Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to introduce today's guest chaplain from Vienna, West Virginia, Pastor Jon Lands. Since taking over as senior pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in 1996, he has led the church through a period of tremendous growth. Attendance numbers have risen from 65 to approximately 740 with a membership of over 1,200. This is a testament to his dedication to faithfully serving our community.

He took his ministry to new heights when he started PraiseFM radio, FaithTalk 1450, and the Word for Life, a daily and weekly radio program now heard on 150 radio stations across the United States and two international stations.

His service to the community doesn't stop at the church's door. He is a member of the executive board of directors for the Wood County Christian School, a member of the board for the Family Policy Council, and serves on the board of the Women's Care Center of Mid-Ohio Valley, a crisis pregnancy center dedicated to offering alternatives to abortion and adoption services.

A husband and father of four, he is also a noted author, having written ``Be Still: God's Strategy for Serenity,'' and ``Life on the Level: The Balanced Christian Life.''

I am honored to welcome Pastor Lands to the House of Representatives. He is a dedicated leader in the Parkersburg community, and his service to others is inspirational.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to welcome Pastor Lands. May God bless him, our Nation, and the church family at Fellowship Baptist Church.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise today in strong support of H.R. 3017, the Brownfields Enhancement, Economic Redevelopment, and Reauthorization Act, and I am pleased to be a sponsor of this bipartisan effort along with my colleagues, Chairman Walden, especially Chairman Shimkus, and Ranking Members Pallone and Tonko for their work. I also want to thank the work of my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who also were cosponsors of this legislation, Mr. Katko and Ms. Esty.

The bill represents a broad, bipartisan compromise that will reauthorize the brownfields program for the first time since 2006. In addition to the reauthorization, the bill makes several key improvements that you have heard about here today that will result in more brownfield sites being cleaned up and returned to productive use.

A little history can explain why this bill was so important to pass.

When America's industrial manufacturing facilities and factories were being constructed, they typically were located on prime property along rivers, railroads, and roads. But, over the years, technologically there were

changes that took place that transformed how our economy operates. It also had to deal with unfair imports coming into America. As a result, many companies failed and the sites became abandoned.

Rusting hulks of former factories and weed-infested sites have become an eyesore and deter investment in downtown and urban areas. Today, these locations could still prove to be valuable in creating jobs, and that is what our prime responsibility is here. We need to improve this negative stigma that these sites pose to communities and restore these brownfields into productive resources.

America has, indeed, been identified as having 450,000 brownfield sites across the country, but only 27,000 have been cleaned up. This reauthorization is long overdue.

One great success story is Pietro Fiorentini, a supplier to the natural gas industry who recently broke ground at a new manufacturing facility in Weirton, West Virginia, that was cleaned up through the brownfields program. Pietro Fiorentini spent 5 years preparing this site because of the level of contamination.

I especially want to give a shout-out to Pat Ford, the executive director of the Business Development Corporation in the northern panhandle. His efforts have been tireless, working to do great things like creating jobs in the First District of West Virginia.

His corporation, the Business Development Corporation, has already received $2.5 million over the years in brownfields grants and has leveraged those projects into $75 million in private sector money. It has resulted in over 1,250 new jobs, and another 128 have been preserved.

You heard earlier from Chairman Shimkus, talking about the 16-to-1 ratio. Pat Ford's group has a 35-to-1 ratio. For every dollar that we put in for the Federal Government, Pat Ford's group has created $35 of investment.

In the future, as businesses develop the Appalachian ethane storage hub that is under way now in the Appalachian area, these newly reclaimed properties will allow for even more industries and create more jobs throughout this area.

This bipartisan bill makes very important classifications to CERCLA liability and petroleum sites. It expands eligibility for nonprofit organizations. It, indeed, increases the limit for remediation grants from $200,000 to $500,000. It creates the multipurpose grants. But, more importantly, it makes it easier for small, rural, or disadvantaged communities to participate in this program.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, however, to fully fund this vitally important brownfields program. Although $250 million is authorized, the appropriators have only allocated $153 million to this program. Consequently, revitalization of these former abandoned sites is delayed, and they remain a stigma, deterring development in our downtown communities.

Overall, this bipartisan bill--and I thank my friends on the other side of the aisle for how we are all working together on this--will make great strides toward achieving the goals of getting more contaminated sites cleaned up, promoting infrastructure, and, importantly, creating jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Dr. Robert Martino of Clarksburg, West Virginia.

