Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, frankly, today I'm totally surprised that the other side is politicizing the heartbreak of America. The other side has actually raised fuel prices. We have an oilman in the White House. What we need now is common energy policy, expanding our renewable energy policy, and making sure that we address clean coal burning technology.

Who was it that withdrew the FutureGen project off the table? It was President Bush that did this.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's make sure that America listens to what Americans are talking about: high energy prices; they're losing their jobs.

Today, this bill expands domestic drilling opportunities, not only offshore but also on the land.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairwoman, and I want to thank Chairwoman Napolitano for all of her hard work on many of the water bills that are before us today. I also want to thank Congressman Nunes and Congressman Costa from California. Being rural water Members, they understand the importance of water to rural America.

Today I would like to speak on H.R. 3437, the Jackson Gulch Rehabilitation Act of 2008. I introduced this bill after hearing from my constituents in Mancos, Colorado, including Gary Kennedy, who is the superintendent of the Mancos Water Conservancy District. Gary told me about how every spring as the snow melts he is terrified that they are going to have a catastrophic failure in the system. And it is only a matter of time.

The Jackson Gulch project is critical to southwest Colorado and has stored and delivered water for domestic, agriculture and recreational uses for over 50 years.

The Jackson Gulch Reservoir supplies water to the town of Mancos and the Mancos Rural Water Company. Many of my constituents in the area depend on the agricultural land to make a living. They cannot afford to lose their water supply.

Also of critical importance, Jackson Gulch is the sole supplier of municipal water for the Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde National Park was founded in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt and is one of our Nation's most treasured archeological sites. Almost 600,000 Americans each year enjoy Mesa Verde National Park and rely on the water of the park that they receive from Jackson Gulch.

This bill is critical to extend the life of Jackson Gulch Project. The project was authorized in 1939, and construction of the project was completed in 1949. Over the past 60 years, the canals and facilities have exceeded their life expectancy and are in dire need of repair.

Congress is faced with a simple decision: Tackle the problem of rehabilitation for $8 million today or wait for a catastrophic failure and face a $30 million price tag for replacement tomorrow. Without action, it's only a matter of time before we have a major failure

and cut off water to Mesa Verde National Park and Coloradans in the southwest.

The most dangerous period is during the spring snow melt when Jackson Gulch Reservoir is being filled. If anything happens during that time, my farmers, the town of Mancos, and the Mesa Verde National Park will be out of business. The estimated cost to rehabilitate the canal system is less than one-third of the cost of replacement.

I urge my colleagues to help us address this important issue for southwest Colorado. There are approximately 300, 350 families living in the town of Mancos and 100 more living in Mancos Valley. The median income in Mancos is only $25,000. Yet in their desperate need for water, they have agreed to pay for 35 percent of the cost. They know this will stretch their budgets, but they are also willing to do their part. Now Congress should do its part and pass this critical bill.

I want to thank the chairwoman; I want to thank the Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Coloradan and a great American former State Senator Lewis H. Entz.

Senator Entz is a native of Colorado's San Luis Valley and has been a tireless champion for rural veterans in Colorado. A potato farmer from Hooper, he served our Nation as a United States Marine during the Korean war.

He served as a State representative from 1983 to 1998, and then was appointed in 2001 to serve as State senator. In 2006, Senator Entz returned to private life.

During his tenure at the State level, Senator Entz routinely showed his commitment to Colorado's rural veterans. He carried the legislation which created the Homelake Veterans Nursing Home in Homelake, Colorado. He consistently fought for State capital dollars to ensure Homelake's ongoing service to Colorado's elderly veterans.

Today, he serves on the Colorado Board of Commissioners of State and Veterans Nursing Homes. He is also an active member of the Homelake Foundation Board where he continues to work tirelessly to preserve and rehabilitate one of Colorado's most prized and historic veteran's care facilities.

Most recently, Senator Entz completed a 6-year process of acquiring and installing an A7-D Corsair to be displayed at Homelake in honor of our Air Force's contributions to tactical, close air ground support for our troops during the Vietnam war.

A life long member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion, Senator Entz remains one of the strongest advocates for rural veterans in Colorado.

Senator Entz is also a brave survivor of colon and prostate cancer.

A twin and 1 of 11 children, Senator Entz his wife, Lorie, have four children: Cindy, Mike, Sandy, and Cathy.

His efforts to improve the quality of life of elderly veterans at Homelake makes him one of my heroes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Mr. Moran, the gentleman from Kansas.

Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 1527, the Rural Veterans Access to Care Act. I want to thank Congressman Moran for introducing this bill, and I want to thank him for being a champion for rural veterans. I have never once in my career here in Congress ever seen him make a veterans issue a partisan issue.

I want to thank you for that.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent a district similar to Mr. Moran's to over 69,000 veterans. These are hardworking people who inspire future generations to serve our Nation. Many of our veterans live in rural and low-income communities. In big cities veterans are located closer together. In rural districts like mine, we have veterans that are spread out over a wide area. This makes it difficult for them to get the resources they need.

The Rural Veterans Access to Care Act will allow highly rural veterans to see a non-VA health care provider. It establishes a 3-year pilot program. Part of it will be in Colorado as well. The pilot program is a great opportunity to see the potential impact of this program on the quality of veterans and the care for veterans. This bill is important because of unique travel challenges in rural areas. Long distances, dangerous terrain, unpredictable weather can make it very difficult to get to a VA facility.

H.R. 1527 will take the necessary steps to making health care more accessible to our Nation's rural veterans. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our rural veterans, and support this bill.

Thank you to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) for allowing me to speak on this bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your bipartisan effort in trying to make sure that we address veterans' issues in a nonpartisan way.

I thank the gentleman from New York for yielding, and I would like to recognize Chairman Oberstar and Chairman DeFazio for their exceptional leadership on this critical infrastructure issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3999, the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act of 2008, and urge swift passage of this measure. This bipartisan bill goes a long way in improving our Nation's aging infrastructure and ensuring that Americans are safe and have secure highway bridges to travel on.

We all remember what happened in Minneapolis last August. Thirteen people were killed. Our infrastructure is literally crumbling beneath us. This is simply unacceptable. One-half of all bridges in the U.S. were built before 1964, and now we have over 72,000 highway bridges that are structurally deficient. In Colorado we have 125 bridges that need repair; 24 of those bridges are in my district.

And I have got to remind the gentleman from Florida that Colorado has typically been a donor State. After we passed TEA-LU a couple years ago, we actually started becoming a State where we can actually get some Federal dollars back in reference to those that we send to the Federal Government. So in order for us to be able to fix the bridges in my district, we need to be able to have Federal funds to do so. We must do everything possible to keep our travelers, our constituents safe in our highways. By dedicating funding for bridge repairs, this bill provides relief for our State transportation departments.

I would like to submit for the Record these articles that came from Cortez Journal and the Aspen Daily that talk about how oil shortages have halted road and bridge repair projects, local roads suffer from CDOT shortfalls.

H.R. 3999 will improve the safety and stability of our Nation's transportation infrastructure, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I want to thank the gentleman from New York once again for yielding.

[From the Aspen Daily, July 17, 2008]

Local Roads Suffer From CDOT Shortfall

( By David Frey, Aspen Daily News Correspondent)

Carbondale--Area road and bridge work is suffering the

impacts of what state Transportation Department officials

call a ``quiet crisis'' of dwindling funds, aging highways

and growing traffic.

Motorists should not hold their collective breath waiting

for fixes to some of the area's worsening sections of

highway--even those rated as ``poor''--Michelle Halstead,

local government liaison for the Colorado Department of

Transportation, told Carbondale trustees this week.

``For next year, I have zero construction dollars coming

from the state or federal level for any projects in my

residency,'' said Pete Merdis, CDOT's resident engineer in

Glenwood Springs, whose region includes the Roaring Fork

Valley.

That means no money for the Grand Avenue bridge over the

Colorado River in Glenwood Springs, whose narrow lanes leave

rush hour drivers jockeying for position. The bridge is one

of 125 state bridges rated as poor. With a sufficiency score

of 47.4 of a possible 100, it is considered structurally

sound but functionally obsolete due to the skinny lanes and

heavy use.

It means no money, either, for several stretches of highway

considered poor or congested, including Highway 133 at

Carbondale, Highway 6 and 24 at Glenwood Springs, and

portions of Interstate 70. The Highway 133 project has been

budgeted for approximately $1.1 million over the next 27

years.

``It's a perfect storm--or you can call it a quiet crisis--

but it's not going to be quiet for much longer,'' Halstead

said.

