Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor an exemplary figure in education from Utah, Mr. Ed Mulick, of Park City High School.

Just like the Olympians who go for gold on the mountains of Park City, Mr. Mulick has achieved the Sarah and Stephen Doilney Teaching Excellence Award for an unparalleled fifth time.

Awarded by the Park City Education Foundation, this achievement is not just a testament to his excellence but his enduring impact on generations of students.

Like a champion returning to the field season after season, Mr. Mulick has continually elevated educational standards and inspired countless students through his dedication and passion for biology.

Mr. Mulick has not always been a teacher. After college, he worked as a weekend recreation counselor in Alaska. He then transferred to the State's Municipal Parks and Recreation Department.

Ed and his wife, Dana, moved to Park City after he completed his teaching degree at the University of Utah. Dana grew up in Heber, where her father worked as a miner. They fell in love with Park City, where they purchased their home.

Mr. Mulick has worked solely at Park City High School during his 34- year career.

On receiving the award for a fifth time, Mr. Mulick was humbly quoted as saying: ``It is quite an honor because there are so many great and deserving teachers in the school district.''

I commend Mr. Mulick for his outstanding contributions to education and the lives he has positively shaped.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Western Economic Security Today Act of 2023, or the WEST Act.

My bill, as has been discussed, would require the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw their proposal regulating conservation of landscape health.

Utah's farmers and ranchers for generations have worked on this land, leaving it better than they found it. They understand how to live in a way that strengthens the landscape but allows for them to provide for their family and their community. I like to tease them that they are the original environmentalists. They don't always like that term.

Ironically, this rule also undermines the work of these individuals who keep the land in good health and help prevent the risk of wildfires to instead lock the public out of Utah's lands.

Let me be clear: I have immense respect for Utah's local land managers who do their best with the resources they have. I appreciate their commitment to integrating into each unique community and working hard to find consensus. They are not the problem. The problem is Washington politicians who think they know better than the generations of families who actually live in Utah.

The question isn't whether or not we want to protect these lands but who gets to make the decisions.

Since coming to Congress, one of my favorite experiences has been connecting with Utah's rural communities. They give so much and ask for so little. They work hard to feed our families, protect American energy, and lead in manufacturing. We should be making it easier for them.

Instead, the Biden administration is pushing this rule to allow environmental groups funded by Swiss billionaires who pretend to be representing Utahns to lock up public lands. This is completely backward.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two stories about how this foreign dark money is funding environmental groups in Utah.

ADVENTURE . . . What's in a Name?

Recently I Googled ``Moab'' and ``adventure'' on my

computer and came up with 480,000 hits. Apparently there are

adventures enough to be found in Moab to keep tourists

entertained and spending their money until the next

Millennium. Just to mention a handful, I found the Moab

Adventure Center, Moab Adventure Xstream, Moab Adventure

Headquarters, Moab Adventure Inn, Moab Adventure Package,

Moab Adventure Guide, Moab Desert Adventures, Adventure

Xscapes, Adventure Racing Retreats, Moab Resort Adventure

Package and a link to the Moab Adventure Park, from WWTI

Newswatch50 in, of all places. Watertown, New York. They

reported the following:

MOAB, Utah--Riding down the ski lift from the highest point

on the red-rock rim overlooking the Moab Valley in Utah, our

feet dangled some 800 feet in the air as Scott McFarland

talked about the latest project for his Moab Adventure Park.

``We're applying for permits for a zip-line, a 2,500-foot-

long cable that goes from the top of the hill to the

bottom.'' McFarland said. ``You get into a harness on the top

and cruise to the bottom, kind of like you're flying.

``Without a braking system, you'd hit about 145 miles per

hour. With the system, you'll go 50 or 60. That's on the

computer, anyway. We'll see.'' One of the city's concerns in

considering the permits is its noise ordinance. Nearby

residents are worried about screams coming from riders

zipping down the cliff.''

Sad to say that's one adventure we'll never have to

embrace, thanks to one of my favorite environmental groups,

The Nature Conservancy, who bought the tram and removed it

from the face of the earth.

