Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I regret that I cannot vote for this bill.

I am not opposed to the ostensible purpose of the bill--in fact, I share the view that the United Nations needs to be improved so it can better carry out its indispensable role.

The U.N. is a critically important body that has taken on many of the world's problems and solved them--problems such as poverty, disease, and international disputes. And the U.S. has benefited from U.N. actions. Just recently, the U.N. helped with elections in Afghanistan and Iraq and helped negotiate the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon.

But it has serious problems, as exemplified by the oil-for-food scandal and offenses committed by U.N. peacekeeping forces.

So, I support U.N. reform--but I cannot support the approach the bill takes toward achieving that objective.

The bill would require the Secretary of State to push for reforms at the U.N. in the areas of budgeting, oversight and accountability, peacekeeping, and human rights. That is something that needs to be done. But if the Secretary of State cannot certify that the reforms have been achieved, starting in 2007, the Secretary would be required to withhold 50 percent of the U.S. assessed contributions to the U.N.'s regular budget. The assessed U.S. contributions are estimated at $362 million for 2005, and $439 million for 2006.

I think such a punitive and unilateral approach to reform will not work. I think its primary result would be to further isolate the United States while at the same time actually undermining ongoing efforts at reform and potentially jeopardizing the U.N.'s ability to focus on global threats and work toward greater global stability.

The substitute proposed by Representatives Lantos and Shays would have been a better approach, and I regret that it was not adopted.

As it stands, the bill is problematic on a number of fronts. First, it would mandate withholding of dues from programs that do not get moved from the U.N.'s assessed budget to a system of voluntary contribution, a goal unlikely to be achieved.

Also, it would require the United States to veto Security Council resolutions establishing any new U.N. peacekeeping missions--including involvement in a crisis like the one taking place in Darfur--until the peacekeeping reforms called for by the bill have been completed. This is like forbidding firemen to respond to a blaze because we are unhappy about the way the department is organized and financed. I cannot support that.

The bill would cut U.S. contributions to U.N. conferences and public information programs by 20 percent unless the overall budgets for these programs are cut by 20 percent, and if the 20 percent target is not met by 2008, the bill would mandate the withholding of 50 percent of U.S. contributions. It also would require that 50 percent of annual dues be withheld even if just one of 14 mandatory benchmarks were not met. These go beyond stern--they are petulant. Their predictable result is not reform, but failure.

In short, the bill as it stands would simultaneously demand reform and make it impossible to achieve.

The substitute offered by Representatives Lantos and Shays would have used carrots as well as sticks and would have given much greater flexibility to the Secretary of State.

The substitute included benchmarks very much like those in the base bill, but it gave flexibility to the Secretary of State to mandate the 50 percent cuts to our U.N. dues. Similarly, the substitute did not link the change from ``assessed'' to ``voluntary'' contributions to withholding a portion of our dues, and it would have allowed the Secretary of State to waive the peacekeeping reform requirements if it is determined that a new mission is in the U.S. national interest.

The substitute also included incentives by supporting an effort to pay our dues on time, an increased U.N. budget for the large number of new offices that will be needed to implement the reforms, a well structured buyout of unneeded U.N. personnel, and a contribution to the U.N. Democracy Fund.

The difference between the bill now before us and the Lantos-Shays substitute is that while the substitute was realistic in the way it set out a path toward reform, the majority's bill if fully implemented would effectively destroy the chances of achieving an effective and improved U.N.

Instead of adopting such an approach, the United States should engage the U.N. member countries in the process of reform and provide the U.N. with the resources necessary to accomplish reforms, rather than alienate the global community by threatening to withhold dues.

The Bush Administration itself is opposed to this legislation as it stands. I do not often agree with them, but I do in this instance and I therefore must vote against the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and its newly acquired home at the Riverdale golf courses in Brighton.

As an avid golfer I could not help but notice this news, and at the risk of allowing my love of the game to get the better of me, I think it is appropriate to acknowledge the positive contributions that golf has made to communities.

