Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 30th Anniversary of Shelter House, Inc., (Shelter House) and to congratulate the recipients of the 2011 volunteer awards.

Shelter House is a community-based, non-profit organization founded 1981 by several ecumenical groups, which came together to better serve low-income individuals and families. The mission of Shelter House is to break the cycle of homelessness for families and victims of domestic violence in Fairfax County by providing crisis intervention, temporary housing, and supportive services to promote self sufficiency.

Shelter House operates three shelters: The Katherine K. Hanley and the Patrick Henry family shelters, which provide temporary housing for families in our community who find themselves homeless, and Artemis House, which provides temporary housing for victims of domestic violence. Shelter House also offers transitional housing services and ongoing supportive services for those who have entered permanent housing.

Volunteers and community partners are the cornerstone of this organization. These relationships are critical assets to Shelter House and a leading cause for its successes. Each year, Shelter House honors those volunteers and partners who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to ending homelessness.

The following individuals are being recognized with 2011 Shelter House, Inc. Volunteer Awards:

Ending Homelessness Award: Nicole Larese of the Junior League of Northern Virginia,

Friend of Shelter House Kids Award: The Reading Connection,

Faith Community Award: Emmaus United Church of Christ,

Youth Volunteer Award: Jessica Woolson,

Unsung Hero Award: Erica Stewart,

Special Event Volunteer Award: Sarah Bock.

The following individuals and organizations are being recognized as 2011 Community Champions:

Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA); AKA Phi Nu Omega Chapter; Balfour Beatty Construction; Capital One; Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Donna Fleming; Freddie Mac Foundation; Great Falls Women's Club; The Honorable Kate Hanley; Verdia Haywood; HomeAid NoVA; Junior League of Northern Virginia; Old Dominion Cotillion; Sidley Austin LLP; and, Versivo.

The outstanding efforts of the above-mentioned individuals and organizations merit special recognition, but one must acknowledge the impact of all Shelter House volunteers who work to provide secure and structured environments for families in need. These volunteers and community partners make Shelter House one of the most effective organizations in the battle to end homelessness by empowering families to reach their full potential.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Shelter House, Inc. for thirty years of service in the battle to end homelessness and also in expressing our sincere appreciation to all of the volunteers and community partners for their selfless dedication to this worthy cause.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Prince William County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its 2011 ``Salute to Veterans'' Freedom Fund Banquet. U.S. Army Major General (Retired) Robert C. Gaskill and U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant (Retired) John W. Jones Jr. will receive special recognition at the banquet for their service to our nation.

The NAACP was established in 1909 to eliminate racial prejudice and remove barriers of racial discrimination that prevent equal opportunity for all members of society. The Prince William County Chapter seeks to implement outreach initiatives, educational programs and victim services that address issues of discrimination in the local community. The local chapter hosts an annual Freedom Fund Banquet to raise funds to support the chapter's activities. This year, the program will honor veterans of the United States armed forces.

It is my honor to join the Prince William County Chapter of the NAACP in giving special recognition to two veterans and residents of Prince William County, Major General Gaskill and Master Gunnery Sergeant Jones.

General Gaskill was born in Yonkers, N.Y., on April 12, 1931, to John and Armania Gaskill. The Gaskill family later moved to Arlington, Va. General Gaskill completed Reserve Officer Training as a Distinguished Military Graduate, and received a bachelor of science in business administration from Howard University in 1952. He was commissioned into one of the last all-black battalions in the United States Army. General Gaskill had a distinguished and decorated career in the Army before his retirement in 1981, to which he credits the support of his late wife Erotida Gaskill. General Gaskill is a Life Member of the NAACP, member of Unity in the Community, and an elder at his church.

