Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the continuing resolution, which extends government funding at current levels until we pass a full appropriations package for the next fiscal year.

It is my strong hope that this short-term extension will be the last one and that my colleagues across the aisle will acknowledge our solemn duty to exercise the power of the purse.

A continuing resolution that lasts a full year does not serve the American people. As the chair of the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, I can attest that the investments in the House interior bill would benefit all of our constituents, for those of us on both sides of the aisle.

The bill makes long-overdue investments to protect human health, to fight the climate emergency, and to meet our trust obligations to Tribal nations. It provides critical resources to rebuild the Federal workforce so that these agencies can meet their missions and better serve the public.

Failing to complete a full-year bill means no additional investments in the EPA to research and develop standards for harmful pollutants like PFAS, no further investments in domestic renewable energy, and insufficient resources for the healthcare of nearly 2.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Regardless of whether we pass a full-year bill, we can be certain that millions of Americans will be exposed to pollution, that healthcare costs will rise, and that our window for mitigating climate change will shrink.

To ignore these threats is not in the Nation's best interest, nor any of ours. We were sent to Congress to improve the lives and livelihoods of our constituents.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, but I encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to finish the bill.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research.

The Ad Hoc Group

for Medical Research,

November 15, 2021.

Hon. Rosa DeLauro,

Chair, Committee on Appropriations,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Kay Granger,

Ranking Member, Committee on Appropriations,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Patrick Leahy,

Chair, Committee on Appropriations,

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

Hon. Richard Shelby,

Vice Chair, Committee on Appropriations,

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairwoman DeLauro, Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member

Granger, and Vice Chairman Shelby: Thank you for your past

leadership in championing sustained, real growth in medical

research funding. As Congress begins to draft a final fiscal

year (FY) 2022 spending package, the 314 undersigned members

of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research urge you to invest

robustly in agencies and programs to improve the nation's

health and well-being, including base funding for the

National Institutes of Health (NIH), as a key national

priority and to finalize the appropriations process as

expeditiously as possible. The Ad Hoc Group for Medical

Research is a coalition of patient and voluntary health

groups, medical and scientific societies, academic and

research organizations, and industry, dedicated to enhancing

the federal investment in biomedical, behavioral, social, and

population-based research supported by the NIH.

We greatly appreciate that both the House-passed (H.R.

4502) and Senate draft Labor-HHS-Education spending bills

include strong increases for the NIH base in FY 2022, which

would provide greater hope and opportunity for every patient

awaiting a cure, every researcher working toward the next

breakthrough, and every aspiring scientist considering a

career in the lab. To maximize the potential of medical

research to make rapid progress toward these goals, we urge

you to provide at least $46.4 billion for NIH's base, as

included in the House-passed bill. Continuing the momentum of

the prior six years of bipartisan support for meaningful

funding growth in the NIH's existing institutes and centers

is key to ensuring that the nation can continue to accelerate

the development of life-changing cures, pioneering treatments

and diagnostics, and innovative preventive strategies.

Additionally, we appreciate that both bills ensure that the

new investment for the proposed Advanced Research Projects

Agency for Health (ARPA-H) supplements, rather than

supplants, the NIH's base. While complementary, NIH and ARPA-

H have distinct and important missions. As such, investment

in ARPA-H must not come at the expense of the NIH base.

Instead, to fully realize the benefits of the envisioned new

entity while simultaneously allowing NIH to keep pace with

discovery, an FY 2022 appropriation of at least $46.4 billion

for NIH's base budget is needed. Prioritizing strong

investments for foundational research discoveries funded by

the NIH will be critical to the success of the visionary new

research initiative, particularly as it builds its

operational capacity in its inaugural year and beyond.

Likewise, avoiding further delays in finalizing funding

determinations will enable both ARPA-Hand NIH's planned and

existing programs to be maximally efficient and strategic in

their work in FY 2022.

To that end, our organizations strongly support an approach

to the final FY 2022 spending package that avoids additional

CRs past December. Aside from the budget implications, CRs

create inefficiencies and add uncertainty to a system that is

already

under stress with the continued reverberations of the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic. We strongly urge you to work swiftly in

securing bipartisan, bicameral agreement on topline

discretionary spending allocations and to ensure any final

budget agreement reflects a strong commitment to the nation's

health.

Once again, we commend you for continuing to recognize the

incomparable value of the federal investment in the NIH, and

we look forward to working with you to secure $46.4 billion

for the agency's base in FY 2022, in addition to funding you

provide for ARPA-H.