The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame has been in operation for 33 three years and has honored 107 members. Yet, due to a space constraint, the golf memorabilia had been stored in boxes at the Colorado Golf Association headquarters, unavailable for public viewing. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Riverdale Golf courses, Adams County Board of Commissioners, the Colorado Golf Association and the Hall of Fame President, John Edwards, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame is now featured in a prominent display within the Riverdale golf courses clubhouse.

The Hall of Fame honors the 107 deserving members who have made important contributions to Colorado's sports history. Pictures of each hall of fame member are now front and center under glass in the clubhouse of the Riverdale golf courses. In addition, the Hall of Fame showcases multiple displays honoring golf greats, highlights in golf history and a golf history timeline. The current displays honor female golfer Mildred ``Babe'' Zacharias and the history of Cherry Hills Country Club.

Hall of Famer and winner of three Colorado Opens, Bill Bisdorf remarked, ``If you don't have something lke this, it's forgotten, just like everything else. It's out of sight, out of mind.''

Thanks to the hard work of many, Colorado's rich golf history will no longer be ``out of sight, out of mind.'' It is very exciting for golf- enthusiasts like myself to have access to that history. What is more, it provides just another excuse to play at the Riverdale courses, the Dunes and the Knolls--two of the finest public courses in Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me in thanking Riverdale Golf Courses and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame for creating a fitting location to preserve and display Colorado's golf history and artifacts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my congratulations in honor of the 100 Anniversary of Roche, one of the leading healthcare innovators in the world. Roche is a specialty care company that employs over 10,000 people in America and 60,000 globally. I am pleased that Boulder is home to Roche Colorado, which employs over 300 people, all of whom are dedicated to improving the quality of health care for millions of people.

For a century now, Roche has invested in advanced research and manufacturing techniques that have yielded breakthroughs in healthcare. Founded in Switzerland in 1896, Roche's roots in America are deep and strong, dating back to the opening of its New York office in 1905. From its start in Manhattan in 1905, Roche has extended its reach to nine sites across the United States, in Colorado, New Jersey, Indiana, South Carolina, and California.

As an industry leader, Roche Colorado researches and manufactures products such as the first in an entirely new class of drugs to combat HIV, a potent oral antiviral that is our most promising weapon against the threat of pandemic influenza, and a treatment that preserves the sight of people with AIDS infected with a virus that usually leads to blindness. These inventions are just a few examples of how Roche helps provide Americans with the highest quality medical treatment in the world.

Roche's ties to Boulder date back to 1946 as Arapahoe Chemicals and subsequently Syntex, which joined Roche in 1994. I applaud Roche Colorado for being an active corporate citizen, supporting the Boulder County AIDS Project, the Women's Health Project, and the Grillo Information Center which provides educational help to individuals suffering from cancer, all efforts that truly enhance our quality of life in Boulder and build our sense or community.

I commend the people of Roche Colorado in Boulder and Roche employees worldwide for their impressive achievements, and wish them the very best on this special 100th Anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, because participating in events connected to the ongoing meeting of Western Governors in Colorado, I was unable to be present for two votes on Monday, June 13, 2005.

If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

On S. 643, to amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to reauthorize State mediation programs, I would have voted ``yes.''

On H.R. 2326, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 614 West Old County Road in Belhaven, North Carolina, as the ``Floyd Lupton Post Office,'' I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter into a colloquy with my friend, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Science, the Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf).

First I want to thank Chairman Wolf as well as Ranking Member Mollohan and the other members of the subcommittee for their hard work in putting together this appropriations bill. Mr. Chairman, last year, the Department of Commerce notified the NOAA and NIST and NTIA research laboratories in Boulder, Colorado, that it had decided to build a security fence around the campus where the labs are located. This has been a matter of concern to Boulder, local residents, and the people who work in the labs. They raised questions about the nature of the unspecified threats that the fence is intended to address and about the effectiveness of a fence.

