Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Craig Prosser, retiring city manager of Tigard, Oregon. Craig has announced his retirement at the end of July, capping a 35-year career of distinguished service to our community.

Craig began serving Tigard in 1999 as finance director, and since 2005, as city manager. Craig's accomplishments include the formation of the city's first urban renewal district, the Tigard-Lake Oswego Water Partnership, as well as major improvements along Pacific Highway. He also oversaw the opening of the Westside Express Service Commuter line that runs through Tigard. Craig's foresight helped to make Tigard an attractive place to live and do business. Because of his leadership, Tigard was able to retain crucial city services through one of the worst financial crises in our country's history.

Craig has been a consensus builder who has always focused on the needs of the citizens, and he has worked tirelessly to address their concerns. He has approached his work with integrity and a true sense of dedication while empowering staff and those around him. In his retirement announcement Craig said, ``I would be willing to put the City of Tigard staff up against any public workforce in the state, if not the nation. The citizens of Tigard are fortunate to have such dedicated elected officials and public employees working on their behalf.''

Former Oregon Governor Tom McCall once said, ``Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say, this is my community, and it is my responsibility to make it better.'' Craig Prosser truly is an American hero, for he has devoted much of his life to making his community better.

It is my distinct honor to recognize Craig for his outstanding service and for providing a heroic example to us all.

Madam Chair, on rollcall vote 585, I inadvertently recorded my vote incorrectly. On the amendment offered by Representative Gosar, I intended to vote ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Ms. Kaptur

Mr. Chairman, I would like to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from New Jersey.

Throughout this debate on the Energy and Water appropriations bill, we have discussed the importance of research and development of new energy technologies. However, I would like to highlight the importance of demonstration projects that are carried out within the Department of Energy's Building Technologies Program.

The Department of Energy spends millions of dollars each year on research and development for new technologies. However, that R&D often reaches a point known as the Valley of Death. The Valley of Death is where promising new technologies fade into obscurity because they can't attract the capital investments to move from concept to commercialization.

In essence, on one side of the Valley of Death is research and development;

good ideas. On the other side is the actual deployment and commercialization. A demonstration project takes the research and development just a little bit further and bridges this divide so that private entities will be interested in deployment, private entities will be interested in commercialization.

This good use of federally funded demonstration projects is critical to reducing the risk to private sector investors and allows technologies to cross the Valley of Death and establish commercial viability for investors and, indeed, attract their interest.

I strongly believe that in the course of our discussion about funding for the coming fiscal year, it is important to highlight the importance of the Building Technologies Program's demonstration projects. I very much appreciate our previous discussions that I have shared with the chairman and ranking member, and I would be interested in the chairman's insight into this matter.

I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their engagement in this issue, and I look forward to working with them.

The chairman knows that fully 40 percent of total energy use in America is in buildings and fully 70 percent of electricity use is in buildings. So when we make buildings more efficient, this is indeed the low-hanging fruit toward future energy efficiency, and in fact the ability to bring new, innovative American-made technologies to market is key to rejuvenating our economy. Successful projects in the Building Technologies Program will result in the manufacture and sale of new products here in the United States and result in rejuvenating our economy and building good American jobs here.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the ranking member.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support my commonsense amendment to save consumers significant costs in heating and cooling their homes and businesses. I am joined by my colleagues Don Young of Alaska, Charles Bass of New Hampshire, and Paul Tonko of New York in this bipartisan, commonsense amendment.

Now, it's important because buildings use more energy than either transportation or industry. Fully 40 percent of our energy is consumed by building systems and in homes. My friend Paul Tonko cited the figure that 70 percent of electricity in America is used in buildings.

At a time of both record energy costs and record unemployment, we need to protect Americans from crushing energy costs by improving the efficiency of existing and new buildings and homes. It's not just an issue for cold weather regions like the State of one of my cosponsors, Representative Young of Alaska. It's also an issue for hot climates like what we have here in Washington, DC. Even at this late hour, at

8:30 p.m., you can just about hear the air conditioning straining to keep it cool in this Chamber. The cost for air conditioning the U.S. Capitol is a fortune. It is also very costly at my 13-foot-wide townhouse near the Capitol, and, of course, heating cost is a big issue in my home in Oregon.

The Building Technologies Program reduces the cost of operating homes and buildings by fostering public-private partnerships and developing technologies, techniques, and tools for making homes and businesses more affordable, productive, and efficient.

According to the Department of Energy, the Building Technologies Program has resulted in fully $14 billion of direct savings to the consumer, savings that have been reinvested in local economies. Additionally, since its founding 20 years ago, the Building Technologies Program has saved the equivalent of over 12 billion gallons of gasoline.

This amendment would return the Building Technologies Program to just its current fiscal year 2011 funding level. This amendment will cost nothing extra because it is fully offset by taking funds from the Office of the Secretary.

According to the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee report, ``a significant fraction of the funding directed in prior appropriations reports to specified energy efficiency and renewable energy activities has been diverted by department management to other purposes in recent years. In some cases, as much as 12 percent of the funding directed by the Congress for this activity has been diverted.''

The offset for this amendment will simply return the funds to the Building Technologies Program as intended by this Congress. This, my colleagues, is low-hanging fruit, and we should pick it.

I want to thank my colleagues Don Young, Charles Bass, and Paul Tonko for their joint sponsorship.

I urge passage of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Mr. Wu

Amendment No. 54: Page 23, line 4, after the dollar amount

insert ``(increased by $60,500,000)''.

Page 32, line 4, after the dollar amount insert ``(reduced

by $60,500,000)''.

Page 32, line 23, after the dollar amount insert ``(reduced

by $60,500,000)''.

Offered By: Mr. Wu

Amendment No. 55: Page 52, after line 5, insert the

following new section:

Sec. 314. It is the sense of Congress that demonstrating

advanced technologies developed in the Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy Building Technologies Program is critical to

fostering broader market adoption and spurring the creation

of new industries.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of this amendment to prohibit oil and gas drilling off the Oregon coast.

As an Oregonian, I question why we would risk our pristine coast to support an energy industry of the last century rather than of the next century, why we would subject our fisheries and visitor-based coastal economy to the dangers of a BP-style disaster in Oregon waters.

We should focus on generating local jobs, not profits for far-off oil companies. We could create these local jobs by investing in the energy industries of the next century that are uniquely suited to the Oregon coast--waste energy and next-generation offshore wind. Oregon can be the Saudi Arabia of renewable wave energy. Wave energy depends on two things, big waves and seabed contours suited to exploit those waves; and Oregon has both. Oregon is the best place in the world where these two factors come together.

As for wind energy, next-generation technology will allow floating wind farms to be operated 100 miles offshore. These are the jobs of the future. These are the technology and the energy of the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Tom Brian, former Chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners. Chair Brian retired after 12 years with Washington County, Oregon, and more than 30 years of service to our community.

Tom embarked on an exemplary term as Chair of the Washington County Commission in 1998. Over the next 12 years, Tom spearheaded numerous projects, including the establishment of L.L. ``Stub'' Stewart State Park and the opening of the Westside Express Service (WES) Commuter line. Tom was a noted listener and consensus builder who focused on the needs of his constituents and worked tirelessly to address their issues. He approached his work with integrity and a true sense of dedication.

Tom's foresight helped make Washington County an attractive place to live and do business. His leadership on projects like the Scoggins Dam raise will be missed. Tom has encouraged and empowered his community to continue the work he started and I know his spirit of service will continue to inspire all citizens of Washington County.

Former Oregon Governor Tom McCall said, ``Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say, this is my community, and it is my responsibility to make it better.'' Tom Brian truly is an American hero, for he has devoted much of his life to making his community better.

It is an honor to recognize Chair Brian for his service and for providing a heroic example to us all.

I thank the gentleman, my friend, and the adjoining Representative on my southern border and my colleague from the State of Oregon.

We rise together, and I rise today to recognize the tremendous tragedy that has struck Japan early this morning. This tragedy follows on other tragedies similar in nature that affected Chile earlier this year and Haiti in the very recent past.

We in the Pacific Northwest feel a special connection to these events because we have the Cascadia fault off the coast of Washington, Oregon, and northern California. And about a 250-mile stretch of the Cascadia fault is locked tight. With great regularity since the last Ice Age 12,000 years ago--the furthest back that we can reach in our studies-- this fault locked up, has snapped and created earthquakes of 9.0 magnitude, very similar to the 8.9 Richter scale-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan early this morning.

Our hearts go out to the Japanese people and to their friends and relatives who are here in the United States.

We have an obligation, and we have an ability to mitigate these problems, to plan for them, and to reduce the risk to the American people and to Oregonians. My All Hazards legislation passed in the last Congress addresses these risks in a comprehensive way. By uniting the risks of fire, wind, flood, and earthquakes we can better allocate scarce resources in this era of scarce resources so that we can get a better buy on the Federal dollar.

Different agencies are involved in reducing the risk of earthquake. We know about FEMA and how it can do a great job and how it can do a poor job. FEMA is primarily engaged in the business of recovering from natural disasters, and it is part of the All Hazards legislation that I passed last session.