In 2013, Dr. Martino began a unique program, generously providing one day of free dental services to local Active-Duty military and their families. He wanted to give back to those who have sacrificed so much, and he has continued to do so each and every year, thereafter, and has spread this idea throughout his professional network.

This day of service has now swept across the Nation, with over 500 businesses now offering our soldiers everything from dental services to accounting. It has become known as Freedom Day.

But that isn't enough. I want to challenge more businesses to participate. Visit freedomday.usa.org to find out how to get involved.

Dr. Martino, thank you for the example you set for America. You are truly a great American.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule on H.R. 3017, the Brownfields Enhancement, Economic Redevelopment and Reauthorization Act of 2017. I am proud to be the sponsor of this bill, which has broad bipartisan support, as you have been hearing about. It will reauthorize the very successful EPA program, brownfields program, for the first time since it was enacted.

Like my colleague Mr. Woodall said last night in the Rules Committee, even though the brownfields site program is something that we all support, and brownfields is something we all have in our districts, working out the details of legislation like this is not easy, but the fact that we are here today with a compromise bipartisan bill and no amendment speaks volumes of how much support there is for H.R. 3017 and the brownfields program.

There is no dispute that the EPA brownfields program has been a success. As you just heard from the gentlewoman from Wyoming, the program has resulted in over 27,000 properties being reassessed to start them on this road to being cleaned up, and it has resulted in over 129,000 new jobs.

Over the life of the program, the Federal dollars invested have resulted in over $25 billion in leveraged private investment. This is a program we all should support, and we all should encourage our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to fully fund this program in the future.

I have confidence that H.R. 3017 will make the brownfields program even more successful, and I urge my colleagues to be in support of the rule and to vote for the bill on final passage.

I want to thank my committee chairman, John Shimkus, for his work and the staff's work in bringing this bill together in a fine, compromised fashion.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for this opportunity to discuss the historic preservation tax credits that historically have stimulated nearly $150 billion in private sector investment.

As we have discussed over the last month, the tax credit is critically important for economic development and revitalization, especially in small, rural areas of this country. Without the credit, projects that transform communities in all 50 States, from West Virginia to Texas, to Wisconsin, simply will not happen.

Mr. Speaker, the chairman's word means something to me, so I am asking for his commitment to continue working with me to ensure that the Federal historic preservation tax credit is preserved in the final tax reform package.

I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and I look forward to working with him as well. We have had a good working relationship over the years. I want to continue this process because I understand this process. I will be voting to continue the process in anticipation that it will be in the final bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to November as being National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and to recognize a passionate steward of a non-profit hospice--West Virginia Caring.

Under the leadership of Ms. Malene Davis, West Virginia Caring's hospice and palliative care has helped citizens in 12 counties receive attentive and respectful care. As we consider the importance of compassionate and dignified care during one's end of life, we must protect the fair and adequate compensation for non-profit hospice and palliative care provider organizations. I continue to be vigilant of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as the intermediary contractors who review and recommend reimbursement rates on a case-by-case basis. For our families, friends and the American people, this is an important aspect of our healthcare responsibility.

During this month, I call particular attention to the many physicians, nurses, caregivers and volunteers who offer invaluable patient service under the Medicare Hospice Benefit. I thank them for their skills and for their compassionate care.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Gertie Sole Archer, who passed away in August, for her service and contributions to her community. Mrs. Archer was born in Muddy Creek, West Virginia and lived in Middlebourne, WV for most of her life. Mrs. Archer contributed to her community as a County Clerk in Tyler County, as an active member in the Muddy Creek Church of Christ, the Tyler County High School Athletic and Band Boosters, and offered her time to many other community organizations.

As a long-standing and active member of the Tyler County Republican Women's Club, she enthusiastically volunteered to support the election of Republican candidates. As the first Republican Congressman from the 1st District in 42 years, I benefited from her work and friendship. She also worked tirelessly to improve the streetscape, parks and recreational facilities in Middlebourne, her hometown for 50 years.

Today, we honor Mrs. Archer and her contributions to her community. We join her friends and family in mourning the loss of a stalwart in her community.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, the Environmental Security Computing Center within NOAA--the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration--utilizes high-performance computing technology to quickly process information from weather satellites and to predict the path of a hurricane or the extent of damage a wildfire can create. As recent events have shown, weather events can have a devastating impact on the lives of our fellow Americans.