Sergeant Jones was born in Memphis, Tenn., on September 3, 1930, to Mattie and John W. Jones, Sr. Sergeant Jones' mother passed away when he was nine, and he was raised by Laura Belle Jones, his father's second wife. In 1956, Sergeant Jones joined the United State Marine Corps. While in the Marine Corps, Sergeant Jones went to night school to complete his high school degree and enrolled in college courses. His service in the Corps included tours in the 1958 Lebanon Crisis and the Vietnam War. Sergeant Jones is married to the former Anne Tankins of Quantico. He is active in the NAACP and volunteers in his church, First Mount Zion Baptist Church, where he serves as Deacon Emeritus and sings in the choir.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the Prince William County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its 2011 ``Salute to Veterans'' Freedom Fund Banquet. I extend my personal appreciation to Major General U.S.A (Retired) Robert C. Gaskill and Master Gunnery Sergeant U.S.M.C. (Retired) John W. Jones, Jr. for their service and sacrifice on behalf of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the recipients of the 2011 Beat the Odds Awards. These awards are sponsored by the Prince William County Bar Foundation and are presented to extraordinary youth who have exhibited exceptional determination to overcome adversity and lead full, productive lives.

The narrative of these awards is truly compelling; to qualify for a Beat the Odds award, a youth must have come into contact with the juvenile justice system. Despite this potential obstacle, Beat the Odds Award recipients have overcome abuse, neglect or juvenile delinquency with an earnest effort to realize a successful future.

It is my great honor to commend the following individuals who have risen above substantial negative influences and are now being recognized as community success stories:

Recipients of the 2010 Beat the Odds Phoenix Award: Victoria Rose, Jacob Whitfield, Martha Vasquez-Quintanilla, Benjamin Dinarte, Eduardo Silva Ostos, Shahnewaz Bhuiyan, Mark Johnson, Jr., and Curtis Moore, Jr.

Recipients of the 2010 Beat the Odds Scholarship Award: Mariam Sankoh, Vanessa Monserrat Rodriguez, Tanya Donangmaye, Anthony Harris, Taylor Katherine Peevy, Indiana Sommer Anderson, Kelly Renee Teboe, Jennifer Salas, Maria Sisson, and Caleb Daniel Foster.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating these young people for the positive example they set for their peers. Our community sends a powerful message to our youth when we encourage them to triumph over setbacks and to gain strength from hardship. Beat the Odds scholarships totaling more than $100,000 from the Prince William Bar Foundation are a resounding endorsement of that message, and I thank the Foundation for its dedication and generosity to youth in our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Prince William Clean Community Council (PWCCC) and its 2010 Volunteer of the Year, Walter Skaja. With the help of dedicated volunteers like Mr. Skaja, the Council works to eliminate litter and graffiti in our Prince William neighborhoods and commercial centers.

The idea of forming an organization in Prince William County aimed at addressing environmental issues was conceived in 1982 during a spring cleanup effort led by a group of concerned local citizens. These individuals, who later became the founding members of PWCCC, immediately recognized the importance of litter prevention education as a way to long-term environmental cleanliness. In 1986, the Prince William County Litter Control Council was born. The organization later came to be known as the Clean Community Council and became an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, a nationwide non-profit that uses education and hands-on stewardship to advocate litter control, waste reduction, and community beautification.

The Council's litter prevention and graffiti abatement efforts have not gone unnoticed. The Council's accolades include a 1994 Governors Award for Volunteering Excellence. The Council was a 2000 Virginia Stewardship Award Winner in the Communication/Education Category and received the Prince William County 2001 Partners for the Potomac Environmental Patron Award, 2000 and 2002 Keep America Beautiful National Awards and a 2008 Keep America Beautiful President's Circle Recognition Award.

The Council's volunteers always have been essential to its success and the Volunteer of the Year Award is a way to recognize their invaluable support.

The 2010 recipient, Walter Skaja, has been a volunteer with PWCCC since 2009. He started working with PWCCC through its Adopt-A-Spot program, where volunteers adopt an area of Prince William County and agree to remove litter and debris throughout the year. Shortly after adopting two neighborhood parks, Walter also adopted Cedar Point Elementary School. In the past two years, Walter has not been alone in his work for a clean environment. He has had help from Cub Scout Pack 1384. Walter routinely has 100 or more scouts to help him with his beautification efforts. They have transformed Cedar Point Elementary School with landscaping improvements that have included mulching and planting trees, shrubs and flowers. In addition to his volunteer work with the Adopt-A-Spot and Adopt-A-School programs, Walter spent time during the major snow storms in 2009 and 2010 removing snow from fire hydrants and clearing snow at Cedar Point Elementary School. His tireless efforts helped students, parents, and staff make it to school safely.

