Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding.

I rise in support of the amendment by the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal) which seeks to reinstate the 1983 Stream Buffer Rule. While the Reagan administration rule is not perfect, the 2008 Bush rule inserted unnecessary loopholes in the law and takes us in the wrong direction.

This commonsense Lowenthal amendment from the Natural Resources Committee would simply keep the best option we currently have in place instead of forcing the adoption of the 2008 rule, which the courts have already struck down. Thus, I urge my colleagues to support the Lowenthal amendment.

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

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

The underlying bill I seek to amend has been labeled today as Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America. The true label for this bill ought to be the ``No Streams Protection'' bill.

Mountaintop removal coal mining is a process that has buried over 2,000 miles of streams throughout Appalachia, contaminating surface and drinking water, and destroying wildlife in Appalachia communities.

The practice is currently governed by a rule written by the Reagan administration. The Reagan rule needs to be updated, and this is what the Obama administration wants to set about doing. H.R. 2824 seeks to accomplish two things: to write into statute a stream buffer rule promulgated in December of 2008 by the Bush administration and then to prohibit the Obama administration from working on writing a new stream buffer rule for at least 5 years while precluding the States also from issuing their own more stringent rules.

Members ought to be aware that the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia handed down a decision on February 20, just last month, vacating the 2008 rule because the Bush administration refused to consider the impacts of coal mining on threatened or endangered species in writing the rule. As a result, the rule this bill would write into statute no longer exists.

It is also surprising that the Republicans would enact a bill that strong-arms States into forcibly adopting a Federal standard, completely preempting states' rights to enact their own rules.

That is why the amendment I am offering today protects states' rights by ensuring that all States are able to implement a stream buffer rule that can go beyond the national floor. States ought to have the ability to protect their natural resources at a level beyond the requirements of the Federal Government when they see that need. My amendment ensures that States maintain the ability to issue their own more stringent stream buffer rules, which this legislation is attempting to prohibit.

States should be able to maintain the ability to adequately protect their natural resources and health and safety of their local coal mining communities. Safe drinking water should be a right for everybody, and should not be subject to the Federal loopholes this bill would insert. States should have the right to close loopholes as they see fit.

It is important to remember that the amount of coal exported from this country is significant and growing. In fact, a record amount of coal was exported in 2012, over three times the amount exported one decade earlier. We don't need to relax our environmental and health protections for this industry. We don't need to jeopardize the health of the people and the once-pristine environment of Appalachia for the profits of these companies.

Finally, the claim that the Obama rule must be stopped because it is part of a so-called war on coal is obviously false. How can you make such a claim about a rule that doesn't even exist yet?

This bill is simply an attempt to resurrect a flawed 2008 Bush rule, rejected by a Federal court and the administration, which provides loopholes to the industry. It is poor public policy and a poor use of Congress' time given the pressing needs of this country.

My amendment protects states' rights from overreach by the Federal Government, protects Appalachia communities, protects our environment, and protects clean drinking water. My amendment allows States to do better by their citizens if they so choose, and I believe that is a goal that everybody ought to agree upon.

I urge Members to vote for this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal).

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dr. Edward J. Zaloga, who on March 22, 2014, retired from his position as the 136th President of the Lackawanna County Medical Society. Since his graduation from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Zaloga has used his training and expertise to improve the state of health care in Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1878, the Lackawanna County Medical Society works to foster excellence in medical care, act as an advocate for physicians and their patients, and represent physicians to the entire community. Taking an active role in the health of the local community, Lackawanna County Medical Society holds an annual ``Health Fair in the Park'' that offers health screenings and benefits to county residents free of charge. Physicians of Lackawanna County Medical Society joined together to establish the Leahy Clinic for Uninsured at the University of Scranton, which provides crucial health care for local residents who cannot afford insurance.

Through his continued involvement with the Lackawanna County Medical Society, Dr. Zaloga has demonstrated a sincere commitment to his community. He served as a strong advocate for patients and his fellow physicians as a delegate to the House of Delegates of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and as the Society's chief spokesperson on patient rights and quality of care issues. Throughout his career, Dr. Zaloga pushed the medical community to provide quality, cost-effective health care to the citizens of Lackawanna County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

I am proud to congratulate Dr. Zaloga on his many achievements during his career, and I thank him for his dedication to improving health care in Lackawanna County. He has done a great service for the health care professionals, the uninsured, and all those who need health care in the Lackawanna community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Bobby O'Gurek, who on March 17, 2014 will receive the Shamrock Award from the Panther Valley Irish Americans Association. Bobby was born on St. Patrick's Day in 1982, to Robert and Patricia O'Gurek. He has lived with cerebral palsy since birth, and become an indispensable part of his community.

He graduated from Panther Valley High School in 1999, where he was named the ``Most Persistent Student.'' Bobby went on to Lehigh County Community College, where he earned his associate's degree as a Computer Specialist with a concentration in Web Development. After college, Bobby began designing websites for S & O Computers, LLC. In 2010, he established his own web design business. To date, Bobby's company has designed and maintained 19 websites for local government offices and small businesses.

Since he was a teenager, Bobby has volunteered his time to keep his community safe as a member of the volunteer Diligence Fire Company No. 1 in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania. After joining in 1994, he is now a senior member, auditor and trustee of the Fire Company, and he contributes his technological expertise to designing and maintaining the Fire Company's web page.

