Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2606) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the construction and operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in the Gateway National Recreation Area, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 2606, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grimm), authorizes the construction of a lateral pipeline off the coast of New York City. The pipeline will pass under the Gateway National Recreation Area and will deliver natural gas to residents of Brooklyn and Queens. Under current law, the National Park Service does not have the authority to approve the pipeline. Therefore, Mr. Grimm introduced H.R. 2606 to allow this project to move forward, benefiting not only New York residents but visitors to the Gateway National Recreation Area. Specifically, as part of the agreement reached with the National Park Service, historic aircraft hangars located at Floyd Bennett Field will be rehabilitated and put into use by the park. Of course, this project will also create much-needed jobs and promote job creation by providing reliable, affordable energy.

The City of New York has enthusiastically embraced this proposal and, in particular, has expressed support for the use of the horizontal directional drilling to safely install a 3-mile, 26-inch-diameter pipeline. H.R. 2606 has bipartisan support, and of course it is supported by the National Park Service. So I urge its adoption and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Staten Island, New York (Mr. Grimm).

I urge the adoption of H.R. 2606, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1162) to provide the Quileute Indian Tribe Tsunami and Flood Protection, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The Quileute Indian Reservation is located along the coast of the Olympic Peninsula in my home State of Washington. It consists of approximately 880 acres and is home to about 375 residents. Most of the reservation is located within the flood zone, and much of the tribal infrastructure, including their school, elder center, and housing, is within the tsunami zone. Recent tsunamis in the Pacific clearly demonstrate the risk faced by the tribe and the need to move housing and infrastructure inland.

For the safety of this small tribe, legislation is needed that would transfer a few hundred acres from the vast Olympic National Park to the tribe. This will allow them to move their school and other structures to safer land away from the threat of frequent flooding and tsunami risk.

There are no park-owned facilities or trails in the transferred land, and there are few opportunities in this transferred land for park visitors. To expedite the passage of the key objective of this bill and to allow it to move forward promptly, the Natural Resources Committee deleted a potentially controversial 4,000-acre wilderness designation that is of no benefit to the tribe. The committee also added language borrowing transferred land from being used for gaming purposes, and the tribe does not oppose this limitation.

I believe these two changes have removed all potential obstacles that could threaten the timely passage of this needed legislation that has been offered by my friend and the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Dicks. I urge the adoption of H.R. 1162, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I advise my friend I have no more requests for speakers if he is prepared to yield back.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I'm pleased that this legislation is moving forward. I know this has been something that has been worked on by my friend and colleague from Washington for some time, and I'm glad we have finally gotten this far. And hopefully now that it's a clean bill that really deals with the safety of the Quileute Tribe, which is the important part and that's the reason for the bill, I hope it can move very fast through this House and obviously through the Senate.

With that, I urge adoption of H.R. 1162, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, Yucca Mountain is the repository for our nation's high level defense nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel under current law. This conference report does not change that fact. Regardless of the politically-based preferences of the Obama Administration, the Senate Majority Leader or the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, terminating Yucca Mountain would require Congress to amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.

Mr. Speaker, if it in fact were the position of Congress to support termination of Yucca Mountain, surely we would have acted to amend the law. Congress has not amended the Nuclear Waste Policy Act--or even considered terminating Yucca Mountain.

Decades were spent studying potential locations for a national repository--and Yucca Mountain was determined to be the best solution. Congress designated Yucca Mountain in 1987 as the national repository and has voted

to reaffirm that decision several times. There is no science-based or safety-based reason to abandon Yucca Mountain.

Those who work on nuclear waste issues will undoubtedly note that this bill no longer contains explicit language adopted by the House that prohibits the use of funds to close Yucca Mountain. Explicit language like this, though, is not required as it continues to be illegal for the Department of Energy to terminate the project--and thus illegal for the Department to spend federal dollars for that purpose. The Department of Energy has funding leftover from previous years should it choose to comply with the law and continue the Yucca Mountain licensing process regardless of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, the fact that the final bill clarifies that the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission cannot terminate any project without a majority vote of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should not be overlooked. Over a year ago, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board rejected the Department of Energy's motion to withdraw the Yucca license application. That ruling should have been finalized after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted sustain it with two-to-two tie vote with one Commissioner abstaining. The Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission refused to release the results of their vote on the matter for almost a year. Instead, the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has acted unilaterally to shut down the ongoing review of the Yucca Mountain application. This unprecedented, bureaucratic and orchestrated stall tactic has been questioned by Congress and former and current members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Unfortunately, in congressional hearings just this week we learned that this abuse of power is the rule--not the exception--when it comes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman. It extends well beyond the policy and safety issue of Yucca Mountain and instead, absent serious changes, it appears to be putting the entire mission of the NRC at risk.