Sincerely,

314 Signatories as of November 15, 2021

Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health,

Academic Pediatric Association, Academy for Eating Disorders,

Academy for Professionalism in Health Care, Academy for

Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research, ACT for NIH,

AdventHealth, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Alliance

for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM), Alliance for Aging

Research, ALS Association, Alzheimer's Association and

Alzheimer's Impact Movement, Alzheimer's Foundation of

America, American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP),

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, American

Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, American Academy

of Neurology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American

Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Association

for Anatomy, American Association for Cancer Research,

American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial

Research, American Association for the Advancement of

Science, American Association for the Study of Liver

Diseases, American Association of Chairs of Departments of

Psychiatry, American Association of Colleges of Nursing,

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine,

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American

Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training,

American Association of Immunologists, American Association

of Neurological Surgeons, American Association of

Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine, American

Association of Physicists in Medicine, American Association

of Veterinary Medical Colleges, American Brain Coalition,

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American

College of Academic Addiction Medicine (ACAAM), American

College of Cardiology.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,

American College of Physicians, American College of

Radiology, American College of Surgeons, American Council on

Education, American Gastroenterological Association American

Geriatrics Society, American Headache Society, American

Institute for Cancer Research, American Institute for Medical

& Biomedical Engineering, American Institute of Ultrasound in

Medicine, American Liver Foundation, American Lung

Association, American Massage Therapy Association, American

Pediatric Society, American Physiological Society, American

Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association,

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,

American Society for Investigative Pathology.

American Society for Microbiology, American Society for

Nutrition, American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental

Therapeutics, American Society for Reproductive Medicine

(ASRM), American Society for Virology, American Society of

Anesthesiologists, American Society of Hematology, American

Society of Human Genetics, American Society of Nephrology,

American Society of Neuroradiology, American Society of

Pediatric Nephrology, American Society of Radiologic

Technologists, American Surgical Association, American

Thoracic Society, American Urogynecologic Society, American

Urological Association, Anxiety and Depression Association of

America, Associated Medical Schools of New York.

Association for Anatomy, Cell Biology and Neurobiology

Chairs (AACBNC), Association for Clinical and Translational

Science, Association for Clinical Oncology, Association for

Prevention Teaching and Research, Association for

Psychological Science, Association for Research in Vision and

Ophthalmology (ARVO), Association of Academic Health Centers

(AAHC), Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries,

Association of Academic Physiatrists.

Association of American Cancer Institutes, Association of

American Medical Colleges, Association of American

Universities, Association of Bioethics Program Directors,

Association of Chairs of Departments of Physiology,

Association of Independent Research Institutes, Association

of Medical and Graduate Departments of Biochemistry (AMGDB),

Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs,

Association of Minority Health Professions Schools,

Association of Pathology Chairs, Association of Population

Centers, Association of Psychologists in Academic Health

Centers, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities,

Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO),

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health,

Association of University Professors of Neurology,

Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology,

Association of University Radiologists, Atrium Health, Autism

Speaks.

AVAC (AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition), Barnes-Jewish

Hospital, Bassett Healthcare Network, Biophysical Society,

BJC HealthCare, Boston Medical Center, Boston University,

Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Brown

University, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Case Western

Reserve University, CDH International, Cedars-Sinai, Child

Neurology Foundation, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta,

Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Hospital of

Philadelphia, Children's Mercy Kansas City,

Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, ChristianaCare.

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Clinical Research

Forum, Coalition for Clinical and Translational Science,

Coalition for the Life Sciences, College on Problems of Drug

Dependence, Columbia University, COMBINEDBrain, Conference of

Boston Teaching Hospitals, Congress of Neurological Surgeons,

Consortium of Social Science Associations, Cooley's Anemia

Foundation, Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Cornell

University, Council of University Directors of Clinical

Psychology, Council on Social Work Education, Crohn's &

Colitis Foundation, CURE Epilepsy, Cystic Fibrosis

Foundation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dartmouth-Hitchcock

Health.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Digestive Disease

National Coalition, Dravet Syndrome Foundation, Drexel

University, Duke Health, Duke University, Dystonia Medical

Research Foundation, East Carolina University, ECAN

Esophageal Cancer Action Network, Emory University, Endocrine

Society, Epilepsy Foundation, Federation of American

Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), Federation of

Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Fight

Colorectal Cancer, Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, Fox

Chase Cancer Center, Friends of the National Institute on

Drug Abuse, GBSICIDP Foundation International, Global Health

Technologies Coalition.