By comparison, if you travel just 55 miles south to the

sleepy Mormon/cowboy hamlet of Monticello, the ``adventure''

falls off dramatically, to just 759. What do you expect nom a

town without a brew pub? I kept searching for an adventure-

free town and the best I could hope for was Benkelman,

Nebraska that could only muster 154 hits and Gnaw Bone,

Indiana with a paltry 64.

At the other end of the adventure scale, nearby Aspen,

Colorado kicks Moab's relatively passive as with 1,890,000

adventure hits and New York City, the Gotham of all Thrills,

generates an incredible 8,370,000 hits. But if you can

believe this, according to Google, you can find four times as

many adventures in New York as You can in Baghdad, which

produced less than 2 million hits. That is a telling piece of

information. Just what kinds of adventures are we talking

about?

And what exactly is an ``adventure?'' According to one

internet dictionary, an adventure is ``an undertaking or

enterprise of a hazardous nature,'' or ``an undertaking of a

questionable nature (both sound like Baghdad to me as well as

certain areas of the Big Apple).''

Or . . . ``an unusual or exciting experience.''

This is the definition I was looking for. This is the kind

of adventure that tourists are in search of when they come to

places like Moab. Most if not all of the ``Moab Adventure''

Google hits are commercial enterprises, anxious and eager to

provide an ``exciting and unusual experience'' for the paying

public. Their businesses certainly CANNOT be, to even a

modest degree, ``hazardous in nature.'' I doubt if any

adventure tour company could survive if its owners faced

their first customers of the day and announced, ``Listen up

people . . . we want all of you to understand that there's a

real good chance only half of you will survive this hike to

the Fiery Furnace . . . the rest of you will probably die in

free falls or rock collapses. So call your friends and family

now and tell them how much you love `em.''

And forget about experiences of a ``questionable nature.''

Add to the previous warning this addendum: ``And don't forget

our climbing equipment is as old as my granny and she passed

on in 1965, so don't be surprised if that ol' rotten frayed

rope we use snaps like a dry twig.''

No . . . none of this would pass muster. Instead, the

adventure tour companies must endure all kinds of

inspections, meet various federal standards, and pay

substantial insurance premiums, to insure that the

``adventure'' is as free of hazards as humanly possible. It's

okay for the customer to get excited, and compared to the

workaday/cubicle life he or she leaves behind to come on this

adventure vacation, how could it be anything but? But is it

really an adventure?

I have my own adventure definition--I would call it a

``spontaneously sought, poorly planned, even stupidly

conceived exploration of a mystery.'' Spontaneity is critical

to an adventure. How can an adventure be planned and

scheduled? And a real adventure should have an unknown

component to it . . . maybe there will be hazards ahead . . .

maybe not. Who knows? It's a Mystery!!

But this is what it's become:

``Now let's see Kimberly . . . I'm thinking . . . an

adventure that starts around 10am would be perfect because I

want to have a leisurely breakfast at the Jailhouse Cafe.

Love the eggs benedict! Then maybe a rappel somewhere? Or

would you rather do a boat thing? No more than $100 . . .

$150 tops. And back here by four for drinks at McStiff's . .

. does that sound perfect or what?''

I know . . . I know! Once again, I'm out of touch with

Mainstream Adventure America and how can I argue with 480,000

Google hits and a booming adventure economy? (I think even a

couple of my advertisers have ``adventure'' in there

somewhere). But like so many other words--wilderness--for

instance, an adventure just isn't what it used to be, or even

mean, I'll take my adventures as they come, unplanned,

unscheduled, free, and if it kills me, I just hope I don't

die with a cell phone clutched in my hand, frantically

punching 911 as I hurtle toward the greatest adventure of

them all.

Mr. Speaker, the link to the second story can be found here: https://www.eenews.net/articles/quietly-philanthropic-tycoon- makes-his-mark-in-the-west/.

Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration didn't even pretend to care what rural Utahns thought about this rule. I sent a letter nearly a year ago with my Natural Resources Committee colleagues, asking the agency to hold more public listening sessions on this rule, including a session in Utah. Instead, the agency ignored this request and finalized the rule.

Over 60 percent of Utah's land is federally managed. I have counties with 90 percent, yet no public listening session was held in Utah.

This rule has an oversized impact on our State. That is why the WEST Act must pass today.

We must fight to stop this rule and then immediately repeal it under the

next administration. It is critical that Utah's lands remain under the stewardship of those who have tended it for generations.

There is a lot of hyperbole in Washington, and I am genuine when I say this is one of the most offensive attacks on rural Utah I have seen in my career. I will continue to work tirelessly to repeal this disastrous effort.

My bill, the WEST Act, is pushing against this flawed rule. We should be empowering local communities, not punishing them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6976, the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act.

I have personally been to the southern border and seen the crisis firsthand. I don't care your political persuasion, all of us know what is happening down there is wrong and needs to be corrected.

The first duty of the Federal Government is to protect American citizens, and this cannot be done without securing our border. I am pleased that the House has taken the steps this week to do so.

It is not clear under current law that individuals illegally in this country can be deported for driving while intoxicated. This legislation would ensure any noncitizen convicted or admitting to driving under the influence would no longer be allowed to remain in the United States. This shouldn't be controversial.

When you drive drunk, you are putting your neighbors and the broader community at unacceptable risk, and that we cannot allow.

Also, this week, we passed legislation that would allow law enforcement to prosecute criminals who intentionally refuse to stop for Border Patrol agents. The practice of running from Border Patrol agents is dangerous for residents, patrol officers, and the fugitive. I hold deep compassion for those who are in circumstances that they feel the need to enter the United States illegally. However, we are a country of laws and need to ensure individuals know they need to enter the United States only through the legal manners.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Self).

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from Utah, the Honorable Celeste Maloy, be permitted to take the oath of office today.

Her certificate of election has not arrived, but there is no contest and no question has been raised with regard to her election.

Mr. Speaker, as the dean of the Utah delegation, I have the distinct honor to rise today to introduce the newest Member of the House of Representatives, Celeste Maloy. Celeste was born in southern Utah, raised in rural Nevada, and then, as an adult, chose Utah as her home. Celeste earned an agricultural degree from Southern Utah University in Cedar City which she now calls home.

She began her career in public service as a soil conservationist at the USDA in Beaver, Utah, also located within her district, where she worked for 10 years.

She left Beaver to go to law school at BYU, where she got her law degree, in my hometown, and she was a law student there, in fact, while I was her mayor.

Since beginning her late career, she has worked as a deputy county attorney, a public lands attorney for the Utah Association of Counties and, most recently, as the chief legal counsel to former Congressman Chris Stewart.

In a special election, Celeste assembled a coalition of both rural and urban voters. She was unafraid to stand for conservative principles, calling for debate in each of her 13 counties. In her district, she is known to be a hard worker, levelheaded, and consistently conservative.

We were all a little surprised that she won the election since the last thing she won was her 7th grade spelling bee, but the secret to her heart is simple: offer her a Dr. Pepper and her number one food staple, cottage cheese. Better yet, ask her about her 90-year-old grandmother, who is her biggest political fan and best critic, or her other grandmother who was her roommate when she was in high school and they worked at the same truck stop.

She is the fourth of six kids--this is how we do families in Utah-- which means that most of her life she has been in a bunk bed.

Finally, my colleagues will remember her predecessor, Chris Stewart. He was known for having several speed records around the world in his plane. Celeste does not have a flight speed record, but I hear, unbeknownst to the Utah Highway Patrol, she has several speed records on I-15 in her district.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to yield to my fellow Utahn, Celeste Maloy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which I co-lead with my good friend from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).

This legislation amends the TAIPEI Act, my bill that was signed into law in March of 2020, which countered China's poaching of Taiwan's allies and China's efforts to exclude Taiwan from international organizations.

I am proud that my bill has greatly strengthened our relationship with Taiwan. However, since the bill's signing in 2020, China has mounted pressure on international organizations to claim that Taiwan is part of China.