In late July, northern West Virginia experienced unexpected flooding that placed eight counties under a state of emergency. Nearly 1,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed, and, tragically, two individuals lost their lives. This was an unexpected flow of water.

Recently, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have destroyed thousands of homes and communities, which will require a massive influx of Federal resources to rebuild. This Congress has the responsibility to ensure the accuracy and viability of the weather and climate monitoring work performed by the security center.

One of the most important systems NOAA uses to process this data is its high-performance computing assets, such as NOAA's Environmental Security Computer Center. My amendment provides funding to complete the build-out for that facility that NOAA has initiated. Completing the build-out will support the supercomputer systems that NOAA uses to process and report this important and critical weather model data.

What we are witnessing during this hurricane season, Mr. Chairman, demonstrates just how important passage of this amendment is to our Nation, and we are going to have reliable information provided to us. So I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, let's step back a minute on this issue.

As you can see from this chart, coal, natural gas, and oil--fossil fuels--make up 81 percent of this country's energy consumption--81 percent.

But the proportion of R&D funding, you can see, is only 18 percent, which is far below what is currently being spent on renewables and nuclear.

The reality is that America and the entire world are going to be dependent on fossil fuels for years to come. The Energy Information Administration estimates that by the year 2040, fossil energy will still make up 78 percent of the energy used around the globe.

Are my friends on the other side serious about addressing these emissions?

Shouldn't America's goal be to develop the technologies so that we can utilize coal and natural gas around the world in the cleanest, most efficient way possible?

Shouldn't America be that global leader on energy technology?

You can't do that without research.

Mr. Chairman, we can't be cutting research on fossil fuels and technology. We should actually be increasing it.

Fossil fuels will be around for the foreseeable future. I think we have a responsibility for our children and our grandchildren to make sure that it is burned and used in the most efficient, clean manner that we can, and this requires research.

Mr. Chairman, the House has soundly defeated similar amendments to this in the past, year after year, and I hope they will defeat this one, too.

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

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate Ms. Castor's remarks, and I enjoy working with her in committee. But the realization is fossil fuels are consumed in all 50 States. It is not West Virginia we are dealing with.

I think Ms. Castor is concerned about her State, the water quality in her State, and that is what this research is going to take care of.

We have got to maximize the amount of money that has been put into it. In

the past, we had far more amount of money in this.

We need to preserve what we have, and, actually, I am hoping we can plus it up a little bit.

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

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is simple. We are merely restoring the Fossil Energy Research & Development program back to the levels of 2017--merely back to the levels of 2017.

We must put it in perspective. It is still $300 million less than it was under President Bush.

Let's also put it in perspective. As I showed earlier on the chart, the consumption of fossil fuels make up 81 percent of all the country's energy consumption; 81 percent fossil fuels of coal, natural gas, and oil. But the level of research is only at 18 percent of the money that we have currently.

Now, I just heard a minute ago someone say this is pretty balanced. Look, I may be just an engineer, but I don't think 18 percent is the equivalent of 81 percent. There is something wrong with that.

I am not here to argue that America shouldn't be investing in renewables and nuclear. That wouldn't be appropriate. But the reality is that America and the entire world will be relying on fossil energy for years to come.

The Energy Information Administration estimated that by 2040, fossil energy is still going to make up 78 percent of the world's consumption. So shouldn't it be America's goal to lead the world, to have that mantle of leadership, to develop the technologies that we can export to other countries around the world that are going to continue to use coal and gas and oil in the cleanest and most efficient way? Shouldn't we, again, be that global leader on this?

But we can't do this without leadership.

Mr. Chairman, let's consider the history of this, the fossil research from the Federal Government. Just remember the threat years ago, back in the eighties, we had of acid rain. It was the research in our Federal labs all across America that reduced the emissions of SOx and NOX gases and addressing cleaned up acid rain and reduced it.

The reduction in CO2 emissions around the globe and around America have come as a result of fossil fuel research. On a per capita basis today, we are now emitting--on a per capita basis, this is the lowest level of CO2 emissions we have had in over 50 years, thanks to fossil fuel research.

And the shale gas revolution that made America the biggest producer of gas in the world, it originated in our Federal laboratories in research. That is just part of where we have been.

