Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Colorado Model Railroad Museum at the Greeley Freight Station.

Throughout our history, Colorado has been known for its numerous scenic railroads. Now this great state is also known around the world for housing America's finest railroad of another type--a model railroad. Just as the great railroads of America started with the dream of one man, so did the Greeley Freight Station Museum.

This story begins with a man named David Trussell, who grew up around the railroads and began modeling them early in his life. After serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Mr. Trussell bought his first newspaper business and began his journey towards his greatest achievement. Mr. Trussell moved to Greeley, Colorado, to publish the Greeley Tribune, which he owned from 1990-1997. The Trussells fell in love with Colorado and Mr. Trussell decided to build his dream in this great state. He wanted to see if he could construct the ``ultimate'' model railroad. He purchased land directly between the Union Pacific mainline from Denver to Cheyenne and the Great Western Railroad's Greeley branch line. The plan was to build a new facility to house a 5,500 square-foot model railroad. A dedication for the building was held on February 11th, 2004. After more than five and a half years of construction, the Greeley Freight Station Museum opened its doors to the public on Memorial Day weekend of 2009. 1,800 visitors enjoyed the grand opening.

Since its inception 10 years ago, the museum has become one of the largest year-round attractions in Northern Colorado. During its first 4 years of operation, the museum saw more than 60,000 visitors, and most of that time, the museum was only open one day per week. With visitors from all 50 states in the first year and from over 45 different foreign countries since opening, the museum has become an international attraction, and is now open daily during the summer months of high tourism.

The museum has been showcased on the cover of three international model railroading magazines and has been the feature of the PBS show, ``Tracks Ahead''. The economic impact for Greeley and Weld County from the influx of visitors has been substantial and with the increase in motor coach tours to the museum, it will only continue to grow. This family-friendly museum has been ``bursting at the seams,'' so to speak, and now has outgrown its name too. Due to the increase in out-of-state and out-of-country visitors, the Greeley Freight Station Museum celebrated the tenth anniversary of its dedication on February 11, 2014, with a new name. The museum will now be the Colorado Model Railroad Museum at the Greeley Freight Station. Please join me in congratulating the Colorado Model Railroad Museum on its success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Colorado Farm Show on its 50th anniversary.

Each year, the three-day Colorado Farm Show in Weld County showcases agricultural successes. The Colorado Farm Show displays 350 agriculture-related exhibits and draws more than 30,000 visitors from throughout the region. The exhibitors this year were from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana, and came to Greeley, Colorado to present state of the art machinery, farm products, and farm services. The event, which started from humble beginnings in 1964, has now grown to be one of the Nation's largest agricultural shows. It is so popular among those in the agricultural business that there is a waiting list to join.

Over 100 volunteers annually contribute to the show's successes and donate more than 8,200 hours of their time. The volunteers assist in tasks ranging from administration to maintaining buildings and grounds. One of the many great committees works directly with education and organizes thirty speakers to discuss various programs and seminars.

Further, the show is dedicated to training the next generation of people who are engaged in farming. Thus far, the Colorado Farm Show has given over $123,000 to Colorado high school seniors who are interested in careers in agriculture.

It is with great pride and honor that I recognize the Colorado Farm Show today. Please join me in congratulating them on 50 great years of tradition and continued agricultural success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Greeley Chorale, which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year. The Chorale, which originated in 1964 as a community chorus, performs a variety of choral masterpieces from classical to contemporary and sacred to secular. Since its inception, it has been led by several directors who have each worked diligently to garner international exposure and develop the talents of the group's ninety-four singers.

The Greeley Chorale has conducted eight international tours. In 1985, the Chorale completed a tour of Germany, the Netherlands, England, and Wales. Three years later, the Chorale was invited by the governments of the United States and Australia to sing at the opening ceremony of the World's Fair in Brisbane, Australia. In 1992, Greeley Chorale was selected as one of only three choirs to perform in the Vienna International Choral Festival, and during their 1996 tour of Scotland and England, the chorale performed the inaugural concert for the renovation of the Chapel Royale in Stirling Castle in Scotland. More recently, the Chorale has visited China, Italy, and Ireland. They performed a series of concerts in each country.

