Denny Rehberg

I thank the gentleman from Utah for very concisely summarizing just exactly what this bill does.

I rise in support of H.R. 4606, which I have introduced. This commonsense legislation would permit the necessary safety maintenance of a natural gas pipeline that was constructed in 1962. Ordinary maintenance of the pipeline, which is the sole source of natural gas for nearly 25,000 residents in the Flathead Valley of Montana, is being prevented by red tape. About 3\1/2\ miles of this 118-mile pipeline follow U.S. Highway 2 through the southwestern border of Glacier National Park.

The National Park Service is allowed to issue an easement over lands in the park for specific purposes, including electric transmission lines and communications services. But the specific uses listed do not include natural gas lines; so under current law, they can't allow maintenance.

The law also authorizes the Federal Government to issue rights-of-way for natural gas lines--just not in national parks. And so this tiny stretch of existing pipeline, which is so critical to so many Montanans, finds itself between a legal rock and a bureaucratic hard place. Allowing maintenance of the existing pipeline is too important for further delay.

Not only is the pipeline nestled in and around Glacier National Park; but it is also near the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, which is designated as a wild and scenic river and the Great Bear Wilderness Area. An accident due to a lack of maintenance would be devastating to the local ecosystem.

Moving the line outside the park would require further harm to the surrounding environment, and it makes sense for the pipeline to use the existing roadbed for Highway 2 in order to minimize the economic impact.

My legislation simply solves this government-made problem by allowing the National Park Service to allow maintenance on the pipeline. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, today it is my distinct privilege to welcome a very special group of men and women to our Nation's capital. And while it is incumbent upon us to honor them, the truth is, they honor us with their presence here.

On September 23, 2012, nearly 100 veterans of the Second World War will arrive in Washington, D.C. through the Honor Flight program. Since 2005, Honor Flight has worked to bring WWII veterans to visit their war memorial at the foot of the Washington Monument, and a few feet from the White House. In that first year, 137 veterans participated in the program. By last year, that total annual participation had swelled to 18,055.

And while each of the veterans who has participated deserves our thanks and our honor, this particular group is special because it marks the second time this year that Honor Flight has brought out a group of veterans from Montana.

You won't find a state that's more proud of our veterans than Montana. And we have a lot of them. In fact, you won't find many states that have more as a percentage of our population.

On December 7, 1941 the United States was pulled into the war and Montanans answered the call to service. Within the first year, 40,000 men and women from the Treasure State enlisted. By the end of the war, 57,000 had served--nearly 10 percent of the state's entire population at the time, one of the highest rates in the country.

They served in every branch and in every theater of the conflict. And too many of them never made it back to Montana, although I think that heaven must be a little something like a peaceful sunset over the Yellowstone River.

But Montana's veterans didn't sacrifice in vain. They bled and died to defeat the greatest threat to freedom the world has ever seen. They fought across the bloody islands of the Pacific and in the frozen forests of Europe. They fought in the air, land and sea. Some even fought below the waves. And they won.

Today, the men and women who fought and won that war are justifiably part of what is called the Greatest Generation. The sacrifices of men and women who arrive in Washington, D.C. are the reason for this honorable title. It is not something we gave to them, it's something they earned.

As they visit this city and reflect on what it stands for as a beacon of freedom to the world, I think the rest of us should remember that the reason liberty still exists is because good men stood up to tyranny. They are the greatest of the Greatest Generation, and on behalf of all Montanans, I want to thank them.

57,000 Montanans served during World War II. Just under 100 are here this week. Please join me in welcoming and honoring:

