Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3548) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located on Franklin Avenue in Pearl River, New York, as the ``Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr. Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3548.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3548, authored by the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel). This bill would designate the post office in Pearl River, New York, as the Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr. Post Office Building. All members of the New York State delegation have cosponsored this legislation.

Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr., was a native of Pearl River, New York. He disappeared on his first day of duty in Vietnam. Ahlmeyer was 23 years of age when the Marine Corps sent him on a reconnaissance patrol in Quang Tri province on May 10, 1967, from which he never returned.

Shortly after noon on the day of his death, the patrol came under heavy fire and many of the soldiers were wounded. After several failed attempts, a helicopter was able to land and save the wounded soldiers, although the effort could not retrieve those that had been killed. Because of the enemy presence in the area of the loss, no ground search was possible and Ahlmeyer's remains were not able to be recovered. He was immediately listed as killed in action.

Thirty-eight years later to the day, on May 10, 2005, Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr., was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. In May of 1998, a Joint Field Activity search team was able to find small remnants of American uniforms at the site of the loss in Quang Tri province. Due to DNA and dental records, a military forensics laboratory in Hawaii was able to identify Ahlmeyer in January of 2005.

Finally, the vibrant young man who played football and baseball at Pearl River High School, a hero in every sense of the word, could have a proper burial. Many who knew Ahlmeyer from his high school days attended the funeral in Virginia. Over 100 family members and friends paid respect to the soldier on the 38th anniversary of his death.

I urge my colleagues to come together to honor this brave soldier for his commitment to preserving our freedoms and his bravery in the face of danger.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New York for bringing this bill forward. This clearly is a fitting tribute to an American hero, and I would urge all Members to support passage of

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2413) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1202 1st Street in Humble, Texas, as the ``Lillian McKay Post Office Building''.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 2413, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe). This bill would designate the post office in Humble, Texas, as the Lillian McKay Post Office Building.

As the First Lady of Humble, Texas, a small town located just northeast of Houston, Lillian McKay made an impact on the community that will be remembered forever. Officially, she became Humble's First Lady in 1971 when her husband, Dr. Haden McKay, became the mayor of that small town. Dr. McKay served the city of Humble for more than 38 years, as mayor as well as a member of the city council. One thing was for sure: Lillian McKay was always there by his side.

Her philanthropic nature has earned her several prestigious community awards, such as the Humble Area Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, the Yellow Rose of Texas award, Family Time Women of Achievement Community Leader award and, finally, the Northeast Medical Center Hospital Foundation Gala Honoree. Lillian McKay is also closely involved with the Humble Museum as acting curator. She has been an advocate for the museum since its inception in 1976.

This lifelong Texan has given back much more to her community than can ever be documented. Long after the death of her husband, Lillian McKay is still considered the First Lady of Humble, Texas, and will always be remembered as such.

I urge all Members to join me in honoring the lifetime community achievements of this very special and generous woman.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague from the State of Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for bringing this bill to the House. Clearly, this is a woman who is richly deserving of this honor. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of the passage of this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3989) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 37598 Goodhue Avenue in Dennison, Minnesota, as the ``Albert Harold Quie Post Office,'' as amended.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 3989, as amended. I offer this bill together with my colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Kline). This bill would designate the post office in Dennison, Minnesota, as the Albert H. Quie Post Office Building.

Let me tell you a little bit about Al Quie. I am privileged to know Al and have known him for a very long time. Al Quie was born on a farm in Wheeling Township in Rice County near Dennison, Minnesota, on September 8, 1923. He attended the grade schools in Nerstrand and high school in Northfield. He graduated from St. Olaf College in 1950.

Mr. Quie served as a pilot in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1945. He later became the owner and operator of a dairy farm there in Rice County. He was the clerk of the District 43 School Board from 1949 to 1952 and a supervisor for the Rice County Soil Conservation District from 1950 until 1954.

