Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate our friend, Taiwan, as it commemorates the 106th anniversary of its National Day on October 10th.

The United States and Taiwan have always had a strong relationship, even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties. This relationship has led to cooperation in many areas such as matters of international security, trade and investment, cultural exchange and education, etc. Taiwan is also a great friend in times of need. When Hurricane Harvey recently wrought destruction and wreaked havoc in areas of Texas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Taiwan made a generous contribution of $800,000 to help the hurricane's victims. Taiwan's President, Tsai Ing-wen, repeatedly expressed concern for our country's hurricane victims, and the people of Taiwan have, once again, demonstrated their friendship with the United States.

We need to continue to give Taiwan all the support it needs. Taiwan is a democracy and deserves our friendship and best wishes.

It is my privilege today to rise to congratulate Taiwan as it celebrates its 106th National Day.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Angela McQueen, whose actions saved the lives of Mattoon High School students after a student gunman opened fire in the cafeteria. Angela tackled the student, eventually disarming and holding the assailant on the ground until police arrived.

Angela taught math and physical education in Mattoon, Illinois, for over a decade. She is an Illinois native and graduated from Marshall High School, where she was a standout high school basketball player. She then attended Eastern Illinois University, earning a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physical education and her master's in education administration.

Angela became a teacher because she wanted a platform to be able to make the world a better place. She is highly involved in the Mattoon community and is a member of B.I.O.N.I.C., Believe It Or Not I Care teacher's program, founded in 2014 and funded by the Rotary Club. She is also part of the school's grief support research team.

I honor Angela McQueen's dedication to her students' safety and her courageous actions in the face of adversity. If she had not selflessly acted, the situation could have been much worse.

Mr. Speaker, Angela McQueen is a true hero and deserves nothing less than our highest admiration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the honoree of the Molina Healthcare of Illinois' 2017 Community Champions Awards Ceremony and Dinner, Zennie Herring.

Zennie, who is from my hometown of Collinsville, has dedicated her life to improving the world around her. After retiring from her career as an elementary school teacher, Zennie volunteered at the Cahokia Mounds Visitor Center for 20 years. In addition, she served as director of the local Meals on Wheels program.

She is also a remarkable and avid tailor. Zennie has sewn thousands of reversible dresses for her church's mission team at Meadow Heights Baptist Church, and she has sent hundreds of her dresses abroad to little girls in Mexico and Haiti. She also sewed dog beds for the local shelter, dresses for children's toys, and lap robes and clothing protectors for nursing home residents.

The Community Champions Awards Ceremony and Dinner, created in honor of Molina Healthcare's founder Dr. C. David Molina, brings together people whose civic and faith-based leadership, volunteerism, and public advocacy embody Dr. Molina's legacy of service. There is no doubt that Zennie embodies the very spirit behind this award.

I applaud Zennie Herring for her service to her community, and I would like to thank her for representing my constituents so wonderfully both in Illinois and abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 200th anniversary of Colonel Sylvanus Thayer entering West Point as the fifth superintendent of the United States Military Academy.

Colonel Thayer served 16 years as superintendent and is remembered as the ``Father of the Military Academy.'' He is responsible for innovations that evolved the Academy into the world's premier leader development institution. His character-based leadership education system set new standards that are still expected of all cadets today.

The current superintendent is General Bob Caslen, who carries on Colonel Thayer's traditions and instills the ideals of duty, honor, and country in our future leaders.

To that end, the West Point Class of 2017 just graduated, and I congratulate the 936 commissioned 2nd lieutenants of the United States Army as they take their place in the long gray line. The class of 2017 has just begun with 1,230 members beginning their West Point experience.

I thank Colonel Thayer and those who follow him for exhibiting courage and developing leaders of character in the defense of our country. With that, I say: Beat Navy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the plight of the Oromo people of Ethiopia. The Oromo are Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, with a population of more than 25 million, or 35 percent of Ethiopia's total population.

I speak here on behalf of one of my constituents, Ms. Seenaa Jimjimo, who is of Oromo descent. Ms. Jimjimo is the president of the Coalition for Oromo Human Rights and Democracy. The coalition is dedicated to bringing the suffering of the Oromo people and other Ethiopians to the attention of Americans and the world.

She impressed me with her passion for defending the rights of her people, and that is why I bring this issue to the floor. Human rights in Ethiopia have been subject to deteriorating conditions for over a decade, with a sharp decline since 2014, making an already difficult situation even worse.

The Ethiopian Government has adopted laws restricting freedom of expression, association, and assembly, including rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the Ethiopian constitution. These violations have been widely decried by numerous international bodies and nongovernmental organizations. Our own State Department has said the following about Ethiopia: ``The most significant human rights problems included harassment and intimidation of opposition members and supporters and journalists; alleged torture, beating, abuse, mistreatment of detainees by security forces and politically motivated trials.''

Free expression is curtailed by laws permitting the government to punish speech it disagrees with up to 5 years in prison.

In just 2016, security forces killed at least 1,000 and held more than 28,000 newly arrested persons in detention centers.

