Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to compliment the members on our committee, both Republican and Democrat, not only in our subcommittee that Mr. Markey chairs and I'm the ranking member, but also Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Barton.

This has been a multiyear effort; it really has. This bill is a product of that work. We've had a number of classified hearings and discussions and briefings over the last couple of years with Members attending for hours at a time. We've had some public hearings as well; and this bill is a product of that, which is exactly why the bill passed out of full committee 47-0 on a roll call vote.

The security of our Nation's energy infrastructure from attack is one of the most important issues that this Congress might address this year, and it's not an issue that we can take lightly. Energy, as we know, electricity literally powers our economy in everything that we do. Even small price spikes and supply disruptions can wreak havoc on our economy for perhaps who knows how long, and it is imperative that the security of our Nation's energy infrastructure gets all of the attention that it deserves. This legislation is a step in the right direction

to protect our critical energy and defense infrastructure.

Let me tell you a couple of things that this bill does. As it relates to cyber- and electromagnetic weapons, it gives FERC the authority to establish standards to protect the bulk power system against vulnerabilities to malicious acts using electronic communications or electromagnetic weapons.

Geomagnetic storms: The bill requires FERC to direct NERC to submit for approval a reliability standard under section 215 to protect the bulk power infrastructure. And for large transformers, the bill requires FERC again to direct NERC to submit for approval a reliability standard under section 215 to require adequate availability of large transformers to ensure the reliability of the bulk power infrastructure in the event of a physical or other attack with a geomagnetic storm.

I would like to cite just a few words in a letter that was signed by some real national security experts--James Woolsey, Stephen Hadley, John Hamre, Rudy de Leon, James Schlesinger, William Perry, and Willy Schneider, Jr. It's an official-use only letter, so I cannot submit this letter for the Record or read more than just a few words.

They say together: We strongly endorse the timely passage of this legislation in recognition that the electricity grid is a critical national security asset, the backbone of defense capability in modern civilization and also in recognition that the grid is vulnerable.

The letter goes on: We don't want a vulnerable grid. We, as a society, cannot live with a vulnerable grid. This bill corrects many of the flaws in what could otherwise be standard operating procedure.

Again, I applaud and thank Chairmen Waxman and Markey, Ranking Member Barton, and all of the members of our committee who have spent many hours to address this situation with this legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I know that we have one other Member who wishes to speak, but I do not see him on the floor; so I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

In seeing that the Member is not here, I would ask again for a strong ``yea'' vote, and I would hope that our Senate colleagues are listening so that they will be able to move this legislation as quickly as possible.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim the balance of my time.

I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett), who is in support of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), in support of the bill.

I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

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

I just want to say, this is an issue that we sat down together for the last, actually, couple of years examining the facts. Many of us that particularly live in areas--for me, the Midwest, coming from Michigan, we had a devastating tornado come through this weekend, and for many of us, myself included, our electricity went out for a number of hours. And then a number of times, particularly during the winter and even in the summer where these electric storms that come through, sometimes the electricity may be out for a couple of days.

We look to our friends down in Haiti who, many of them still may not have electricity after the devastating earthquake that hit there a number of months ago. Can you imagine if that happened here in this country, where, because of our grid vulnerabilities, you could be perhaps out of electricity for a year or 2, trying to get gasoline to get out of there, trying to get refrigeration for your food, trying to have a job, take care of your family?

Some of us read the book ``The Road.'' Lots of different scenarios that are out there. We need to be prepared. This bill moves us down that road.

And I again want to compliment my friend, Mr. Markey, to make sure that this legislation did move through. We had a lot of bipartisan support, a lot of eyes opened and ears too, particularly as we sat through some of those classified briefings. Let's hope that the Senate moves quickly, the President signs it swiftly, and, in fact, we can see legislation move to make sure that those scenarios remain that way and don't become realities.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to Mr. Jeffrey Siegel of Berrien Regional Educational Service Agency. After over three decades of service to the education community of southwest Michigan, Mr. Siegel will be retiring as the Superintendent of Berrien

Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns), a member of the committee.

Madam Chair, I would yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from the great State of Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).

Madam Chair, I would yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

Madam Chair, I yield 30 additional seconds to the gentleman.

Madam Chair, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

Madam Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining on both sides.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the minority leader of the House, Mr. Boehner of Ohio.

Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, first of all I want to thank the majority for working with a number of Republicans in the committee. The gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) and Mr. Waxman

and Mr. Welch worked with me on allowing home builders to be certified for the work, something that we thought was very important.