Al Quie was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1955, and he was elected as a Republican to the 85th Congress by a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative August Andresen. He was reelected to the succeeding Congresses for 10 consecutive terms. In 1978, he left the Congress to run for Governor of Minnesota where he served from 1979 until 1983.

You cannot talk about Al Quie without talking about his wife, Gretchen, a very special woman, a loving and tender woman; and I remember her so well as the First Lady of the State of Minnesota.

But Al Quie is so many things. He was a true patriot, a very committed Christian, a loving father and husband. He was a principled public servant; and in many respects, he embodied all of the qualities that we in this House should emulate. I think naming a post office after him in his hometown of Dennison, Minnesota, is a very, very small tribute.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Kline).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues. I would just add one thing to the comments of my colleague (Mr. Kline) and that is that when he rode the Continental Divide, he was in his 70s. An amazing tribute. He is now in his 80s. He and Gretchen still are living happily in Minnesota. I believe that naming this post office is just a small way for us to say thank you for his many, many years of selfless public service.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the Members will join us in supporting this important resolution.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland. I am so delighted that the gentleman took this hour tonight, because this is an issue that every American is thinking about, in terms of our energy, and the gentleman has probably done more research on overall energy and energy policy, how much good we get out of a barrel of oil. I apologize for being a little late, but I do want to talk just for a minute, because there are so many misunderstandings about ethanol and other renewable energies.

This is a chart based on numbers from the United States Department of Agriculture, and they have part of their numbers, I think, from the United States Energy Department, but it is a chart that most Americans would be surprised to learn. Frankly,

even back in my own district of Minnesota, many people are surprised that right now, in Claremont, Minnesota at the Alcorn ethanol plant, we are producing ethanol for 95 cents a gallon. That number reflects a higher price for corn than corn is today. Actually, corn is dirt cheap, as they say out in the Midwest. But the price right now is at about $60 a barrel for oil, and to produce a gallon of unleaded gasoline is $1.65.

Now, the truth of the matter is, we have to be honest, we get fewer Btus out of a gallon of alcohol than we do out of a gallon of gasoline; but even when you make that comparison, ethanol today is cheaper than gasoline on a Btu basis. On a Btu basis, $60 for oil, $2.25 for corn, these are the raw costs of that product.

Now, there are a lot of other benefits to using more ethanol. One, of course, is we become less dependent on foreign sources of energy. I think even if these numbers were reversed, it seems to me it would be worthwhile for us at the Federal level to do more to encourage more use of renewable energies like ethanol.

The other thing about ethanol is it is better for the environment, and perhaps the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett) can talk about this sometime now or later, but ethanol is an oxygenate. It is roughly 30 to 35 percent oxygen, which means that it burns far leaner than unleaded gasoline. More importantly, one of the by-products, of course, is carbon dioxide; but that gets used the next year in growing the next crop of corn. So in many respects, it is a perfect carbon dioxide cycle, if you will. So it is better for the environment; it is better for our economy, because in the month of August we spent $22 billion, over $22 billion, the United States, in buying oil from countries that are not particularly friendly to us.

I think we ought to set as a vision that we are going to become energy independent.

Now, I was taught many years ago in sales training class that a goal is a dream with a deadline, and so I tried to offer last week in the energy bill that we had what we described as a 10-by-10 amendment mandating that by the year 2010, 10 percent of our gasoline will be renewable energy. We did not get a chance to offer that amendment, so now I am having it redrafted as a bill. I am planning to offer it as a bipartisan effort. I think energy policy does not have to be partisan. But these numbers, I think, speak for themselves. Even if ethanol were more expensive, because of the environment and in terms of keeping more of those dollars rotating through our economy, it makes sense to use more renewable energy.