In the midst of the difficult situation for all Ethiopians, the situation for the Oromo people is particularly dire. The Ethiopian Government released the Addis Ababa Master Plan, which sought to expand the capital into the Oromia region. The plan would displace millions of farmers, carve Oromia into two regions, changing the livelihood of 36 Oromia towns and 17 districts by hurting the livelihoods and lives of the Oromo without consulting the Oromo.

The Oromo protests erupted in November 2015 in response. The Ethiopian Government admitted the use of excessive force. A Human Rights Watch report described interviews of hundreds of people who survived gruesome and inhumane acts by security forces. Even so, no one has been brought to justice.

According to the State Department report, the government also recently won what appears to have been a rigged election. The deaths of thousands of Oromos and other Ethiopians cannot bring a lasting solution to the country's mounting problems, yet the Ethiopian Government continues to receive money for its role in the Somalia and Sudan peacekeeping missions.

We must ask how long the United States should keep financing a regime that has received $30 billion in foreign assistance since it came into power in 1991, and reportedly has stolen virtually all of it.

In honor of thousands of Oromo people who have been savagely murdered, injured, arrested, and have been victims of enforced disappearance, I now join my colleagues in cosponsoring House Resolution 128, which calls for supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive governance in Ethiopia. This resolution sends a clear and strong message to the Ethiopian movement and government by letting them know that we keep a vigilant eye on the suffering that some minorities have been going through in recent years and the offenses that caused these sufferings.

Many Ethiopians who dare to speak up against the current government are being treated badly all across Ethiopia. Oromos are being singled out.

Consider the case of Bekele Gerba. He was arrested upon his return from the United States, where he spoke to several Members of Congress. Now he stands charged with terrorism, although after a year and a half, the government has been unable to produce a

single document to back up their accusation.

Even as the Ethiopian Government has admitted to arresting 28,000 people, there is reason to believe the number is closer to 80,000.

We must condemn violence against peaceful protestors, unlawful arrests, inhumane treatment, and the withholding of key human rights.

The Government of Ethiopia has an obligation to care for all its people, including the Oromo. As the United States, we should stand with the people of Ethiopia and help the Ethiopian Government return to the path of peace and democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and tell the story of Army Reserve Corporal Edward Lee Borders, a soldier who gave his life for this country in the Korean War.

Cpl. Borders served as a member of D Battery, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, supporting South Korean Army attacks against units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces (CPVF). On February 11, 1951, the DPAA report shows that the CPVF was able to force the South Koreans to withdraw and leave the Support Force 21, which included Borders' unit, behind at Changbong-ni.

Cpl. Borders was reported as missing in action on February 13, 1951, when he did not report with his unit in Wonju. Three years later, he was declared dead, but his body was never identified. Cpl. Border's father put up a monument in a Harrisburg, Illinois cemetery with the hope of someday laying his son to rest.

For 66 years, the family could not glean any further information, despite consistent investigations from Borders' father and stepmother. However, recently Army Reserve Cpl. Edward Lee Borders' body was finally identified from the remains returned to the United States from North Korea between 1990 and 1994. Per his family's request, his remains are returning home to Illinois. After receiving plane-side honors, Cpl. Borders will be escorted to his final resting place by an honor guard and members of the Patriot Riders.

The Borders family will bury Cpl. Borders on July 29 in Harrisburg, Illinois, where he will receive a service with full military honors. Finally, the Borders family will be able to honor Army Reserve Cpl. Edward Lee Borders by laying him to rest at the monument placed in his name, thereby fulfilling the 66-year-old wish of a father to bury his son.

I am proud to acknowledge the Borders family for their love for our country and their family, and I thank Cpl. Edward Lee Borders for his service and his sacrifice.

Madam Speaker, as my colleague from Colorado recognized the 100th anniversary of Estes Park, I take to the floor to thank my wife for putting up with me for 30 years--30 years ago today.

Madam Speaker, as we all know, behind every good man is a great woman. I wanted to come to the floor to thank her for helping raise our three boys, helping make sure that we attend church faithfully, and putting up with the hectic life that a lot of our constituents don't understand living in two places at one time, trying to manage a family in another State, while we are gone almost half of the year.

So I come to the floor just to pause and thank my beautiful wife, Karen, for sticking with me for 30 years.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 806.

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

Mr. Chairman, H.R. 806, the Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2017, is about ensuring effective implementation of our air quality standards.

We have learned that timelines and procedures established almost 30 years ago can be counterproductive today, resulting in unnecessary costs, regulatory delay, and economic uncertainty.

H.R. 806 ensures we will continue to deliver effective environmental protections, with reforms that will also help expand economic opportunity in communities around the Nation.

H.R. 806 removes barriers to the planning and permitting of new or expanded manufacturing facilities and to related economic activity essential for building out America's infrastructure.

