Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the rule and to H.R. 5429. This is legislation that would open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration. I find it unbelievable that such a bad and ineffective bill could be given such a good name.

Opening up ANWR to drilling is not the answer to America's energy problem. It certainly will not create the jobs needed to help my hometown of Manassa, Colorado. What opening up ANWR will do is destroy one of the most pristine environments on our entire continent. Nobody really knows for sure how much oil there is in ANWR. Unfortunately, it would require a significant amount of drilling and testing to find this out.

Once they start exploration, they will already have destroyed part of the environment, an environment where I understand that no plant or animal species has gone extinct or that no outside species has invaded. It is pristine. In our global society, it has become apparent that we need to leave some areas untouched. ANWR is one of those areas.

I realize that our country has a fundamental imbalance between supply

and demand. Drilling in ANWR will provide little, if any, relief on demand. We cannot drill our way out of these problems.

Likewise, we cannot conserve our way out of the energy problems. We must diversify our portfolio.

On my farm, I do not grow just one crop. I must diversify my farming operation to be been able to handle the ups and downs of the agricultural markets, and that is exactly what we need to do in this country.

By diversifying our energy portfolio, the country can better handle the volatility of energy markets. We need to invest in alternative energy resources, conservation and responsible domestic energy development. We have just a few unspoilt lands remaining in our country. We need to protect them.

Drilling in ANWR is not a form of responsible domestic energy development. I ask my colleagues to help protect ANWR. There is no better way in our country to reach energy independence than granting access to ANWR. This is a poor bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote against this legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my support of the House version of the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this important measure.

I commend Chairman Hobson and Ranking Member Visclosky for their work on this bill. I believe it is a good start for addressing our Nation's water infrastructure and energy research needs, especially given the budget constraints.

As a water user in Colorado's San Luis Valley, I know and understand water issues, and I can't emphasize how important it is to invest back into local water infrastructure. Without this investment, I fear we will continue to see a decline in the management of this irreplaceable resource--water is the lifeblood of our rural communities.

The House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill would provide $5 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, $923 million for the Bureau of Reclamation, and $24.6 billion for the Department of Energy. Of this amount, $1.9 billion is provided for energy research, development, and demonstration and conservation deployment--an amount $20 million above the previous year and $55 million above the Administration's request.

I am pleased the committee included funding for three important projects which I had requested back in March for the 3rd District of Colorado. First and foremost, the committee included $57.4 million in funding for construction of the Animas-La Plata Project. This funding level represents a $4 million increase over the FY 2006 funding level.

Completion of the A-LP will provide a much-needed water supply in the southwest comer of our state for both Indian and non-Indian municipal and industrial purposes. It will also fulfill the intent of a carefully negotiated settlement agreement in the mid-1980s to ensure the legitimate claims of the two Colorado Ute Tribes could be met without harm to the existing uses of their non-tribal neighbors.

Since 2002, the Bureau of Reclamation has made much progress, and work has been completed or initiated on many key project features. While I had hoped we could achieve a funding level closer to the Bureau of Reclamation's current capability of $70 million, I appreciate the committee's decision to increase the project funding level. If we can speed up completion of the project, then we avoid costly delays, saving taxpayer money.

I am pleased that the FY 2007 Energy and Water Appropriations bill also includes $350,000 for the Arkansas River Habitat Restoration Project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in cooperation with the City of Pueblo, Colorado has completed 95 percent of the project including fish habitat structures along a 9-mile section of the river below Pueblo Dam through downtown Pueblo. This funding would be used to complete the project which is an important environmental restoration project for the project.

The committee also provided a $789,000 appropriation for the Army Corps of Engineers to engage in operations and maintenance at Trinidad Lake, Colorado. While I appreciate the funding for this project, I am disappointed that the committee chose to reduce its funding by almost half of last year's level. Trinidad Lake is a multipurpose project for flood control, irrigation and recreation, and was authorized by the 1958 Flood Control Act. I realize we are under tight budget constraints but a delay in necessary funding will end up costing us more in the long run.

Finally, I am pleased with the increased funding this bill dedicates for research and development. Some of this money will go directly to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. NREL is home to some of the most innovative renewable energy research in America and even the world. There is also an increase above the Administration's budget request for weatherization grants. This program directly helps the American consumer by assisting them in energy conservation measures. Conservation is the quickest way for consumers to deal with high energy prices.