So I want to thank the gentleman for what he is doing tonight, I want to thank him for what he has done in the past, and I want to encourage Members, if they would like more information, because there are so many myths about renewable energy and particularly about ethanol, if they would like a fact sheet, we have some in our office, get ahold of my office or go to my Web site at gil.house.gov. We have some great information, and we have sources for all of it. This is from the actual people who produce it, and it was authenticated and authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture. Ethanol is cheaper than gasoline. I yield back to the gentleman, and I thank him for having this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3667) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 200 South Barrington Street in Los Angeles, California, as the ``Karl Malden Station''.

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

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Government Reform, I rise to consider H.R. 3667. This worthwhile legislation, introduced by the distinguished ranking member of the committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), designates the postal facility located at 200 South Barrington Street in Los Angeles, California, as the Karl Malden Station.

Born to immigrant parents in Chicago in 1912, Karl Malden worked for several years within the steel factories of Gary, Indiana. He attended acting school, and as a young man he moved to New York City. At age 25, he made his Broadway debut in 1937. Malden's promising career was interrupted during World War II when he served the Nation in the Air Force.

Following the war, Mr. Malden transitioned from stage to screen where he immediately won an Oscar for his portrayal of Mitch in ``A Streetcar Named Desire,'' the famous Tennessee Williams show. Mr. Malden's list of other prestigious films includes ``On the Waterfront,'' ``Baby Doll,'' and ``Cheyenne Autumn.''

Mr. Malden became a television star. Perhaps his most notable TV role was in the 1970s police drama, ``The Streets of San Francisco.'' The show ran from 1972 until 1977 and starred Malden as Detective Lt. Mike Stone alongside a young actor by the name of Michael Douglas as Inspector Steve Keller.

Notably, Malden won an Emmy for his performance in the 1984 TV miniseries ``Fatal Vision.'' Malden's career peaked when he was elected president of the Academy of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1988. Mr. Malden recently completed a book entitled, ``When Do I Start: A Memoir.''

In October of 2003, Malden was named the 40th recipient of the Screen Actor's Guild's Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishments.

This post office in Los Angeles, California, will be a fitting tribute to his legacy and his pursuit of excellence in the theater arts.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3767) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2600 Oak Street in St. Charles, Illinois, as the ``Jacob L. Frazier Post Office Building''.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3767. This legislation, introduced by the very distinguished Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), and cosponsored by the entire Illinois State delegation, recognizes the remarkable life of an amazing young man.

Staff Sergeant Jacob Frazier of the 169th Air Support Operation Squadron, 182nd Airlift Wing, Illinois Air National Guard loved his family, and he loved his country.

Growing up, he was an outstanding football player and golfer. He was also a member of the school choir at Burlington Central High School in Burlington, Illinois. After graduation from high school, he joined the Illinois Air National Guard. Sergeant Frazier was an integral contributor to America's fight in the war on terror.

Sadly, he was killed during an ambush on his reconnaissance convoy in southern Afghanistan on March 29, 2003. He was 24 years old. During the mission, Jacob was bravely serving with the Army's Green Berets as part of a special operations team.

Mr. Speaker, Jacob was survived by his fiancee, Jessica Fregin; his loving parents, Joyce and Jim Frazier; and four loyal siblings, two sisters, Jessica and Kathryn, and two brothers, Zachary and Daniel.

I know this legislation meant a great deal to the Speaker, and I salute him for advancing H.R. 3767. This is such a deserved memorial for Jacob, to whom all American citizens owe a solemn debt. I know my colleagues will join the Speaker and me in support of this bill to honor Jacob Frazier's priceless life and his immeasurable contributions to our Nation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in passage of H.R. 3767.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 429) congratulating the West Oahu Little League Baseball team for winning the 2005 Little League Baseball World Series.

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

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

Mr. Speaker the West Oahu Little League Baseball team in Ewa Beach, Hawaii defeated Curacao by a score of 7-6 to win the 2005 Little League World Series Championship at South Williamsport, Pennsylvania on August 28. This resolution congratulates the team, their coaches, their parents, families, and friends for their incredible journey to the world championship.