At my urging, the Department of Commerce and NIST worked with Boulder residents and city officials to determine the most acceptable placement of the fence. However, the Department still has not made clear the nature of the security threat, the proposed timetable for building the fence, or how they propose to pay for it. I understand no funding has been requested for the project.

In my view, it would not be right to reduce funding to research operations or other needed construction work in NIST and NOAA in Boulder in order to pay for the fence. So I would like to ask the chairman whether he agrees that if this fence is to be built, it

should not be done at the expense of ongoing research or capital improvements to these laboratories.

I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman for his willingness to work with me, and I thank the ranking member for his help as well; and I look forward to holding that meeting with the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mel Yost, one of our community's most compassionate advocates, who passed away on June 1, 2005. I had the privilege of knowing this remarkable man personally and working with him the past 8 years on numerous issues to help improve the lives of those oppressed by poverty, disease, and hopelessness throughout the world.

Mel Yost was one of three key founders of the first Colorado RESULTS chapter in 1983. He believed implicitly in the purpose of RESULTS ``to create the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty and to empower individuals to have breakthroughs in exercising their personal and political power.'' Mel was active with RESULTS for 22 years and attended the first RESULTS Regional Conference in San Diego in 1986. In September 1990 in Denver's City Park at the World Summit of Children's Candlelight Vigil, Mel read Ina J. Hughes' ``Prayer for Children'' before 3,000 people, including the Governor and most of Colorado's national and local politicians. Often accompanied by his wife, Jan, Mel attended every RESULTS International Conference from 1985 through 2004.

He worked as a truck driver for Safeway for 30 years and frequently regaled his friends with stories of driving trucks in the mountains of New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. He happily used expressions like ``hammer on down, blue whiskey,'' his radio handle, and ``put the pedal to the medal, baby.''

In recent years, Mel hosted many meetings of the Denver and Boulder RESULTS groups because his retirement community was located halfway between the cities. He was a founding member in 1997 of the ``Experiment in Democracy and Citizenship'' group begun by my predecessor Representative David Skaggs. He continued to serve on this task force for me, sharing consensus decisions and creative solutions about federal legislation.

Mel always urged people to have fun. If a project wasn't fun, he didn't want to do it. He frequently read poetry, sometimes his own, at RESULTS meetings. Friends always looked forward to receiving his letters because they were poetic, compassionate, and showed clearly his positive approach to life, along with his kindness, his love of family, his love for all children, and his caring for the poor and oppressed of the world.

In what was to be his final presentation to the Colorado RESULTS group, Mel recalled founding the organization in 1983 to work on ending hunger and poverty in the world and to provide hope to the hopeless. His final words of advice were to ``hook your mind up to your heart and let 'er rip, because that's the only way to get anything done.''

I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring the life of Mel Yost. Our world is better because of him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize seven men, George Bishop, Matt Celesta, Joe McConaty, Matthew McConaty, John- Paul Maxfield, Dan Murray, and Chad Spurway, all Colorado natives, who have embarked on an incredible journey for Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis is the number one disabling neurological disease among young adults, and the most commonly diagnosed neurological disease among those aged 20 to 50. Some 400,000 Americans, including 7,000 Coloradans, have MS. The incident rate in Colorado is much higher, 1 in 625, than the rate of southern states such as Texas, which has a rate of 1 in 10,000. These men recognize the severity of the disease and are giving themselves in an exemplary way to combat the disease.

On July 2, 2005, seven life-long friends will begin a five-week hike along the famous Colorado Trail. The trail covers eight mountain ranges, seven national forests, six wilderness areas, and five major river systems in the 471 mile path from Durango to Denver. The purpose of this special journey is to raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis and raise money to help find the cure to a disease that has the potential to become the polio of this generation.