Given the current budgetary constraints, I believe this bill is a good start. The funding included for Colorado projects is important for improving water related infrastructure in our state. As we move forward with the appropriations process, I will continue the fight to preserve funding for Colorado and the 3rd Congressional District.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Senate bill 1235, as amended, the Veterans' Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006. This bipartisan and bicameral benefit package incorporates a number of important measures aimed at improving the quality of life for our servicemembers, veterans, and military families.

I would like to thank Chairman Buyer and Ranking Member Lane Evans for their leadership on the full committee and for their assistance in moving this bill to the floor today.

I also want to express my appreciation to the chairman and ranking member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, John Boozman and Stephanie Herseth, respectively, for their hard work and bipartisan leadership in this legislative package.

Additionally, I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, Jeff Miller and Shelley Berkley, for their diligence and hard work on this bill.

Our Nation's servicemembers and veterans have earned and their families deserve all of the benefits and opportunities provided under Senate bill 1235. In fact, they deserve much more. I am pleased, however, that this legislative package takes a strong step in the right direction, and I am sure the veterans and military families in my home State of Colorado will appreciate their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, Senate bill 1235, as amended, will enable severely disabled veterans to make necessary adaptations to homes in which they are temporarily residing, and it will give totally disabled veteran servicemembers who are leaving military service an additional year of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance coverage and limit unjustified health premium increases on activated National Guard members and Reservists. It will extend the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program which provides employment opportunities for homeless veterans and improve the Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service.

In addition, the bill includes language from H.R. 1773, the Native American Veterans Home Loan Act, a measure introduced by Representative Stephanie Herseth of South Dakota. This bill will make permanent the Native American Housing Loan Program so that veterans residing on tribal land can obtain an appropriate home loan.

It will also provide housing opportunities for veterans who are residing on tribal land with Native American spouses.

By all accounts, the pilot program has been a great success and, in fact, has a negative subsidy; that is, it actually pays for itself. That is something that is rarely done here at the Federal level. Making this program permanent is the right thing to do for Native American veterans and their families.

Mr. Speaker, we also know that veterans who are former prisoners of war have been found to have disproportionate rates of heart disease and stroke. This bill will assure that they will be compensated for these conditions by codifying a current regulation.

Finally, this bill will improve the Department of Veterans Affairs' outreach to veterans and their families in an organized fashion.

Mr. Speaker, the servicemembers, veterans and military families of this Nation have earned and deserve our best efforts here in Congress. As we approach Memorial Day today, I am very proud to support this long overdue legislation, and I am confident that it will benefit the veterans of my home State of Colorado as well as other veterans around this country.

I fully support Senate bill 1235, as amended, and urge my colleagues to do the same. But before I reserve the balance of my time, I would like to bring attention to a matter of deep concern. We learned today of the theft of 26.5 million veterans' records from the home of a career VA employee. I am very concerned about this theft because the records include the name, Social Security number and date of birth of every veteran in this country.

I would like to encourage veterans to visit www.firstgov.gov or call 1-800-FED-INFO, 333-4636.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa, Eni Faleomavaega.

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to let folks know that this is a great step in the right direction in making sure that we keep our promise to our veterans.

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

Mr. Speaker, due to a commitment of my time in Colorado this evening, I must leave before the end of voting on H.R. 5385, The Military Construction, Military quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2007. Had I been able to finish voting on this bill I would have made the following votes: ``aye'' on the Blumenauer amendment and ``yea'' on final passage.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my support for the amendment that would add $16 million of PILT funding for the program.

This bill is a great disappointment to me. Being from Colorado, in my district, where 74 percent of all of our lands is public lands, the State has vast public lands and public resources, and the funding this bill provides is vital for my State, but the funding fails us at many levels.

One of the many problems with this bill is the cuts to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the State Tribal Assistance Grants, and probably the most frustrating part of this bill is the lack of adequate funds for payment in lieu of taxes. As my colleague Mr. Udall said, we have introduced legislation that would actually make it an automatic funding.

In fact, my district has 29 counties and over 60 percent of that in Federal ownership. This is lost revenues to these counties, and all 29 counties receive PILT payments.

Through legislation passed, the PILT funding program is authorized for $350 million in funding for fiscal year 2007. Yet, year after year, this funding program does not receive the adequate, authorized funding needed.

