Floor Statements

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 the life and accomplishments of Moses Harrison. His judicial successes have been well chronicled, but he got elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1992 and served for 8 years before becoming the chief justice.

However, there's probably no more credible source than my mom, who says that Moses was a nice, gentle man; everyone who knew him liked him.

I also appreciated his support in a letter for me to go to the military academy at West Point.

Moses was very involved in local activities and also was involved in the Episcopal Church.

Mr. Harrison was preceded in death by his son, Luke. He leaves behind his wife, Sharon; his son, Judge Clarence Harrison and his wife and four grandchildren, who will greatly miss him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Danville, Illinois upon the 150th Anniversary of the church. The church celebrated this special occasion on April 25, 2013 with a festival divine service and banquet.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded on February 15, 1863 when 14 members signed the constitution which formed the congregation. The first ordained pastor was Gottfried Markworth, who also started Lutheran day school education in Danville, which is celebrating 150 years as well. The congregation moved to the current building on Main Street on April 25, 1915. Today, the church has 727 baptized members and the Pastor is Kent Tibben.

I extend my congratulations to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church upon this special occasion. It is my prayer that the Lord blesses them with many more years of service.

Madam Speaker, the Federal budget is approximately $3.6 trillion; $2.4 trillion is what we call ``mandatory spending.'' That's Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and interest payments on the debt. Approximately $1.2 trillion is the discretionary budget, and we sit here and moan about $85 billion in sequester. Businesses have had the sequester over the past 3 to 4 years. Not-for-profits have had the sequester for the past 3 or 4 years. It's about time that the Federal Government sequestered also.

I want to thank the President for addressing the mandatory-spending program. With his chained CPI address on Social Security, he recognizes the fact that, if we want to stop sequestration from occurring, mandatory programs have to be reformed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the recent actions taken by the President of the Ukraine, Mr. Yanukovych.

On April 7, President Yanukovych pardoned former Interior Minister Lutsenko, former Environmental Minister Filipchuk, and four others. These pardons demonstrate Ukraine's desire to integrate democratic policies and reform their justice system as the expanding Eastern European nation continues its transition towards democracy.

This action is a concrete step in the right direction for President Yanukovych's administration, but there remains much to be done in order for Ukraine's judicial system to be considered in line with Western standards. This would include an end to all political persecutions; and, today, I reiterate my call for the release of Ms. Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Prime Minister.

I have long been a supporter of our Nation's ability to assist new, emerging democracies as they develop the pillars for building successful and lasting governments. I am encouraged by these recent steps and hope that Ukraine continues on its path towards full European integration. The United States Government welcomes President Yanukovych's decision to pardon Mr. Lutsenko and Mr. Filipchuk and hopes that such actions signal an end to the political persecution of other opposition figures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the Department of Energy's budget proposal on nuclear waste. It's a joke--but as a representative of nuclear electricity consumers and taxpayers, I don't find it funny.

DOE Assistant Secretary Peter Lyons says we should ``cut our losses and move on'' from Yucca Mountain. We've spent $15 billion on Yucca Mountain, but this administration says we should just give up and go try somewhere else, hoping some other State will be a willing host. The DOE budget proposes spending $5.6 billion over the next 10 years to start over and maybe, just maybe, have a permanent repository by 2048.

The details provided for this new plan are scant to say the least--14 pages. DOE proposes to abandon $15 billion and 30 years of work, start over, create a new government entity to be responsible, and find willing States to host two interim storage facilities and a repository--all within 14 pages. I consider it brainstorming, not a plan. It's certainly not something that justifies $5.6 billion. In addition, DOE has repeatedly stated the need for Congress to pass legislation, but has yet to propose any. That shows the administration is not trying to solve this problem, just avoid it by pointing the finger at Congress.

Nuclear electricity consumers pay for a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel. What would they get after spending another 10 years and $5.6 billion? A pilot interim storage facility with limited capacity.

A pilot facility? Dry cask storage, the same technology that will be used at the interim storage facility, is currently used at 65 locations. As for transportation, the U.S. nuclear industry has completed 3,000 shipments of used nuclear fuel over 1.7 million miles of roads and railroads. What's the purpose of having a pilot facility?

The only other pilot facility is the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. I've been there, and it's an impressive facility. But that pilot project became a permanent facility with a 10,000-year environmental standard. Given that backdrop, does DOE really think some unsuspecting State will actually fall for the idea that a pilot interim storage facility will truly be temporary?

But $5.6 billion doesn't begin to address the real costs hidden in this proposal. Instead of merely paying for a repository, nuclear electricity consumers will now have to write off the cost of abandoning the Yucca Mountain site where we've spent $15 billion. DOE's previous estimates for transportation were $19 billion; so if DOE is now going to have to transport it twice, once to an interim storage and then later to a repository, ratepayers will be on the hook for an extra $19 billion. All this, plus the $5.6 billion in the budget, equals $39.6 billion.

And that's just the bill for nuclear electricity consumers. Taxpayers will continue to pay for the liability costs of DOE's failure to provide disposal. That cost is $2.6 billion so far and projected to be $20 billion by 2020. The Government Accountability Office tells us that it's faster to finish Yucca Mountain than to start over with interim storage. Yet this administration prefers to start over, disregarding the cost to the taxpayer.

Electricity consumers and taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for President Obama's campaign promise to Harry Reid, certainly not $39.6 billion worth. Mr. Speaker, DOE's proposal is a boondoggle at a time when our citizens can least afford it. I, for one, am not laughing.

Mr. Speaker, as we remember the tragic events of yesterday, we are reminded that there is sin and evil in the world. We pray for Boston, our country, and the world, but the business of the Republic must go on.

I thank my colleague.

We want to welcome Robin Kelly to the Chamber. You'll find that people are working hard on both sides of the aisle to represent the folks that they are here to represent. The Illinois delegation has a monthly bicameral luncheon, and we look forward to meeting with you there so that those downstaters and those from other districts can understand the concerns of the south side of Chicago, and the like, and you can understand the concerns of real rural, deep southern Illinois.

Thank you, and welcome to the Chamber.

Mr. Speaker, I rise once again today in support of Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nevada, which, by law, is designated as the site for a permanent geological repository for our Nation's spent nuclear fuel.

Last year, the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future issued a report, but barred even evaluating the merits of Yucca Mountain, despite the fact that it has been approved on a bipartisan basis by Congress and signed into law by the President, and actually reaffirmed by signing the law in 2002. The initial law was passed in 1982, and the law was amended in 1987, which, in a bipartisan manner, passed through both Chambers, signed by different Presidents, established that Yucca Mountain would be the repository for our nuclear spent fuel.

What the Blue Ribbon Commission did say was any host community should expect incentives. That commitment is no different from Nevada when it comes to Yucca Mountain. And good news: the local county, Nye County, Nevada, is consenting and ready to negotiate with the Department of Energy.

In advance of Yucca Mountain even receiving its first delivery, we will work with the State, Nye County, and surrounding communities to provide incentives to benefit the people of Nevada and their communities. We will address infrastructure needs, provide additional ground water monitoring, and build rail spurs, providing benefits outside of the Yucca Mountain project.

As we look to make nuclear processing viable in the future, we can establish research dollars to universities in the State to be leaders in this field, and we will work to develop these and other ideas from State and local leaders to best fit their needs.

This will mean thousands of direct or indirect jobs across the State of Nevada. Before any of these incentives are even discussed, we know from DOE in the past that the project would yield over 2,500 direct jobs on its own for more than 25 years under the current permit. Even after 50 years, as the project winds down, there would still be more than 500 direct jobs.

Construction of a rail spur could require an additional 1,000 workers and 300 permanent jobs for decades to come. All told, with indirect jobs and the project alone, conservative estimates project 7,000 new jobs in Nevada, not even counting those associated with other incentives we in Congress are prepared to work with the State and local communities to pursue.

Mr. Speaker, we need to move forward on finishing the licensing application on Yucca Mountain, as required by law. Let the science speak for itself that says Yucca Mountain meets a million-year safety standard so it can serve as a national asset that develops thousands of badly needed jobs in Nevada's struggling economy.

Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of media coverage on RINs. A RIN is a renewable identification number which is given to refiners upon the purchase of renewable fuels. It is then used by refiners every February to establish that they have met their previous year's obligation under the Renewable Fuels Standard.

These recent stories raise a question as to why RINs are being blamed in the increase in gasoline prices. RINs are given away for free by ethanol and other renewable fuel producers to the refiners and only have value in the submission of the reports in February. We are currently in the month of March and soon to be in April. There are questions that need to be asked on why such swift dramatic price shifts are being reported in the market? Are speculators at work?