The bill's reforms reflect practical improvements to the law suggested by State and local regulators, who have confronted the growing challenges of implementing multiple air quality standards under multiple implementation plans and under tight statutory deadlines. As a result, these challenges have increased, and it has become more difficult for many areas to enable the economic expansion needed for their communities. This bill takes several sensible steps to fix this situation.

First, it extends the date for final designations for the 2015 ozone standards to 2025. This allows States time to implement the 2008 ozone standards and other measures to improve air quality. The provisions align requirements for new source construction permitting with this phased ozone schedule, which will reduce permitting delays and still ensure the use of the best available emissions control technologies. The provisions would require timely issuance of implementation guidelines by EPA so States can plan effectively.

Second, the bill aligns the air quality standard setting with how the process works in practice, and it ensures fuller information about regulatory impacts. For example, it updates the mandatory review of air quality standards to reflect past experience by extending the requirement to 10 years, and preserves the EPA administrator's discretion to issue revised standards earlier, if necessary. The bill ensures the administrator, prior to revising an air quality standard, obtains advice from the EPA's Independent Science Advisory Committee about any adverse effects on jobs, welfare, and other economic impacts related to implementing the standards.

Finally, the bill takes several steps to address some of the problems communities face when working to meet the standards. For example, it ensures that, for certain ozone and particulate matter nonattainment areas, States are not required to include economically infeasible measures in their plans; it ensures that States may seek relief with respect to certain exceptional events, including droughts; and it directs EPA to examine the impacts of foreign emissions on standards compliance, ozone formation, and identify effective control strategies, including ways to facilitate EPA review to avoid unnecessary penalties for foreign emissions.

The bill also helps communities with most severe air quality challenges that are doing the most to clean up their air by providing a reasonable way to avoid burdensome and unnecessary sanctions, which harm their ability to grow their economies and create jobs.

The provisions of H.R. 806 represent important steps to update the Clean Air Act to reflect what we have learned over the past 25 years since its last major revisions.

There is more work to be done to modernize environmental laws, but ensuring orderly implementation of air quality standards is an important place to start and essential in our environment and our economy.

Mr. Chair, I urge all Members to support this important bill today, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson), the author of the legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to highlight a few specific things.

One is the standards established by the EPA remains unchanged. The real premise of this bill is the fact that, when the 2008 standards came out, it took the EPA 7 years to get to the guidelines for how local communities and businesses could comply. While that was occurring, they ratcheted down a new set of standards.

So when we talk, this is really more about having our citizens and our communities be able to comply with the rules and regs before a new rule and reg gets in place.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).

Mr. Chairman, let me just remind my colleagues that--why 10 years? I mean, that is a good question.

When the 2008 standards came out, it took the administration 7 years, to 2015, to tell people how to even implement the 2008 standards. Then, 3 months later, they say: Oh, no, we are going to have a new standard set at 2015.

So this debate doesn't reduce or roll back. It says, let's let the EPA establish standards and then give communities time to comply. That is all this bill does.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. Chairman, let me just remind folks that what is going on here is that we have a 2008 standard that we were told 7 years afterwards: Here is how you comply.

That same year, we get new standards saying: Oh, no, no, no. You have got new standards lower than what it took us 7 years to define.

That is really the debate. We are not eliminating standards, we are not rolling back standards, we are just saying: Give us a break. Give us time to comply with the 2008 standards before you even force down the 2015 standards. Nothing in this bill rolls back either of those standards.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford).

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the majority leader of the House.

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

I would first of all like to thank my colleague from New York who serves as the ranking member of the committee. We have done some good work together that we look forward to bringing to the floor in a more amicable setting. Obviously, this one is not. I wish it could have been, but so the public policy world goes.

Let me, in my remaining time, highlight some of the organizations that are supporting our action. Through the committee process, we had the Farm Bureau, the American Petroleum Institute, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, the Portland Cement Association, National Association of Manufacturers, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce express the need to reform and modernize the Clean air Act in order to encourage economic growth and job creation, because we understand that what has, also, a major impact on health and welfare is our citizens having good-paying jobs.

There is a focus on what we are trying to do as Republicans through the legislative process, and we want to reduce the tax burdens, to ease the regulatory burdens, and to create jobs so that all of our citizens are able to achieve their economic goals and aspirations.

We also received a letter today that I include in the Record from over 145 organizations and over close to 20 State chambers of commerce.

July 18, 2017.

Hon. Mitch McConnell,

Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Paul Ryan,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Chuck Schumer,

Minority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Speaker Ryan, and Minority

Leaders

Schumer and Pelosi: The undersigned, which represent a

diverse group of industries from across the country, write to

express our strong support for H.R. 806 and S. 263, the

``Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2017.'' This

legislation provides a common-sense approach for implementing

national ambient air quality standards, recognizes ongoing

state efforts to improve air quality through a reasonable

implementation schedule for the 2015 ozone standards,

streamlines the air permitting process for businesses to

expand operations and create jobs, and includes other reforms

that bring more regulatory certainty to federal air quality

standards. Additionally, the undersigned support language

including certain elements of H.R. 806 and S. 263 included in

the Fiscal Year 2018 Interior, Environment and Related

Agencies Appropriations bill.