NIST, one of the agencies under the jurisdiction of the subcommittee which I chaired last Congress, NIST is in the business of prevention, of researching what causes building failure, of doing model codes, of promulgating model codes so that the local and State building codes can encourage and, indeed, require more earthquake-resistant buildings and, indeed, also other infrastructure such as rail lines, bridges, and airports. These are all important infrastructure that in Chile survived to a decent extent.

With the severe earthquake in Japan, even with Japan's high standards, a remarkable number of structures are currently incapacitated, and we can do better and we will do better by adequately supporting these very important research and standard-setting agencies.

Furthermore, an agency that Mr. Schrader talked about, NOAA, that is going to bring jobs to Oregon. And an important part of Mr. Schrader's congressional district, but important to the whole Northwest and to our Nation, indeed, NOAA does a crucial service by helping to support education, educating not just our young people but all citizens about earthquakes and especially tsunami.

It is these people just out of college who are funded with fellowships, and they call together sessions--and I've seen these sessions convene in our State of Oregon--and they educate the residents about how to reduce their risk, how to behave during an earthquake, how to evacuate and the best routes to take to escape the follow-on tsunami. These are crucial activities to surviving an earthquake and the earthquake's natural consequence off our coast, a tsunami.

And it's not just the residents of the coast, because the population of the coast is swelled several times by inland residents who come to Oregon's beautiful shoreline. And those students and those adults also need this education so that, instead of going out to the shore to look at a receding waterline, which many people in Indonesia did--you know, it's a natural curiosity; right? And you don't necessarily know that a tsunami is about to follow.

This kind of education is so you know to head for high ground right now. Don't delay. As soon as the ground stops moving, head for high ground. This inexpensive education will save lives. It's what has been done in some parts of the world, and it has saved lives. It hasn't been done in other parts of the world, and the casualty figures reflect it.

The All Hazards legislation which I was able to pass in the last Congress knits these different components together: NOAA for education purposes; NIST to set standards, to do research, to prevent building collapses and bridge collapses and other collapses which cost us money and business downtime; FEMA to recover from that damage which occurs. These are crucial things to do, and we know what the price of inaction is.

This government has responded heroically and well when minimal, appropriate investments are made. And when those investments aren't made, when the preparing agencies aren't prepared themselves, then we have something like Katrina, where American citizens were found floating face down in the dark waters of New Orleans. We should never, ever fail Americans in that manner again.

And Mr. Schrader and Mr. DeFazio and I, we'll be darned if we're going to let Oregonians suffer the way that some Americans have had to. Making these small-dollar investments today, we'll save lives tomorrow.

It's the smart thing to do. It's the wise thing to do. It's the right thing to do. Pinch pennies and pound foolish will cost us lives.

Today's tragic earthquake and tsunami that brought devastation to Japan was a stark reminder of the importance of disaster preparedness for Oregon's coastal communities.

Over half of people in the United States reside in coastal areas, and billions of dollars of commercial and recreational activity depend on healthy oceans and coasts.

The efficiency of tsunami response efforts this morning in Oregon, Hawaii, and elsewhere demonstrates the hard work that community officials have already put toward tsunami preparation.

At the same time, we must be ready for the kind of disaster scenario that Japan faced this morning, one that presents much shorter warning times and a devastating ocean surge.

Local officials are doing their part, but the federal government has a critical role to play in hazards preparation and response efforts.

Without continued federal funding for ocean observation, seafloor modeling, and projects that build the infrastructure for withstanding ocean surge, the next tsunami could be devastating to vulnerable ocean communities.

All of the federal R&D agencies, even if it's not their primary mission, have a hand in hazard preparation and response. For example, in the aftermath of last year's devastating earthquake in Haiti, NASA used their satellites and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to predict where mudslides were going to occur.

Our thoughts today are with the people of Japan, who have suffered widespread loss of life and destruction of property. Oregonians and all Americans stand ready to assist the Japanese people in rebuilding and recovery efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as it marks its 20th anniversary.

Twenty years ago, the SEF was established as a semi-official organization with the mission of negotiating with mainland Chinese authorities. Soon thereafter, China established its own Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS). These two organizations have enabled officials from their respective governments to negotiate directly without affirming each other's sovereign status.

Despite the suspension of negotiations for nearly a decade, SEF-ARATS talks resumed in Beijing in June 2008. The subsequent talks held in Taipei, Nanjing, Taichung, and Chongqing resulted in several agreements designed to promote economic and social relations between the two sides. Taiwan and China established direct flights for shipping and postal services, built a framework for financial cooperation and investment, agreed to increase tourism, and enhanced law enforcement coordination.

I congratulate Taiwan for the achievements of the Straits Exchange Foundation. I look forward to the SEF's continued contributions in cultivating peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait for many years to come.