Mr. Speaker, I'm hopeful that Congress will continue vigorous oversight over the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and continue to take all actions possible to ensure that the federal government keeps its existing legal obligation to move forward with Yucca Mountain.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 443) to provide for the conveyance of certain property from the United States to the Maniilaq Association located in Kotzebue, Alaska, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 443 is sponsored by our colleague from Alaska (Mr. Young). The legislation directs the Indian Health Service to transfer three parcels of Federal land in Alaska to the Maniilaq Association. The association is a nonprofit entity that runs Federal Indian health services for Native people in northwest Alaska. The parcels of land subject to this legislation, which total about 15

acres, are currently the site of the existing Native health facility and of proposed long-term care facilities and employee housing.

The subject lands have already been conveyed by the Secretary to the association through a quit claim deed. The Federal Indian health laws, however, under these laws, transferring a land through the use of a quit claim deed could present some obstacles for the future use of the land by the association. H.R. 443 addresses this problem by directing the Secretary to convey the property through the use of a warranty deed. This method provides clean title to the land. The administration testified in support of the land transfer, and we have heard no other objection to this bill.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The chairman of that committee, Mr. Upton, has kindly forgone action on the bill in the interest of expediting its consideration on the House floor. I thank him for his cooperation and at this point would like to include in the Record an exchange of letters between our committees regarding this bill.

House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and

Commerce,

Washington, DC, December 7, 2011.

Hon. Doc Hastings,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Hastings: I am writing concerning H.R. 443,

to provide for the conveyance of certain property from the

United States to the Maniilaq Association located in

Kotzebue, Alaska, which was ordered reported out of your

Committee on October 5, 2011. I wanted to notify you that the

Committee on Energy and Commerce will forgo action on H.R.

443 so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor

for consideration.

This is being done with the understanding that the

Committee on Energy and Commerce is not waiving any of its

jurisdiction, and the Committee will not in any way be

prejudiced with respect to the appointment of conferees or

its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar

legislation.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 443, and would ask

that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be

included in the Congressional Record during consideration of

the bill on the House floor.

Sincerely,

Fred Upton,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2719) to ensure public access to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain in the Hanford Reach National Monument for educational, recreational, historical, scientific, cultural, and other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative

days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 2719 directs the Department of the Interior to ensure public access to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain, located within the Hanford Reach National Monument in my district.

At 3,600 feet, Rattlesnake Mountain is the highest point in the region and provides unparalleled views for miles around the monument, the Hanford Site, the Columbia River, the Yakima River and the Snake River. Unfortunately, it took the Fish and Wildlife Service 8 years to write a management plan that effectively closed Rattlesnake Mountain to public access, despite the public comments favoring just the opposite.

After I introduced this bill last Congress, the Fish and Wildlife Service, in October of 2010, offered two public tours for selected individuals, and then suddenly reneged on the offer just days before the tours were to occur without any explanation. During a recent committee hearing on the bill, the Interior Department's testimony suggested that the Fish and Wildlife Service supports tours of Rattlesnake Mountain, but very carefully didn't go the extra step of ensuring that the Service would allow public access to the actual summit. Access to the mountain and access to the summit are two entirely different matters.

To put it bluntly, Mr. Speaker, the Service has had more than 10 years, and they say it will take several more before they can determine if it will allow the American people to have access to this portion of the monument. That is why this bill is so necessary to guarantee public access by law and to do so in a very timely manner.

Mr. Speaker, I might add the tallest mountain in Washington State is Mount Rainier at 14,410 feet. People have access up to that under certain conditions. This is a mountain that has no trees; it's 3,600 feet. There's no reason why people shouldn't have access.

And to that extent, the legislation is supported by the Tri-Cities Development Council, the Board of Benton County Commissioners in which Rattlesnake Mountain is located, the Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, and the Back Country Horsemen of Washington.

The American people deserve to have access to public lands, including Rattlesnake Mountain. I ask that the House pass this reasonable legislation today to help make that possible.

I note that the bill was reported by the Committee on Natural Resources by unanimous consent, and I appreciate the support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for this measure.

With that, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 278) to provide for the exchange of certain land located in the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

S. 278 will exchange approximately 5 acres of land between the Forest Service and the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District in Colorado. The District has operated two fire stations on Forest Service land since 1967 but has been unable to install septic services or make other improvements to the fire stations since it does not own the land.

This bill would correct this issue by conveying the lands to the District in exchange for an inholding it currently owns within the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, at no cost to the Federal Government. The Committee on Natural Resources has already favorably reported the House version of this bill, H.R. 643, and if we pass this bill, the bill will go to the President's desk.

With that, I urge adoption of the measure and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I just note to my friend from Colorado, he said that the bill passed the House last year and the Senate didn't act on it. I think it's very good strategy on his part to take the Senate bill. Now we, of course, have to perfect it, but we'll send it back and maybe this will be easier for them to act. I certainly hope so.

With that, I urge passage of the bill.

I advise my friend that I am prepared to yield back if he yields back.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 944) to eliminate an unused lighthouse reservation, provide management consistency by incorporating the rocks and small islands along the coast of Orange County, California, into the California Coastal National Monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and meet the original Congressional intent of preserving Orange County's rocks and small islands, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that

all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 944, introduced by our colleague from California (Mr. Campbell) will remove an unused lighthouse reservation currently in place for certain rocks and small islands along the coast of Orange County, California. The bill would add them to the California Coastal National Monument.