We have significant concerns that the 2015 ozone standards

overlap with existing state plans to implement the 2008 ozone

standards, leading to duplicative and wasteful implementation

schedules, and unnecessary and severe economic impacts. The

new ozone standards were promulgated in October 2015, only

months after states received their final guidance from the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how to implement the

2008 ozone standards. This delay was the result of the Obama

administration's decision to halt work on the 2008 ozone

standards during a 2010-2011 reconsideration period. The EPA,

however, did not account for this self-imposed delay when

issuing the 2015 ozone standards, thereby imposing

duplicative costs and burdens of implementing multiple

standards simultaneously. This is particularly wasteful as

the EPA itself projects that nearly the entire country would

attain the 2015 ozone standards simply by being provided an

opportunity to fully implement already-planned measures like

their state implementation plans for the 2008 ozone

standards. Local economies also face severe impacts, as

analysis of data indicates that the 2015 ozone standards

could expand nonattainment to more than 950 counties if

planned reductions are not allowed time to take effect,

subjecting large parts of the country to costly nonattainment

control requirements.

Notwithstanding concerns expressed by thousands of elected

officials, state agencies, businesses, community groups, and

other stakeholders, the EPA issued the 2015 ozone standards

without addressing the overlap with the 2008 ozone standards

and the enormous impacts that dual implementation would have

on limited state resources, permitting, and the economy. It

is now up to Congress to address these issues, and that is

why we support H.R. 806 and S. 263. By better aligning the

2015 ozone standards with the 2008 ozone standards and their

associated emissions reductions, H.R. 806 and S. 263 will

help prevent unnecessary nonattainment designations and cost

burdens, without sacrificing environmental protection. The

legislation's permitting relief and other reforms are also an

important step towards national ambient air quality standards

that balance environmental protection and economic

development.

In sum, H.R. 806 and S. 263 and the related appropriations

language provide a common-sense plan that maintains continued

air quality improvement without unnecessarily straining state

and local economic resources.

We strongly encourage Congress to act quickly on this

critical legislation.

Alabama Petroleum Council; Alaska Chamber; Alliance of

Automobile Manufacturers; Alliance of Wyoming Manufacturers;

Aluminum Association; American Chemistry Council; American

Coatings Association; American Coke and Coal Chemicals

Institute; American Farm Bureau Federation; American Forest &

Paper Association; American Fuel & Petrochemical

Manufacturers; American Iron and Steel Institute; American

Petroleum Institute; American Road & Transportation Builders

Association (ARTBA); American Wood Council; Anderson Area

Chamber of Commerce; Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce; API

New York; API Ohio; API South Carolina.

Ardagh Group, Glass North America; Arizona Chamber of

Commerce and Industry; Arizona Mining Association; Arkansas

Petroleum Council; Ascension Chamber of Commerce; Associated

Petroleum Industries of Michigan; Associated Petroleum

Industries of Pennsylvania; Association of American

Railroads; Baton Rouge Area Chamber; Buckeye Valley Chamber

of Commerce; Carefree Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce; Cedar

City Area Chamber of Commerce; Chandler Chamber of Commerce;

Chemical Industry Council of California; Chemical Industry

Council of Illinois; Chemistry Council of New Jersey;

Colorado Association of Commerce & Industry; Colorado Oil &

Gas Association; Colorado Petroleum Association; Colorado

Petroleum Council.

Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association;

Connecticut Petroleum Council; Consumer Energy Alliance;

Consumer Specialty Products Association; Council of

Industrial Boiler Owners (CIBO); CVR Energy, Inc.; Delaware

Petroleum Council; East Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance;

Fashion Jewelry & Accessories Trade Association; Flexible

Packaging Association; Florida Petroleum Council; Fountain

Hills Chamber of Commerce; Georgia Chemistry Council;

Georgia Petroleum Council; Gilbert Chamber of Commerce;

Glass Packaging Institute (GPI); Global Cold Chain

Alliance; GPA Midstream Association; Grand Rapids Area

Chamber of Commerce; Greater Bakersfield Chamber of

Commerce.

Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance, Inc.; Greater

Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce; Greater Coachella Valley

Chamber of Commerce; Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce;

Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce; Greater Phoenix

Chamber of Commerce; Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce;

Illinois Petroleum Council; Independent Petroleum Association

of America; Indiana Petroleum Council; Industrial Energy

Consumers of America (IECA); Industrial Environmental

Association; Industrial Minerals Association--North America;

Institute of Makers of Explosives; Institute of Shortening

and Edible Oils; Iowa Association of Business and Industry;

Kansas Petroleum Council; Kentucky Association of

Manufacturers; Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; Kentucky

Chemical Industry Council.

Lodi District Chamber of Commerce; Louisiana Association of

Business and Industry; Louisiana Chemical Association;

Manufacture Alabama; Maryland Petroleum Council;

Massachusetts Petroleum Council; Mesa Chamber of Commerce;

Michigan Chemistry Council; Minnesota Petroleum Council;

Missouri Petroleum Council; National Asphalt Pavement

Association; National Association of Chemical Distributors;

National Association of Manufacturers; National Cotton

Council; National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; National

Lime Association; National Mining Association; National

Oilseed Processors Association; National Tooling and

Machining Association; Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and

Industry.