These seven men are the definition of community service, giving their time and energy towards such an extraordinary cause. They have started an organization, Colorado Trail For Multiple Sclerosis, ``CT4MS,'' and are raising money to donate to The Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center. To date, CT4MS has raised $132,192 of $250,000 they hope to

raise by the time they finish in August. They are well on their way to raising an enormous amount of money towards a cause that needs immediate attention.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending George Bishop, Matt Celesta, Joe McConaty, Matthew McConaty, John-Paul Maxfield, Dan Murray, and Chad Spurway for their efforts and pledging support for Colorado Trail For Multiple Sclerosis.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify my opposition to H.J. Res. 27, a resolution to withdraw U.S. approval of the Uruguay Round Agreement Act establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Although I oppose the resolution, I am glad we are having this debate today. The 1994 law that helped create the WTO included an important provision that allows Congress to reassess U.S. participation in the organization every five years. The constantly shifting global trade landscape makes regular Congressional review of U.S. participation in the WTO especially critical.

Like many of my constituents, I am concerned about investment and jobs moving to other countries that have weaker labor and environmental standards. I am also concerned about the growing U.S. trade deficit, WTO pressure to downgrade our consumer protections, and challenges to our federal laws posed by the WTO's closed dispute resolution tribunals.

But retaining U.S. participation in the WTO doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't work to improve global trading system. The objective should be to mend it, not end it. The WTO is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Over 90 percent of all world trade is conducted within the WTO.

Withdrawal from the WTO would isolate the U.S. from the international economy. It would also eliminate the best recourse American businesses and workers have when faced with unfair trade barriers: dispute resolution. If we were to withdraw from the WTO, other countries could impose unfair tariffs or other barriers to American goods, or ``dump'' goods, and we could only retaliate in return and risk getting into a potentially dangerous trade war.

If we want to grow and expand our economic opportunities, we must engage with the rest of the world. I believe that abandoning a rules- based trade system would be detrimental to American families, workers, business, and national security. We need to do all we can to ensure Americans benefit from the global economy. But shutting our doors on the WTO isn't the answer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Juana Bordas, a leader in Denver's Hispanic community and a great Coloradan. At a time when immigration is so hotly debated and in such divisive ways, the story of Juana Bordas is inspiring.

Juana Bordas was born in El Salvador, but emigrated to the United States from Nicaragua when she was just three years old. Her parents and her seven siblings made a difficult journey over many miles in the hull of a banana boat!

From these humble beginnings, Juana has gone on to become one of the most respected women in Colorado, not only as a member of the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame, but also the National Hispana Leadership Institute. From this place of stature, she speaks eloquently of the importance of embracing one's history--particularly for Latina women and their mothers. Juana said that it was difficult as a child to be poor and dark-skinned. She acknowledges that there were times as a child that she was embarrassed to know that her mother only achieved a fifth grade education, mothered eight children and worked in the cafeteria of Juana's elementary school. She says that the shame she once felt for her mother's history has now become a great source of pride. The tremendous courage and sacrifice her mother exhibited have been the foundation for her children to lead a better life. Juana calls this ``servant leadership.'' She makes the point that instead of looking at her mother's experience as subservient, it really embodies the qualities of a true leader: hard work, driving purpose, courage and dedication to a cause greater than one's own self-interest. Those qualities should be admired, embraced and emulated as young Latinas strive to achieve their goals. From my vantage point, the example of Juana's mother--and Juana's own life--are truly inspiring.

In the early 1970s Juana Bordas started the MiCasa Resource Center for Women in Denver which continues to this day to help low-income Latinas and youth with job training and life skills. As President of a multicultural consulting firm, Mestiza Leadership International, she travels the country developing diversity in the workforce. She has said that, ``my mission is to help with the birth of a multi-cultural nation.'' She notes how Latinos in other countries are heads of government and industry, and believes that there is no reason why it should be different here in the United States. Juana served with the Denver Election Commission to register more voters and to put her beliefs into practical effect. Today, Latino leaders are emerging in public office as never before. Thoughtful and hard-working people like Juana Bordas have helped to pave this path of progress.