Global Liver Institute, Harvard University, HealthyWomen,

Henry Ford Health System, HIV Medicine Association, Hope For

Stomach Cancer, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai,

Indiana University, Indiana University Health, Infectious

Diseases Society of America, Initiative to End Alzheimer's

Disease Board of Visitors, International Foundation for

Gastrointestinal Disorders, International Society for Stem

Cell Research (ISSCR), Interstitial Cystitis Association,

JDRF, Jeffrey Modell Foundation, John & Amy Mewhiney Cancer

Foundation, Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, Joslin

Diabetes Center, KidneyCAN.

Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Lewy

Body Dementia Association, LGS Foundation, Lupus Foundation

of America, Lymphatic Education & Research Network, Magee-

Womens Research Institute and Foundation, March of Dimes,

Mass General Brigham, Medical College of Wisconsin, Medical

Image Perception Society, Medical Library Association,

Memorial Sloan Kettering, MemorialCare Health System,

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, METAvivor,

Michelson Center for Public Policy, Michelson Medical

Research Foundation, Michigan State University, Moffitt

Cancer Center, National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research.

National Alopecia Areata Foundation, National Association

for Biomedical Research, National Eczema Association,

National Fragile X Foundation, National Kidney Foundation,

National Pancreas Foundation, NephCure Kidney International,

New York Medical College, New York University, North American

Vascular Biology Organization, Northeastern University,

Nutrition & Medical Foods Coalition, NYU Langone Health,

Oakland University, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation,

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Patient Services, Inc.,

Pediatric Policy Council, Penn State University, Personalized

Medicine Coalition.

Population Association of America, Project Sleep, Prostate

Cancer Foundation, Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, Pulmonary

Hypertension Association, Radiological Society of North

America (RSNA), Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Association,

Research!America, RESOLVE: The National Infertility

Association, Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, Rosalind

Franklin University of Medicine and Science, RTI

International, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute,

Scleroderma Foundation, Sjogren's Foundation, Sleep Research

Society, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM),

Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine.

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Society for

Neuroscience, Society for Pediatric Radiology, Society for

Pediatric Research, Society for Reproductive Endocrinology

and Infertility, Society for Reproductive Investigation,

Society for Women's Health Research, Society of Academic

Associations of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine

(SAAAPM), Society of Behavioral Medicine, Society of General

Internal Medicine, Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Society

of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Society of

Skeletal Radiology, Society of Surgical Chairs, Society of

Toxicology (SOT), Society of University Surgeons, St. Louis

Children's Hospital, Stanford University, Stony Brook

University, Syngap1 Foundation.

Temple University, Texas A&M Health, The American College

of Rheumatology, The American Society for Transplantation and

Cellular Therapy, The Gerontological Society of America, The

Jackson Laboratory, The Maya's Wings Foundation, The Michael

J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, The Ohio State

University Wexner Medical Center, The State University of New

York,

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The

University of North Carolina System, The University of Texas,

Southwestern Medical Center, Triage Cancer, TSC Alliance,

Tulane University School of Medicine, UC San Diego, UCLA, UNC

Health and UNC School of Medicine, University of Arkansas for

Medical Sciences.

University of California, Irvine, University of Chicago

Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, University of

Colorado System, University of Connecticut, University of

Hawai'i System, University of Illinois College of Medicine,

University of Iowa, University of Maryland, Baltimore,

University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, University

of Michigan, University of Nebraska Medical Center,

University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh,

University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences, University of

Rochester, University of South Carolina, University of

Southern California, University of Washington, US Hereditary

Angioedema Association (HAEA).

USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, UVA Health,

Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center,

Virginia Commonwealth University, Washington State

University, Washington University in St. Louis, West Virginia

University, Yale University.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize and remember Army veteran, retired police lieutenant, and social justice advocate, Thomas Hobart Keller. He lived a life of service with a commitment to advocacy, and his indefatigable focus on fairness, kindness, and equality improved the lives of so many of my constituents.

Tom loved the ocean, residing at various times in Maine, Nova Scotia, and the Florida Keys. He was a foodie and a cook. He was fiercely devoted to his family and close friends. He was a Veteran for Peace. He embraced recovery to craft a life he described as ``second to none.'' And he was a pioneering law enforcement leader in Maine's movement to end violence against women. Tom both challenged and changed policing practices to better protect and support survivors. In his profession and as a volunteer and board member at the local women's shelter, he was compassionate, knowledgeable, and influential.