Now go into the future. Someone said this is a fuel of the past. How can it be when the R&D money--look what they are working on in our labs all across America, virtually in every one of our districts across this country. We are doing a carbon capture, utilization, and storage. We are doing chemical looping. They are studying and understanding methane hydrates.

You talked earlier about rare earth elements are being detected now in coal seams all across America.

What about oxy-combustion?

All of that is coming out of current research, fresh research that we will be able to export around the world so that other countries will be able to burn their coal more cleanly.

So, look, Congress should not be in the way, picking winners or losers, and it shouldn't jeopardize the work of our laboratories. If we are serious about reducing emissions, Congress should be putting more money into this program, not reducing it.

In an ideal world, the funding level for R&D should be much higher. As I said, under President Bush it was $300 million more than it is today. But I understand the fiscal constraints we have.

So let's utilize our domestic energy source, energy supply in the most efficient and clean way possible. We do that through our research from our Federal laboratories.

Mr. Chairman, I urge the House to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, let me just close quickly by saying we are not talking about West Virginia. We are talking about all across the country. These laboratories are located in colleges and universities all across America.

Coal is something that is expanding. Our exports are up 58 percent. People around the world are going to use coal. I think it is the responsibility for us to show them how to burn it cleanly. China is going to increase their use by 43 percent. India is going to double its consumption in that same timeframe.

When you compare the amount of research, only 18 percent currently of all the Federal dollars for research is in fossil fuel, but 56 percent is in renewable. That is not balanced.

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

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize a little known role model, Eli Borochov, a 22-year-old young man from Cedarhurst, New York.

While on a trip to Israel with his family in 2015, Eli was praying during a Shabbat service at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. While praying, Eli was targeted by a pair of Arab snipers and was shot twice in the leg. Thankfully, after emergency surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation, Eli has recovered.

After the terrorists were apprehended and put on trial, Eli was called upon to speak in court, which meant he had to face his shooters in person. While addressing the court, Eli displayed conviction and character well beyond his years.

As Eli mentioned in his statement, the only reason he was targeted was the fact that he was practicing his Jewish faith. I commend Eli for standing tall in the face of violence and showing great courage. He is a role model.

Mr. Chairman, today the House will vote on a bill addressing the ozone standards issued by the Obama administration.

Look, with the comments you have heard today, we all want clean air. But America has made great strides already. Ozone is down by one-third since 1980.

But the regulations imposed by President Obama in 2015 would cost the economy billions of dollars each year and hamper job growth. In many parts of the country, it is literally impossible to meet the new standards due to the background levels of ozone.

Much of the country, as you just heard the chairman talk about, was still trying to comply with the previous standard when, suddenly, a new level was imposed. This has resulted in confusion and duplication.

The bill that is before us this afternoon provides a commonsense approach. It delays the implementation, but, more importantly, it gives the States flexibility to deal with this issue. It revises the timeframe for changing standards from 5 years to 10 years. That is all. It requires the EPA to consider--very important--the economic and technical feasibility of the new standards.

So, Mr. Chairman, passing this bill today will remove a barrier to economic growth while, at the same time, still protecting our environment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Norcross, my co-chairman of the Congressional Building Trades Caucus, to be able to discuss this.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this amendment offered by my friend from Arizona. His amendment would change dramatically the methodology used to determine wage rates paid to construction workers across America.

While this proposal may appear to be reasonable at first blush, it would dramatically depart from the current practice and would result in massive pay cuts for working families.

Unlike the current system, the methodology would not take into consideration the total value of all wages and benefits into account. It excludes the cost of pensions, healthcare, and, vitally, training that we need to have.

So what we are trying to say, Mr. Chairman, is the full benefit must be considered, and it is not in this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, as someone who began in the construction industry in 1965, 52 years--after 52 years in this business, I understand how the Davis-Bacon Act works and how it works across the country.

So let's not forget, these wage protections are not just for union workers but for all construction workers. It ensures that the local workers can make a fair living on projects in their community. This amendment, unfortunately--as well intended as it might be--would undermine that. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act is a long overdue reform and

reauthorization of the federal career and technical education (CTE) program. Unfortunately, I remain concerned that the bill included changes to the funding formula for states that would result in significant cuts to CTE funding for West Virginia and several other states beginning in 2021.

