the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2017 (Roll no. 484), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 3277, the Space Frontier Act of 2018 (Roll no. 485), I would have voted ``no.''

On the House Amendment to S. 3661, the 75th Anniversary of World War II Commemoration Act (Roll no. 486), I would have voted ``aye.''

On concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2200, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Roll no. 487), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 1023, the Tropical Forest Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Roll no. 488), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 1158, the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018 (Roll no. 489), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 1580, the Protecting Girls' Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act (Roll no. 490), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 1862 the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017, as amended (Roll no.491), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 3247, the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (Roll no.492), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 512, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (Roll no. 493), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 1934, the Alaska Remote Generator Reliability and Protection Act (Roll no. 494), I would have voted ``no.''

On concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6287, the 9/11 Memorial Act (Roll no. 495), I would have voted ``aye.''

On S. 3456, a bill to redesignate Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge as the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, and for other purposes (Roll no. 496), I would have voted ``aye.''

On H.R. 7388, a bill to extend the National Flood Insurance Program, and for other purposes, (Roll call no. 497) I would have voted ``no.''

On the Motion to Fix the Convening Time (Roll call. no 498) I would have voted ``no.''

On H. Con. Res. 148, the enrollment correction to S. 3628, a bill to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (Roll call. no 499) I would have voted ``aye.''

Additionally, had I been present for the vote on S. 3628, a bill to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (Roll call. no 500) I would have voted ``aye.''