Tom knew that one's judgement did not define others so much as it defined oneself. To that end, he was accepting and open hearted. He faced death as he had lived--with dignity, grace, and good humor.

Tom Keller served his country and his community. He changed lives, and I am grateful for the legacy he left in my state and beyond.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor my constituent, Gerald E. Talbot, who is celebrating his 90th birthday this year and who I wish to recognize for his instrumental role in advancing civil and human rights in Maine and across the nation.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Gerry Talbot's activism was sparked when he participated in voter registration drives and was among only a handful of Mainers at the historic 1963 March on Washington, after which he became the founding president of the Portland, Maine, chapter of the NAACP. In that role, he helped pass the Maine Fair Housing Bill and the Maine Human Rights Act. As the state's first African American legislator, Gerry fought for a state holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr; and championed issues not traditionally addressed at the time, ranging from gun control and protections for migrant workers to fair housing and tribal sovereignty. In 1977, he sponsored Maine's first gay rights legislation.

Throughout his life, Gerry Talbot has worked to educate people about the Black experience. As an avid collector of books, posters, photographs, and other artifacts, as well as personal papers and records, he has helped document Black history in Maine and throughout the country. In 2006, he co-authored Maine's Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of its People. A sought-after speaker, Gerry generously shared access to his historical memorabilia wherever he went, and in order to inform generations to come, he donated it to the African American Collection of the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity at the University of Southern Maine.

In Maine, public service and a commitment to others is the backbone of our communities, and Gerry Talbot is a shining example of these important values and commitments. Schools and parks have been named in his honor, and honorary degrees have been awarded. Today I am privileged to recognize his (or Gerald E. Talbot's) contributions to my state by entering his story into the official record of our great nation.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Virginia Oliver, who at 101 years old is Maine's, and perhaps the world's, oldest lobster harvester.

Known as Ginny to her friends, and affectionately called ``The Lobster Lady'' by us at home, Mrs. Oliver has been hauling traps off and on since the age of seven, a decade before World War II and at a time when few women were working on the water. When asked recently how much longer she'll continue lobstering, she shared that she has no plans to stop.

Three long days a week, May through November, Mrs. Oliver and her son Max tend their traps off Rockland, working one of the most hazardous jobs in the country. She pilots the boat named after her, cleans and fills bait bags, and measures and bands lobsters.

In Maine we take great pride in our strong work ethic, and Virginia Oliver, The Lobster Lady, is a bright example of why that pride is well-placed. I am honored to recognize this Mainer's contribution to our heritage lobster industry.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act.

I am so grateful for the leadership of Chair DeLauro, who I know has worked tirelessly on this critical legislation, and for the staff, who I know haven't slept much lately.

This bill maintains current government services so that the important work funded through the Interior bill, such as preserving our natural and cultural resources and upholding our responsibilities to Native Americans and Alaska Natives, can continue.

I am pleased that this bill also contains supplemental funding to provide desperately needed relief from the devastation caused by climate change, extreme weather events, and catastrophic wildland fire.

This bill provides $1.8 billion to agencies in the Interior bill for expenses related to the consequences of wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters that have occurred since 2019.

Western States, as we all know, are battling more and more historic high-intensity wildfires, so I am especially pleased that the bill includes $230 million for hazardous fuels activities and $220 million for post-wildfire restoration efforts at the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service. Such activities are essential to watershed protection, critical habitat, and burned area recovery in our Nation's forests.

These investments are essential to meet these current needs in such a critical time. Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding the time. I thank her and Ranking Member Granger for their leadership on this committee.

I rise to support the fiscal year 2022 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

I also want to thank Ranking Member Joyce for his collaboration and partnership through this process. It is truly a privilege and a pleasure to work with him.

I want to thank the hardworking committee staff, Rita Culp, who is our clerk; Jocelyn Hunn; Janet Erickson; Kusai Merchant; Tyler Coe; Marcel Caldwell; and also my personal staff, Evan Johnston, Lisa Pahel, and Katie Bergh. We couldn't do it without all of their hard work.

For fiscal year 2022, the subcommittee is recommending a total of $43.4 billion for the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill. This is an increase of $7.3 billion over last year's enacted level, which is a 20 percent increase. I am proud this bill makes long-overdue investments to care for our planet, to fight climate emergency, and to meet our trust obligations to Tribal nations.