Lee Alderdice (Polson, MT); Milton Lyman Amsden (Broadus, MT); Harry A. Arvidson (Lincoln, MT); Peter N. ``Bert'' Bertram (Absarokee, MT); Leonard E. ``Len'' Bestrom (Laurel, MT); Warren Charles Bodecker (Plains, MT); Ralph Floyd Brewington (Broadview, MT); James C. ``Jim'' Brook (Lewistown, MT); William Boner ``Bill'' Brown (Billings, MT); Jackson Lamar ``Jack'' Burger (Lavina, MT); Filmore Burton Canon (Broadus, MT); John M. Clark (Butte, MT); Harold Lee ``Hal'' Conrad (Lewistown, MT); Hollis E. Coon (Butte, MT); Gool Counts (Livingston, MT); Carley Rhein Cromwell (Missoula, MT); Leo Eckhardt (Billings, MT); James E. ``Jim'' Elander (Missoula, MT); James ``Jim'' Ellison (Billings, MT); Charles T. ``Bosco'' Eskro (Billings, MT); Frank D. Evans (Billings, MT); Alvin Oscar Fisher (Billings, MT); Samuel W. Frank (Laurel, MT); Durl J. Gibbs (Buffalo, MT); Raymond P. ``Ray'' Gregori (Hungry Horse, MT); Robert Glover Hall (Potomac, MT); Charles E. ``Chuck'' Halstead (Columbus, MT); Thomas A. ``Tom'' Hanel (Billings, MT); Russell LeRoy Hartse (Missoula, MT); James ``Jim'' Hasterlik (Great Falls, MT); Milam V. Hearron (Billings, MT); McDonald Watkins ``Don'' Held (Billings, MT); Lewis Wiliam ``Louie'' Holzheimer (Great Falls, MT); Bernard E. ``Barney'' Ilertson (Corvallis, MT); Earl T. Jackson (Deer Lodge, MT); Elwin M. Johnson (Laurel, MT); George L. Kimmet (Billings, MT); Vincent Leo ``Vince'' Koefelda (Laurel, MT); Vernon Lee ``Vern'' Koelzer (Billings, MT); Frank J. Koncilya (Lewistown, MT); Andre Rioul ``Andy'' Kukay (Great Falls, MT); Willard E. ``Bud'' LaCounte (Billings, MT); Albert Raymond ``Al'' Lasater (Ryegate, MT); Harold J. Lasater (Forsyth, MT); Gorvan J. ``Duke'' LeDuc (Laurel, MT); Oscar Lawrence ``Lawrence'' Lee (Shepherd, MT); Norman D. Leonard (Billings, MT); Joseph Biggs ``Joe'' Litle (Bozeman, MT); Max E. Long (Laurel, MT); Robert W. Lubbers (Billings, MT); Leonard John ``Pat'' Mager (Harlowton, MT); James J. Marshall (Missoula, MT); William R. ``Bill'' Matthew (Anaconda, MT); Paul Messer (Billings, MT); Elizabeth Steele ``Betty'' Meyer (Paradise, MT); Geraldine E. ``Gerry'' Mihalic (Missoula, MT); Gerald Kenneth ``Jerry'' Nelson (Billings, MT); John H. ``O'bie'' O'Bannon (Stevensville, MT); Clarence Allan ``Ole'' Olson (Billings, MT); Eddie C. Olson (Vida, MT); Ray A. ``Ole'' Olson (Billings, MT); Thomas F. ``Pat'' Patterson (Stevensville, MT); Roy Louis ``Pete'' Peters (Roy, MT); John W. Porter (Deer Lodge, MT); Carl ``Corky'' Redding (Billings, MT); Michael Gene Rhodes (Billings, MT); Robert V. ``Bob'' Ryan (E. Helena, MT); Charles Franklin ``Frank'' Sandford (Missoula, MT); Dave Schledewitz (Townsend, MT); Laurence Norbert Shipp (Miles City, MT); William James ``Jim'' SiveIle (Poison, MT); Anthony William ``Bill'' Skorupa (Bridger, MT); Charles E. ``Chuck'' Smith (Billings, MT); Donald E. Smith (Melville, MT); Kenneth C. ``K.C.'' Smith (St. Regis, MT); Robert M. ``Bob'' Standefer (Billings, MT); John R. ``Jack'' Stevenson (Missoula, MT); Frank Phillip Thatcher (Billings, MT); Clifford V. ``Cliff'' Thomsen (Billings, MT); Robert E. ``Bob'' Torgrimson (Billings, MT); Ronald Wilmar ``Buck'' Torstenson (Kalispell, MT); James Arthur ``Jim'' Vick (Billings, MT); Albert ``Al'' Wade (Billings, MT); James Forest ``Jim'' Walker (Billings, MT); Bernard Edgar Wanderaas (Vida, MT); Joseph A. ``Joe'' Weber (Deer Lodge, MT); Allen L. ``Buster'' Whittington (Billings, MT); Bryce Wood Williams (Billings, MT); Andrew R. ``Pete'' Winter (Ronan, MT).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the upcoming one- year anniversary of the Kids Just Want to Ride Act being signed into law. This bill, which I authored to end enforcement of an overreaching prohibition of lead in youth-sized ATVs, motorcycles and snowmobiles, was added to a larger piece of legislation that was signed into law on August 12, 2011.

When Congress passed a law banning lead from children's toys, no one thought that those enforcing the law would expand the definition of ``toy'' to include youth-size ATVs, motorcycles and snowmobiles. But over the strong protests of riders and their advocates, Washington bureaucrats forced youth-sized ATVs and motorcycles to be pulled off showroom floors. All this did was force our kids to ride more dangerous adult-sized vehicles, putting them at extreme risk.

This just didn't make sense. I authored the Kids Just Want to Ride Act so that this issue would be solved legislatively once and for all, but I didn't do it on my own. An amazing community of youth riders, their parents, and those who love youth racing and recreational activities backed me up with letters, phone calls, and visits to Washington, DC, to rally for the bill. I was honored to be included in the riding community and continue to be impressed by their love for sport and for their fellow riders.

Mr. Speaker, I am again honored to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Kids Just Want to Ride Act, and thank you for the opportunity to celebrate the amazing American riding community that rallied behind it.