Mr. Speaker, we create safer, cleaner neighborhoods when residents take ownership for their communities. The Clean Community Council asks Prince William residents to take pride in their county. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the successes of the Prince William Clean Community Council as well as in congratulating Walter Skaja on being named the recipient of the 2010 Prince William Clean Community Council Volunteer of the Year Award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize nine graduating seniors in my community for their record of academic and athletic accomplishment and their admirable decision to enlist in the United States Armed Forces.

With graduation season upon us, thousands of young people in my community, and millions across the nation, are preparing for the next chapter in their lives. Some will pursue higher education or vocational training, others will seek to enter the workforce immediately, and many will answer the call to serve their community and their country.

I join with their families and friends in congratulating and commending the following Robinson Secondary School graduates on their enlistment:

United States Marines: Philipp Zinser, Daniel Kellam, Sam Lausier, Ji Jong Lee, Won Gyu Lee and Junsuk Choi

United States Navy: David Maeng

United States Air Force: Jade Vitali and Kevin Haas

At a time of great uncertainty both at home and abroad, these young people have stepped forward to follow in a long line of distinguished Virginians who selflessly volunteered to defend our nation and its ideals. In fact, these graduates hail from a school named for Sgt. James W. Robinson Jr., who was the first Virginian to receive the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and heroism during the Vietnam War. Sgt. Robinson's accomplishments continue to serve as a model for character and leadership not only for the students at the school bearing his name, but also for all those who seek to follow in his footsteps.

The Northern Virginia Chapter of Our Community Salutes will host a ceremony Thursday, June 9, to recognize these young people and their families and to wish them safety and success as they pursue a career in the Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the courage and dedication of these graduates and in assuring them and their families that the full support and resources of the U.S. Congress and the American people will be behind them every step of their journey in defense our nation's freedom.

I thank my colleague from Florida for yielding me this time. I rise respectfully in support of House Resolution 292, which reasserts the congressional war-making authority of section 8, article I of the Constitution, and I respectfully disagree with my ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for whom I have enormous respect.

I don't think this resolution takes gratuitous potshots at the President of the United States. I think it is a thoughtful exposition of the issues in front of us and the requirements that we want to put on the President, and it buys the President time to comply without the disruption that the Kucinich resolution would cause, not only in Libya, but the ramifications for NATO relationships and in the Arab democratic spring.

The resolution prohibits the President from deploying ground troops in Libya, and declares Congress has the constitutional prerogative to withhold funding for any unauthorized use of U.S. Armed Forces. It requires the administration to transmit to the House of Representatives any records regarding congressional communication and Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya within 14 days of passage.

Madam Speaker, since before the passage of the War Powers Resolution in 1973, the executive branch, regardless of party or leader, has argued that there are inherent constitutional powers contained in the constitutional reference to the President as Commander in Chief. If one argues that section 2, article II of the Constitution grants the President inherent powers as Commander in Chief, then logically one ought to acknowledge that Congress also has inherent powers as the only entity expressly granted the power to declare war in that document.

According to the House report regarding the War Powers Resolution, ``consultation . . . means that a decision is pending on a problem and that Members of Congress are being asked by the President for their advice and opinions and, in appropriate circumstances, their approval of action contemplated.'' This report language makes the intention of the War Powers Resolution clear: Consultation ought to be active, not merely informative. In the War Powers Resolution, the term ``hostilities'' was used deliberately instead of ``armed conflict'' precisely because of the former phrase's broader nature. The Constitution and the War Powers Resolution are clear: Congress must have a role with regard to the use and deployment of U.S. forces. The extent of that role has been the subject of debate as old as the United States itself.

To go even further, a strict constructionist would argue that the War Powers Resolution itself limits congressional authority. The act of even acknowledging the need for a statutory framework to codify Congress' powers in the Constitution in fact dilutes those powers and may have the unintended effect of enhancing the Executive's powers directly at the expense of Congress.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution, House Resolution 292, to assert congressional authority and to buy the President time with which to comply.

Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chair, this bill represents a gross abdication of our shared responsibility with our state and local governments to provide for the safety and security of our constituents and our communities.

Cuts to the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grants and the Assistance to Firefighters, or FIRE, grants will be devastating for communities in each of our home states. In addition, changes to the Urban Areas Security Initiative will put our high-risk communities at further risk.

As we prepare to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11 later this year, the wounds are still fresh in the memory in my home community of Northern Virginia. This bill will actually cut by more than 50 percent the very public safety assistance Congress deemed essential, on a bipartisan basis, to address public safety and security concerns in our communities as a result of those terrorist attacks.

How is that providing for the homeland security? I would argue that we're actually putting it at risk.

The threat of a terrorist attack has not dissipated. In fact, it probably has increased since U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden earlier this spring.

In the wake of 9/11, we identified significant shortfalls in our public safety capabilities. Congress created these grant programs to help our cities and counties meet the demands for interoperable communication, hazardous materials response and other recommendations from local, state and federal threat assessments, including the 9/11 commission.

Still today, thousands of fire stations, both career and volunteer, across the country do not have sufficient staffing to adequately protect their communities. Many still do not have the ability to respond to all-hazards emergencies or communicate with one another.

The SAFER and FIRE grants help provide staffing, training and equipment to public safety agencies in every state. As the former Chairman of the largest local government in the National Capital Region and the Chairman of the region's Emergency Preparedness Council, I know firsthand how critical these funds are to ensure the safety of our communities.

Even before the recession, local governments had difficulties meeting their public safety needs, and now many have been forced to cut back on those services as their budgets are still reeling from the affects of the Great Recession. The reductions proposed by this legislation will only exacerbate the problem and further delay, if not gravely harm, our preparedness efforts.

Mr. Chair, we came together in a bipartisan fashion to turn back similar cuts in the Continuing Resolution for the current fiscal year, and I urge my colleagues to once again stand alongside our firefighters and public safety personnel in support of this critical funding.

Mr. Pascrell and Mr. LaTourette are once again offering a bipartisan amendment that would restore most of the requested grant funding. While the amendment does not preserve the entire funding request, it ensures that our local and state partners do not bear a further undue burden because the federal government is not living up to its own responsibility.

If this bill is supposed to represent our Homeland Security values, then it's done a pretty poor job by turning its back on those sworn to protect us on the front lines, namely the firefighters, police officers and other first responders in our communities. I urge my colleagues to either restore this funding or reject this attack on our basic public safety.

Mr. Chair, Chairman McKeon and Chairman Smith, thank you for working together on thoughtful procurement reform in the context of this NDAA. As I have said many times before, procurement should not be about theology. Decisions to insource or outsource should never be made on the a priori assumption that less or more government participation will save money. Therefore, I was supportive of including language in the NDAA which would restore the A- 76 process. While we must be vigilant to ensure this process accurately accounts for costs, there is no question that analysis must precede insourcing or outsourcing decisions, and A-76 at least attempts to create an analytical process. The fact that such a process was abused during the Bush administration

should not obscure the need for analysis in the future. In a similar vein, I opposed draft proposals which would have established across the board prohibitions on conducting work in-house if the tasks were not inherently governmental. While Federal employees certainly should conduct inherently governmental work, it may also make sense in some cases for them to do work that the Office of Federal Procurement Policy has deemed ``closely associated with inherently governmental,'' or other functions. For example, when I was Chairman of Fairfax County, our vehicle maintenance were county employees who did outstanding work. There was nothing inherently governmental about oil changes, but Fairfax got the best deal with county employees. We should not preclude analogous arrangements from the Federal Government any more than we should preclude outsourcing vehicle maintenance. In addition to the Committee's thoughtful approach to insourcing and outsourcing, I greatly appreciate your support for other steps to improve the acquisition environment through improved Federal efficiency. These reforms include adoption of the Federal Acquisition Institute Amendment that Mr. Platts and I introduced as well as Mr. Langevin's amendment to rationalize the responsibilities of the Chief Technology Officer and other executive branch officials with technology policy portfolios. This National Defense Authorization Act represents significant progress for our procurement and technology communities, including both Federal employees and Federal contractors. Thank you for you and your staffs outstanding work on these important issues for our economy and the Federal Government.