New Jersey Petroleum Council; New Mexico Association of

Commerce & Industry; New York State Chemistry Council; North

American Die Casting Association; North Carolina Petroleum

Council; North Orange County Chamber; Ohio Chamber of

Commerce; Ohio Chemistry Technology Council; Oklahoma State

Chamber; Oregon Women In Timber; Owens Illinois, Inc.; Oxnard

Chamber of Commerce; Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and

Industry; Petroleum Marketers Association of America;

Portland Cement Association; Precision Machined Products

Association; Precision Metalforming Association; Queen Creek

Chamber of Commerce; Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce; Roof

Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA).

Salt Lake Chamber; San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership;

Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce; South Carolina Chamber

of Commerce; South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance; Tempe

Chamber of Commerce; Tennessee Chamber of Commerce &

Industry; Tennessee Petroleum Council; Texas Association of

Manufacturers; Texas Oil and Gas Association; The Fertilizer

Institute; Treated Wood Council; Truck and Engine

Manufacturers Association; Tucson Metro Chamber; Tulsa

Regional Chamber; U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Utah Petroleum

Association; Virginia Chamber of Commerce; Virginia Petroleum

Council; West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce.

West Virginia Chamber of Commerce; West Virginia

Manufacturers Association; West Virginia Petroleum Council;

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce; Wisconsin Petroleum

Council; Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association; Yuma County

Chamber of Commerce.

If I may, in the middle paragraph it says: ``We have significant concerns that the 2015 ozone standards overlap with existing State plans to implement the 2008 ozone standards, leading to duplicative and wasteful implementation schedules, and unnecessary and severe economic impacts. The new ozone standards were promulgated in October of 2015, only months after States received their final guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency on how to implement the 2008 ozone standards.''

Mr. Chairman, I couldn't say it any better than that. This is not, as I have said a couple of times, a rolling back of our regulations. This is identifying the fact that 2008 standards were implemented. It took 7 years to do the implementation guidelines, and when those guidelines came out 3 months after that, the Federal Government, through the EPA said, oh, we are going to now ratchet it down 5 more parts per billion, which leads you to believe that people are trying to comply.

Other benefits of this bill address the fact that you could be in the remotest parts of the country and fall against the EPA and ozone standards based upon nothing that you can do. We have communities that are trying to comply, are doing great work, but they are receiving emissions outside of their control. Plus, they will be penalized for that.

So we look forward to continued debates. I know that there have been amendments offered that we will consider.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague, and I don't question her passion and her evaluation of her perception about what we are doing.

But again, as I have said in general debate, nothing in this bill rolls back the 2008 standards; nothing rolls back the 2015 standards. The attempt is to say: Why is it so difficult to believe that we should meet the 2008 standards and give our communities time to do that before we throw on them a new 2015 standard? So that is the basic premise.

This amendment would allow the advisory panel to nullify one of the central provisions of the bill, section 2(a), which allows States to fully implement the 2008 ozone standards for which EPA only issued the implementing regulations in 2015 before turning to 2015.

So EPA says meet the 2008 standards. Delay, delay, delay; don't know how to do it; no guidelines. 2015 comes, they say meet the 2008 standards; 3 months later, oh, but now we have got 2015 standards we want you to comply with. That is the basic premise of this bill.

Ozone air quality will continue to improve under H.R. 806. Regarding the 2015 standards, the EPA projects the vast majority of U.S. counties will meet the 2015 ozone standards by 2025 just with the rules and programs now in place or underway.

The bill ensures hundreds of counties are on track to meeting the 2015 standards, and that can come into compliance without being subjected to additional regulatory burdens, paper requirements, or restrictions, which will not do anything to improve public health.

The bill also does not limit States from imposing more stringent emission requirements if a State finds that such a condition exists in section 2. Nowhere does the bill authorize States to increase their emissions. This is not about continuing to improve air quality in a manner that doesn't require the States to duplicate paperwork requirements.

Since 1980, ozone levels have declined 32 percent, and as we talk about in the environmental process, the low-hanging fruit has been picked. It gets more and more difficult as you start reducing the standards time, effort, energy, and technology.

So with the reduction of 32 percent by 1980, the EPA projects air quality ``will continue to improve over the next decade as additional reductions in ozone precursors from power plants, motor vehicles, and other sources are realized.''

Nothing in the pending bill prevents these improvements to air quality from being realized.

Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, under the Clean Air Act, section 319 provides relief to areas that violate National Ambient Air Quality Standards due to unusual or naturally occurring events as that they cannot control.

Section 3(h) would add--and I would argue strengthens the definition--droughts and extraordinary stagnation to the act's definition of an exceptional event.

