David B. McKinley

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman-in-waiting for the opportunity to address this.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the STREAM Act. Over the last century, American companies have mined coal in at least 26 States across the country. Over that same period of time, thousands of these mines have ceased operation.

Abandoned mines produce acid drainage that, unfortunately, flows into our streams and is toxic. As a result, tens of thousands of miles of streams and waterways across America are being poisoned.

West Virginia alone, according to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, has indicated that we have 1,500 miles of streams that are toxic in West Virginia.

The STREAM Act ensures States have the flexibility to use these federally allocated funds for acid mine drainage cleanup and provides long-term maintenance of these cleanup projects. The bill preserves the use of important guidelines already in place, as you have heard, and simply extends them to recently approved new funding measures.

Making our streams safe is not a partisan issue. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Congressional Coal Caucus, I am proud to be leading the Republican effort, in conjunction with Representative Cartwright, to pass this bipartisan legislation.

For anyone who has never seen these orange, poisoned streams, they will never understand the gravity of the situation. But for those of us that have seen and lived with this devastation that will last for years, decades, into the future, the time to vote ``yes'' is now.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the STREAM Act, and I encourage a ``yes'' vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of Hershel ``Woody'' Williams. Williams was born the youngest of 11 children on a dairy farm in 1923 in Quiet Dell, West Virginia. In 1943, Williams enlisted in the Marine Corps and was sent to train at Camp Elliott in San Diego, California as a demolition man in the use or flamethrowers.

He served at the Battle of Iwo Jima with the 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division. During the battle, Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Ret.) Williams displayed a ``valiant devotion to duty'' and service above self as he ``enabled his company to reach its objective'' by charging enemy fortifications 5 separate times with his flamethrower.

On October 5, 1945, President Truman awarded Williams with the Medal of Honor for his actions, stating in his citation ``Cpl. Williams' aggressive fighting spirit and valiant devotion to duty throughout this fiercely contested action sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.''

After World War II, he spent the rest of his life giving back to veterans and Gold Star Families, he worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for 33 years as a Veterans Service Representative, allowing him to continue serving veterans and their families.

Williams also established the Woody Williams Foundation to continue to serve Gold Star Families, and to date, the Woody Williams Foundation is responsible for establishing 104 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments across the United States with more than 69 additional monuments underway in 50 states and 1 U.S. Territory.

Woody Williams' selfless sacrifice as a World War II veteran, champion of service to Gold Star families, and was the last surviving Marine from World War II to wear the Medal of Honor. The Nation mourns the passing of this proud son of West Virginia.

He is a true embodiment of ``The Greatest Generation.''

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of en bloc No. 2, which includes an amendment to report, track, and take action on suspicious orders.

While the COVID-19 pandemic raged through our population and dominated the headlines, the opioid epidemic exploded exponentially, silently claiming the lives of tens of thousands of Americans every year. Recent CDC data shows that the overdose death rate for last year was over 103,000 citizens.

In 2017, the Energy and Commerce Committee conducted a comprehensive bipartisan investigation into opioid dumping in West Virginia. Outrageous details came to light, exposing how drug shipments in rural West Virginia went unconstrained. For example, over 2 million opioids were sent to a little town of 3,000 people.

Another example: Even after a distributor found numerous red flags during his site visit, nearly 1.5 million doses of opioids were still shipped to a single pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia, with a population of 406.

The report that was filed by the Energy and Commerce Committee details failures on the part of both DEA and the distributors to identify and halt suspicious orders. Distributors felt they didn't have the authority to halt suspicious orders and could have been subject to lawsuits.

As recommended in the report, this amendment not only requires the distributors to report suspicious orders but also to investigate the situation and decline to fill the order if it is warranted.

American communities deserve to be treated better. This influx of illegal drugs must be stopped, and this amendment is a step in the right direction.

Madam Speaker, I urge Members to adopt this amendment.