Juana Bordas reminds of us of something that should be important to every American. Each of us owes an enormous debt to the strength and courage of families who sacrificed for their children in order to realize the American dream. Our country was founded by such people, and that continues to be our greatest strength. As a successful business woman, Juana Bordas has given an immeasurable amount back to our community in time, skill, wisdom, and by simply being a role model. It is with great admiration that I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Juana Bordas, a great American success story and a woman worth knowing and learning from. I wish her continued success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sean Swarner, a fellow climber and an enormously courageous young man.

When he was just 13 years old, Sean was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and was given a mere three months to live. With his family's support, prayer, and resolute determination, he beat the disease. Just one year later, doctors found a golf-ball sized tumor in his right lung. The diagnosis was Askin's sarcoma. This time, doctors gave him just two wees. Again, he beat back the disease with his tremendous resolve. Still, the cancer left him with just one functioning lung.

Sean Swarner is now 30 years old. He is the only person known to have survived both Hodgkin's disease and Askin's sarcoma. Given his unique life experience, Sean has a sense of purpose unusually focused for a young man. Sean decided to climb Mount Everest in part to prove that people facing cancer can survive and go on to accomplish things most people never even think to try. When setting out to plan his trip, he said ``most of the outfitters told me that there's no way they would take a one-lung, two-time cancer survivor lunatic up the highest mountain in the world.'' Once he was actually on the mountain he says, ``the sherpas were kind of scared too because in Nepal there is no such thing as a cancer survivor.''

Sean Swarner is the only known cancer survivor to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. He has also climbed Aconcagua in Argentina, Mt. Elbrus in Russia and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. He hopes to complete the ``adventure grand slam'' which means summiting the highest peak on each of the seven continents and visiting the North and South Poles.

Sean visits young people with cancer after each of his climbs and during his training. While this is tremendously rewarding because it lifts their spirits, it is also very difficult because he is so familiar with what the kids are going through. Still, his example gives them a role model who has conquered what they are going through and hopefully gives them inspiration to believe that they too can conquer the mountains before them.

Sean Swarner's courage and kindness are qualities to which we should all aspire. I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Sean Swarner--a great climber, Coloradan and human being. I wish him continued success on his future climbs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the participants of the 2005 National History Day who will be in Washington DC June 16-19th. Specifically I would like to congratulate Filip Maksimovic, Alex Grossman, Mary Kate Quinn, Andrew Hastie, Megan Duffy, Natasha Steinmann, Connie Ge, Anika Megan McEwan, and all students from Colorado who competed in Colorado History Day and qualified to compete on the national level.

Students from grade 6 through 12 have been participating in National History Day for the past 25 years. In Colorado 4000 students produced dramatic performances, museum-style exhibits, multimedia documentaries or research papers all focusing on a central theme of Communication in History: The Key to Understanding. The program encourages students to take advantage of primary historical resources available to them. Students in this program learn how to analyze a variety of primary sources such as photographs, letters, diaries, magazines, maps, artifacts, sound recordings, and motion pictures. This significant academic exercise encourages intellectual growth while helping students.to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them manage and use information, now and in the future.

At the Colorado History Day State Competition on April 23, 2005, held at the University of Colorado at Boulder, 54 students qualified to represent Colorado at the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland, College Park. The projects from students in the 2nd Congressional District ranged from ``Communication in Irish Step Dance,'' to ``Communication through Hobo Code Signs during the Great Depression.'' These students represent excellence in their study of history and will be able to continue to utilize the skills gained through their experience with National History Day into the future.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Filip Maksimovic, Alex Grossman, Mary Kate Quinn, Andrew Hastie, Megan Duffy, Natasha Steinmann, Connie Ge, and Anika Megan McEwan for their achievements at the Colorado History Day and wish them good luck as they compete in the 2005 National History Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two women, Deborah Jin and Linda Cordell, from Boulder, Colorado, who were recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Deborah Jin, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and an associate adjunct professor in the Physics Department at the University of Colorado, is one of the youngest women elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