Let me give you an example. In 2012, there was a major drought in the Midwest. Now, I am from corn country, and

we don't irrigate our corn because we have got great soil, and we have got weather conditions for most of the years that provide plentiful rain for that to happen. But that didn't happen in 2012. It was an extraordinary event. It was a drought.

Now the question is posed: Should we punish the communities for an extraordinary event; i.e., a drought that is out of the control of any human being?

It is an ``extraordinary event.'' This language would provide reasonable relief for States in this condition, particularly those in the Western United States for, as I said, events beyond their control.

Nothing in H.R. 806 does away with the detailed statutory requirements under section 319(h) of the Clean Air Act for demonstrating ``an exceptional event.'' Nor does anything in the bill do away with the detailed regulatory procedures and guidelines that the EPA has laid out for demonstrating exceptional events or the requirements to measure air quality or to make that air quality data available to the public.

This provision simply ensures citizens in areas experiencing unusual or natural occurring events beyond their control do not become subject to penalties or sanctions under the Clean Air Act as a result of those events.

Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague. Again, he was on the floor when I talked about the great work I do with subcommittee members. Obviously, this is part of the debate where we are agreeing to disagree.

I will just say that air quality standards are put in place so that there are things that we can effect and we can deal with through mobile emissions, as you would probably know about, as stationary sources.

Exceptional events, such as droughts, are out of our control. That is why we think it should be placed into the language. We do believe it strengthens the provision of the law, doesn't weaken it.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the subject of H.R. 806 is criteria pollutants and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards program, not the hazardous air pollutants programs, which my colleague is referring to.

These two programs are addressed under different sections of the Clean Air Act. The whole title is Clean Air Act, but you have one section here dealing with national ambient air quality, and then you have another section on hazardous air aspects, which is what my colleague is trying to address. Criteria pollutants are addressed under section 107 and 110 and part C and D of title 1 of the Clean Air Act, while hazardous air pollutants fall under section 12.

This amendment, moreover, is wholly unrelated to the purpose of H.R. 806, which is to provide State regulators with additional time and flexibility, as we have heard throughout this debate, to implement ozone and other standards for criteria pollutants.

H.R. 806 makes process-related reforms to address practical implementation challenges identified by State regulators. This amendment would make substantive changes relating specifically to regulation of the oil and gas sector.

This amendment would make significant changes to the Clean Air Act that did not receive any Energy and Commerce Committee consideration during the markup of this bill.

The amendment would also circumvent the established regulatory process for listing new hazardous air pollutants set forth under the Clean Air Act.

Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, to my colleague from Colorado, sitting in with the Rules Committee yesterday, the question was asked: Would you accept this amendment or would you not? I said: I appreciate my colleagues on the Rules Committee. They will do the due diligence in agreeing which amendment comes to the floor or not.

So it is good to see the Rules Committee has so much comradery and comity that they would allow someone from the committee to offer an amendment on the bill, but I still have to object because it splits this bill and tries to bring in air issues that are in the hazardous air program and jam it into this one where, basically, what we are trying to do is send a signal and allow communities to meet the 2008 standards before a new 2015 standard gets placed upon them 3 months after they do the implementing guidelines.

It is really a process, a bill that makes it easier for people to comply. It really helps EPA more easily be able to evaluate the data and move us forward to a cleaner environment.

Mr. Chair, I reluctantly hold my position that we should vote against the Polis amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank my colleague for his impassioned discussion, especially of his area. We all have a lot of friends here. It is hard for the public to believe I am on both sides of the aisle, so it

saddens me to have to speak in opposition to this amendment.

This is doing, similarly, what I had to address with Congressman Polis in that it is taking a bill in which we are trying to streamline the processes and then somehow creating a grant program out of the money. I don't know where this money is coming from, whether it is coming from the supposed savings from nonimplementation.

But as my colleague from Texas mentioned, the process, as you followed through the committee, is to say: How do you force people who are just told how to comply with 2008 standards, how do you then turn around and give them 2015 standards when they were just told how to comply 3 months prior?

And so what we have tried to do in this piece of legislation is to say let's allow people to move forward on 2008 while making sure that the 2015 standards occur with a deadline of 2025. That is the basic premise.

And it also addresses the issue of, and I know, there are parts of the country where they can do all that they can do and they are not going to meet the standards because of what is being imported from other regions, maybe, in your case, from Asia or from San Francisco or those areas. So how do you end up punishing an area when they are doing everything that they humanly can do?

There is some great, obviously, statistics that you have shared of the success in that region, although they are still stressed under the current standards.

So your amendment would eliminate the widely supported reforms in this bill. And I read, and we will have submitted for the Record, the 145-plus organizations that support it, plus the five or ten that we addressed earlier from the markup, and then really kind of apply only to a few parts of the country versus the entire country as a whole.

Across the Nation, States and communities struggle to implement these standards, and we are trying to streamline that process. This amendment would deprive communities across the Nation of the benefits of H.R. 806. It would reduce red tape, relief from the sanctions and penalties for emissions that are outside their control, as I said earlier, and streamline the implementation of the standards.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate my friend and colleague. I know it is a tough environment we are trying to address, especially some of those concerns.