The lighthouse reservation has been in place since 1935 to provide locations for searchlights and other coastal defense equipment of that time. The bill will provide for the consistent management of geological features along the coast of Orange County.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell).

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 535) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease certain lands within Fort Pulaski National Monument, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

S. 535 would allow the Savannah Bar Pilots Association to continue leasing a facility at Fort Pulaski National Monument as they have done since the 1940s.

Congressman Jack Kingston of Georgia is the author of the House version of this bill, H.R. 2687, that the Committee on Natural Resources heard in September. The National Park Service testified in support, and we are pleased that this is one piece of legislation that will not cost the taxpayers a dime.

So I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2360) to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to extend the Constitution, laws, and jurisdiction of the United States to installations and devices attached to the seabed of the Outer Continental Shelf for the production and support of production of energy from sources other than oil and gas, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I appreciate the opportunity to bring to the floor the Providing for Our Workforce and Energy Resources or POWER Act, introduced by our colleague from Louisiana (Mr. Landry).

The House Natural Resources Committee is dedicated to creating domestic American jobs and protecting the safety of our workers. When we pass legislation that encourages safe and efficient energy development on Federal lands, not only are we decreasing domestic energy production, but we are also generating the millions of jobs that support those industries; and when I say that, I mean all energy jobs.

Republicans in Congress are committed to an all-of-the-above energy strategy. We are committed to promoting jobs in wind, solar, oil, gas, hydro, and geothermal energy. Developing all of these resources to ensure reliable and affordable energy for the American people will benefit families and businesses across our country in the form of lower energy costs and greater job growth.

To help foster this private sector job growth, eliminating regulatory uncertainty can really clear the way to spur investment, protect American workers, and spur job creation. The bill under consideration does just that.

The POWER Act clarifies the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to ensure the full and fair application of our Nation's laws to all offshore energy development, including renewable energy, rather than waiting for various rulings and interpretations by Federal agencies. This simple, commonsense bill will provide greater certainty to those looking to invest and develop renewable energy projects and the infrastructure to support those projects off our shores.

I want everyone to be clear that this is not a major change in law. It is merely a technical clarification to ensure that Federal agencies have the important guidance they need to ensure that our Nation's laws are applied in the manner in which they were intended.

Although not a major change, it is an important one, and Mr. Landry should get the credit for putting this bill forward.

American companies are on the verge of investing hundreds of millions of dollars in developing renewable energy on our Outer Continental Shelf, and they need the certainty that our laws will be applied fairly to their activities.

Developing our Nation's energy resources benefits our economy, our people, and our national security. I believe this bill helps provide the certainty needed to help move America down the path. I applaud Mr. Landry for his work, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Landry).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time and urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2351) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to continue stocking fish in certain lakes in the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am the author of H.R. 2351, the North Cascades National Park Service Complex Fish Stocking Act.

This bill has enjoyed broad bipartisan support for some time. It passed the House under suspension of the rules in the last Congress and was favorably reported from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by voice vote.

H.R. 2351 is necessary to ensure the National Park Service, in coordination with the State of Washington, has the authority to continue stocking fish in certain alpine lakes in the North Cascades National Park Complex. This complex includes the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.

In 2008, the park service prepared an environmental impact statement regarding the management of the fisheries in these mountain lakes. The preferred alternative was to allow continued fish stocking in 42 of those lakes. The park service also requested explicit authority to allow fish stocking to continue within the park complex. And this is exactly what H.R. 2351 does.

Many tourists visit the park for its scenic beauty as well as fishing opportunities, making fish stocking an important component of the central Washington economy.

I urge support of this legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I, again, urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1560) to amend

the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act to allow the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribe to determine blood quantum requirement for membership in that tribe.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo was originally based in New Mexico and then relocated after the 1860 Pueblo Revolt to its present location in El Paso County, Texas.

In 1967, Congress enacted Public Law 90-287, terminating the Federal trust relationship with the tribe and placing the tribe under the jurisdiction of the State of Texas. In 1987, the Federal trust relationship was restored by Public Law 100-89.

The Restoration Act limited the tribe's membership to individuals listed on a certain tribal membership roll and to descendants of such individuals as long as they have a minimum of one-eighth degree of Ysleta del Sur Indian blood.

In recent years, the tribe has passed resolutions in favor of legislation to eliminate this limitation which is consistent with the modern congressional policy of allowing recognized tribes to set their own membership when they enroll Indian people.

H.R. 1560 permits the tribe to enroll Indian members with a minimum blood requirement. Similar versions of this bill have been passed by the House in the last two Congresses.

The Committee on Natural Resources has not heard any objection to passing this bill again. I think it's a good idea to treat the tribe consistently with how Congress treats other federally recognized tribes.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no further requests for time, and I am prepared to yield back if the gentleman from New Mexico is.

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