She came to Boulder as a postdoctoral student in 1995. In 2003 she won what is commonly called the ``genius grant,'' a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship for her work with ultracold atoms. One of the three criteria for receiving this award is that the candidate show exceptional creativity. Dr. Jin's career is a testament to her creativity. In 2004, she and her team won an international race to create a fermionic condensate made from a tiny cluster of super-cold potassium atoms which is used to better understand super conductors.

Linda Cordell is the director of the University of Colorado Museum and a professor of archaeology at CU. Her research interests include the archaeology of Pueblo people in the southwest, specifically the agricultural and settlement strategies of ancestral Pueblo peoples of New Mexico. She also studies how large villages supported themselves in times of unpredictable precipitation.

Members of the National Academy of Sciences make up the most accomplished scientists in our country and election to the academy is one of the highest honors for any scientist. At a time when we are seeing fewer young people, particularly women, entering into the science disciplines, these scientists are taking their creativity and skill to inspire our youth.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Deborah Jin and Linda Cordell for their achievements in science and offer congratulations on their new post as members of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mr. Speaker, soon we will all return to our Congressional districts for the Memorial Day weekend. So I'd like to take a moment today to recognize the heroes of wars past and the heroes of our current military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Just two days ago, Fort Carson's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment honored four more of its dead--Sgt. Stephen Saxton, Spec. Ricky Rockholt, Pfc. Joseph Knott, and Pfc. Robert Murray, Jr. Fort Carson has lost 120 soldiers since the war began.

And Colorado lost another son in Baghdad earlier this month. Former Marine and Louisville firefighter Todd James Venette was remembered at a memorial service last weekend. He died after his security company convoy was hit by two cars carrying explosives.

The loved ones of these brave soldiers and others who have died serving in Iraq and Afghanistan must live with their losses every minute of every day. We share their grief and remember this Memorial Day and every day the sacrifices of these young soldiers who have volunteered in service to their country.

These points were well made in today's editorial in the Denver Post, which I am attaching for the benefit of my colleagues.

[From the Denver Post, May 26, 2005]

Respect for Heroes in Iraq

In recent months, much attention has been drawn to

accusations of misconduct in Iraq, and Fort Carson has seen

its share of legal proceedings.

But on Tuesday a tearful ceremony reminded us of the

sacrifices of so many soldiers who were doing things right.

More than 700 mourners attended a memorial service for four

``brave rifles'' killed in Iraq, while others stood outside

in a thunderstorm to pay their respects. Sgt. Stephen Saxton,

24; Spec. Ricky Rockholt, 29; Pfc. Joseph Knott, 21; and Pfc.

Robert Murray Jr., 21. All were members of Fort Carson's 3rd

Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Comrades and loved ones shared thoughts about the young

soldiers. ``I thought it was very fitting that it was raining

during the service,'' said Pamela Knott of Yuma, Ariz., whose

son was killed in April. ``It sounds silly, but at times you

think, `Oh, those are the angels crying, not just for Joseph

but for all the lost soldiers.' ''

In all, 120 soldiers from Fort Carson units have died since

the war began. Since troops returned to Iraq in the winter

and spring, eight soldiers have been lost to the 3rd ACR and

two from the 43rd Area Support Group.

All told, about a dozen current or former Fort Carson

soldiers have been accused of wrongdoing in Iraq. One court-

martial has been held, with a conviction for assault against

three Iraqi detainees, and others may be coming up.

For now, as Memorial Day approaches, upcoming proceedings

are being drowned out by solemn rifle volleys for those who

died too young, doing their duty.

Mr. Speaker, on May 7, the Bowman family and Colorado lost a great treasure. Eva ``Marr'' Bowman died at age 93, a life-long resident of Wray, Colorado.