Mr. Chair, I rise to express my concerns with repealing Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act through the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This provision of the NDAA would undermine Department of Defense efforts to reduce oil dependence and could cripple America's nascent algal biofuel industry.

Our Armed Forces are making great progress to reduce their dependence on oil in a manner that promotes climate security. For example, the Air Force plans to procure 50 percent of its domestic aviation fuel from alternative sources by 2016. It has already developed the ``Green Hornet,'' a fighter jet that runs on algae-based biofuel. The Navy is in the process of deploying its ``Great Green Fleet,'' which will run entirely on alternative fuels and be operational by 2016.

These improvements to national security parallel new economic opportunities for the biofuel industry. According to the Biotechnology Industry Association, ``Section 526 is helping low carbon fuels bridge the `valley of death' between development and commercialization,'' and is ``already helping the Air Force and Navy meet its alternative fuel goals.'' The domestic biofuels industry contributes 400,000 jobs and $53 billion to the American economy while supporting deployment of domestically-produced biofuels for our Armed Forces.

We cannot abort this critical effort to help our military achieve energy independence. It is imperative that repeal of Section 526 be stricken from the National Defense Authorization Act before this legislation proceeds to the President for his signature.

The Importance of Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security

Act of 2007 to the Continued Development and Commercialization of

Advanced Biofuels

May 2011

What Section 526 Does

Prevents federal agencies from purchasing unconventional

fuels with higher greenhouse gas emissions than conventional

fuels.

Most relevant to the Department of Defense (DOD) because it

is the Nation's largest fuel purchaser and is leading federal

efforts to support, develop and commercialize domestic

alternative sources of fuel for military use.

For instance, the U.S. Air Force intends to procure 50

percent of its domestic aviation fuel from alternative

sources by 2016.

Also, the U.S. Navy plans to deploy a ``Great Green Fleet''

by 2016, which will be entirely operated on alternative

fuels.

Why Section 526 Is Important to the United States and to the

Advanced Biofuels Industry

Section 526 is helping low carbon fuels bridge the ``valley

of death'' between development and commercialization by

preventing large, carbon intensive fossil fuel facilities

from crowding out their opportunities. Section 526 is

therefore already helping the Air Force and Navy meet its

alternative fuel goals and the country move toward greater

energy independence and security and create jobs.

The domestic biofuels industry is now contributing more

than 400,000 jobs and $53 billion in new activity to the

Nation's economy. A recent report found that additional job

creation from advanced biofuels production could reach

807,000 by 2022.

Since its enactment, Section 526 has provided a clear

signal that energy security and climate security will be

advanced in parallel to federal alternative fuel procurement.

This has helped to focus private investment and early DOD

testing on advanced biofuels, which offer substantial

greenhouse gas reductions in addition to their energy

security benefits.

The prospects of a stable and long-term customer in the DOD

is a major driver of early investment in advanced biofuels

for aviation and marine applications. Eliminating Section 526

could seriously undermine this investment certainty, leading

to less and less investment and capital access for advanced

biofuels.

Congress must maintain Section 526 to assure continued U.S.

leadership on biofuels, especially advanced and cellulosic

biofuels for aviation and other military applications.

Advanced Biofuels Companies and Projects That Could Be

Negatively Affected if Section 526 Were Eliminated`

The maps below illustrate existing and planned cellulosic

biofuel biorefineries and algae production projects at

various stages of development in North America.

Currently, there are more than 70 pilot and demonstration

advanced biofuel biorefineries across North America--

including cellulosic, algae, and other advanced biofuel

technologies--representing hundreds of millions of dollars in

investment.

There have been successes at each stage of research and

development and all are in the process of scaling-up.

Commercial development was slowed by the recession but is

regaining momentum as a result of supportive federal

programs, such as Section 526, and some thawing of capital

markets.