The removal of a hold harmless provision will result in a direct loss of $4.07 million to West Virginia, a cut of nearly 20 percent over a three-year period. Given West Virginia's economic struggles in recent years, we can ill afford drastic cuts to workforce training programs. As the legislative process continues, I urge the U.S. Senate to find an equitable solution and consider states that will be disadvantaged by the removal of the hold harmless provision.

Without additional changes to the funding formula, in its current form I will oppose the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor in remembrance of the 75th Anniversary of the fall of Bataan and Corregidor in May of 1942. From December 8, 1941 until May 6, 1942 American soldiers, marines, sailors, nurses and airmen fought along-side the members of Philippine army in defense of the Philippine Archipelago.

On December 8, 1941, a day after the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, bombs were dropped on Clark Field, starting what would become known as the Philippine Campaign or the Battle of the Philippines.

On April 9, 1942, after fighting for four months without reinforcements and supplies, Major General Edward King, Jr. surrendered the forces under his command on the Bataan Peninsula. Upon surrender of the American and Filipino forces, the Japanese encountered twice as many captives as reports had estimated, thus creating an enormous logistical challenge--the transport and movement of over 60,000 starving, sick, and debilitated prisoners and over 38,000 equally weakened civilian noncombatants that had been caught up in the battle. The prisoners and refugees had to be moved north to get them out of the way of the final Japanese assault on Corregidor, but there was simply not enough mechanized transport to move the masses of wounded, sick, and weakened prisoners. The Japanese solution was to force march the 60,000 prisoners north from Mariveles to San Fernando and from Capas to Camp O'Donnell--a distance of approximately 66 miles.

This has become known as the Bataan Death March. Starting on April 9, 1942 and lasting for seven days, credible sources report widely differing prisoner of war casualties--from 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths and 500 to 650 American deaths--that resulted. Forced to march without food or water, many simply could not continue. Prisoners were bayoneted, shot or buried alive if they could not walk. If any tried to escape they were shot.

The final assault on American and Filipino forces in defense of the Philippines came on May 5, 1942 with an assault on the island of Corregidor and ended on May 8, 1942--when General Jonathan M. Wainwright surrendered forces under his command to the Japanese commander, Lt. General Masaharu Homma of the 14th Japanese Army, thus ending the Battle for the Philippines.

For the next three and a half years Americans were held by the Japanese in the Philippines, Formosa, Korea, China and Japan in POW camps and forced to work for Japanese companies in support of the Japanese war effort. When Japan finally surrendered, American forces sent to Japan found these men and women emaciated--some weighing as little as a third of their normal weight. Suffering for three and a half years, these men and women endured unspeakable hardships and atrocities at the hands of their captors.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring and remembering those who suffered so much in the name of freedom during World War II on this, the 75th Anniversary of the Bataan Death March and the Battle for the Philippines. We are eternally grateful for men such as Ed Jackfert of Wellsburg, West Virginia--who is still with us-- as well as those who have recently passed such as Joe Vater, Abie Abraham and Lester Tenney. These men were part of the Greatest Generation and fought in defense of their country during World War II.

Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Congressional Coal Caucus, I rise today in strong support for this action.

After 8 long, tortuous years, our coal communities have endured a withering attack from Washington bureaucrats focused on this agenda of anticoal. What has been the result?

Across this country, in the coal fields of this country, 400 mines have closed down, 83,000 coal miners have lost their jobs, 246 power plants have closed down, and our electric utility bills have gone up 45 percent.

Then, right before President Obama left town, his administration punctuated its war on coal with this damaging further rule. This rule is nothing more than an organic manifestation of a Washington bureaucracy drunk with power. If it is left unaddressed, this rule would shut down an additional number of coal mines, and 78,000 men and women would lose their jobs because of this rule.

For the last 2 years, our Coal Caucus, bipartisan members, have made stopping this rule our number one priority, because it has nothing to do with the health of America, the safety of America, and the life of Americans.

Simply put, it was President Obama's attempt to drive a final nail into the coffin of an industry that made America great.

Look, enough is enough. This war on coal has to come to a stop, and I think this election set the tone for that.

Now that we finally have a President who understands the painful impact of excessive and unnecessary regulations, we should pass this CRA as quickly as possible so he can sign it.

It is time to give the families of the coal fields all across America a chance to get relief from the unelected bureaucrats in Washington.

I thank the chairman for his work in getting this. I thank him for the cosponsorship that we have had with Congressmen Johnson and Jenkins to help us out on this, to get this before us. We have to do this for the people of West Virginia and around the country.