They worked with Mr. Shadegg on an amendment to make sure that tankless water heaters were included, something we know is very important in the process; and Mr. Shimkus on geothermal; three amendments that all of us on both sides of the aisle strongly supported. We welcomed that good work.

And to a degree, we also worked on clearing up one of the major objections from the start, and that was the original legislation talked about such sums, which as we calculated was going to be up to $23 billion. That objection was looked at and we were able to reduce it significantly, but it is still $6.6 billion in terms of what that cap may be over the next 2 years.

And if you look at the talking points out there, we are talking about 168,000 jobs and if you divide that by the $6.6 billion, you come out to about $39,000 a job and that is just too much.

Mr. Latta worked in good faith from the time that the full committee ended the markup a couple of weeks ago to try and get an amendment to sunset the act. The legislation would have a negative effect on the Federal budget deficit. He was led to believe that amendment might be in order. Despite the assurances of some on the committee, it appears that the Rules Committee denied that amendment. But we will have a chance. That amendment, as I understand it, will be part of our motion to recommit, and hopefully that motion to recommit with that provision will be included which is one that Mr. Latta spoke about earlier in support of that amendment.

But the real problem for many of us on our side is that this is really a duplicative program going back to the Department of Energy's stimulus funding. And after a year of that, remember that was adopted in February of 2009, after a year and the money in that stimulus bill, there were promises in fact that that was going to create 87,000 jobs. And a year later, February of this year, it looked as though only 10 percent of that 87,000 figure was recognized, or about 8,500 jobs, not the 87,000. Remember as part of the stimulus, they had to be job ready. Money had to go out the door as quickly as could be. A year later, we were still only 10 percent of the jobs that were promised, far short of that number.

Now, we have a $1.5 trillion deficit this year. A lot of us on our side think we should be taking the time to go through every program, every program in that budget to look at where we might be able to find some savings, go page by page. The taxpayers deserve no less. Enough is enough. This is a $6.6 billion new program entrusted to the Department of Energy which after a year could only deliver 10 percent of what they were promising in the stimulus bill from last year.

So our view on this side, many of us say without the Latta amendment to make sure that in fact there is not an impact on the deficit, we would ask Members to vote ``no.''

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pride I rise today in honor of the City of Kalamazoo, Michigan on the occasion of its 125th anniversary.

First settled in 1829 upon the Kalamazoo River, the city's namesake, the city was incorporated in 1885, midway between Detroit and Chicago.

Over the past 125 years, Kalamazoo has made a name for itself as a pioneer in the health sciences, industry, and higher education. The city is the birthplace of many classic American icons, such as Gibson Guitars, Shakespeare fishing rods, and Checker taxi cabs. As a leader in the medical field, Kalamazoo is also home to the Upjohn Company, the longtime pharmaceutical manufacturer, and Stryker Corporation, a global leader in the development of medical implants, equipment, and technologies. While many changes have come to the region over the years, hard work and innovation remain hallmarks of the local economy.

More recently, Kalamazoo attracted national recognition for the groundbreaking ``Kalamazoo Promise,'' a pledge made by a group of anonymous area donors to pay the tuition for graduates of Kalamazoo's public schools to attend any of the state's public colleges or universities. This philanthropic model has since been adopted in states across the country with great success.

Kalamazoo is home to Western Michigan University, the fourth largest higher education institution in our state as well as Kalamazoo College, one of the nation's oldest and most respected higher education institutions dedicated to the liberal arts. Kalamazoo Valley Community College has distinguished itself as a national leader in the development of alternative energy and other important technologies.

Over the years, Kalamazoo has also earned a reputation as a community passionately dedicated to the arts, a reflection of its cultural diversity and exceptional level of community engagement. Kalamazoo has also produced and attracted its share of national celebrities, including New York Yankees' Derek Jeter, Green Bay Packers' Greg Jennings, Seattle Seahawks' T.J. Duckett, and American Idol favorite Matt Giraud.

Despite the great economic challenges faced by our state, the people of Kalamazoo have continued to work together, as they always have, for the benefit of their entire community. This has been the secret to the city's long success and an example for other communities to replicate.

Again, it is my honor to stand today in recognition of the City of Kalamazoo for its rich 125 year history. Here is to the next 125 years.

Madam Speaker, folks are scared. They are really scared. Debt is at a historic level, spending is out of control, the Nation's AAA credit rating is in jeopardy, and here we are.

We are going to spend $1 trillion over the next 10 years for just 6 years of benefits. Only in Washington can folks stand here and claim spending $1 trillion will actually cut the deficit.