Mr. Speaker, this was the first American team to win the World Series since Louisville, Kentucky defeated Japan in 2002. The road to the world championship and the experience of playing against the best players in the world at their age will be remembered and cherished by these young men for the rest of their lives.

I thank the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) for introducing this measure on behalf of the Ewa Beach Little League championship team.

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

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

I do want to just personally, as one who loves baseball, who believes that baseball is America's pastime, congratulate this wonderful team and all of its supporters in the aloha State for bringing the trophy back to the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 61) supporting the goals and ideals of Gold Star Mothers Day.

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

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

Gold Star Mothers is an organization that was founded back in 1928, and it is an organization that no one would ever want to join.

For the benefit of those who do not know, there is only one way that one can become a member of the Gold Star Mothers Association, and that is that they receive a message from the Pentagon, and normally that comes in the form of two uniformed officers coming to their door to inform them that they have lost a son or a daughter in combat.

The organization was started back in 1928 by a group of mothers who thought that they could help each other in the healing process by coming together. They also thought it was important to advance the goals of the United States of America and to continue to remind us about our patriotic responsibilities as Americans.

The Gold Star Mothers have been around a long time. In 1936 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a proclamation designating that the fourth Sunday in September will be Gold Star Mothers Day, and, unfortunately, we as Americans began to forget that the fourth Sunday in September was designated as Gold Star Mothers Day.

A year ago I was at a special celebration in Rochester, Minnesota at our veterans memorial where they unveiled a new statue depicting a Gold Star Mother, and many of the veterans that were there and some of the leaders of that group asked if I would do all that I could to remind Americans that there is a special day for Gold Star Mothers and to do what I could to at least bring attention to the fact that the fourth Sunday this year, September 25, is Gold Star Mothers Day. So we began that process almost a year ago of putting together this joint resolution of doing what we can to call attention to the fact, that they do have a special day and they deserve special recognition not only by Members of this House and the United States Congress but by all Americans. So we have put together this joint resolution. I am happy to say that we have well over 200 cosponsors in the House. And, frankly, I suspect if we were given enough time, we would have virtually every Member of this House in support of this joint resolution.

This is not about making any political statement of any kind. These are very special people. They deserve our recognition. This Sunday, September 25, is their day. So this joint resolution is just calling attention not only to the House, but hopefully to all Americans, that Gold Star Mothers are special people, they have a special day, and we recognize them on September 25.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague from the State of New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney); and I especially want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), for his very, very special speech that he just gave.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize personally five very special women from my congressional district who have received that call or had that visit from military officials.

First, let me recognize Vickie Bruce from Rochester, Minnesota. Her son, Corporal Travis Bruce, graduated from Mayo High School in Rochester, Minnesota. He also served as a personal security officer for Ambassador Bremmer. He was killed in the line of duty March 23, 2005.

Marny Fasnacht from Janesville, Minnesota. Her son, First Lieutenant Michael Fasnacht of the U.S. Army, graduated from Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota. He was an Army Ranger. He was hit by a remote bomb while on patrol in a Bradley fighting vehicle and died June 8, 2005.

Maria Bernal of Alden, Minnesota. Her son, Juan, graduated from Weslaco High School in Texas. He served in the Marines for 5 years. He was injured during security and stability operations in Anbar Province, Iraq. He died August 2, 2005.

Deb Goodnature, Clarks Grove, Minnesota. Her son, Chief Warrant Officer Corey Goodnature, served in the United States Army. He graduated from the University of Minnesota. He was in Special Operations, and he was a Night Stalker. He was shot down flying his helicopter in eastern Afghanistan and died June 28 of 2005.

Finally, let me recognize Norma Benson from Winona, Minnesota. Her son, Sergeant Mike Benson of the U.S. Army, was a Winona native. He had served 19 years in the United States military. He was a victim of a suicide bomb attack in Iraq. He died August 10 of 2005.