CDOT has a $65 billion shortfall for projects statewide,

she said, despite a lengthening to-do list. Officials have

declared 122 bridges structurally deficient. That doesn't

mean they're unsafe, Halstead said, but that they require

constant maintenance to remain safe. Forty percent of state

roads are considered to be in poor condition, and 20 percent

are at the end of their surface life. Meanwhile, officials

predict 1.5 million more people residing in the state by

2020, twice the population of senior citizens by 2025, and

double the truck traffic by 2030.

``That's the scenario we're rapidly approaching, given the

revenues we're forecasting,'' Halstead said.

CDOT's general fund budget for 2009 has been slashed by

$300 million. For 2011, those numbers drop another $200

million.

Much of CDOT's revenue comes from state and federal gas

taxes. While gas prices continue to soar, gas taxes remain

flat. As rising pump prices start to deter motorists,

Halstead said, the state could actually see those dollars

decrease.

Locally, Highway 82 and 1-70 remain priority areas, and

some work is scheduled during the next two years, Merdis

said.

A repaving project between EI Jebel and Basalt, delayed

because of an asphalt shortage, is still budgeted for next

year. The last leg of the Grand Avenue concrete paving

project, cut short in 2005 due to cost overruns, is on tap,

too. A small project is planned for Highway 82 near Woody

Creek. Work on Interstate 70 on either side of Glenwood

Springs is scheduled for 2010.

Some design work is planned, too, Merdis said, but there

isn't any money budgeted for the foreseeable future to

implement the designs, and no money even for routine

maintenance. Improvements to Highway 133, urgently sought by

Carbondale officials, are on the list for 2030.

``That's the reality of the funding situation that we're up

against,'' Merdis said. ``I guess it all depends on the

future, what kind of funding mechanism becomes available for

future transportation projects.''

Madam Chairman, l would like to recognize Chairman Oberstar and Chairman DeFazio for their exceptional leadership on this critical transportation issue.

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 6052, the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008, and urge swift passage of the measure.

This bipartisan bill goes a long way in improving public transportation.

By creating incentives for transit agencies to reduce fares and expand services, H.R. 6052 makes public transportation a more attractive option for commuters.

But this bill also provides relief to many of our transit agencies who are struggling with operational costs.

I've heard from agencies in my district, like Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, who have seen an increase in ridership, yet face the problem of record fuel prices.

They are begging for more resources just to stay afloat.

So I support the additional $200 million that this bill authorizes for formula grants to rural areas.

Additionally, I applaud Chairman Oberstar for including a fuel provision in the Manager's Amendment, which will help our transit agencies deal with their fuel costs.

With their increased ridership, they need help now more than ever.

I believe H.R. 6052 will reduce our dependence on foreign oil by encouraging more people to use public transportation.

Public transit is a critical piece of cutting greenhouse gases.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I want to thank the chairman for bringing up these bills today.

It is actually a little disappointing to stand here and listen to the dialogue, when I know my Republican colleagues on the House Veterans' Committee actually voted unanimously to get these bills to the floor. You know, veterans issues to me are not a partisan issue. We are all Americans. I think all of us support veterans, and we are all doing the best we can to move this thing forward.

Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 2818, the Veterans' Epilepsy Treatment Act of 2008. I want to especially thank my fellow Coloradan, Congressman Ed Perlmutter, who introduced this bill. He continues to be a champion for Colorado, for Colorado veterans and veterans across the Nation who suffer from epilepsy.

According to the VA, there are currently 89,000 veterans enrolled in the VA who have been diagnosed with epilepsy. This bill creates a national system of care to treat our veterans, co-located at existing polytrauma centers. This is very important to rural districts like mine, where making health care accessible is a constant challenge.

The Veterans Health Subcommittee has heard about the increasing rates of TBI among our returning veterans. A DOD study after Vietnam found that 53 percent of soldiers with brain injuries suffered from a penetrating TBI, the most severe type of TBI. About 15 percent of these also developed epilepsy soon after their injury.

Longer deployments put our heroes at greater risk for these injuries and mental health conditions. At the same time, advancements in medicine have saved many soldiers from injuries that only a few years ago would have been fatal. The result is a greater number of vets in the VA health care system with these types of injuries.

As a veteran myself, I was proud to serve my country at the end of the Vietnam War. Vietnam veterans returned home with head injuries, TBI and PTSD, but were not properly diagnosed. This bill honors their service by improving access to health care for current and future veterans. H.R. 2818 will go a long way in helping change our health care system to one that is prepared for tomorrow's challenges.