At home, the Greeley Chorale works to engage the community by providing citizens with the opportunity to experience the performance of choral masterpieces as both artists and patrons. The continued vision of the Chorale in promoting classical, innovative and educational opportunities is extremely valuable to this region and to all of Colorado. Please join me in congratulating the Chorale for its fifty years of success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the dedicated men and women who have assisted the State of Colorado in our effort to recover from the devastating floods last September.

On September 11, Colorado experienced a major flood event which took the lives of beloved neighbors, destroyed over 2,000 homes and damaged 17,000 others. Our communities, friends, and neighbors had their lives changed forever and are still putting the pieces back together and rebuilding.

In the wake of the flood, local and State officials, private businesses and individuals, first responders, National Guard, FEMA personnel, and dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly to help Coloradans get life back to normal. While the recovery effort remains unfinished and won't be complete for some time, we are on a positive path forward. If it hadn't been for the committed and devoted people on the ground, Colorado would not be on that path today.

As with all natural disasters and tragedies of this magnitude, Coloradans rallied together and helped in the recovery effort. We still have more work to do. But I want to recognize on the House floor all those who joined together in these recovery efforts and helped Colorado in a desperate time of need.

As a fifth-generation Coloradan, I offer my deep appreciation on behalf of the State.

Madam Chair, I thank the chairman for his work on this very important issue, and my colleague from Colorado (Mr. Tipton) for his hard work to protect Colorado water rights.

You know, if you go to the capitol of Colorado, you go into the rotunda of that great and beautiful building, there on the wall on a mural are the words of a poem by Thomas Hornsby Ferril, and that poem says: ``Here is a land where life is written in water.''

The foundational laws of our great State deal with the waters of Colorado, the four corners of our State, whose agriculture, commerce, industry, and municipalities depend on that water and, yes, our ski industries, our farmers, our ranchers.

Thank goodness for legislation like this that will protect our water rights. Thank goodness for legislation like this that will make sure that the State's water law remains supreme.

How dare this body think that the Federal Government has a right to control our water or to condition permits based on the blackmail of a permit issuance from a ski resort, from a farmer, from a city.

These rights have gone through Colorado water law for decades, over a century. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent in Colorado to adjudicate these rights.

To think that the Federal Government can come in and take them because they won't issue a permit unless you give it to them, that is a taking of water. The Federal Government has no right to do that.

It is our State law in water that remains supreme. It is our State law that must remain supreme when it comes to the water of our land.

Here is a land where life is written in water. Those words will remain in our great State. Our laws will remain, and thank goodness for legislation like this to make sure that our State can control its water, not Washington, D.C.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tom Clements of Monument, Colorado. Mr. Clements served for two years as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections and made many improvements to the prisons of Colorado before he tragically lost his life in March of 2013.

During his time at the Colorado Department of Corrections, Mr. Clements had an enormous impact on Colorado's prison system. He implemented reforms to benefit staff and inmates and developed innovative solutions to some of the Department's most persistent problems. Mr. Clements also worked to improve the lives of Coloradans both inside and outside of the prison system by providing inmates with the counseling and skills necessary to become successful members of society upon release. In rehabilitating these individuals, Mr. Clements helped create a better future for our state.

The loss of Mr. Clements has been a loss for all of Colorado. His kindness, compassion, and dedication to public service must never be forgotten. Please join me in remembering this extraordinary man.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Cleon Kimberling. He was recently inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame because of 50 years of leadership in the agricultural industry as a veterinarian and member of the Colorado State University Department of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Kimberling received his Bachelor's Degree and DVM at Colorado State University and then earned a Masters of Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Since then, he has devoted his time to Colorado State University students and those in the agriculture industry in Colorado. His vocation has allowed him to focus on herd health management of dairy livestock, range beef cattle and range sheep. His expertise in range sheep management is unrivaled and has benefitted many, many producers. Dr. Kimberling's work has taken him from the high mountains and plains in Colorado, to the Navajo Nation and to over 15 countries around the world.