Mr. Speaker, this is not about making some political statement; it is simply about saying thank you, congratulations, we appreciate you, and recognizing that the fourth Sunday in September is Gold Star Mothers Day. They deserve this day. They deserve our appreciation.

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

Madam Speaker, The American Gold Star Mothers Group was incorporated in 1929. On June 23 of 1936, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued a proclamation designating the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mothers Day. To this very day, Madam Speaker, Gold Star Mothers Day is the last Sunday in September. Unfortunately, over the last several years Americans have forgotten about that.

So at the request of some of my constituents, I introduced a resolution. It is being sponsored in the Senate by Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma encouraging all Americans to recognize this very important day.

The Gold Star Mothers is a group that no one joins voluntarily. You must have lost a son or a daughter in combat to become a member of the Gold Star Mothers Association.

This resolution is important, and we will vote on it tomorrow. I currently have over 200 co-sponsors, and I would encourage other Members to join. The dedications and triumphs of the Gold Star Mothers stem from a shared bond. As they describe it, and I close: ``The success of our organization continues because of the bond of mutual love, sympathy and support of the many loyal, capable and patriotic mothers who while sharing their grief and their pride have channeled their time, efforts and gifts into lessening the pain of others. We stand tall and proud by honoring our children, assisting our veterans, supporting our Nation and healing with each other.''

I ask unanimous consent that I be able to speak out of order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true American hero.

Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature died protecting our freedoms on June 28, 2005 in eastern Afghanistan when his helicopter was shot down by enemy fire during combat operations.

Corey was a quiet man who was dedicated to serving his country and family. He loved being outdoors. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, and he enjoyed all kinds of activities with his boys. Since childhood, he lived up to the family name, carrying a gentle demeanor, yet a very strong presence. Corey was a devoted husband, a loving father, and a dedicated Night Stalker. Corey served his Nation for 14 years, spending 7 of those doing what he particularly loved: flying helicopters with his fellow Night Stalkers and supporting other Special Forces operations.

Corey graduated from the University of Minnesota with an associate's degree in aerospace engineering and joined the Army in 1991. He served as a parachute rigger at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He attended the warrant officer basic course at Fort Rucker, Alabama. In 1996, he was assigned to Camp Wheeler in Hawaii. He served in a number of regiments around the country and around the world.

Corey's awards and decorations include the Air Medal, the Senior Army Aviation Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal,

the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze Star, an Air Medal With Valor device, and the Combat Action Badge.

Corey Goodnature was survived by his wife, Lori; his sons, Shea and Brennan; and his parents, Deb and Don Goodnature of Clarks Grove, Minnesota. He had many friends and relatives throughout my district in southern Minnesota.

Mr. Speaker, Corey died doing something that he deeply believed in, and he is a true hero to our Nation, to his family, and to his friends. We are all grateful for Corey's undeniable dedication and sacrifice, as well as those who he served with and died with. This dedication allows all of us to enjoy the freedoms and liberty of this great Nation. The world has suffered a great loss. We lost a great man; and his friends and relatives lost a son, a husband, a father, brother, uncle, Godfather, and loyal friend.

Less than 2 weeks before he died and exactly 1 month before he was buried, Corey sent a simple prayer to his wife, a prayer that I am honored to share with my colleagues today. He wrote: ``Lord, continue to bless Lori and help us to grow and strengthen our bond as a family separated by distance, whether it be me, here, Lori by herself, or Shea and Brennan, wherever life takes them. I believe You have a glorious plan for us, and we honor You as the source of our happiness and success. In Your name we pray, Amen.''

May the Lord of our fathers find His mercy upon Lori and all of the friends and relatives of Corey Goodnature. May He continue to bless America and all the brave Americans who defend her.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur, Sudan and in support of H. Res. 333.