The Taiwan International Solidarity Act expands on the TAIPEI Act to further counter China's attempt to use international organizations to claim that Taiwan is part of China by distorting the language, policies, and procedures of international organizations.

We all witnessed this in an infamous interview at the height of COVID where a reporter asked a representative of the World Health Organization a question about Taiwan. The WHO officer initially refused to answer and then said: ``Well, we've already talked about China,'' implying that Taiwan is part of China.

It is unacceptable for international institutions, funded largely by U.S. taxpayer dollars, to be repeating the CCP narrative.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, the NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act. This bill would streamline the development of cybersecurity policy at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, through the establishment of an office of policy development and cybersecurity.

This office would work with industry and stakeholders to recommend the cybersecurity practices and policies of the internet and communications technology sectors. The office of policy development and cybersecurity would also carry out the communications supply chain risk information partnership to facilitate information sharing on cybersecurity risks to small and rural communities.

State and nonstate actors are working overtime to find vulnerabilities in our networks and infrastructure. We must work even harder to ensure Americans are protected from cyberattacks.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Wild for joining me on this bill in the House and Senator Hickenlooper for leading in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a good friend and dedicated public servant. Last week, Wayne Parker, Provo City's chief administrative officer for two decades, announced his retirement.

Having served with Mr. Parker for 8 years, I know firsthand how impossible it is to fully grasp the positive impact of Wayne Parker on Provo City. His touch for good can be found in everything we like about Provo.

For many years he has worked without fanfare or attention. Those of us that know his work best know that everything from our vibrant economy to our fun downtown and so much more have been blessed by Wayne's hard work and dedication to Provo City.

Because of his great leadership skills, Wayne was awarded the 2020 Award for Career Excellence from the International City/County Management Association. This award was a recognition of Wayne's impact on the quality of life in Provo.

I hope that his retirement brings joy and happiness. Those of us that call Provo home will never forget all he has done for us as a city. I know I will never forget all he has done for me.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise with a profound sense of reverence and humility to honor the legacy of a true American hero, Mr. Ken Potts.

Mr. Potts was one of the last two USS Arizona survivors who recently passed away at 102.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Ken Potts answered the call of duty. As a crane operator, Mr. Potts had the responsibility of ferrying supplies to the USS Arizona. Upon reaching the harbor, he was confronted with a scene of devastation.

Mr. Potts stood as a beacon of hope. With dauntless courage, he wielded his crane as an instrument of salvation, plucking survivors from the jaws of peril and guiding them to the sanctuary off Ford Island.

To the Potts family, and especially Doris, Ken's beloved wife, our hearts are with you as you honor his memory today in this esteemed Chamber.

I am profoundly privileged to pay homage to the indomitable spirit of Ken Potts.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1.

I stand before you like everybody in this Chamber who is a father and a grandfather, somebody who wants to leave this Earth better than we found it.

Some in the past have argued that we must sacrifice affordable energy and reliable energy so that we can be clean. We have seen Europe go down this path. They pushed back on fracking, and they pushed back on nuclear power. Today, they buy fracked fuel from an enemy.

We have been told that we must give up affordability and reliability so that we can be clean. This is a false choice, and H.R. 1 is a path to affordable, reliable, and clean energy.

Let's be honest. The U.S. energy sector is not the enemy. They are the answer to our energy future.

I ask my colleagues, why do you hate fossil fuels?

Let's hate emissions. Let's hate the emissions and not the source.

This is why H.R. 1 is so important. It is an opportunity to accomplish all three of these goals.

At its core, H.R. 1 is about responsibly building America's energy infrastructure.

The rest of the world is dying for American energy. We can replace dirty Russian, Venezuelan, and Iranian petroleum products. We can reduce more emissions than any proposal on the left simply by using U.S. energy products.

H.R. 1 pushes back on the narrative that has been spun about Republicans not caring about the Earth. More importantly, without the permitting reforms in H.R. 1, none of us can accomplish our climate or energy goals.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address my bill before us on the floor, the Informing Consumers about Smart Devices Act.