Dr. Kimberling's work has resulted in the development of surgical instruments for animals, and tests for several diseases in various animals. His inventions have earned him a U.S. patent and brought efficiencies to the agricultural industry. He has written two books, authored five chapters, fourteen auto-tutorials, fifty-four referenced journal articles, as well as a host of other educational resources.

Because of his teaching and his expertise in Veterinary Medicine, he has received many awards and recognition over the last fifty years. However, many of his contemporaries note that even though he is a recognized veterinarian, his true impact in this world has been in his role as a passionate teacher. The number of veterinarians he has trained, both at CSU and around the world is countless. His caring, sharing and teaching are only a part of who he is. His contributions to the health and productivity of Colorado's livestock industry, along with his dedication to Colorado State University students and his overall improvement to mankind are examples for all to follow. I am honored to recognize him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Norman Dalsted, who was recently inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Dr. Dalsted was born and raised in North Dakota, and was active in FFA. He attended North Dakota State University. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served in the Panama Canal Zone and Vietnam. Dr. Dalstead's military career has always been a large part of his life, and he has shared his experiences with his students every year. His glimpses into the past have made tremendous impacts on his students. He received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University, and was immediately hired as an extension farm management specialist. He was promoted to Professor in 1992.

Dr. Dalsted is known throughout Colorado for his enterprise budgets for agriculture commodities grown in Colorado. These budgets have been updated regularly and are still in use some thirty years after first being published. During the tumultuous years of the early 1980s, Dr. Dalsted organized a series of training programs for agriculture lenders across the state. The programs provided basic training in financial statements, ratio analysis, enterprise budget and whole farm analysis, and business organizational form. Lenders used this knowledge and educated others by holding private seminars for local agriculture producers.

In the late 1980s, Dr. Dalsted spent a significant portion of his time researching new Chapter 12 Bankruptcy protection options for farming operations. He wrote several scholarly papers on the subject. He used his expertise to help local producers reorganize their struggling operations. He eventually found himself involved in many Chapter 12 cases across the state and continues to be an expert in cases today.

Dr. Dalsted was also part of the Integrated Ranch Management program at Colorado State University. He helped develop several classes that covered basic economic concepts and tolls in the context of ranch management. From this, several software programs were developed that could be used by producers to assist in making management decisions. Dr. Dalsted's research at CSU has resulted in an impressive list of publications in journals, articles, chapters in books, proceedings, software programs and university publications. He has also been recognized by students as an outstanding teacher and educator. Dr. Dalsted has had a long and distinguished career at Colorado State University and in Colorado agriculture and it is my honor to recognize him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Les Hardesty. Mr. Hardesty, a native of Colorado and leader in the dairy industry, has been a true visionary and unrivaled advocate for the local, Colorado, and national dairy industry.

After Mr. Hardesty graduated from Colorado State University, he and his wife started Painted Prairie Dairy. He and his family were involved in that undertaking for thirty years. It was during that time that he and his family saw the need to educate people about the dairy industry. He built an education facility, the Cozy Cow Dairy in Windsor, Colorado, and used it as a showcase farm. The Cozy Cow dairy featured a visible milking parlor and provided an up-close experience for tens of thousands of visitors. Many families have been able to see the true face of the dairy industry because of Mr. Hardesty's efforts. Even though he was busy running the dairies, Mr. Hardesty still found time to become involved in dairy organizations and became a respected leader in many of them.

His expertise in global dairy marketing and his understanding of the national dairy pricing system earned him a solid reputation among producers. His specialized experiences in dairy farm business, exports, global dairy issues, dairy production, dairy processing, as well as pricing issues and marketing techniques, made him a tremendous asset to our nation's dairy farms.