Mr. Chair, I still urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I agree with my colleague that this doesn't rise to the standard of the other bills that we will be bringing in a bipartisan manner, and we kind of raised that initially at the beginning. And it is, I think, to both of our losses.

But having said that, my colleague, Congressman Olson, the author of the bill, did get a couple Democrats to sponsor the primary piece of legislation, and there is a Senate companion bill, S. 263, which we hope will be passed by the Senate. So we are a little more optimistic that this can get over the finish line than Mr. McNerney might be, but, again, we will continue to work together where we can work together, and respectfully disagree when we have disagreements.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, to my colleagues and friends, I appreciate the debate. Those who followed it here, just a couple of points.

The question is: Why are we here today?

In 2008, the EPA established ozone standards, and then it took the EPA 7 years to tell communities how to comply with those 2008 standards. It is the truth. I am just telling you the truth.

Three months later, after they told the communities how to comply, they said: Now we are going to give you 2015 standards.

That is why we are here. We are just here trying to say that if the EPA is going to establish standards, then they ought to say: We are going to give you the guidelines on how to comply now, not 7 years later.

So what this bill does is allow communities to meet the 2008 standards. It doesn't roll back any standards. It says meet the 2008 standards. In fact, we don't even say roll back the 2015 standards. We just say, give the communities time to comply with the 2015 standards.

This motion is a distraction. Let's reject it, and move to pass the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita B. Garman for her exemplary work on the court for the past 16 years.

In acknowledgement of Justice Garman's service, the Vermilion County Board voted to rename the county courthouse ``The Rita B. Garman Vermilion County Courthouse.'' A ceremony dedicating the renamed courthouse will be held on August 4th.

Justice Garman is a 1965 University of Illinois graduate and a 1968 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law. She began her judicial career at the Vermilion County Courthouse as an associate judge.

She served dutifully and responsibly as a judge in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court from 1986 to 1995. After that, her dedication and perseverance led her to become an Illinois State Appellate Court Justice. In February 2001 she was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court, and she went on to serve as Chief Justice from 2013 to 2016. She continues to serve the people of Illinois as a member of the Supreme Court.

I have come to know Justice Garman over the last few years and applaud her for many years of dedication to upholding the law and pursuing justice. I want to personally congratulate her for this recognition by Vermilion County as they rename the courthouse The Rita B. Garman Vermilion County Courthouse.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of one of Illinois finest, SFC Jared Bullock of 3rd Battalion 7th Special Forces Group United States Army who grew up in Metropolis. After the 9/11 attacks, Jared and his twin brother Kyle enlisted in the Army to help protect our Nation. After serving two tours in Iraq, SFC Bullock later became a member of the 7th Special Forces Group. He was then almost mortally wounded in Afghanistan in an IED blast on November 13, 2013. The blast killed his friend Staff Sgt. Richard Vazquez and took Jared's arm and leg. It would take 30 surgeries in order to bring Jared back to where he is today. Jared has said, ``he knew his life was not over and took the challenge to push on even harder.'' He has developed special training techniques which have advanced the ability for all others with similar injuries to gain strength and rebuild their lives. He is a fitness and exercise fanatic, pushing the limits of his body to gain strength and good health. He is the proud father of a son Aidan, and is supported by his lovely wife Jesica who is a nurse who adds new meaning to stand by your man. I include in the Record this poem penned in his honor by Albert Caswell.

All in the footsteps of our lives

All in the paths that we so stride

Which comes from so very deep down inside

To reach our final destination, to arrive

If we wish to reach for the sky

Must come from that burning force from within which resides

Is but that Special Force in our hearts which lies

To help us climb the highest mountains in our time

When, failure is not an option

In what we decide

To help us win all those wars with courage fine

Will we give up or steadfastly go onward to rebuild our

lives?

Will we harness that great force from deep down inside?

Or live in pity and cry?

As on each new day a part of us begins to die

When that magnificent force so decides

So hold's the key to help us make our strides

To from out of the ashes to begin to rise

To new beginnings,

To new heights realized

Just when all our hopes and dreams so seem to be compromised

All in these the darkest days of our lives

But, comes that Special Force from deep down inside

The kind of force which helps us go off to war

And give up all we love and adore

With the kind of light that helps us put it all on the line

That even makes the angels up in heaven cry

And makes us heaven bound when we die

Indeed it takes a special heart

Who will don a uniform

and so patriotically march onward to do their part

But, for the greater good all in their hearts

As did you Jared thou art

And oh what a striking figure in uniform you'd so cast

Like all of our great American Heroes into the future and

from out of the past

Who went off to war and did not ask

And then that fateful day

When, they took your strong arm and leg away

And your brother Ssgt Vazquez's life,

for whom you still weep for this day

While, lying so close to death

Would you fall or would you crest?