The bill prioritizes the protection and preservation of our landscapes and biodiversity, providing $15.6 billion for the Department of the Interior.

It supports the administration's initiatives on climate change, such as the Civilian Climate Corps, and affirms the role of science as the foundation for decisionmaking. It funds a national initiative to reclaim abandoned mines and cap orphan oil and gas wells, and it makes investments in renewable energy development, including offshore wind.

Climate change is causing more extreme weather events and drought conditions, as well as worsening existing problems such as the spread of invasive species. These factors are all contributing to the increasing threat of high-intensity wildfires in the West.

The Interior bill not only provides $5.7 billion for wildland fire management but it also invests in programs to improve the health of our forests and make them more resilient.

The bill also includes major investments to clean up pollution and protect human health and the environment. The bill provides $11.4 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, the highest level in the Agency's history.

Across the country, Superfund cleanups are delayed because of the lack of funding. This bill boosts Superfund spending by 27 percent and will accelerate the pace of cleanup of toxic chemicals from the country's most contaminated sites.

The bill adopts a whole-of-government approach to address environmental justice and invests an unprecedented $248 million in these efforts.

Additionally, the bill provides $4 billion for grant programs to make drinking water and sewer system improvements, remove lead from our taps, improve air quality, and strengthen our Nation's recycling infrastructure.

These grants have profound impacts on public health and the environment, but they are also economic drivers that create good-paying American jobs.

Following our work in the CARES and the American Recovery Plan Acts, this bill supports the arts and humanities by providing $201 million for both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The cultural sector has been particularly devastated by COVID-19, and this funding will help to support relief and recovery for community organizations across the country.

Finally, this bill supports Native American families by investing in a strong and resilient Indian Country, including through education and healthcare programs.

Within the Department of the Interior, the bill invests $4 billion in Indian Affairs programs, including an additional $180 million to address climate change impacts. For Indian Health Services, the bill provides an additional $1.9 billion toward meeting Federal treaty and trust obligations for healthcare.

The investments in this bill would improve the lives of Americans, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chair of the full Appropriations Committee, who has done an incredible job pulling all of these challenging issues together and putting this funding bill on the floor today.

The activities of January 6 were terrifying, whether you were sitting here in this Chamber or whether you were watching from anywhere around this country or around the world, viewing a violent assault on our democracy.

Thanks to the work of the Capitol Police and others in law enforcement, the loss of lives was so much less than they could have been. But as we all know, very tragically there were losses of life in our Capitol Police. Our police were brutally beaten, and we could watch it all happen.

That is why I rise today in support of this emergency security supplemental appropriations bill. The bill is the product of months of careful and deliberate analysis of the resource needs to enhance the security at the Capitol.

I am privileged to be the chair of the Appropriations Committee's Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. I strongly support the funding this bill would provide to the National Park Service. Large-scale special events and demonstrations are a common occurrence in the District of Columbia, and they often move from the National Mall to the Capitol complex. U.S. Park Police and Capitol Police work closely to share information and law enforcement resources to handle these events.

The funds provided in this bill would be used to backfill the Park Service's resources that were unexpectedly depleted during the January 6 attack and to prepare the agency for possible future threats.

I believe that it is critical that Congress provide sufficient resources to meet the security challenges, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair and the ranking member, who have shown a true willingness to address the impact climate change has had on our oceans; and to Congresswoman Bonamici and Congressman Young for their leadership on ocean and climate issues.

I rise today in support of the gentlewoman's bill, H.R. 1447, the Coastal and Ocean Acidification Stressors and Threats Research Act, a bipartisan bill that would expand scientific research and monitoring to improve our understanding of ocean acidification.

Our oceans absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide each year. That process is critical for regulating the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, but this comes at a high cost for oceans and dependent marine life.

Coastal communities produce about 40 percent of our Nation's total jobs and 45 percent of our gross domestic product. Given those significant numbers, the financial implications will ripple across all American communities if this problem continues to intensify.

We are already experiencing these impacts in my home State of Maine. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99 percent of the world's oceans, and it is particularly susceptible to the effects of ocean acidification.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, my State is renowned for its lobster and shellfish, so you can imagine we take this threat seriously. Bill Mook, an oyster farmer on Maine's Damariscotta River, has explained to me how he has adjusted his operations to mitigate for ocean acidification. Bill and so many growers are worried about how future oyster production will be affected when the problem outpaces the adaptations that can be made.