Mr. Hardesty has been described as an open-minded man of great integrity with superior family values. He has given himself selflessly for the betterment of the dairy industry and agriculture in general. I am honored to recognize him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. John Adent who was recently inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame. Mr. Adent was awarded the Rising Star in Agriculture award for 2014. He grew up on a fruit orchard and hog farm in southwestern Michigan. There, he developed a love for agriculture. He graduated from DePaul University with a double major in Economics and Chinese.

After graduation, Mr. Adent joined Ralston Purina management training program and was given the opportunity to spend time in Canada, Korea, and Taiwan. That training eventually paid off, as he was named Director of Business Development of several international markets, including China and the Philippines. He was promoted to vice president of operations for Europe in 1998. He eventually became the Managing Director for Agribrands Europe Hungary, the number one executive position in the company's fastest growing region.

John then made a change and joined the team at Lextron, Inc., a Colorado-based company. Lextron, now Animal Health International, has grown under his leadership by leaps and bounds. His vision and direction along with his strategic planning has grown the company to over 150 employees in Colorado and over 1400 across the United States and Canada. In 2012, Mr. Adent served as the chairman of the National FFA Foundation Sponsors Board. He is currently working with a team to expand the number of secondary agriculture education programs in Larimer County, Colorado.

His leadership of one of North America's premier companies based in Colorado, his strong support for youth, and his passion for agriculture make Mr. Adent a rising star in Colorado agriculture. I am honored to recognize him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Donald L. Svedman, who has recently been inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame. Mr. Svedman was born and raised in Windsor, Colorado on his grandfather's homestead. His family had both irrigated and dry-land farm ground in addition to cattle, sheep, hogs and dairy. He was active in 4-H and was named Outstanding Male 4-H member for the state of Colorado.

He entered Colorado State University, and then almost immediately joined the United States Navy for four years. Upon returning, he finished his CSU career with a degree in Animal Science. Mr. Svedman was extremely active in various clubs and organizations while at CSU. After attending CSU, he received a Master's Degree from Kansas State University. He then returned to Colorado and began a career as a County Extension Agent in Boulder, Fremont, and Custer counties for multiple years.

He was elected to Executive Secretary of the Colorado Hereford Association in 1965, and named the Manager of the Colorado State Fair in 1966 by Governor John Love. He was and is an unwavering advocate for the betterment of the Colorado State Fair and worked tirelessly to improve the fair and its facilities. Because of his efforts, he was named Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Colorado in January of 1970. He served 12 years as Deputy Commissioner and became well-known and highly respected as an asset to Colorado Agriculture. Mr. Svedman exemplifies the spirit of continued learning, service to profession, and commitment to community. I am honored to recognize him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chris Tomky, a farmer from Crowley County, Colorado who recently received the East Otero Conservation District 2013 Conservationist of the Year.

Chris comes from a long line of outstanding farmers. His grandfather, father and other family members are accomplished farmers. He grew up with farming in his blood, helping his family in any way he possibly could from a very young age.

Today, he is focused on producing successful yields while utilizing good farming practices that promote conservation. His efforts have ensured his operation will be as efficient and sustainable as possible for years to come.

Chris's hard work and dedication to conservation practices include installing water control structures, irrigation pipeline, grated pipe, concert ditches and land leveling on various sections of farm ground. His efforts have set a strong example for a new generation of farmers in Colorado.

I am pleased to join the East Otero Conservation District in recognizing Chris Tomky as the 2013 Conservationist of the Year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Kenneth Schweizer, from Rocky Ford, Colorado, who was recently named the West Otero Conservation District 2013 Conservationist of the Year.

Raised to be a farmer and rancher, at age 6, Kenneth began driving a tractor. He rented his first farm when he was just a junior in high school.