Many of the facilities and projects shown may be negatively

impacted by the elimination of Section 526.

I particularly want to thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith for their wonderful cooperation in putting together this en bloc set of amendments.

Mr. Chairman, I want to just highlight several with which I am associated.

Amendment 93, cosponsored by Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Welch, and Mrs. Capps, will reduce fuel convoy deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Chairman, we have lost 3,000 lives trying to protect fuel convoys in those two countries. So we can actually save money and save lives with this amendment.

Amendment 91, cosponsored by Mr. Platts of Pennsylvania, improves the Federal Acquisition Institute. This is legislation also introduced by our Republican friend in the U.S. Senate, Susan Collins, and it has bipartisan support, makes the Federal Government a lot more efficient and will not build new bureaucracy or add expenses.

Amendment 92, cosponsored by Mr. Bilbray of California, will actually try to systemize and make more effective the internship programs in the Federal Government so that we are taking advantage of those opportunities and making sure they also serve a better purpose for interns who sign up with the Federal Government.

Amendment No. 90, cosponsored by Mr. Kissell, directs the Pentagon to report to Congress on the estimated cost of expanding the Homeowners Assistance Program. A lot of our active duty military, when they are called up or transferred, find themselves in enormous distress given the housing crisis. This amendment will help them and their families by extending their ability to try to manage that situation.

Mr. Chairman, I very much appreciate, as I said, the cooperation of the chairman and his staff, and the ranking member and his staff.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the volunteers who assist the Fairfax County Sherriff's Office. These volunteers work with deputies and civilian staff to help inmates to improve their lives during incarceration and to prepare them for a successful transition back into the community.

With more than 500 deputies, the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office is the largest Sheriff's office in Virginia and among the largest in the country. These deputies perform invaluable services for Fairfax County residents which include providing court security, managing the detention center, and serving the civil law process. Volunteers with the Sheriff's Office help provide inmate programs and services at the Adult Detention Center (ADC) and Pre-Release Center, including mental health counseling, religious services, alcohol and drug support groups, health education, library services and job training.

Volunteers complete a Sheriff's Office training program and also work closely with staff to ensure that best practices are followed. A recent study completed at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center showed the significant impact that detention center rehabilitation programs can provide. The efforts of these volunteers improve the lives of those incarcerated, reduce recidivism, and make our communities safer.

Each year, the Sheriff's Office hosts a luncheon to thank all of the dedicated individuals who help make the volunteer program a success. It is my pleasure to recognize the honorees in each service area:

Alcohol and Drug Services--Nate Trager

OAR--Opportunities, Alternatives, and Resources--Linda Rule

Chaplain's Office--Norman J. Bacon

Education--Bill Richey

The efforts of these individuals are particularly noteworthy, but I also want to acknowledge the nearly 300 volunteers who have contributed their time and support to the Sheriff's Office during the past year. These volunteers provide services that help to place inmates on a path to success. They offer their time that could be spent elsewhere to provide encouragement and support that will improve lives during incarceration and provide for a successful transition to help get inmates back on their feet. The efforts of each and every one of these volunteers are commendable and deserve our praise.

Sheriff Stan Barry and the staff of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office should be commended for their critical role in administering the volunteer program. The efforts of these staffers maximize the contributions of volunteers in the most effective way and provide the support that makes this program a success.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the contributions of these individuals and all of the volunteers who support the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office. The selfless commitment of these individuals helps to provide enumerable benefits to our community and life-changing services to the inmates they serve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the recipients of Fairfax County 2010 Land Conservation and Tree Preservation and Planting Awards. These awards recognize those developers, designers and site superintendents who have excelled in their stewardship of the environment by implementing erosion and sediment control measures for soil conservation or increasing the tree cover through tree preservation and planting efforts.

Fairfax County is considered one of the best counties in the Nation in which to live, work and raise a family. One reason for this designation is the innovative environmental protection policies that have been implemented by the county and embraced by its business partners. I am pleased to have led that effort during my tenure as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. These awards recognize the following individuals and companies who have successfully brought their projects to completion while preserving and enhancing the local environment:

Small Commercial: The Howard Gardner School

Large Commercial: Aerospace Corporation Parcel 35 at Westfields

Small Single Family Residential: Yorkshire Subdivision

Large Single Family Residential: Huntington Mews, Section 2

Linear Project: Bull Run Woods

Best Protected Environmentally Sensitive Site: Aerospace Corporation Parcel 35 at Westfields

Outstanding Site Superintendent: Greg Clark

Outstanding Engineering Firm: Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP

Outstanding Contractor: James G. Davis

Environmental and Facilities Inspections Division Inspector of the Year (East): Martin Klema

Environmental and Facilities Inspections Division Inspector of the Year (West): William Dougherty

Environmental and Site Review Division Reviewer of the Year (East): Hani Fawaz

Environmental and Site Review Division Reviewer of the Year (West): Shahab Baig

Tree Preservation Awards:

Potomac School

Pohick Stream Valley Park Trail

The Aerospace Corporation Stream Restoration Project

Tree Planting Category Award Recipients:

Francis Scott Key Middle School

Huntly Terrace Townhomes

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the efforts of those involved with these projects. Fairfax County and its residents have benefitted greatly from the collaborative spirit that is represented by these awards today. I wish to thank all of the awardees for their efforts on behalf of our community, and I congratulate them on receiving these awards.

Mr. Speaker, we've been waiting for 17 weeks for the Republican majority to bring to the floor a jobs bill. I voted against the recess 2 weeks ago because I believe we ought to stay here until we get our job done, which is to create jobs for the American people. What's the majority doing? Last week, they tried restricting a woman's right to choose. Then they attacked health insurance protections. This week, they're

trying to repeal commonsense protections that prevent oil spills. Jobs? Nowhere to be found.

Last week, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer unveiled Make it in America. My Build America Bonds legislation is part of that agenda. In the last 2 years, every dollar invested in Build America Bonds leveraged $41 in private sector funds, or $181 billion to construct and repair schools and build bridges and roads in every State in America. These infrastructure improvements created hundreds of thousands of jobs. That's what we need to focus on--not an ideological agenda.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am in its present form.

Madam Speaker, this simple motion to recommit ensures that oil companies clean up their mess from their oil spills prior to receiving a new permit under the guidelines of this bill.

This is the final amendment to the bill, and if it is adopted, we will immediately vote on final passage.

Although we may disagree on the underlying bill, we surely can agree that it is necessary to protect taxpayers who would otherwise have to foot the bill for cleaning up oil companies' oil spills. It's also necessary to protect the individuals whose lives have been directly affected by those spills.

To illustrate how important this final amendment is look no further than last year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The gulf's fisheries were worth $5.5 billion annually prior to the spill. Shouldn't we require BP to pay those economic damages before it receives another permit to drill again?

The gulf coast fisheries supported 200,000 fishing jobs prior to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Shouldn't BP have the responsibility to pay economic damages to those fishermen who may have lost their livelihoods as a result of their oil spill?

More than 407,000 residents and 102,000 businesses on the gulf have submitted claims for damages due to the spill, and fewer than half have been paid. Shouldn't BP have to resolve all of those claims before it takes more of our publicly owned oil from America's Outer Continental Shelf?

In many cases, payment of claims is the difference, Madam Speaker, between survival and bankruptcy for small businesses. Of the 102,000 of them that claim damages as a result of the gulf oil spill, more than 55,000 submitted claims in excess of $10,000. Losses ranging from $10,000 to more than $500,000 are not trivial, and we should not allow companies like BP to force businesses into bankruptcy even while they seek permission to take more oil from America's Outer Continental Shelf.

We still don't know the full extent of cleanup costs resulting from Deepwater Horizon, but the costs continue to grow. Consider how labor intensive restoration is. To help prevent some sea turtles from being wiped out, restoration teams rehabilitated more than 1,000 of them and relocated 14,000 turtle hatchlings to Florida's east coast which was not damaged by oil.

More than 4,200 people are still working to clean up more than 544 miles of gulf coastline, and this work is essential to restore the gulf's fisheries and tourist economy. For example, the Coast Guard is still cleaning up tar balls and tar mats from Gulf Shores, Alabama.