As it looked as if you had none left

As when you chose to fight your new fight, all in your quest

As we stood back in awe.

and watched what your heart of courage could so etched

As this Special Force deep down inside of you would bless

As your heart and soul began to flex

Even Arnold, such dynamic gains could not expect!

As always,

To be the best

No limits

No limits,

From you Jared is what we've all come to expect

As we watched your magnificent heart so flex

What will we do in the darkest days of our lives?

When, all around us such heartache lies

When, all the hope seems to die

All in war's aftermath which lies

Will we find the strength to climb

Letting that Special Force in hearts help us to find

The strength and courage and faith to all remind

That there is no mountain high enough,

No sorrow deep enough

No valley steep enough

Which can defeat that Special Force Inside.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lawrence Zhao, who is a 7th grade student at Next Generation School in Champaign, Illinois. Lawrence will be competing in the 2017 National You Be the Chemist Challenge. The You Be the Chemist Challenge is an interactive academic contest that invites students from all around the United States in Grades 5 to 8 to explore chemistry concepts and their real- world applications.

Lawrence has advanced through many rigorous levels of competition over the past school year to qualify for the national competition, which is held Monday, June 19th, in Washington D.C. The competition starts out at a local level, where students participate individually, with first the distribution of a quiz that relates to chemistry and those who pass it are eligible to participate in the local contest. The local contest consists of a quiz-bowl style format containing several rounds of multiple choice questions.

Lawrence won the local challenge and had the opportunity to compete in a similar style state-wide competition. Having received the highest score at the state challenge, he advanced to the national challenge. I applaud Lawrence Zhao for his exemplary performance thus far, and I wish him the best of luck in not only the challenge, but all his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding sports team from southern Illinois. The Triad High School Women's Soccer team won the Illinois Class 2A state championship on June 3, defeating Wheaton Academy 5-4. After 100 minutes of scoreless play, the Lady Knights began to make goals and fight off their competitors' shots, resulting in their State Title.

The Lady Knights, from Troy, Illinois, put together a 22-6 record en route to the championship, defeating rivals and earning one small victory at a time.

My congratulations go to: Madisyn Stauffer, Jody Ellis, Kalie Gibbs, Madison Mell, Madeline Keller, Jordyn Besserman, Hailey Busche, Chelsea Riden, Meaghan Smith (C), Samantha Bassler (C), Ashley Newcombe, Sydney Thomas, Eryn Fanning, Chloe Scott, Erynn Little (C), Sydney Beach, Katie Rogers, Jordan Wilson, Sierra Schlemmer, Rebecca Byrd, Morgan Bohnenstiehl (C), Molly Suess, Mercedes King and coaches and staff Matt Bettlach--Varsity Head Coach, Jim Jackson--Varsity Assistant Coach, Heather Seger--Junior Varsity Coach, and Bailey Stack--Freshman Coach.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the achievements of the Goreville Black Cats softball team, which earlier this month brought home the Illinois Class 1A State Championship.

The Black Cats put together a 26-8 season this year, swept through the regional and the sectional, and knocked off two of the state's top teams at the state finals in order to claim the title. The team beat Hardin-Calhoun 2-0 in extra innings in the championship game.

These student-athletes and their coaches have represented themselves, their school, and their community in a first-rate fashion. I join with the other Members of this House in congratulating them and wishing them all the best in their future academic and athletic endeavors.

Congratulations to: team members Katie Schuetz, Camille Green, Shayna Elms, Morgan Dunning, Alexandria King, Payton

Sopczak, Adrianna Licka, Cheyenne Walker, Summar Albright (C), Kiara Miller, Breanna Stout, Camren Anderson (C), Macy Goins, Samantha Licka, Kelsey Ray; coaches and staff Steve Webb--Superintendent, Jeri Miller-- Principal, Christina King--Assistant Principal, Todd Tripp--Athletic Director, Shanna Massey--Head Coach, Brooke Merrill--Assistant Coach, and Mandy Schuetz--Scorekeeper.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding sports team from southern Illinois. The Triad High School Women's Soccer team won the Illinois Class 2A state championship on June 3, defeating Wheaton Academy 5-4. After 100 minutes of scoreless play the Lady Nights began to make goals and fight off their competitors' shots resulting in their State Title.

The Lady Nights from Troy, Illinois, put together a 22-6 record en route to the championship, defeating rivals and earning one small victory at a time.

My congratulations go to: Madisyn Stauffer, Jody Ellis, Kalie Gibbs, Madison Mell, Madeline Keller, Jordyn Besserman, Hailey Busche, Chelsea Riden, Meaghan Smith (C), Samantha Bassler (C), Ashley Newcombe, Sydney Thomas, Eryn Fanning, Chloe Scott, Erynn Little (C), Sydney Beach, Katie Rogers, Jordan Wilson, Sierra Schlemmer, Rebecca Byrd, Morgan Bohnenstiehl (C), Molly Suess, Mercedes King and coaches and staff Matt Bettlach--Varsity Head Coach, Jim Jackson--Varsity Assistant Coach, Heather Seger--Junior Varsity Coach, and Bailey Stack--Freshman Coach.