And how did we get here? Well, we are going to start by raiding $523 billion from the Medicare checks of older Americans. Shameful.

Whatever happened to tort reform? Not here. The lawyers are going to continue to get richer suing doctors and hospitals, and older Americans will see their benefits evaporate. Where are our priorities?

Yesterday I introduced an amendment that would delay the bill until we can guarantee Medicare's solvency for at least the next 30 years, but it was denied. I guess they would rather spend money that we don't have rather than uphold our commitment to seniors. Debt continues to soar beyond belief. Today, every man and woman will spend $46,000 on the debt. Let's do better. We can.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to James D. MacPhee of Schoolcraft, Michigan, who will become Chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America, ICBA, on Thursday, March 18, 2010.

Mr. MacPhee's long association and dedication to the ICBA has unquestionably qualified him for this position. He has served as chairman of the ICBA Membership/Marketing Committee and is this year's ICBPAC auction chairman. He has served as vice-chairman and an at-large member of the ICBA Executive Committee and represented the State of Michigan on the ICBA Board of Directors.

Southwest Michigan has greatly benefited from Mr. MacPhee's career in the community banking industry. He has been with Kalamazoo County State Bank for 35 years, serving as CEO for the past 17, and is a member of the board of directors of First State Bank in Decatur, Michigan. Mr. MacPhee has held the esteemed positions of both director and president in the Michigan Association of Community Bankers and currently serves as chairman and a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Association of Community Bankers Service Company.

Throughout his impressive career, James MacPhee has continually given back to the community. He was a charter member and chairman of the Village of Schoolcraft Downtown Development Authority, and a charter member of the Schoolcraft Community Association, and has served on the board of directors of the Bronson Health Foundation. Mr.

MacPhee's dedication to Michiganders has been evident in both his career and his long history of community involvement.

I am confident that James MacPhee will serve the ICBA with the same dedication and fervor he has given to the Michigan banking community. We in Southwest Michigan are very proud and grateful for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Louis Gelder & Sons Company of Benton Harbor, Michigan, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary on Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Since 1910, Louis Gelder & Sons has proudly supplied the folks of southwest Michigan with tractors and other agriculture equipment and supplies. Today, operated by Bruce and Joe Gelder, the company is a fourth-generation family-run business.

The story of Louis Gelder & Sons begins in Millburg, Michigan, only a few miles away from their current location. Like many small businesses, their long history speaks to the power of the American entrepreneurial spirit, having endured two of the deepest economic recessions in modern history. Our Nation has faced many challenges and changes over the past century, but Louis Gelder & Sons has stood the test of time.

Behind great companies with this kind of endurance you will always find great people. The folks at Louis Gelder & Sons work as a team, which makes all the difference between a good company and a great one.

The long success of Louis Gelder & Sons is a remarkable achievement, and we are all very proud to see them continuing to provide service to the people of Michigan. Congratulations to the Gelder family and their employees. Here's to the next 100!

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the student team at Western

Michigan University on winning the national iOMe Challenge competition, which focused on solutions to make the U.S. retirement system solvent for future generations.

WMU's proposal was the collaborative effort of four students from the University's Lee Honors College--Sam Demorest, Lauren Hearit, Ashley Horvat, and Brad Kent--with the guidance and encouragement of WMU Professor Susan Hoffmann. The proposal submitted by the WMU team was one of 41 entries submitted by schools in 17 states for the opportunity to travel to Washington and present their ideas before Members of Congress. The iOMe Challenge asked college students across the country to think, analyze, and propose a solution addressing the issue of retirement for future generations. The WMU team analyzed every potential aspect of what life in retirement could be four decades from now and collaboratively put together a proposal that directly meets the challenges that lie ahead. The Western Michigan University team's project was selected by an independent blue-ribbon panel who judged based on content, style, economic soundness, and accessibility to young Americans.

Certainly there are a number of proposals for going about preserving the retirement system, and I have been deeply impressed by the recommendations of the team at Western Michigan. Their objective analysis of our current system and common retirement preparation practices, including each aspect's strengths and weaknesses, is sound and pragmatic. The adaptability within our current system allowed these students to provide cost cutting solutions that actually raised benefits for all Americans, while ensuring the system's long-term viability.

With a steadily aging population, significant reforms will need to be made to ensure the retirement system remains viable not only for today's retirees but generations to follow. To simply continue to kick this issue further down the road will only compound the problem for future American retirees. That is why this issue deserves constant attention from all Americans, especially younger generations who will be most greatly impacted. I commend these four students at Western Michigan University for their leadership in taking up this difficult issue, in order to show that our nation's future leaders will not be ignored when we discuss possible solutions regarding our future retirement problems.