My sympathies go to her grandson Michael Bowman, who was extremely close to his grandmother. Michael is a tireless advocate of renewable energy and of Colorado's rural communities and is a key proponent of the 25x25 proposal dedicated to producing 25 percent of America's energy needs from our agricultural sector by the year 2025.

Marr Bowman supported Mike in his efforts. She donated $200,000 to the Wray, Colorado school district to install a wind turbine that will supply all of the school's electricity and 25 percent of the electricity for the town. Her donation has already set an important precedent in Colorado, demonstrating what dedicated communities can do to help rural economic development and maintain farming as a way of life.

I honored Marr Bowman at the Environmental and Clean Energy Inaugural Ball earlier this year for her contributions to Colorado's rural communities and to renewable energy. I noted at the Ball: ``Without your generous contribution of seed money for the wind turbine project, further grant money would not be an option. Wray is fortunate to have committed members of the community like you who have the foresight and patience to envision a project and see it through.'' Even though she won't be in Wray to see the wind turbine operational next month--or to attend her 75th high school reunion--I am glad she knew of our gratitude for her commitment and dedication to her community, to Colorado, and to renewable energy.

Marr Bowman's was a life well lived. She will be missed.

For the benefit of my colleagues, I have attached Mrs. Bowman's obituary from the Denver Post.

Farm Wife a Powerful Force

(By Virginia Culver)

Eva ``Marr'' Bowman was a farm wife who lived all her life

on Colorado's plains--but that didn't mean she wasn't up on

the latest environmental issues.

Bowman, who died Saturday at age 93, left $200,000 to the

Wray school district as seed money to install a wind turbine

that will supply all of the school's electricity and 25

percent of the electricity for the town.

By selling the electricity to the town, the school district

will make $180,000 a year, said Bowman's grandson, Michael

Bowman, of Wray.

``We'd hoped she would still be alive to see the wind

turbine operational next month, her 75th high school class

reunion,'' he said.

In her letter to the school board about the gift, Eva

Bowman said, ``There is no greater gift we can give our

children than that of a sound education.''

Her nephew and others have raised most of the rest of the

total--$1.8 million--for the turbine.

Marr Bowman, as everyone called her, was a fixture in Wray,

where she sat at her own table every morning for coffee in

the local cafe.

Despite the hard work of cooking, cleaning, raising

children and helping with the farm, Marr Bowman was not a

complainer.

``In fact, she was the most upbeat person I ever knew,''

said Michael Bowman.

But, sometimes, she did remark, ``Anyone who thought those

were the good old days didn't actually live through them.''

Marr Bowman and her husband toughed out the Depression, but

they and their good friends, Dale and Martha Whomble, had to

wait some time before they could buy new cars.

After discussing it one evening, the couples decided on a

stopgap measure: They would trade cars, so at least each

couple would have a different car.

In addition to her family, Marr Bowman's other great love

was bowling, which she did for decades at the Purple Sage

Bowling Alley. After it was destroyed in a 1970s tornado, she

and her friends had to drive to other towns to bowl.

Eva Peterson was born June 13, 1911, in Holyoke and

graduated from Laird High School, east of Wray.

She met Ralph Bowman, a local farm boy, at Olive Lake, a

resort area near Wray that had a dance hall and skating rink.

``It was a hotbed of activity in those days,'' MIchael Bowman

said.

Eva Peterson and Ralph Bowman married May 16, 1931, and

started their life together with gifts of a pig and a cow,

which their families had given them. He died in January 2004.

In addition to her grandson, Marr Bowman is survived by two

daughters, Jean Brophy of Wray and Jerry Baird of Pasadena,

CA; a son, Jack Bowman of Wray; 10 grandchildren; 22 great-

grandchildren; her sister, Madge Barber of Burlington; and an

``adopted'' grandson, Etienne Lagabrielle of France.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the Pueblo Chieftain recognized in a May 18 editorial the attention Representative John Salazar has focused on the demilitarization project at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, a former chemical weapons site located in southeastern Colorado, since he was sworn into office in January.