I support the COAST Research Act because it would strengthen investments in ocean acidification research and monitoring, increase our understanding of the socioeconomic effects of ocean acidification, and more.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1447. It is critical that we act to protect our oceans and our coastal communities so they are here for future generations.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember an extraordinary Maine woman, Laura Cole.

Laura lived her life purposefully, offering help and engendering hope and happiness as a partner, parent, volunteer, friend, business owner, and citizen of Maine. She understood the power of one person's voice and helping hand, and her spirit was contagious.

Laura exemplified the words of Edward Hale, ``I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.''

It seems there was very little that Laura did not do, and she received several awards for her efforts, including the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2012, the Responder of the Year Award in 2013, and the New Maine Business of the Year for York County, Maine, in 2019. She spearheaded her community's Operation Santa program for kids and the annual Lebanon Community Festival. In the midst of this winter that has been darkened by a pandemic, she created two acres of holiday lights for the community to enjoy from their cars and drop off canned food to donate to local food pantries. And she used proceeds from her event photography business to support End 68 Hours of Hunger and buy lunches to support local restaurants and donate to first responders.

Not only did Laura devote her life to acts of kindness and caring, her final gifts were organ and tissue donations, providing lifesaving help and health to over a dozen people. In her honor, the family has established Laura's Legacy of Love as a living memorial project with a simple mission--to promote kindness by paying it forward in her name.

I am proud to have represented Laura Cole in the U.S. Congress--an indefatigable young woman who loved Maine and set an extraordinary example for us all.

Madam Speaker, today we honor Stephen M. Culpovich, who is retiring

after serving Maine communities as a Postmaster for three decades.

Steve has dedicated his career to public service, serving in the U.S. Air Force before working twenty-two years as a Postmaster in Round Pond, then eight years in Rockport. As a public servant, Steve continuously went above and beyond, greeting each customer with a smile and good cheer.

Steve's retirement today is all the more remarkable because he originally intended to retire in March 2020. But as the world fell into chaos due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Steve made the courageous decision to stay on the job. Even though it meant working long days, a daily two-hour round-trip commute, and risking his safety, Steve refused to abandon his community during the most uncertain days of the pandemic.

It is because of people like Steve that Maine has a reputation for being ``the way life should be.'' Our state is a much better place because of his vital work and his ability to form deep and trusting relationships with the people of Midcoast Maine. As he moves onto his next adventure, I wish him all the best.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition of July as American Grown Flowers Month.

As co-chair of the House Cut Flowers Caucus, I know the buy local movement has encouraged customers to buy not only their food, but also their flowers, from local farmers. People want to support the small family farm down the road, whether it is lettuce or lilies.

The cut flower industry creates jobs, benefits our local economies, and naturally encourages us to embrace our planet's natural beauty.

For farmers, cut flowers allow us to preserve open spaces, participate in sustainable agriculture, and, many times, support women- owned businesses.

In my home State of Maine, where I represent many small farms, more than 250 farms sell cut flowers, from the Snell Family Farm in Buxton to Lazy Acres Farm in Farmingdale.

This is an industry worth upwards of $1 million to our economy and has seen such rapid growth in recent years that we have many flower CSAs for local customers. The new interest in locally sourced flowers has allowed farmers to diversify their crops and boost their income.

In Maine, nationally recognized as ``Vacationland,'' cut flowers are essential to our tourism industry. Flowers decorate wedding venues, hotels, and restaurants across our State. And when you are celebrating something as special as a wedding or a long-awaited vacation, shouldn't everything, down to the flowers on the table, have some meaning?

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to congratulate Opera Maine on its 25th anniversary season.

Since its inception, opera has mirrored and challenged culture, politics, and power. And now, in our fast-paced world, opera invites us to slow down. It is bold and extravagant, and it evokes emotion unlike other art forms. Both passionate and beautiful, opera is an antidote to our busy lives, showcasing voices both powerful and exquisite, honed by years of training.

I am grateful to Opera Maine for bringing acclaimed, nationally and internationally known vocal artists to the state. They have developed a reputation for creativity, sophistication, and artistic excellence, and they have played a key role in educating the next generation of aspiring theater performers.

As Maine's creative culture continues to grow and receive well- deserved recognition, I want to thank Opera Maine for 25 years of enhancing the quality of life in our beloved state.