From the beginning, conservation practices were a priority for Ken. He has dedicated himself to promoting good farming practices that make his farm efficient and sustainable. His conservation practices include utilizing underground irrigation pipe, gated pipe, water control structures, pumping plants and center pivots. Ken also has a passion for building things with his hands and has built a hay stacker and a High Boy sprayer.

In addition to his farm operations, he is an active member of his community, serving in the Otero County Farm Bureau, Rocky Ford Growers Coop Association, Future Farmers of America Advisory Board, Manzanola Methodist Church, Otero County 4-H Foundation, the Horse Creek Grazing Association and the Colorado State Farm Bureau. He and his wife Arlene have contributed greatly to strengthening their community.

I am pleased to join the West Otero Conservation District in recognizing Kenneth Schweizer as the 2013 Conservationist of the Year.

I thank the chairman of the committee for his good work.

Mr. Speaker, I would remind our colleagues that when you call the 800 number to sign up for the exchange policies, as was heard before our committee in testimony, the people who get that number on that phone call then turn around and use the healthcare.gov site--the information, the Web site--to input that information. So you are forced to go through this site.

A couple of weeks ago I received this letter:

We are writing to you because an electronic file containing

your personal information cannot be accounted for. The file

included two or more of the following: your name, home

mailing address, and Social Security number.

The letter went on to say:

We wanted to alert you to the potential that someone not

authorized to access the records could have seen the

information.

This letter came from the State of Colorado, this letter from the State of Colorado because they couldn't hold on to State employees' private personal identification information.

All we are asking for is that we protect the privacy, the security of the American people. To oppose this bill, to issue a veto threat, if the site is secure, they will never receive the notice; if it is not, we will have acted to protect the American people.

State of Colorado,

Yuma, CO.

Mr. Gardner: We are writing to you because an electronic

file containing your personal information cannot be accounted

for. The file included two or more of the following: your

name, home/mailing address and Social Security number.

There is no indication that your information has been

misused or stolen, and we are continuing efforts to account

for the file. Still, we wanted to alert you to the potential

that someone not authorized to access the records could have

seen the information, although that is unlikely.

As a precaution, we recommend that you visit the Colorado

Attorney General's Office's website at http://www.colorado

attorneygeneral.gov/initiatives/identity

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his leadership in managing this legislation today. I also thank the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Shimkus of Illinois, for his fine work on this legislation.

I am rising today in support of H.R. 2279, the Reducing Excessive Deadline Obligations Act, a package of bills, as we have discussed, which includes the Federal Facility Accountability Act by Mr. Latta from Ohio and the Federal and State Partnership for Environmental Protection Act by Mr. Johnson of Ohio.

This legislation represents steps to roll back unnecessary and overburdensome regulations that are duplicative and unnecessary. The bills are aimed to protect the State-Federal partnership when it comes to cleaning up hazardous waste sites as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Solid waste must be disposed of in a responsible, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner; but there is no need for overly burdensome regulations that put a strain on businesses.

While our economy continues to sputter along, commonsense revisions of rules and regulations are a vital and critical component of helping our State and local economies grow.

My bill, the REDO Act, does two things. It allows the EPA the authority to revise and review the Resource Conservation Recovery Act, or RCRA, regulations as appropriate instead of every 3 years as required under current law. Even the EPA in written testimony to the Energy and Commerce Committee said that this regulation--the regulation that we are changing--can pose a significant resource burden on the EPA, given the complexity and volume of EPA's RCRA regulations.

Again, the EPA has problems with the rule. We are simply trying to change the rule to give them the power to meet the rule, and that is why it is all the more surprising that the President would issue a veto threat over a regulation that his own agency has written testimony saying they can't comply with it and have problems with it.

This bill also provides that when the EPA promulgates a financial responsibility requirement, existing State or Federal requirements are not preempted and EPA's requirement will fill whatever gap may be left by the requirements set forth by States and other Federal agencies. If EPA does revise requirements, they must submit a report to Congress explaining their justification for doing so.

It is a commonsense bill, commonsense jobs legislation; and I urge this Chamber's support.