There is an excess of over 2 billion RINs. Why is that not proving and providing stability? I encourage the media to ask these types of questions, but to simply jump on and blame the renewable fuel sector is incorrect.

Mr. Speaker, this week, the House will consider the Path to Prosperity budget, reaffirming once again that House Republicans are the only ones in Washington offering serious solutions to government spending-driven debt crisis.

Americans at home must prepare a balanced budget for themselves and their families. Our plan would bring the same common sense to Washington and balance our budget in 10 years.

Our budget is not balanced by raising taxes on hardworking Americans but by responsibly reducing spending on government waste and reforming mandatory spending to ensure that programs Americans rely on remain strong for decades to come. Our budget saves taxpayers $4.6 trillion over 10 years.

The Senate Democrat budget calls for $1.5 trillion in new taxes and $7.3 trillion in new debt.

Americans deserve better. That is why House Republicans have proposed a Path to Prosperity budget--to get our economy back on track and create more jobs and opportunity for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the outstanding victory of the Harrisburg High School Bulldogs at State Champions.

The Bulldog won the Class 2A State Championship in a 50-44 victory. I would like to congratulate Coach Randy Smithpeters, Assistant Coaches Brandon Henshaw, Richard Dwyer, Dr. Robert Hodson and Eric Griffin who have work hard to help the Harrisburg Bulldogs achieve this victory.

Members of the state championship team include: Logan Hartley, Caleb Bartok, Tyler Smithpeters, Justin Younger, Capel Henshaw, Ryne Roper, Jarren Goldman, Bahari Amaya, Anfernee Houston, Snjolfur Bjornsson, Eli Taborn-Scott, Gabe Oglesby, Jake Simerly, Carson Batts and Dakota Upchurch.

I look forward to the continued success of the Harrisburg High School Bulldogs. I extend my best wishes for another outstanding season next year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the outstanding victory of the Nashville Community High School Hornettes girls' basketball team in the recent State Championships.

The Hornettes put together an outstanding performance against their division's top ranked team to take the Class 2A State Championship 42- 29. I would like to congratulate Coach Wayne Harre, whose efforts over the past 12 seasons as well as those of Nashville High School's coaching staff, teachers and administrators, have brought to fruition the talent of our youth and seen these fine young ladies achieve an outstanding result.

These young ladies: Erica Brown, Madi May, Katy Kosydor, Kiley Pelker, Emily Gill, Shawn Rennegarbe, Rachel Reid, Jordi Harre, Hannah Yung, Shaye Harre, Alli Kellerman, Haylee Kania, Jeni Krawiecki and Madison Frerker have represented themselves, their school, and their community with distinction. I look forward to watching their future successes in both their academic and athletic pursuits and wish them all the best in these endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Nashville Hornettes on a job well done.

Mr. Speaker, the Ukraine, once a model for democratic transition in the Eurasia region and the world after the Orange Revolution, has been experiencing significant backsliding in democracy. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe found that the October elections did not meet international standards, and the arrest and continued harassment and mistreatment of opposition leaders, including the former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, also causes concern. The trial against Ms. Tymoshenko in the gas case was described as selective persecution in statements by the U.S., Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and other European countries.

On July 16, 2012, our colleague, Chris Smith, introduced a measure calling for Ukrainian authorities to release political opposition leaders and hold free and fair elections. At the beginning of a new year, I call on Ukrainian officials to immediately free Ms. Tymoshenko and other political prisoners.

Mr. Speaker, it's good to come down for morning-hour, especially today, to hear my colleagues come down and thank staff and people who've been important in their lives, especially in their careers. Jason Altmire, what a great job he did thanking his staff. My friend, Russ Carnahan from across the Mississippi River, thanking family, wife, sons, and staff. For the work we do here, too frequently, many go unappreciated.

But, Mr. Speaker, I did break the code on why we're here so late today. I know a lot of people want to know. We can blame Jay Pierson for that. Jay is retiring today. This is his last day, and we wanted to make sure that we got the last ounce of flesh and blood from him. So if the American people want to know why we're here, it's Jay Pierson's fault.

Jay Pierson is Speaker Boehner's floor assistant. He obviously carries around a copy of Jefferson's Manual. He has been a servant of the House of Representatives for 34 years. He's a truly dedicated public servant. I thank him for his friendship and his support to this body and especially to me personally.