I commend them--the little opera company that could--for their outstanding leadership and success, and for many years of entertainment and inspiration.

Bravo.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of World Refugee Day and in support of the community of refugees who have resettled in my district.

One of these refugees is Kifah Abdulla, who lived in Baghdad until war broke out at home. He spent over 8 years as a prisoner of war. He was isolated because of his activism against the dictatorship.

He was a refugee for 11 years in Amman, Jordan, and 5 years in the Netherlands, before coming to Portland, Maine in 2011. He is now an Arabic teacher, a published poet, a performer, and an activist.

There is a reason America has signed international treaties and passed laws giving shelter to those fleeing persecution. Many refugees, like Mr. Abdulla, were jailed or tortured because they protested, organized, or challenged their government. These values are at the core of our Nation.

Every year, refugees travel 1.2 billion miles in search of safety. And right now, we are in the midst of the greatest refugee crisis since World War II. Sadly, when people fleeing the violence need us most, the administration has dramatically reduced refugee admissions.

In a Nation where nearly all of us have come ``from away,'' as we say in Maine, I urge us all to make our communities warm, safe, and welcoming to refugees across the globe.

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for yielding me time, and I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman) for raising concerns that I think many of us have. But in this case, I am supporting this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I have long fought to protect the health of our oceans and the sea life that inhabit them. That is why I have opposed the Trump administration's plan to drill in the gulf of Maine since day one. And I am proud that this Chamber recently passed our ocean acidification bill.

Along with my colleague from Maine's Second District, we represent 90 percent of all the lobster landings in the United States. Lobster is an iconic symbol of our State, especially this time of year when Mainers and visitors from across the country enjoy our coastline and our food.

I am proud of our very well-managed and highly restrictive lobster fishery of responsible operators. We need to work together on a new peer-reviewed tool to address this problem.

Our State also is the home of a vibrant conservation movement that supports marine conservation and protecting the right whale. We have been successful over the past several years in creating tools with NOAA, our lobster industry, and conservationists. Indeed, the State of Maine has been actively involved in right whale conservation and worked with NOAA in the past to ensure that our State is doing all we can to keep whales safe in our very active fisheries.

Unfortunately, in April, NOAA's Large Whale Take Reduction Team announced a plan to reduce right whale deaths that forced lobstermen to reduce their vertical lines by 50 percent. This risk-reduction tool, as my colleague mentioned, has not gone through a peer-review process despite significant concerns from the stakeholders that should be addressed. It does not account for many of the issues specific to the gulf of Maine.

Mr. Chair, for that reason, I urge my colleagues to stand for a fair process, and I support this amendment.

Madam Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment.

Madam Chair, I am sorry to say that I have to oppose the amendment from the gentleman from Oklahoma and appreciate his thoughts, but he is completely wrong.

The amendment is a harmful rider that would prohibit the EPA from considering the social cost of carbon as part of rulemakings.

The ``social cost of carbon'' may sound a little confusing to people, but, frankly, it is an estimate of the economic damages associated with the small increase in carbon dioxide emissions in a given year. It represents, currently, our best scientific information available for incorporating the impacts from carbon pollution into regulatory analysis.

Weakening or eliminating the use of the social cost of carbon as a tool for Federal agencies would ignore the sobering cost of health, environmental and economic impacts of extreme weather, rising temperatures, intensifying smog, and other impacts.

We just cannot afford to abandon science at this critical moment in time. Our country needs to face the challenges ahead of us with climate change and have the best scientific tools available, and this is one.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I do appreciate my colleague from Oklahoma clarifying that it is a big State for renewables and Texas is as well, and I encourage them to continue farther down that path because that is certainly an important challenge that we have to overcome is having more renewables in our country.

I would again say that climate change is the greatest environmental threat that mankind has ever faced. We need to deploy every available tool at our disposal and address this crisis, including the best available science and economics, which I believe is also represented in the social cost of carbon analysis.

I strongly oppose the Mullin amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader).

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this amendment, and I thank my colleague from the Appropriations Committee for doing this. This is an important amendment that would prohibit any changes to the Job Corps centers or their closure.

I appreciate that Secretary Perdue has announced his change of heart, but I want to make sure that the administration doesn't change the plan again.

I think everyone else has said it very articulately. These are really important operations. They teach our young people a tremendous number of things. They provide full-time and temporary jobs. In New England-- as on the West Coast, I am sure--we need a lot of these people to help us with some of the challenges that are going on today.