Once again, congratulations to the team at Western Michigan University. You make your university, state, and nation very proud.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Sergeant Rick Smiedendorf of the St. Joseph Police Department who is retiring after 31 years of outstanding service. Sergeant Smiedendorf has had a deep and lasting impact on the St. Joseph community, especially in his work with young people.

A native of Niles, Michigan, Sergeant Smiedendorf is a graduate of Western Michigan University and began his career in St. Joseph in 1979. Rick was a tireless advocate in the area of crime prevention. He started a number of programs in the department, including the Crime Prevention Unit, the Neighborhood Watch program, the Dedicated Officer Program in the elementary schools, and the Community Child Watch. Generations of children knew him as Officer Rick, or Sergeant Rick, or McGruff the Crime Dog.

Throughout his career, Sergeant Rick connected prevention and law enforcement programs to the residents of Southwest Michigan. He helped organize the local National Night Out program, and the Community Emergency Response Team. He was named Officer of Year twice by the Benton Harbor St. Joseph Exchange Club, and was recently named Outstanding Crime Prevention Practioner of the Year by the West Michigan Crime Prevention Association.

Southwest Michigan is very fortunate Rick Smiedendorf stayed close to home. Thousands of people have been impacted by his hard work and commitment to crime prevention and keeping the public safe. I salute his efforts and thank him for his service in my hometown of St. Joseph. I wish Sergeant Rick all the best in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Boy Scout Troop 623 of Southwest Michigan, on the occasion of its 90th anniversary. Boy Scout Troop 623 is among the oldest in the nation with the earliest records reporting a December 1919 founding, only three years after Congress chartered the national organization.

While the United States is home to many accomplished and dedicated Boy Scout Troops, Troop 623 remains among the most distinguished. The Troop has weathered several difficulties including a 1931 fire that destroyed their camp on Lake Madron. The camp was rebuilt during difficult economic times and has thrived ever since. Camp Madron is still among the finest Scout camps in the United States.

In the summer of 1961, Boy Scout Troop 623 became the first troop from West Michigan to serve as the Governor's Honor Guard and Ft. Mackinac guides when they took the first of their annual weeklong trips to Mackinac Island. The summer of 2010 will mark the 49th consecutive trip the troop has taken, making Troop 623 the longest serving troop in the state. This trip is the highlight of a scout's career.

Scouting is a tremendously rewarding activity, something which I have learned firsthand from my time as a Troop 623 Scout. For the hundreds of former members of Troop 623, their experiences with Scouting have equipped them to become responsible citizens and leaders in the communities that they now call home. The values learned as a Scout are irreplaceable, and the lives of those who have Scouting training bear tribute to their training.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a cornerstone of our community, the Tri-City Record, which is currently celebrating its 25th year with Anne and Karl Bayer at the helm. Since its founding as the Weekly Record in 1882, the Tri-City Record has been a lifeline for southwest Michigan, reliably keeping folks informed on significant news and community events.

What began as the Weekly Record became the Watervliet Record in 1884. Through the years, with only a handful of owners, the newspaper grew to report not only on news in the city of Watervliet, but also the surrounding communities of Coloma and Hartford. A century after the first name change, the newspaper was purchased by Anne and Karl Bayer in 1984, and soon became the Tri-City Record.

Under the Bayer family's stewardship, countless residents have come to rely upon the Tri-City Record to stay connected with the community and keep up on current events. I commend the Tri-City Record's rich tradition of excellence and proud history of reporting to Coloma, Hartford, Watervliet and across the State of Michigan.

As the newspaper industry across the Nation has been strained during the digital age, the Tri-City Record continues to be a jewel in our corner of southwest Michigan. I salute Anne and Karl Bayer and the entire staff on reaching this milestone and wish them continued success for many years to come.

Twenty-five years later and still going strong, the Bayers represent a most important chapter in the storied history of the Tri-City Record.

Mr. Speaker, I rise against this bill. I don't know if you saw the headline today in The Wall Street Journal: ``Grim Milestone as Jobless Rate Tops 10 percent.'' The New York Times: ``Jobless rate hits 10.2 percent with more unemployed. Official figure is highest since 1980. Broader measure stands at 17.5 percent.''

Mr. Speaker, I am from Michigan where our unemployment rate exceeds 15 percent. People want to work and pay taxes. They don't want to be laid off and receive benefits.