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

Mr. Chairman, my amendment prevents funds under the continuing resolution from being used to provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, with exclusive authority to site, construct, expand, or operate an LNG terminal. Simply put, it ends overbearing federal regulation and gives local government and private property owners a say in LNG siting.

This is a States' rights issue. FERC's overbearing, overbroad Federal regulatory structure is preventing States and local communities from having any input, let alone decisionmaking authority, over use of local property.

In Oregon, where there are proposals for construction of LNG terminals, I have heard time and time again from my constituents that they are confused and frustrated by FERC's intrusive projects and unclear timelines. More importantly, their voices are not being heard on decisions that affect their livelihoods and property rights.

FERC has demonstrated in Oregon that it is unwilling to responsibly regulate LNG and is deaf to the needs and concerns of our citizens and communities. Defunding FERC's exclusive approval authority over LNG projects is a crucial first step towards reestablishing a local role in the LNG siting process and ensuring that future energy decisions better reflect local citizens' interests.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts such time as he may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I urge an ``aye'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Mr. Wu

Amendment No. 526: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, while America desperately wants more and better jobs, Washington Republicans want to waste time today debating a health care repeal charade. But let's look at what health care reform repeal would actually do.

In my congressional district alone, repealing this law would allow insurance companies to deny coverage for up to 360,000 individuals with preexisting conditions, including up to 45,000 children. Let's mend this act, don't end it.

A repeal would eliminate health care tax credits for up to 19,000 small businesses and 164,000 families. Mend it, don't end it.

A repeal would eliminate new health care coverage options for 3,100 uninsured young adults. It is time to mend it and not to end it.

In 50 years, Mr. Speaker, health care reform will stand beside Social Security, the GI bill, and Medicare as a pillar of American health care and humane values. The people of that time will not understand why it was hard to pass in the first place or why we are spending time today rehashing old business. It's time to fix health care reform's remaining deficits and to mend it, not to end it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Lieutenant Commander Michael ``Ray'' Cain, U.S. Coast Guard. Lieutenant Commander Cain retired in September 2010 after 27 years of faithful and diligent service to the U.S. Coast Guard and his Nation.

Lieutenant Commander Cain enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in September 1983 and quickly rose through the ranks to Senior Chief Petty Officer. He then earned a commission as a Chief Warrant Officer in 1999 prior to being selected for promotion to Lieutenant and subsequently Lieutenant Commander in 2009. LCDR Cain has diligently served the Coast Guard both afloat and ashore as a subject matter expert in electrical systems and marine inspections.

Lieutenant Commander Cain completed a seven-year tour in Astoria, Oregon, as the sole senior marine inspector responsible for ensuring the safety of more than 75 passenger vessels that carry thousands of passengers each year into the oftentimes hazardous waters off the Oregon and Washington coasts.

Former Oregon Governor Tom McCall once said, ``Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say, `This is my community, and it is my responsibility to make it better' '' Lieutenant Commander Michael ``Ray'' Cain truly is an American hero, for he has devoted much of his life to making his country and community better.

It is an honor for me to recognize Lieutenant Commander Cain for his service and for providing a heroic example to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this reauthorization bill, and I want to just point out to my friend from Georgia that not everything that one is opposed to is unconstitutional. And I share the gentleman's concern about this lame duck session. And if the gentleman wanted to propose a constitutional amendment to move our swearing-in date to the first Tuesday in November, perhaps his concerns would be addressed. But pending that, we have a lot of legitimate activity for very, very important legislation. And I can think of no greater tribute to the outgoing chairman, Mr. Gordon, and Mr. Hall, who has worked with the chairman for a long time on this legislation, than the passage of this bill.

I'm particularly proud of the contribution that my subcommittee, the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, has made to this legislation, because long-term investment in innovation is absolutely crucial to our Nation's global competitiveness, and we have a responsibility to support the kind of economic environment that empowers our Nation's private sector to innovate and create high-wage, private-sector jobs.

The bipartisan legislation that we are considering today will strengthen our Nation's economic competitiveness by helping to create an environment that encourages innovation and which facilitates growth.

As the chairman rightfully pointed out, innovation accounted for greater than 50 percent of U.S. GDP growth from World War II to the year 2000, and innovation can help America grow our way out of our current anemic economic state.

Among other things, the bill makes crucial investments in the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which will help us better address the needs of our Nation's small and medium-sized manufacturers.

The bill will also help ensure that students and trainees will have what is necessary to secure a good-paying job in their own community by requiring MEP centers to work with community colleges to train for the skills needed by local manufacturers.

This is great legislation. The chairman has done a great job, and I urge passage.