This year, the Appropriations Committee chose to only fund $228 million. This is $122 million short. My colleagues and I offer this amendment to help provide needed funding. This is vital to Western States. It is vital to rural America, and I would like to thank Mr. Cannon, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mr. Rahall and Mr. Gibbons for their hard work on this issue.

I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce my introduction of the USA Renewable Fuels Act of 2006. I worked on this legislation with Congressman Gutknecht of Minnesota, who is also a strong supporter of biofuels.

The USA Renewable Fuel Act of 2006 is aimed at assisting domestic producers of biofuels, including ethanol and biodiesel. This act would ensure that key provisions of the 2005 Energy Bill pertaining to renewable fuels production would apply to U.S. production only. My vision is to help make agriculture a partner in the energy future of this country by investing in U.S. producers and manufacturers of biofuels. This legislation helps ensure that vision.

Last year, Congress passed and the President signed legislation that doubles the use of ethanol and biodiesel by the year 2012. Recently there has been a push to eliminate tariffs on the importation of biofuels from other countries--an action that could threaten the competitiveness of domestic producers.

This bill will ensure that the Renewable Fuel Standard Congress passed last year will apply only to domestic production of biofuels. This bill will not discourage the importation of foreign biofuels, but will simply reserve a portion of the market for U.S. producers. My hope is to help promote the production and use of biofuels within the United States, and I believe this legislation will help achieve that goal.

Biofuel production is perceived to play a key role in the revitalization of rural America, including Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. Right now many farmers are taking the initiative by investing in the production of biofuels. It is our role as their representatives to provide the necessary tools and help in any way we can to achieve these goals and help revitalize our rural communities. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation as it moves forward.

Mr. Speaker, 6 years ago our Nation was in a secure financial position. We had a balanced budget, a pay-as-you-go system for funding government programs, and a record surplus of $5.6 trillion.

Now after years of imposing their reckless fiscal policies on this country, the administration and Congress have squandered our reserves, and their policies have created a record $3.2 trillion debt.

Not only that, but under this watch the cost of living for average Americans has gone up significantly. In just the last few years alone, gas prices have reached $3 a gallon, fuel costs for farmers have gone up 113 percent, and the interest rate has risen more than 16 times.

But just when you think things cannot get any worse, the leaders of this body put forward a shameful budget resolution that makes no attempt to bring our Nation's finances back into balance. Instead, their irresponsible fiscal record continues full steam ahead. The proposed 2007 budget will increase the deficit even further with no plan to ever return to balance in the future.

Mr. Speaker, this budget resolution may be more of the same, but Americans know it is time for change.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentleman from Washington and the gentleman from Oregon for bringing forth this important legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act. Our Nation's forests are providing so many benefits to the public and we have that responsibility to pass this measure which will give forest managers the tools to maintain healthy forest. It will allow them to rehabilitate and reforest areas that have been hit by catastrophic events like ice storms, wildfires and disease.

Out West we are battling a huge insect epidemic that is destroying our forests, especially in Colorado. In 2005, over 425,000 acres in Colorado forests were infested with mountain pine beetle. And this means that we have 425,000 acres of prime real estate for forest fires.

Reducing wildfire hazard is critical if we are to maintain forests as a resource for communities. Forest management, including tree cutting and prescribed fire, can help return Colorado's forests to good health.

The previously passed healthy forest legislation provided forest managers with some of the tools needed. What this bill does, it adds to the tool box and strengthens their ability to restore forests across the country.

This legislation is vital to the West, and I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and applaud the Centauri High School Falcons Girls Basketball team for their thrilling victory over the Denver Christian High Crusaders in the Colorado State Championship this past March. This riveting victory marks Centauri High School's second girls state championship, one undoubtedly deserved by this group of hard-working and devoted players.

Displaying their tenacious defense, the Falcons forced 31 turnovers against the Crusaders. Even though they were down by 8 points at the end of the first half, Centauri High proved its maturity and experience, regrouping and coming back in the second half to win the game 62 to 57.

The Falcons are soaring high today not only because they are great individuals, but because they are great athletes who work together. Led by coach Dave Forster, teammates Janette McCarroll, Amanda Gylling, Marcie Cooley, Wynona Miller, Lucia Muniz, Jeree Booth, Krystina George, Raina Gylling, Venessa Jaramillo, Lisa McCarroll, Lindy Norton, Amanda Ruybal, and Lacey Smith all displayed the determination, focus, and teamwork needed to defeat their challenging opponent. The Falcons' victory was based on a combination of accurate shooting, powerful defense, and masterful passing. Throughout the intense second half, the team never lost its focus or concentration, sinking pivotal free throws and continually executing plays with perfection.