Representative Salazar is aware, as I am as a member of the Colorado delegation and of the Armed Services Committee in the House, that a continued flow of funds to the demilitarization project is critical. That's why I was pleased that the Defense Authorization bill reported out of the Armed Services Committee last week and voted on by the House yesterday includes language directing the Secretary of the Army to continue to implement fully the neutralization technology at Pueblo. Coloradans were alarmed last year when the demilitarization project was put on hold, so they want to see that the Defense Department is committed to using the neutralization technology to destroy the 2,600 tons of mustard agent stored at Pueblo--not transporting the weapons to a different site for destruction.

I also want to call attention to language in the bill that would transfer program responsibility from the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics to the Secretary of the Army. I understand that objection to this transfer in the past was due to

the preference of the Program Manager for Chemical Destruction under the Department of the Army for baseline incineration. Now that the Defense Department is committed to the neutralization approach, and given the numerous GAO reports and testimony to Congress stating that effective management of the chemical demilitarization program has been hindered by the complexity of its management structure, it appears to make sense to pursue the transfer. Still, I've asked Chairman Hunter to follow this move closely to ensure that this proposed change in oversight of the project doesn't change the path forward for the development of the neutralization technology.

I'm glad that both Democratic and Republican members of the Colorado delegation understand the importance of getting the job done right at Pueblo. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure this happens.

For the benefit of my colleagues, I've attached a May 18 editorial from the Pueblo Chieftain.

[From the Pueblo Chieftain, May 18, 2005]

Trust, But Verify

There appears to be bureaucratic wrangling over control of

the chemical weapons destruction program at Pueblo Chemical

Depot, and Representative John Salazar is pledging to keep a

close eye on developments.

Representative Salazar reports that the Army approached him

directly with information that the Pentagon wants the job

under the direct oversight of the Army, rather than the

Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative program, or ACWA. ACWA

has been the agency favored by local critics of the Army,

which originally planned to build an incinerator to

demilitarize the weapons.

Representative Salazar, taking note of recent developments

in Congress to get the work back on track after numerous

delays, said the Army's track record warrants close

monitoring to see that nothing else gets derailed. It was

this long series of delays which earlier this month prompted

Congress to approve provisions in a supplemental budget bill

that included $327 million and explicit language requiring

the Pentagon to destroy the weapons at Pueblo and the Blue

Grass Chemical Depot in Kentucky. This week the Senate Armed

Services Committee added $20 million.

The demilitarization provision was co-sponsored by

Colorado's two senators, Wayne Allard and Ken Salazar, and

Representative Salazar.

Ross Vincent, a member of the local Citizens Advisory

Commission and a supporter of ACWA, is wary of having the

Army take direct control of the project. The Army may realize

it needs to mend fences, because Representative Salazar made

a point of noting that the Army volunteered the information

that the Pentagon now wants that military branch to be in

direct control.

Representative Salazar has sized up the situation quickly

since his House induction in January. We are pleased that has

given the chemical depot his considerable attention.

We also would encourage the congressional delegation to

press the Pentagon to do all of the demilitarization work

here. There has been some discussion of perhaps shipping

explosives and the neutralized mustard agent known as

``hydrolysat'' off site for final destruction at other

plants.

It's estimated that such transfers would mean the loss of

about 200 jobs that otherwise would be created at Pueblo

Chemical Depot. But at what cost?

The Pentagon is looking at one cost factor, though. Last

week officials said they may use some recycled parts from a

similar system that has finished its work at Aberdeen Proving

Grounds in Maryland. If that could be a net savings to

taxpayers, we're all for it.

Delays and mismanagement have skyrocketed the cost of

destroying this Nation's chemical weapons. The sooner the job

gets done, the better.