I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation, as we did in the Veterans Affairs Committee, and I want to especially once again thank our Congressman from Colorado, who has a special interest for his leadership in making sure that our veterans have the health care that they deserve.

I want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota for yielding, and I would like to recognize him as a real leader in our rail transportation system. Chairman Oberstar, Chairwoman Brown and Ranking Member Mica and our Ranking Member Shuster, I want to thank you for your exceptional work and leadership on this important bill.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 and urge swift passage on this measure.

H.R. 6003 is long overdue, and it has been nearly 11 years since Congress has authorized funding for Amtrak. And without sufficient funds, Amtrak has

been forced to operate with its hands tied. Maintenance and legacy projects have been delayed, and salaries have been frozen, and infrastructure has been deteriorating.

Improving our passenger rail system is critical. It will mean better service reliability, reduced trip times, added capacity, and less congested highways.

I am also pleased that this bill addresses high-speed rail. A number of us had the opportunity to travel with Chairman DeFazio and Chairwoman Brown and Ranking Member Mica to Europe several months ago, where we saw the advancements that have been made in various modes of transportation, notably high-speed rail. I think it is unacceptable that this country is so far behind other countries in this area.

We also saw how public and private partnerships work to be successful. Given the current budget constraints, we need to keep all funding options on the table, including these partnerships.

H.R. 6003 is a good bill that will allow for necessary improvements to be made to our Nation's transportation network. Hopefully, some day, we can have a high-speed rail system that will connect Denver to Grand Junction and all the ski areas in between. It will connect Fort Collins, the Pueblo, along the front range of Colorado.

I carefully support this beautiful piece of bipartisan legislation, and Mr. Chairman, I want to commend you for your strong leadership. I am proud to be a member of this bipartisan committee that works to improve America's transportation problems.

Madam Speaker, well, it appears that the gentleman's motion to instruct will direct the House conferees to accept the provision of the Senate version of the farm bill.

The Senate farm bill contains a provision, section 9021, that would have created a grant program to install E-85 pumps. The Energy and Commerce Committee, who are also conferees in the farm bill energy title, indicate that had this plan is duplicative of section 244 that was included in H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. We tried to avoid this duplication of programs between the farm bill and the energy bill that was passed last year.

While I agree with the gentleman that ethanol is a very vital part of our energy independence program, we still have to make sure that we continue to move forward and that we do not derail this current farm bill that we are presently working on. It is my understanding that my colleagues in the conference committee for the food conservation and energy act have already come to an agreement that is already to be reported.

Nonetheless the chairman reminds us, all Members, that all motions to instruct are really out of order because the conference committee report is ready to be filed. I know that adopting this motion would obviously delay passage of the farm bill.

With that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I just wanted to remind the members on the other side of the aisle that the Future Gen project which was actually on track to be built in Illinois was actually pulled from being built because of its costly forecast.

So I would remind our Members on the other side of the aisle that coal is a very large part of our energy independent America formula; however, we have to do it in a clean way to make sure that we use clean coal-burning technology. However, that technology has not been perfected yet.

I will yield.

I agree with the gentleman. I agree this is something that we have to move forward on, and it can be done in a bipartisan fashion, making sure our environment is taken care of.

We also have to employ other nations as well. In China, they are building a coal-fired plant once a week, that's what I hear. Maybe even more. So we have to do it in a worldwide fashion type of legislation that would actually create that clean coal burning technology.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I commend the gentleman for his leadership in the Renewable Energy Caucus and his efforts to try and develop future products that come from renewable energies.

Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 5 minutes to my good friend from New York (Mr. Hall).

Madam Speaker, I would also like to thank my colleague on the other side of the aisle for many of his comments. I understand that this is a very important issue here in America today moving America forward towards an energy independent America.

Madam Speaker, however, it is my understanding that my colleagues on the conference committee for the Food Conservation and Energy Act have already come to an agreement that is ready to be reported. We have a title, which is the energy title of the farm bill, which directly deals with agricultural issues and renewable energy and cellulosic-based ethanol.

As a matter of fact, the energy title creates a $1.01 per gallon cellulosic ethanol tax credit to 2010. It also has in $1.01 per gallon is based on a 56 cents per gallon tax credit, producers credit, and it has a 45 cents per gallon blenders credit. The total tax benefit is $400 million.

And as the gentleman knows, we are currently in a budgetary strain. We have PAYGO rules which we must abide by. I think that adopting this motion would delay the passage of the farm bill. And the chairman reminds all Members that motions to instruct are basically out of order at this time, being that my colleagues in the conference committee have come up with an agreement and they are ready to report this.

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

Will the gentleman yield?

I just wanted to ask the gentleman, what does this have to do with the farm bill?

I appreciate the gentleman.

Let me just say I agree with you on everything that you have said to this point. Ethanol is being blamed for the high cost of food prices. But what the news media forgets to tell you is that we've had the shortest wheat crop on record worldwide for many, many years. They also forget to tell you that because this country continues to borrow money from China, the value of the dollar continues to go down, and so developing countries, like China and India, can now afford American food products. So it creates a larger demand.

The Congressional Research Service issued a report that shows that between 40 and 50 percent of the price of food at the grocery store is dependent, directly dependent on the cost of transportation. I agree with you on that.

You also talked about the issue of holding the $1 tax credit, which the Senate has approved. It is my understanding that the Conference Committee has agreed upon that. As a matter of fact, what has been created is $1.01 per gallon cellulosic ethanol tax credit through 2010. The $1.01 per gallon is based on the 56-cents-per-gallon producer's credit, and then the 45-cents-per-gallon blender's credit. This should incentivise people to start or companies to start producing ethanol from cellulosic material.

I believe that the Nation is capable of producing a sustainable supply of about 1.3 billion tons of biomass per year. As you know, across the Western States of America, many trees have died because of the bark beetle problems. This is biomass that we can actually utilize to produce alcohol to fuel our vehicles.

I believe that the 1 billion tons of biomass would be sufficient to probably displace 30 percent of our country's present petroleum consumption.

So I do agree with the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time either side has?

Is the gentleman prepared to close?

Madam Speaker, today I couldn't agree more with many of the comments that my friend from Nebraska has made. He comes from farming country like I do. We understand the value of the fuel that goes into your tractors and the value of the fuel that goes into your pick-up trucks to run a farming operation.

I believe that ethanol is a temporary fix to our energy independence in America. We need to start looking at new technologies such as cellulosic-based technology. We understand that relying on corn-based ethanol is only a short-term solution.

Everything that I believe that my colleague has in his motion has been addressed in what the conference committee has brought forward, the higher $1 per gallon cellulosic ethanol tax credit. I think that these are provisions that Mr. Terry's motion has.

I only have one concern, Madam Speaker, is that if we were to adopt this motion, I believe that it could potentially delay the passage of the farm bill, and so I would ask my colleague, Mr. Terry from Nebraska, to consider withdrawing his motion.

Yes.

I would thank the gentleman, and with that, Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Marine Sgt. Glen Martinez, a great American who gave his life in service to our Nation. Born in Alamosa, Colorado, and raised in Monte Vista, Colorado, Sergeant Martinez was a born leader who inspired everyone he met throughout his life. His family describes him as a strong and highly driven individual. His desire to work hard, ability to see the best in others and motivate them allowed him to excel at school, sports and as a marine.

Sergeant Martinez was very involved in his school and community. After his passing, many people have contacted the family thanking them and sharing memories. His family remembers him always trying to get everyone involved, especially his most quiet and reserved peers. He also dedicated himself to his studies. His father, Ron Martinez, remembers his son studying early in the morning while listening to Bach and Beethoven.

Sports and school activities were also a major part of his life. In high school he took part in the State Marching Band, earning the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award. During his junior year he helped lead his football team to the semi-finals. Over the 4 years that he competed on the wrestling team, he held a record of 111 wins and 29 losses. He realized these accomplishments while earning an academic honorable mention. When preparing for college, Sergeant Martinez was offered scholarships for football, wrestling and baseball.

Sergeant Martinez accepted a scholarship to play baseball while earning a degree in surveying from Westwood College and later a master's degree in hydro engineering at the University of Colorado. His advanced degrees would have exempted him from having to go through basic training. Out of respect for his fellow marines, Sergeant Martinez chose to attend basic training even though he was not required to. He refused to ask people to do what he had not done himself.

When asked why he would give up his lifestyle to join the Marines he responded, ``I am tired of people cutting down my country.'' Of 700 recruits, Sergeant Martinez was one of seven honored upon graduation. ``His drill sergeant singled him out as one of the best he'd ever had,'' said his father.

On Friday, May 2, 2008 at 11:10 p.m., while on his second tour in Iraq, Sergeant Martinez gave his life in service to our Nation. He was 31 years old when a roadside bomb took his life along with that of three fellow marines.

I send my deepest condolences to the family of Sergeant Martinez. My thoughts go out to them in this difficult time. I hope they may find comfort in the knowledge that Sergeant Martinez gave his life to defend an ideal he believed in. Sergeant Martinez joins 57 other heroes from Colorado who have given their lives while serving their country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. All of us have in our districts special places and special people. The Arkansas Valley is very near to me because of the grit of its people and its genuine effort to sustain its culture and rural economy.

More than half a century ago, this region was optimistic about its future. The Valley knew that if it worked hard, it could prosper. But the people in the Valley also knew that they needed more water in order to do so. It was then that they envisioned a project which would bring them supplemental water for farms and ranches and small businesses and industry like the steel mill.

The people came together to push such a project, which came to be known as the Fryingpan-Arkansas because it moved water from the Fryingpan River watershed to the Arkansas River basin. In fact, the people needed to lobby Washington on behalf of the project, and they sold small golden fryingpans to raise money to send citizen lobbyists to Washington to tell the story of their need and their dream.

The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District was eventually formed by these local activists, if you will. It was created under Colorado statute and designated by the Pueblo, Colorado district court. Its mission was to develop, in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation, the multi-purpose project we now know.

I want to congratulate the District on its 50 years of dedicated work. Not only does it manage this complex project with its many diversion, conveyance and storage features; it promotes conservation programs, administers a valuable winter water storage program, and manages return flows for augmentation purposes.

The District and its many distinguished board members who have served the District and the Valley over 50 years are to be commended for their important efforts as they celebrate their golden anniversary today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the occasion of Mesa County's 125th birthday. I would like to express my appreciation of this unique, diverse and vibrant county and all its citizens.

Since before the county was founded in the 1880's, the area's history has been remarkable. Dinosaurs that roamed this area left behind their tracks and bones to tantalize historians and geologists. The advent of the main line of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroads through this valley in 1887 brought the prospect of ``civilization.'' The foresight of the founding fathers to build a major irrigation system, still used today, has helped create some of the best fruit crops in the country. As a farmer, I appreciate the importance of agriculture and the tremendous value it imparts to a community.

Mesa County is also a national leader in many industries and fields. Mesa County residents helped develop the New Deal, worked on the Manhattan Project and served in Congress.

The area is also blessed with a variety of natural resources, including uranium, natural gas and oil shale. In the 1980's the shale- dependent economy crashed after the withdrawal of Exxon Mobile, but with its typical determination, Mesa County is now a thriving economic power. In 2008, Mesa County was named the 9th fastest growing area in the country, a tribute to the resiliency and strength of this county.

On the 125th birthday of Mesa County, we pay tribute to a special area that embodies the best of Colorado. Its blend of rural and urban life has enhanced the life of its citizens. The past and traditions of this special place on the Western Slope are worth celebrating. It is an honor and a privilege to represent Mesa County as it commemorates its 125th birthday.

Madam Speaker, last night the House voted on a motion to instruct the House conferees on H.R. 2419, the Food and Energy Security Act of 2007. I was unavoidably detained and was unable to be here for the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on the motion.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I pay tribute to a respected leader from southwest Colorado, Police Chief Albert W. Bell of Durango, Colorado. Chief Bell has served the community of Durango with distinction for 14 years and has now announced his retirement, effective April 5, 2008.

Chief Bell's career in law enforcement started 37 years ago as a patrolman for the Topeka Police Department. On July 1, 1999, then Colorado Governor Bill Owens appointed Chief Bell to the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training, POST, Board. Chief Bell served that Board with distinction and in the highest traditions of the law enforcement profession.

Chief Bell is a member of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police and has served on numerous boards that serve the interests of the citizens of Colorado. In service to his local community, Chief Bell has served as Undersheriff in the La Plata County Sheriff's Department and also served on the Community Connections Board at Hilltop House.

Chief Bell has demonstrated an outstanding level of professionalism and is recognized as a leader among law enforcement professionals in the Third Congressional District, fostering cooperative relationships amongst the Federal, State, and local law enforcement communities.

Madam Speaker, I commend Durango Police Chief Al Bell for his outstanding leadership, service, and dedication to the residents of Durango, Colorado. While we will all miss Chief Bell's service and dedication, I ask that you join me in wishing him well upon his retirement.