The Falcons' ability to work together is a true inspiration to any person who has ever been on a team or worked with others. Once again, congratulations to these amazing student athletes and all of Centauri High School on their great victory!

Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

I am opposed to the bill in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here before you today in support of our troops and their families. This motion to recommit would send H.R. 5122 back to the Armed Services Committee with instructions to bring the bill back to the whole House with the addition of H.R. 808.

I commend my friend Mr. Brown from South Carolina for introducing H.R. 808, a bill which now has 202 cosponsors, including myself. This bill would end the practice of penalizing surviving spouses of those who have died as a result of service-connected injuries.

Mr. Speaker, the Military Families Tax affects over 50,000 families in the country. It is an unjust burden on those whose spouses served the Nation in defense of our freedom. I commend those families and call upon this House to vote an end to the unfair tax on survivor compensation.

Right now, if a soldier dies, their spouse will have the amount of the Survivor Benefit Plan reduced by the amount they received from the VA as dependency and indemnity compensation. For the loss of a loved one, we penalize spouses with a $993 month reduction in their compensation. Our soldiers families do not deserve to be treated this way, and all of us should continue to fight until we can right this wrong.

I offered an amendment last year to the defense authorization bill that would have eliminated this unjust provision, but we denied a debate. The other body chose to include SBP relief, but the defense conferees failed to adopt it, and we were again denied the opportunity to fix this problem.

In November, my good friend, Mr. Edwards from Texas, started a discharge petition to bring H.R. 808 to the floor. That petition now has 168 signatories. Today, I ask my colleagues as fellow Americans to stand up for military widows.

Let us make a statement here today that the Military Families Tax is unjust, unfair and un-American.

Mr. Speaker, we should send this bill back to the committee and demand that they ease the burden on our military families. America can do better to provide for the families of our Nation's military heroes. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Higel family of Alamosa, Colorado, as the honored recipient of the National Wetlands Landowner Stewardship Award from the Environmental Law Institute.

This award, specifically for conservation in Wetlands areas, recognizes the Higel family's commitment to conservation while maintaining sustainable agricultural conditions in the same area. The values the Higel's are being honored for are values all of us strive for in farming at any level. These values include a healthy thriving relationship between people

and the ground that allows food to be produced on the land and a respect for the important habitat qualities and wetlands necessary for abundant wildlife.

Recently the Higel family sold over 1,000 acres of their ranch land to the Colorado Division of Wildlife in order to create the Higel State Wildlife Area. This exchange opens part of the Rio Grande River corridor and its wetlands to the public for wildlife viewing and hunting. The Higel's are also currently working with Ducks Unlimited to protect their adjacent acreage through conservation easements. This hard work is done all while promoting optimal wildlife habitat and a viable ranching operation. The Higel's effort is a model that farmers and ranchers nationwide should look to for how to manage their operations in a way that also protects nature. The dedication they have shown to the land and the environment is tremendous and I am proud that they have led by example. Their leadership in showing that ranchers can engage in both conservation and agriculture practices will be recognized today by myself and by the Environmental Law Institute. The real reward will be seen by the next generation of Coloradans who will be able to enjoy the wildlife area donated and created by the Higel family.

I am proud to represent the Higel family and their outstanding land stewardship in Colorado's Third District. I urge my colleagues to join me today in recognizing the Higel family for receiving this award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and applaud the Centauri High School Falcons Girls Basketball team for their thrilling victory over the Denver Christian High Crusaders in the Colorado State Championship this past March. This riveting victory marks Centauri High School's second girls state championship, one undoubtedly deserved by this group of hard-working and devoted players.

Displaying their tenacious defense, the Falcons forced 31 turnovers against the Crusaders. Even though they were down by 8 points at the end of the first half, Centauri High proved its maturity and experience, regrouping and coming back in the second half to win the game 62 to 57.