Mr. Speaker, I also wanted to take time out, as I do, to speak about democratic movements around the world, especially in the former captive nations of Eastern Europe, and remember those who are jailed just because they want political freedoms and liberties.

Two years ago after the brutal and bloody crackdown on peaceful demonstrations after the 2010 presidential elections, the human rights of ordinary Belarusian citizens continue to be violated by the Lukashenko government. One candidate who ran against Lukashenko during that election, Nikolai Statkevich, remains in jail. The other jailed candidate, Andrei Sannikov, was pardoned earlier this year and is in exile in Britain. Ales Byalyatski, the head of Viasna Human Rights Center, also remains imprisoned after being convicted to a 4\1/2\-year jail sentence for trumped-up charges of tax evasion. These are two of 12 political prisoners who today remain behind bars under deplorable prison conditions in Belarus.

The general human rights situation in Belarus has not improved since the events of 2010, despite international condemnation and sanctions on the regime. In its 2012 report, Freedom House ranked Belarus as ``not free'' in the categories of civil liberties and political rights, and Belarus ranked 193 out of 197 countries on Freedom House's 2012 press freedom index. The Reporters Without Borders press freedom index ranks Belarus 168 out of 179 countries.

Laws have passed that regulate demonstrations and political information, stifling freedom of assembly. Independent journalists and political activists are under a constant threat of intimidation and arbitrary detention.

Belarus held parliamentary elections on September 23, 2012. Unsurprisingly, the elections failed to meet international standards and were widely condemned as not free or fair. While some democratic opposition parties boycotted the elections, the candidates who did attempt to run were denied registration by election authorities, intimidated, and given unfair access to media resources. No opposition figures were elected to the 110-seat legislature. Official turnout was reported as 74.3 percent, although observers claim the turnout was closer to 30 percent of eligible voters.

Belarus remains mired in its worst financial crisis since independence, which has put Lukashenko under increasing pressure. In the past month, he has reshuffled several top figures in his government and made some controversial economic decisions that have been met with criticism in the international community. This includes signing a presidential decree making it illegal for workers in Belarus' wood processing industry to quit their jobs, and announcing that Belarus would begin shifting its exporting business from ports in the Baltic to Russian ports. This will only strain the relationship between Belarus and its democratic neighbors and increase Russia's stronghold on key Belarusian markets.

Belarus already depends on Russia for nearly all its energy supplies. The United States and the European Union must remain united, impose economic sanctions, and have a single plan for action regarding the promotion of democratic process in Belarus.

So again, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this time coming down, and I wish everybody a Happy New Year.

I also come down in support of H.R. 6582 and want to address the small duct, high velocity system provisions in this bill. But first let me talk about my friend and colleague, Russ Carnahan. The Carnahan name in my neighboring State of Missouri is well known and well respected. Russ added to that legacy, and I thank him for his service, and I thank him for his friendship.

Mr. Speaker, small duct, high velocity systems are a special type of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning used especially for older homes and buildings that don't have room for duct work. In terms of delivered efficiency, these units are more energy efficient than traditional HVAC units, a fact widely recognized, including by the Department of Energy.

Unfortunately, more than 10 years ago, these small duct units were incorrectly lumped into a rulemaking for regular HVAC units. Subsequent administrations have attempted to correct this error in the past through unrelated rulemaking regarding efficiency standards for different types of units. However, the rulemaking for these unrelated units was challenged and overturned. Because small duct, high velocity units were included, the court's findings applied to them as well.

The result of the court ruling forbids DOE efficiency rulemakings that ratchet down standards already in place, even if those in place were promulgated by mistake, as in the case of these units. Despite this ruling, DOE has recognized small duct high velocity systems as unique and that they should have their own set of efficiency standards. As a result, DOE has given these systems waivers to be sold as efficient products.

Mr. Speaker, the provisions of H.R. 6582 related to small duct high velocity systems are taken from H.R. 1499 that Mr. Carnahan and I have been working on. The language will codify these waivers already in place and set up a regulatory process so sellers of these systems can have relief from this regulatory burden. Furthermore, consumers will have peace of mind that these products are truly energy efficient while meeting their needs and not just operating under a waiver.

I urge my colleagues to support the entire bill, H.R. 6582. And to my friend, Mr. Waxman, who is very passionate on climate, he also knows that there are those of us who are just as passionate about jobs and the economy and the fossil fuel economy, and I hope that we can work together in the next Congress.