This commonsense and bipartisan bill would require the creation of reasonable disclosure guidelines for products that have audio or visual recording components that are not clearly obvious to a reasonable person, such as household appliances.

This emerging smart technology will provide unknown benefits and conveniences to modern life, but along with this new technology, we need to update transparency for consumers. My bill balances protecting American consumers with continuing to foster innovation.

By working with a broad range of stakeholders, my legislation will ensure consumers are aware of the capabilities of items they are putting in their homes without hamstringing the technology pioneers in places like Silicon Slopes in my district who are developing smart technologies.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representative Moulton, Senator Cantwell, and Senator Cruz, for their bipartisan and bicameral support of this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the Strategic Production Response Act.

The President sold an unprecedented amount of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which was constructed to be used solely during national emergencies. I regret that the President has instead used it as a political tool to attempt to lower gas prices.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing is this administration's constant demonization not just of fossil fuels but of the very men and women who work so hard to produce them.

It is vital for a business to have regulatory certainty to ensure price stability, and President Biden's lack of guidance has created the most unclear times for the energy industry in modern history. You can't attack the oil and gas industry, say you want to put them out of business, and then complain when gas prices go up.

It is critical for the SPR to be accessible to the most vulnerable citizens at times of crisis: wildfires, flooding, tornadoes, and hurricanes.

All over the country, including in my home of Utah, there are abundant fossil fuels that can be cleanly and responsibly developed on Federal lands that could be used to replenish the SPR for times of real crisis.

This is why I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 22.

This morning, I listened very carefully to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about this bill, many of whom I have great respect for their expertise in energy. I have, however, heard terms like ``political,'' ``political games,'' ``partisan.'' While this may be their perspective, I wish for just a moment that we could transport all of us to my district to see the perspective there, which is one of great hypocrisy.

On the one hand, instead of utilizing the vast American resources we cleanly produce, including in Utah, the President chose to use this country's strategic reserve to try to lower prices.

On the other hand, in fact, the President did this while attacking energy jobs in Utah by suspending energy development on Federal lands and raising the royalty to produce oil, two contributing factors to rising gas prices.

Not only did this release from the reserve barely make a dent in the cost of gas and weaken our national security, but it also directly strengthened our number one geopolitical adversary, China. Under no circumstances should our reserve be used to fund our adversaries.

Regardless of our views in this Chamber on the use of the reserve by the Biden administration, we should all agree our emergency supplies shouldn't be sent to our adversaries.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the passage of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Advancement Act.

Today, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail extends over 100 miles and will one day go from the Idaho border to Nephi, Utah, over 280 miles. Unfortunately, the vision is limited in some areas, and my bill would fix this problem and support its completion.

In particular, my bill would release very small and targeted parcels of wilderness, often where the trail already has been constructed, and in turn designate other more deserving lands for protection. This win- win ensures the protection of this area while allowing for the trail to exist in appropriate areas without wilderness characteristics.

This commonsense approach is why my bill is supported by Utah's Governor, the entire Utah delegation, multiple surrounding local governments, Trails Utah, the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Committee, Outdoor Alliance, The Trust for Public Land, IMBA, and, most importantly, my grandson Jett, who is an avid bike rider on this trail.

With the rapid growth in and around Salt Lake City, it is more important than ever to support new recreation opportunities such as the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of one of my constituents, Ashley Rees, who has been awarded the American Fork High School Visual Arts Sterling Scholar Award.

The Sterling Scholar Award recognizes the talent of students gifted in the arts and sciences in my home State of Utah. This is an impressive award, and I can only think of a few who are as worthy of this award as Ashley.

I have been personally impressed with Ashley's artwork, but also her hard work and her dedication to her growth as an artist. I am thankful to have such young, talented artists like Ashley in my district.

As the Representative for the youngest congressional district in the United States, few things make me prouder than seeing the talent of some of these young constituents.

Congratulations, Ashley. I look forward to seeing you flourish more and more.