Last July, Congress passed legislation recognizing the Darfur genocide. In September 2004, Secretary of State Colin Powell testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that genocide had been committed in Darfur. And shortly following, President George W. Bush told the United Nations General Assembly that ``the world is witnessing terrible suffering and horrible crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan, crimes my government has concluded are genocide.''

It has been estimated that perhaps as many as 400,000 people have died from violence, hunger and disease since conflict began in Darfur in 2003, and that more than 2 million people have lost their homes and are now living in refugee camps in Darfur and Chad.

Congress has approved hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid and other assistance for Darfur. The United States remains the largest contributor of relief aid to Sudan, providing logistical support for African Union troops in Darfur and taking the lead in efforts to resolve Sudan's long-running north-south civil war.

I recently attended a Sudanese celebration in Rochester, Minnesota, celebrating the signing of the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Accord, signed on January 9, 2005 in Nairobi. The Sudanese recognize the cost of freedom and will continue to strive for peace in the Darfur region.

I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this important legislation and cause.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the underlying bill, the Water Resources Development Act. In particular, I support the authorization given to the Army Corps of Engineers to begin work on renovating the locks and dams on the Mississippi River and to restore the diverse ecosystem of the river. I will oppose amendments meant to stop this construction from moving forward.

I believe the bill's well-balanced approach will meet the needs of those who depend on the river for commerce, restore and protect the diverse natural environment, and enhance recreational opportunities.

Much of the American Midwest's economy is dependent on the Mississippi river. In 1999, more than 151 million tons of commodities moved on the river system with a combined value of nearly $24 billion. The State of Minnesota sent about $1.4 billion worth of grain down the river--most of it traveled to New Orleans and Baton Rouge for export to foreign markets.

Approximately 70 percent of our nation's agricultural exports travel along the Mississippi. A 2002 study determined that, if congestion increases on the river, $562 million could be lost in farm income alone. The Upper Mississippi supports more than 400,000 jobs in manufacturing, agriculture, and shipping--all of which support local businesses.

Unfortunately, the day-to-day wear and tear on the river has taken its toll. The locks on the Mississippi river were built in the 1930s with 1930's technology and standards and for 1930's needs. They were designed for a 50-year life-span and are now more than 70 years old. Today's barge traffic is significantly different than when the locks were designed. The barges today average 1,100 feet in length while the current locks were built for barges only 600 feet in length. Towboats have to drop off half their barges in order to pass through the locks, and then reconnect, and then repeat the procedure upon arriving at the next lock. Building 1,200-foot locks will cut dock time and costs--and those savings are passed on to farmers, manufacturers, and consumers, creating jobs for our economy.

Not only will refurbishing and expanding the locks facilitate commerce, but it will reduce stress on our roadways. A typical tow of 15 barges down the river can carry as much as 870 semi-trucks with 60 percent fewer emissions. One 15-barge tow can carry the same amount of grain as a three mile long train or 35 miles of trucks lined end to end. Clearly, using the River for transportation is much more efficient and makes our air cleaner.

This project will not just benefit the transportation sector. I have spent time on the river and have seen the amazing ecosystem restoration projects that are underway and are sure to be continued under this plan. The Upper Mississippi valley provides habitat for 305 species of birds, 57 species of mammals, 45 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 134 species of fish. There are even bald eagles in the area, which can be seen year-round. In fact, the National Eagle Center is located along the Mississippi River, in Wabasha, Minnesota.

The upper Mississippi is a haven for boating, fishing, hunting and other forms of recreation. Locals and tourists alike enjoy year-round fishing for walleye, northern pike, bass, perch, crappies, and catfish up and down the river. On summer days, thousands of private boaters enjoy the river, and hunters enjoy harvesting ducks in the fall.

The river is a beautiful place. The proper balance between commerce, recreation, and the environment must be maintained. I ask for my colleagues to support the bill and reject amendments that prevent the modernization of the locks and dams from moving forward.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take the time of the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood).