Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2188) to authorize the Secretary

of the Interior, through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to conduct a Joint Venture Program to protect, restore, enhance, and manage migratory bird populations, their habitats, and the ecosystems they rely on, through voluntary actions on public and private lands, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 2188, the Joint Ventures for Bird Habitat Conservation Act of 2009, sponsored by our colleague from Maryland, Representative Frank Kratovil. This bill seeks to highlight the critical importance that migratory birds have with our economy as well as their importance as a bellwether of the health of our environment. However, due to their wide distribution, the only way we can maintain this resource is to work cooperatively, creatively and purposefully with other nations and with all stakeholders to conserve migratory bird habitat.

The gentleman from Maryland's legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a program of voluntary Migratory Bird Joint Ventures to establish durable partnerships to conserve bird habitat over entire geographic regions, thereby developing effective long-term strategies to conserve our common migratory bird resource for the benefit of all. The bill is broadly supported by conservation and hunting interests, the States as well as the administration. With that, I commend Mr. Kratovil for his leadership on this issue, and I ask Members to support passage of this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Kratovil).

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority if they have any additional speakers.

Again, I urge Members to support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 129) to authorize the conveyance of certain National Forest System lands in the Los Padres National Forest in California, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 129 was introduced by our colleague from California, Representative Elton Gallegly. The bill would authorize the Forest Service to sell 5 acres of land within the Los Padres National Forest to resolve an encroachment issue. A portion of a small business owned by the White Lotus Foundation sits on 5 acres of the national forest. The 5 acres in question are separated from the majority of the forest by a road. The foundation was unaware of the encroachment when it purchased the land. Under the terms of the legislation, the White Lotus Foundation will be responsible for all the costs associated with the conveyance, including any necessary reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Mr. Speaker, we support passage of this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests of time and would inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Reina Arce Leddy, President of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, for her dedication and service to our community. Reina passed away on Thursday morning, July 2, 2009, on Guam.

In November 2007, Reina was appointed President of the Guam Chamber of Commerce. As the Chamber's President and Chief Executive Officer, Reina led and promoted the Chamber's programs. Before assuming the Presidency, Reina worked with the Chamber since 1991 as an assistant to the President. In that capacity Reina supervised Chamber staff, and managed all aspects of Chamber's community relations, special events and publications. An energetic and focused professional, Reina staffed the Chamber's Committees on the Armed Forces, Maritime Affairs, Small Business, Tourism, and Retail-Wholesale Merchants. Reina also served as the Chamber chief administrative officer where she was entrusted by the Board of Directors with managing the Chamber's organizational structure, with the effective execution of its policies and procedures, the maintenance of its membership and the organization's long range planning.

Reina graduated from the University of Guam where she majored in Finance and Economics and East Asian Studies with an emphasis on Japan. While at UOG she also pursued a minor in Management. The government of Japan awarded Reina a Japanese Government Scholarship as a research student at Hiroshima University's Intensive Japanese Language Course. She also studied at Kagawa University.

In addition to her duties as Chamber President, Reina is a member of the American Chambers of Commerce Executives (ACCE), the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC) and the Civilian Advisory Council at Andersen Air Force Base.

Reina's spirit of community extends to her home village of Mangilao and the parish of Santa Teresita Catholic Church. An accomplished pianist, Reina, and her husband, David, a professional guitarist, shared their love of music as the leaders of their church choir. Born on November 24, 1963, to Reynaldo Arce and Consolacion San Nicolas Mendiola, and married to David P. Leddy on May 31, 1986, Reina left us at the young age of 45 but leaves behind a legacy that will live for many years to come.

My condolences, sympathies and prayers go out to her family and loved ones and to all who knew her and were touched by her joyous spirit and never-ending smile.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1275) to direct the exchange of certain land in Grand, San Juan, and Uintah Counties, Utah, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Before I go any further, I would like to thank the distinguished gentleman from Alaska, the former chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, for joining me in managing the bills from our committee here today.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1275, introduced by our colleague Representative Jim Matheson, would direct the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a land exchange with the State of Utah for certain lands in Grand, San Juan, and Uintah Counties in Utah.

The legislation authorizes the exchange of approximately 40,000 acres of Federal land and minerals for approximately 42,000 acres of State land and minerals. This exchange would place valuable conservation and recreation lands into public ownership while also benefiting public school funding in Utah.

Many of the lands that the State of Utah is proposing to transfer to the Bureau of Land Management, the BLM, are lands within wilderness study areas, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, or other sensitive areas. Many of the lands the State would acquire from the BLM have a high potential for development, and the State puts the receipts generated from the use of these lands into a trust fund for public schools in Utah.

So I commend Representative Matheson for his hard work on, and commitment to advancing, H.R. 1275. Many land exchanges in Utah have been controversial in the past, but by actively working with all the stakeholders affected by this exchange, this bill now enjoys broad support.

So I support H.R. 1275 and I urge its adoption by House today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1129) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide an annual grant to facilitate an iron working training program for Native Americans.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1129 would authorize appropriations for an Interior Department program that makes grants available to fund a Native American ironworker training program. The appropriations for this program have been made for many years, and this program provides both classroom and on-the-job ironwork training for members of federally recognized Indian tribes.

This program would also facilitate job placements for those tribal members who successfully complete the requirements of the program.

With unemployment rates rising to a staggering rate of over 80 percent on some Indian reservations, this program is desperately needed. The ironworker training program provides Native American participants with the knowledge and the ability to join a skilled labor force as a career.

I want to commend our colleague Mr. Lynch of Massachusetts for his hard work and dedication to this legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support its passage.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this bill, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1945) to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility and suitability of constructing a storage reservoir, outlet works, and a delivery system for the Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation in the State of California to provide a water supply for domestic, municipal, industrial, and agricultural purposes, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Tule River Water Development Act, sponsored by our colleague from California, Representative Devin Nunes, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to complete a feasibility study that would evaluate alternatives for a water supply for the Tule River Tribe of the Tule River Tribal Reservation.

The tribe views this study as a very important first step in settling their water right claims. Similar legislation passed the House in the last Congress, and I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 1945 today.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this bill. I have no further speakers.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as our understanding of human impacts on the environment grows, so too, must our commitment to the protection and conservation of the world's fish and wildlife resources. The United States is largely regarded as the global frontrunner in international fish and wildlife conservation. Our nation has a longstanding history of sharing our knowledge, technical abilities, and experience gained through the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation to aid other countries in the conservation of their wildlife and wildlife habitat. Unfortunately, wildlife conservation resources, including trained wildlife professionals and basic logistical and communication tools, still commonly remain unavailable in many foreign range states that are home to globally significant species.

Notwithstanding the many successful conservation initiatives implemented by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service around the world through its programs such as Wildlife Without Borders Program, there remains a glaring need to improve coordination and collaboration within the Federal government. In addition, improving cooperation between the Federal Government and non-governmental organizations to increase public awareness about illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade, to raise awareness about the implications of global biodiversity loss, to enhance assistance to range states in the conservation of their wildlife, and to close existing gaps in current conservation activities, is necessary and long overdue.

The Global Wildlife Conservation, Coordination and Enhancement Act of 2009, which I have introduced today, would address these needs by consolidating and enhancing the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to specifically conduct fish and wildlife conservation activities internationally. This legislation reflects the solid input gained through two oversight hearings conducted by the Committee on Natural Resources during the 110th Congress. The bill also benefits from extensive dialogue with wildlife conservationists, zoo and aquarium professionals, law enforcement experts, animal health and welfare organizations, and other stakeholders.

Title I of the bill would create an Institute for International Wildlife Conservation within the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, through which the Department of the Interior's international conservation initiatives would be coordinated and collaborative partnerships built. The Institute, which would enhance and strengthen the Service's existing International Affairs Office, would have authority to carry out a targeted public education and awareness campaign to better inform U.S. consumers of the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products, and most important, what they can do to limit the United States as a market for illegal contraband.

The Institute also would be empowered to provide financial, educational and technical assistance to range states and other partner institutions to support capacity building, to create and enhance locally adapted wildlife management programs abroad, and to develop professional cadres of wildlife conservationists in the United States and abroad. In addition, the Institute, through its Center for International Wildlife Recovery Partnerships, would provide a forum for the active collaboration of federal, state, tribal, local, and non- governmental entities regarding wildlife conservation and the care, rehabilitation and recovery of threatened and endangered wildlife species.

Title II of this bill would create a Global Wildlife Coordination Council within the Executive Branch in recognition of the fact that international wildlife conservation is a multi-dimensional issue that requires the broad involvement of the Federal Government to be successful. This Council, which is patterned after the highly successful United States Coral Reef Task Force, would be comprised of various Federal agencies with a responsibility and stake in global wildlife conservation. To comprehensively address the myriad threats confronting global wildlife, this Council would be tasked to develop a cross-cutting strategy to better utilize existing resources to increase Federal coordination without creating new bureaucracy.

In closing, the illegal wildlife trade, which has received considerably less public attention than the illegal trade in narcotics and weapons, is an increasing challenge threatening not only the conservation of biodiversity but also the social, political and environmental stability of range states throughout the world. Congress must act to ensure that the Federal Government has the authority and tools it needs to promote the conservation of wildlife resources abroad, to protect the environmental health and security of the United States today, and ensure that we pass on those resources to future generations.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this legislation and to strengthen the abilities of the Federal Government to provide critical wildlife conservation support around the world and to maintain the United States' leadership role internationally in wildlife conservation.

Mr. Chair, I was delayed in arriving to the Chamber earlier today to cast my vote in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union on the question of adopting the amendment offered by Mr. Heller of Nevada to H.R. 2996, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Had I been present and able to cast my vote, I would have voted ``aye'' in support of this amendment (rollcall vote 467).

(By unanimous consent, Mrs. Tauscher was allowed to speak out of order.)

Confirmation of Congresswoman Tauscher by U.S. Senate as Under

Secretary of State

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

My amendment helps to build support for the military bill buildup on Guam by addressing a longstanding issue. We will authorize a substantial amount of military construction in this bill, but to keep up the morale and the obligation to the people of Guam, it is only right to also resolve the issue of war claims as part of this bill.

The war claims program for Guam administered by the U.S. Navy after World War II had shortcomings, and this amendment would address the resulting disparity of treatment for war claims for the Chamorros who endured the occupation of Guam.

The House passed this amendment as H.R. 44 in February, but the other body has not considered it. Adopting this amendment will provide an opportunity to resolve this issue.

And, again, many thanks to Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for accepting this amendment en bloc and to all of their staff for their outstanding support in advancing this bill. I urge adoption of this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk, amendment No. 19, printed in the Congressional Record on June 15, 2009.

Mr. Chairman, I offer this amendment for the purposes of ensuring that not less than $500,000 is appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for grants to be awarded in 2010 by the Secretary of Commerce for Western Pacific Fishery Demonstration Projects.

The amendment ensures funding is provided for this authorized, competitive-based grants program in fiscal year 2010. The Western Pacific Demonstration Projects program is authorized by Public Law 104- 297, the Sustainable Fisheries Act. The program was funded at the maximum authorized level, $500,000, each year from 1999 through 2005. My amendment would restart the program at this same level of funding.

Valuable and economically innovative projects in Western Pacific fisheries have been demonstrated and explored through this program in previous rounds of competition. The program is important to the communities represented on the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which includes my own district, the Territory of Guam.

Mr. Chairman, the program's chief purpose, as authorized, is to establish not less than three and not more than five fishery demonstration projects to foster and promote traditional indigenous fishing practices. In the last rounds of competition in 2004 and 2005, five grants were awarded to applicants in the State of Hawaii, three each to American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and one for Guam.

I am grateful for the opportunity to offer this amendment, and I want to thank the distinguished gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan) and our colleague from Virginia, Mr. Wolf, and their staffs for their attention to this amendment.

I hope to secure their support today for the adoption of this amendment, and I look forward to working with them to ensure that this issue is addressed appropriately in conference.

And, finally, I want to state that the issue of protecting indigenous culture, as this amendment does, with respect to traditional fishing practices is important, not only to myself, but to our colleagues from CNMI, American Samoa and Hawaii.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Yes.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Offered By: Ms. Bordallo

Amendment No. 19: Page 13, line 11, after the dollar amount

insert ``(increased by $500,000)''.

Page 13, line 24, after the dollar amount insert

``(increased by $500,000)''.

Page 13, line 25, after the dollar amount insert

``(increased by $500,000)''.

Page 17, line 12, after the dollar amount insert ``(reduced

by $500,000)''.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

First I want to thank Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas for their support of this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is very simple and straightforward. It would require the assistant secretary of TSA to conduct a study and to make recommendations on specific methods by which airports in the U.S. territories, including the Guam International Airport in my district, can best and most cost-effectively comply with existing security regulations. Specifically, it asks TSA to review compliance with parts 1544 and 1546 of title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations relating to the issue of commingling of passengers at U.S. airports. The report would evaluate alternatives and identify the costs for their implementation.

Additionally, TSA is to identify sources of Federal and non-Federal financing to implement the preferred alternative at each of these airports. Guam is a small hub, Mr. Chairman, for a domestic airline. Our airport on Guam facilitates the daily transiting of international passengers to destinations in the United States, other Pacific islands, and major cities in the Pacific Rim, including Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Australia.

The current security arrangement at the airport on Guam requires significant resources to be expended in constant around-the-clock monitoring by security personnel to prevent the commingling of transiting and departing passengers. The security enhancements made subsequent to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001--particularly with respect to preventing the commingling of passengers at our airports all across the country--have been costly, and in some cases, difficult to fully implement. Moreover, the current decrease in tourist arrivals and departures due to the economic downturn further erodes the financial capability of small airports to implement such improvements.

The Guam International Airport Authority has been operating under a waiver from the Transportation Security Administration for several years. Both the TSA and the Guam International Airport Authority agree that the temporary solution, which amounts to placement of removable partitions and use of security staff to prevent commingling of passengers in their movements throughout the terminal, is not feasible for the long term. However, the cost of implementing security arrangements and improvements at the Guam airport to ensure compliance is costly, and since other security enhancements and expansion of the airport, have completely obligated the passenger facility charge.

The amendment before us, Mr. Chairman, simply looks to provide options

for solving this problem on Guam and potentially other airports in the U.S. territories as well. More importantly, it would provide guidance for funding implementation of these security improvements.

And again, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman and his committee staff for their work with me and my staff on this amendment.

And for the record, I urge passage of the next amendment, No. 12, sponsored by Congressman Jackson-Lee and Congressman Hastings.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I rise to express my support for this amendment, and to speak very briefly on its relevance to my district. Presently, a commercial air carrier contracts with the U.S. Postal Service to transport mail from Honolulu to Guam, and vice versa. Movement of U.S. Mail to and from Guam is handled solely by this contract--which includes transportation on both dedicated air cargo freighters as well as daily by passenger aircraft. Right now, the U.S. Postal Service requires mail patrons to affix Customs Declarations to all Guam-bound mail pieces weighing 16 ounces or more--not for customs purposes, but as a security measure to obtain a sender's identity. The reason for this onerous requirement is, in part, because the TSA and airport authorities lack the means and resources to screen all Guam mail. A few years ago, TSA trained and stood-up a canine detection team at our airport on Guam to help with the mail backlog, but this team cannot screen all the mail and keep up with the volume. Additionally, the airport in Honolulu needs a canine team dedicated to screening mail there. This amendment would help our situation. I support this amendment, urge its adoption, and thank my colleague for yielding me the time.

Madam Speaker, today I have introduced a bill, H.R. 2680, to amend the Social Security Act to provide for parity in the Medicaid program for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and American Samoa. This bill, entitled the ``Territorial Health Parity Act of 2009,'' would amend the Social Security Act to eliminate the federal funding caps now in place and to strike the statutorily set Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) of 50% that currently applies to all the territories. This bill would ensure that each of the territories, like each of the 50 states, receives an FMAP that accurately reflects its economic conditions and demographics. In addition, because certain data

needed to determine the true FMAP rates for the territories is presently lacking from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), this bill would direct the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to take steps to ensure that the FMAP rates for the territories are calculated in a fair and appropriate manner.

It is clear from all the evidence that the federal funding caps and the FMAP set in statute at 50% (which applies solely to the territories) have created significant health disparities between residents of the territories and their fellow citizens residing in the 50 states. Additionally, this policy has resulted in the territorial governments shouldering a disproportionately high financial liability when it comes to providing health care services to their indigent populations. Treating the territories in such fashion is as unjust in principle as it is harmful in effect.

The bill I have introduced today, along with my colleagues from the territories, is needed as Congress continues the debate over comprehensive health care reform. Based on a report released last year by the Office of Insular Affairs, within the Department of the Interior, the territories' health jurisdictions are ``at the crossroads of a total breakdown.'' Combined with the financial state of the territorial governments, operating under decreasing revenues due to an economic downturn, the territories must bear a majority of the payment for indigent care under the current arrangements. Accordingly, eliminating the funding caps and adjusting the FMAPs for the territories are both critically important to public health in these U.S. jurisdictions.

Additionally there is a provision in this bill that extends the Medicaid program to the citizens of the Freely Associated States (FAS), which is comprised of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau (RoP). The FAS governments have special relationships with the United States, as they entered into Compacts of Free Association that have been approved by the Congress of the United States. One component of these international, federally-negotiated agreements, allows for the unrestricted entry of citizens of the FAS to the United States, including the territories, without visas. Many FAS citizens have settled in the Pacific territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. They also constitute a significant and growing presence in the states of Hawaii and Arkansas. This section of the bill is important as it extends federal Medicaid coverage to them and would set an FMAP for otherwise qualified services rendered by the states and territories to them at 100%. This change in law would ensure that the territorial and state governments do not shoulder the sole costs of providing care for these citizens. I believe that this provision is consistent with the intent of the Medicaid program and provides for health equity to a disenfranchised population.

This bill represents policy for which I and my colleagues from the territories--Mr. Pierluisi of Puerto Rico, Mrs. Christensen of the Virgin Islands, Mr. Sablan of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Mr. Faleomavaega of American Samoa--have collaborated. We are grateful for the support that we have received from Mr. Serrano, who joins us as an original co-sponsor. Each of us and our predecessors has worked on improving the federal Medicaid program for the territories. This bill is to serve as starting point for advancing parity in treatment for the territories, with respect to the national health care reform debate. There are other areas of federal law that need to be amended in order to improve public health in the territories and to bring full parity. These include, for example, amendments to law governing Medicare Part D and the Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI). We look forward to working with the leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the committees of jurisdiction in both chambers in advancing legislation addressing these issues, including the bill we have introduced today.

Madam Speaker, the risks of climate change and climate variability are well-documented and under certain circumstances threaten public safety, national security, industry and the economy, natural resource management, and our American way of life. As these risks increase and become more known, we are all challenged with how to strategically respond and adapt to an unpredictable climate. Just as my constituents in Guam face uncertainty over how to respond to rising sea levels and the increasing frequency and ferocity of cyclonic storms, such as typhoons, each state and territory of our great Nation faces their own challenges in adapting to climate change. Without reliable climate information and tools to project climate impacts, it is difficult for any government to make informed and strategic decisions. Strong leadership, better coordination, more exchanges of information, and a new approach to federal climate services are required to strategically and cost-effectively manage public and private resources in this dynamic environment.

H.R. 2685, the Climate and Ocean Research and Coordination Act of 2009, which I have introduced today, addresses these needs by providing specific authority to enhance the leadership role of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the delivery of oceanic, weather, atmospheric, and climate services, and for the first time, establishes a cooperative governmental and non-governmental partnership to advance the ability of the federal government and the public to respond to, adapt to, and plan for climate change and climate change impacts.

Title I of this legislation codifies NOAA, enabling it to better execute its diverse responsibilities, and formalizes its role as the link between global oceanic and atmospheric research science, and the functions, processes, ecosystems, and management of our coastal and ocean resources. Title II establishes a public-private National Climate Enterprise (NCE), comprised of federal and non-federal partners to provide scientifically-based, authoritative, timely, and useful climate and climate impacts information, products, and services to meet end- user needs and guide climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Coping with the uncertainties raised by climate change will be one of our Nation's most serious challenges in the foreseeable future. Credible, reliable, and usable climate information will be fundamental toward determining our success in confronting this risk to our economy, society, and environment. Now is the time for the Congress to both codify NOAA and establish a coordinated, public-private National Climate Enterprise to ensure that our national efforts to mitigate climate impacts will be guided by the best available scientific information.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and especially with my colleagues on the Committee on Science and Technology which shares oversight responsibility for NOAA with the Committee on Natural Resources, to advance this legislation and to strengthen the abilities of the federal government and the public to better understand our dynamic climate and respond to, adapt to, and plan for climate change impacts.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the Guam Animals in Need, GAIN, organization for their service to our community and for their leadership in a recent effort to rescue greyhounds. After a greyhound race track closed on Guam, GAIN led efforts to rescue the greyhounds by finding caring owners on island to adopt the abandoned dogs, and by helping to transport the majority of the greyhounds to shelters in the mainland.

Chartered in 1989, GAIN is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty toward animals and to providing shelter for animals in need. GAIN's efforts have also included educating our community on animal welfare. In 2001, GAIN expanded its services by assuming management and operation of our island's animal shelter.

GAIN has led numerous initiatives over the years to improve animal welfare on Guam. It has been instrumental in taking stray animals off the streets and reducing the number of stray animals through the annual Spay Neuter Assistance Program, operated by visiting and local veterinarians and volunteers. This program has resulted in the sterilization of over 3,500 dogs and cats. GAIN also successfully partnered with local businesses and community organizations to provide support through the Adopt a Kennel project. These businesses and organizations are recognized with a sign placed on their sponsored kennel. Furthermore, GAIN has facilitated the adoption of thousands of animals by caring pet owners through their Shelter Adoption Program.

GAIN recently received national attention resulting from their efforts to help over two hundred greyhounds that needed homes after the sudden closure of the greyhound race track on Guam. For several months after the track's closure, GAIN rescued abandoned greyhounds in villages and remote areas. The organization and its members cared for these greyhounds and searched for responsible pet owners in our community to adopt them. GAIN worked with the management of the former race track to address the large number of greyhounds needing adoptive homes. GAIN partnered with mainland greyhound advocacy groups to help rescue the greyhounds on Guam, including the Greyhound Protection League; Home Stretch Greys; North Coast Greyhound; and Greyhound Friends of Massachusetts. Continental Airlines contributed to this effort by providing discounted air fares to transport some greyhounds on flights to the mainland.

The greyhound rescue effort was a significant and combined effort for Guam's animal welfare community. Under GAIN' s leadership, non-profit organizations and community groups worked together to provide care and medical services to the greyhounds. As a result of GAIN's efforts, to date, 136 greyhounds have been successfully relocated to shelters and homes in the mainland and 23 greyhounds have been adopted in local homes. This rescue effort continues as GAIN and its volunteers work to locate the remaining abandoned greyhounds and to find homes for all the dogs from the former race track.

I commend the Guam Animals In Need organization for their service to our community and for their commitment to caring for animals on Guam.