The Falcons are soaring high today not only because they are great individuals, but because they are great athletes who work together. Led by coach Dave Forster, teammates Janette McCarroll, Amanda Gylling, Marcie Cooley, Wynona Miller, and Lucia Muniz all displayed the determination, focus, and teamwork needed to defeat their challenging opponent. The Falcons' victory was based on a combination of accurate shooting, powerful defense, and masterful passing. Throughout the intense second half, the team never lost its focus or concentration, sinking pivotal free throws and continually executing plays with perfection.

The Falcons' ability to work together is a true inspiration to any person who has ever been on a team or worked with others. Once again, congratulations to these amazing student athletes and all of Centauri High School on their great victory!

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank both gentlemen from New Mexico.

I rise today in support of the Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control Demonstration Act and urge swift passage of the measure. I would like to recognize Representative Pearce and other cosponsors of the bill for their leadership in this desperately needed legislation.

Mr. Speaker, the Southwestern United States is experiencing another severe drought and water is going to be in short supply again, as it has been in the last few years. This legislation will help to address our western water needs.

The salt cedar, or tamarisk plant, consumes large quantities of water, upwards of 200 gallons per day per plant. This is a non-native species that needs to be removed from our Nation's rivers and stream beds. It is estimated that these invasive plants occupy up to 1.6 million acres.

According to the Tamarisk Coalition of the Western United States, we are probably losing between 2 to 4.5 million acre feet of water per year. This would be enough water for 20 million people, or 1 million acres of irrigated farmland.

The tamarisk is a very difficult plant to control, and there are already efforts under way in Colorado and other Western States to control it. This legislation will help these folks by providing the necessary funding to look at better ways to control this species. By passing this bill, it will help Western States deal with drought concerns and continued growth. It benefits all water users in the West.

Just recently, the seven basin States of the Colorado River reached an agreement on how to manage the River. One section that the parties agreed upon was control of this invasive species. This bill will help these States meet their objectives.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is vital to the West, and I urge my colleagues to support passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for giving me time to speak in favor of H.R. 556. I would like to especially thank one of my own constituents, way in the past, back in the early 1950s, I think, when Congressman Baird stomped my district, the Third Congressional District. I want to thank him for his leadership in this arena.

Mr. Speaker, an epidemic is sweeping our great Nation. It is an epidemic that affects people in all congressional districts, especially those congressional districts that are mainly rural. It has no regard for gender, race, economic status or where you live. Of course, I am speaking about the use of methamphetamine. This drug is easy to make, easy to get, and easy to fall victim to.

We have all seen the ways in which meth transforms individuals, from soccer moms to addicts living on the streets. Mr. Speaker, I fully support H.R. 556, and I am a cosponsor of this important resolution.

I am a believer in the old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and it is clearly understood that for every dollar that the Federal Government spends in prevention programs, it saves the Federal Government $7 in cure. By passing this important resolution and expressing our support for the National Methamphetamine Prevention Week, we take one more important step towards eliminating meth.

As we are having this debate, I want to raise awareness of other actions, as our previous speaker talked about. I have joined my colleagues in urging the Budget Committee to restore funding for the JAG-Byrne Grants and the COPS programs. Both of these funding streams aid local law enforcement agencies in their work to eradicate meth from our neighbors. This money goes towards paying the cost of investigating, prosecuting, and cleaning up peddlers of meth and their highly toxic labs. We cannot stop idly by and watch this important funding disappear.

Mr. Speaker, today I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 556 and support restoring funding for other important law enforcement tools as we take up the budget this week.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to David W. Higuera, the police chief of Parachute, CO. He is retiring in April after 22 years of service to our community.

Chief Higuera and his wife, Willa, have raised three children in Parachute--Jeff, Jenny, and Jake. He has been actively involved in Parachute and has contributed greatly in a variety of ways. As a member of the Parachute Police Department, he has played a key role in ensuring that the safety and well being of the citizens of the community are paramount, and that they are protected in their homes, businesses, and schools. While his years of service have resulted in a number of achievements, the accomplishment for which he is probably the

proudest has been the creation of a resource officer position at the Grand Valley High School.

While his work in law enforcement has been critical to the community, he has also made significant contributions in other ways. He remains active with the St. John Middle School football program and for many years was the assistant coach for the Grand Valley High School baseball team. He has also served as a director for the Garfield 16 school board and the local park and recreation district.

I commend Chief Higuera for his years of service and dedication to the town of Parachute. It is people like him that make our communities safe and pleasant places to live and work. We owe him a debt of gratitude and wish him well in his retirement.