While we can all appreciate the resources that BP has put into the cleanup to date, it is important that we set a clear standard for the Gulf of Mexico: Oil companies that cause oil spills have to clean up their mess first. We should never allow companies like BP to get away with giving the gulf coast cleanup a lick and a promise or let other oil companies continue extracting America's oil until they have finished cleaning up their mess.

If the oil companies responsible for spills do not pay for their oil spill cleanups and private damages, then America's taxpayers will end up paying for it. So we need to send a simple message to oil companies that cause spills: It's your mess; you clean it up. We cannot afford to be subsidizing them at a time when we're wrestling with record deficits and they're experiencing record profits.

By passing this simple final amendment to the bill, we'll be honoring the lesson that most of us probably learned from our mothers: If you are responsible for it, you've got to clean it up.

And if some oil companies aren't willing to clean up their mess, then they shouldn't get to extract more of our oil, because there are plenty of responsible businesses that would conduct business in a manner that doesn't

endanger the livelihoods and lives of nearby residents.

Remember, this final amendment doesn't stop a single oil well from being drilled. All it does is ensure that an oil company that caused the spill clean up its mess before drilling new wells on oil on our property; it has to take responsibility for the cleanup.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this simple amendment.

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

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

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

Mr. Chairman, this simple amendment clarifies that any expanded oil production will not interfere with ongoing operations by the Armed Forces of the United States.

I appreciate Congressman Bobby Scott and Congressman Jim Moran for their cosponsorship of this amendment. There are no stronger advocates for the military in my State than those two gentlemen.

As you know, the United States has more than two dozen coastal naval bases, including those located in Virginia, Washington, California, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, and Hawaii.

The Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Readiness published a report, noting that many of these potential locations for oil exploration could and might conflict with DOD operations in these locations. For example, DOD has surface/subsurface operating areas and DOD special use airspace/warning areas off every coastal State in the continental United States.

You can see from this map that there are the red dots where they actually have bases and that the spiderwebs are where they have operations offshore.

These areas are important because the military uses some of these areas for surface and subsurface training as well as practice with live ordnance. Oil wells and live ordnance don't mix so well. For example, the Norfolk Naval Base in my home State of Virginia uses 78 percent of the proposed Lease Sale 220 area right now for training and live ordnance practice. The Navy wants to

ensure that oil drilling in that area does not interfere with live ordnance release and impact, including air to surface bombing; sensitive undersea and surface operations; combined shipboard systems qualification trials; and equipment testing and evaluation.

Norfolk is America's largest naval base and is a major driver of our State's annual $10 billion government contracting economy. It would be difficult to quantify how many billions of dollars taxpayers have spent building and maintaining these military installations all around the continental United States, but relocation costs would be substantial, and we don't have that money.

My friend from Alaska talks about putting people out of work or putting people into work. Believe me, if we had to close or relocate these bases, there would be a lot of weeping and mashing of teeth in the unemployment line all across America. The costs wouldn't just be borne by the taxpayers, Mr. Chairman, but also by the servicemen and - women who would have to relocate, and by the tens of thousands of contractor employees who rely on the DOD.

Perhaps it's possible to co-locate oil drilling infrastructure in areas now used by the Navy or other components of the Armed Forces. In that case, this amendment would not get in the way of the oil exploration. This amendment simply ensures that any additional oil drilling which takes place in accordance with this bill will not conflict with the national security operations of the Armed Forces.

I am sure that energy development and national security can be mutually reinforcing and compatible, and I hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would support this commonsense amendment to protect our national defense and national security. I know we can all agree that preserving those should be paramount as we consider changes to our Nation's energy policy.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I would just say to my friend from Alaska that I won't have anybody questioning my sincerity about trying to protect the national security interests of the United States of America. I come from a State with a long military tradition. I am proud of that tradition, and I am here sincerely to protect national security. If we want to disagree with that, that's fine, but questioning the motivations of whether there is another agenda is a different matter.

Mr. Chairman, I now yield the balance of my time to my distinguished colleague from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.