The Department of Labor had previously announced a proposal to close nine of the facilities. That would have impacted 356 full-time and 107 temporary and contract employees. More than 3,000 students were at risk of losing the opportunity to develop the skills and work experience they need to get jobs, and that would include the 966 students at centers that have been proposed for closure.

Our Nation would lose out as well. We have already heard some of the ways that would happen on the West Coast, as it certainly would on the East Coast as well. These are countless hours for young people in conservation work, forest restoration work, and wildland firefighting.

To quote a USDA web page, I will say that ``there has never been a time when Civilian Conservation Centers were more necessary or a more worthwhile investment in our Nation's future.''

Mr. Chair, I concur with the gentleman, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment, which would strike section 117 from the bill.

I have been a strong opponent of the current administration's offshore drilling proposals. I am proud to have the chance to manage this time in opposition to this amendment, which would be so devastating to States like my home State of Maine.

I want to start by correcting a mischaracterization that I think has been made. The description of the gentleman's amendment states that it is removing language from the Interior bill ``which prohibits funds'' for the administration's 5-year offshore drilling plan. That is actually not correct.

The language in the bill does not prohibit the administration from working on its plan. What the language in section 117 does is to tell the Interior Department that if it moves forward with oil and gas activities in 2020, it must do so only with respect to lease sales that have been through the entire approval and review process spelled out in the law.

Our language recognizes the fact that the 2017 offshore drilling plan under the previous Presidential administration is the only plan that has completed all the steps required by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Because of

that, we agree that the Interior Department is free to continue to implement the previous 2017 narrow plan.

In the meantime, it is true that the current administration is working on a new oil and gas drilling plan that would cover the 2019 to 2024 timeframe. This new plan, if implemented, would open up the entire East and West Coasts to drilling.

To date, the current administration has put out one iteration of its plan, with two more to go. Despite not having completed the process, the administration has acknowledged it is already conducting pre-lease work in the mid-Atlantic, south Atlantic, and southern California planning areas.

The budget for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management states that it is preparing ``four new environmental impact statements for the lease sales that are planned in early 2020 or early 2021,'' which is where the problem comes in.

The new 5-year plan, which is nothing more than a work in progress, is under siege, both from the courts and a complete lack of political support. In late March, a Federal court reinstated the moratorium in the north Atlantic planning area. That decision has essentially frozen work on the new plan.

In fact, the Secretary told me, under questioning in an Interior Subcommittee hearing last month, that he did not know the outcome of the proposed plan. He said a new plan wasn't ``imminent.'' He was also quick to point out that no previous 5-year plan has ever included drilling in a State that was opposed to such activity.

If that is his bottom line, then he might as well throw in the towel right now as there is not a single State along the Atlantic or Pacific Coasts that is in favor of drilling.

My home State of Maine has a $5.6 billion tourism industry, 71 percent of which comes directly from the Maine coast. Thirty thousand Mainers make their living in marine industries. Our world-famous lobster fishery alone brings in $500 million annually.

Our Governor, our Senators, our congressional delegation, and many of our cities and towns oppose the OCS drilling proposal.

As nearly one-third of the United States population lives in the coastal areas impacted by this proposal, and there is broad bipartisan opposition to this issue, moving forward makes no sense, either fiscally or practically.

The language in our Interior bill simply supports that position. It says to follow the law, complete all procedural steps, including responding to the concerns of the American public, the concerns of their Governors, and the concerns of their Members of Congress, before moving forward on individual drilling projects.

To the Department, it says to save its money until it completes the process and finds out if it can drill for oil off the coast of South Carolina or off the coast of Florida or off the coast of California.

Following a well-thought-out process, especially one contained in law, shouldn't be controversial, and I don't think it is.

As such, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment offered by the gentleman from Louisiana; protect our coastlines from Maine to Florida, from Washington State to California; and support the process contained in the OCS Lands Act.

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

Mr. Chair, I am sorry to disagree, but I hope that my colleagues won't be fooled by the comments coming from the proponents of this amendment.

This is not about energy security or energy imports and exports. It is not about jobs. Instead, this is about whether the Interior Department is going to be held to the same procedural standard we expect every other department and agency to adhere to.

Mr. Chair, if my colleagues think the Department of the Interior should follow the law and complete the process, then I urge them to oppose the gentleman's amendment.

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