This 1,990-page bill is almost 20 pounds. Does anyone actually believe that spending another $1 trillion is going to reduce our unemployment? We add employer mandates. The Joint Committee on Taxation says that one-third of the $460 billion in taxes is going to be paid for by small businesses. How does that decrease our unemployment? It doesn't.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me say this: one of our colleagues today is quoted as saying: Health care costs are rising faster than wages and inflation, and this bill does not change that trend.

That was a Democrat and not a Republican who said it.

I want to say, as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, when we had hearings on this issue, we learned from the Homeland Security folks that there were no inspections. They had not conducted one single inspection during the time they had this authority before them.

We know that chemical companies across the country have invested more than $18 billion to try to make sure that their places are secure. We heard the terrible news this morning about unemployment going up to 10.2 percent. We have lost one in five manufacturing jobs in the last year and a half. There is almost 12 percent unemployment in manufacturing. How is this going to help us keep more job? They are going to leave. Those companies are going to look at the added expenses that they are going to have, and they are going to move like you know to other countries and other places and those jobs are going to be lost.

So I would like to think that we will learn our lesson. We can have the inspections and go through what is right and what is wrong. I would urge my colleagues to accept this amendment offered by Mr. Dent so we can bring some reasonableness to the issue.

Reserving the right to object.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me just start off by congratulating the gentleman from New York. I feel we will have a resolution honoring the Yankees. I would just note as a Tigers, Cubs and White Sox fan and coming from Michigan, Derek Jeter does hail from Kalamazoo, Michigan. And to his credit, he has not forgotten his roots. He is a great individual, and we appreciate his prowess on the field. I congratulate him and the Yankees as well.

Mr. Speaker, I too want to commend my colleague, Ed Markey, and the Democratic and Republican Members on this committee for moving swiftly on an issue that is of critical importance. Problems abroad have exposed troublesome flaws here at home in nuclear medicine. Every year, 16 million medical procedures in the United States rely on the import of nuclear isotope molybdenum-99. That is 50,000 procedures every single day, and yet we import 100 percent of our supply of this isotope.

The Canadian reactor that has for decades supplied over 60 percent of molybdenum-99 is now off-line, and the nuclear reactor may never ever return to operation. Among their many medical uses, these isotopes are critical in the procedures for the detection and staging of cancer as well as heart disease. Without a proper supply of this critical isotope, tens of thousands of patients seeking diagnosis or treatment will be in jeopardy literally every single day.

So what this bill does, it will help insure a reliable supply of the most critical isotopes that are produced here in the U.S. Today, with the passage of this bill, we are a step closer to ensuring the tens of thousands of Americans who seek diagnosis and treatment every day promptly receive the care that they need. Literally, the clock is ticking, and the well-being of countless folks continues to hang in the balance.

I would note that there is a good laundry list of organizations that support this legislation, among them: American Association of Physicists in Medicine; American College of Radiology; American College of Cardiology; as well as the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.

We don't want to deny Americans this long-practiced medical procedure which we know produces early diagnosis of a good number of diseases, and we can save countless American lives.

I would urge my colleagues on both sides to support this. Again, I congratulate the speed with which our committee held hearings, moved this through both the subcommittee and full committee. Both Mr. Waxman and Barton are to be complimented, and particularly my friend, Ed Markey, who recognized this very early, and we worked together to get it to the House floor.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Art Van Furniture. Throughout the month of October, Mr. Art Van Elslander and Art Van Furniture are celebrating 50 years as a family-owned and Michigan-based company.

In my district, the city of Kalamazoo is home to an Art Van Furniture store that has been dedicated to supplying guests with quality furniture and superior customer service. They have continued to provide jobs and revenue to the local economy during a time when Southwest Michigan has needed it most.

As Michigan's largest furniture retailer with 32 locations, Art Van Furniture has brought recognition and notoriety to our State by receiving numerous distinguished honors. One recent accolade was the 2009 Retailer of the Year Award from Furniture Today, a furniture industry publication. In acknowledgment of their green efforts, the Michigan Retailers Association named Art Van Furniture a 2007

GreenTailer. This inaugural honor is given to retailers who are protecting the environment by adopting energy conservation and Earth- friendly practices.

Providing continual and vital economic growth to local communities statewide by employing more than 2,500 Michiganders, Art Van Furniture has been continually named one of West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest places to work. Furthermore, Art Van Furniture has an exceptional record of giving back to area charities and communities through a variety of generous financial contributions.

Again, it is my honor to rise today in honor of Art Van Furniture on the monumental occasion of its 50th anniversary. Congratulations and best wishes for another five decades.