Although cerebral palsy prevents him from walking and speaking on his own, Bobby is involved with many outreach programs to spread awareness about disabilities. In 1998, he started speaking via the assistance of technology at the Pittsburgh Employment conference, hosted for speech pathologists and individuals with all kinds of disabilities who use augmentative communication technologies. Bobby was selected in 2007 to receive the Edwin and Ester Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture Award in Boston, an award presented annually to a community activist who uses a communication device. He was asked to give a speech at a Massachusetts conference entitled ``My Life with Assistive Technology and Community Interactions.'' Bobby is also a participant of ``Through Their Eyes'' conference at East Stroudsburg University, where he has addressed students majoring Speech Pathology. He is also an ambassador for Prentke Romich Company, increasing knowledge across Pennsylvania about the assistive technology that helps him communicate.

Bobby O'Gurek's work throughout his life has made his community a safer and brighter place. His perseverance in overcoming cerebral palsy to get his education and start his own business, his willingness to devote his time and technological skills to serve the Panther Valley, and his refusal to let his disability prevent him from achieving his goals are nothing short of inspirational. I congratulate Bobby O'Gurek on his years of service to his community and wish him many more.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in acknowledgment of Richard ``Rich'' F. Crossin, who on March 14, 2014 will receive the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Man of the Year award. Each year the Friendly Sons recognizes a person who has distinguished themselves in the community through hard work and charitable efforts, and Rich Crossin is an exemplary selection.

Mr. Crossin is the son of Ann and the late Joseph Crossin and a resident of Kingston, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Bishop O'Reilly High School, and continued his education at York College, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1978.

Rich has spent much of his career at Bonner Chevrolet, Inc., which was started by his grandfather, John R. Bonner, in 1932. Rich now serves as President of the family business and works alongside his brothers Joe, Tom and Paul. In the past 35 years, Bonner Chevrolet has grown to be one of the largest new and used automobile inventories in the area, under Rich's leadership.

Along with being a leader in the business community, Rich has also been a pillar of his local service community. He served as president of the West Side Jaycees and has also worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters for several years, helping the group mentor many disadvantaged youth.

Rich and his wife Virginia have three children--Andrew, Julia, and Elizabeth--all of whom currently attend high school. Andrew, a senior at Holy Redeemer High School, is a member of the golf team which competed and won the State Championship title. Rich's daughters Julia and Elizabeth both attend Wyoming Valley High School, and were longtime dancers with the Emerald Isle Step Dancers and had the opportunity to dance in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City.

Northeastern Pennsylvania is stronger as a community because of citizens like Rich Crossin, and I am proud to recognize his life's contributions.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in acknowledgment of Charles J. Grimes, who on March 17, 2014, will receive the Swingle Award from the Greater Pittston Area Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Charles J. Grimes was born in Plymouth, Pennsylvania on November 9, 1946 to Joseph and Helen Grimes. He attended St. Vincent's Catholic School and Plymouth High School. After school, Charlie began his career in 1970 as a Driver and Sales Representative with Freedman Express. He later went on to work for Conway Freight for 15 years.

Charlie has dedicated himself to membership and leadership roles in multiple charitable organizations. He currently serves as a sustaining Fourth Degree member of the President John F. Kennedy Council 372 Knights of Columbus, and previously served as the Grand Knight. He is also a member and past President of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Charlie also volunteers with Meals on Wheels of Greater Pittston and the Salvation Army.

Charlie now resides in Jenkins Township with his wife, Rose Ferentino Grimes. He and his wife have six children and thirteen grandchildren, of which they are extremely proud.

It is a great honor to congratulate Charles J. Grimes on this award to commemorate his dedication to charity and community service. Charlie is a tribute to the Pittston area, and I thank him for his many valuable contributions to the public good.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Dr. Shawn Casey, who will receive the 2014 Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Man of the Year Award on Monday, March 17, 2014. Dr. Casey was born in Pittston to Suzanne Walker Malloy and the late George T. Casey of Pittston. He graduated from Wyoming Area High School and Wilkes University, and studied Dentistry at the University of Pittsburgh. After graduation, Dr. Casey returned to the Pittston Area in 1994 to establish his dental practice.

In 2005, Dr. Casey founded Casey Dental, which now employs multiple dentists and specialists to provide comprehensive dental care in one location. Dr. Casey's office also accommodates Special Needs Dentistry for individuals with developmental disabilities, which he dedicated to his aunt, Mary Casey. Recently, Casey Dental expanded into Convention Hall in Pittston Township, where the brand new facility is equipped with 39 dentists and technicians to meet the growing need of patients in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Shawn is a board member of the Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry, a member of the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentistry, and Gnothos Orthodontic. He is also an active member of local charities, church organizations, school districts, and public service organizations. In particular, Shawn takes great pride in his Irish heritage and has been an active member with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for over 20 years. He won the Swingle Award for community service in 2003, and previously served as

the President of the organization. He will also soon accept the organization's 2014 Man of the Year award.

Shawn now resides in Jenkins Township with his wife of 21 years, Michele, and their three children, George, Shawna, and Samantha. Since joining in 1992, Shawn now enjoys yearly banquets and introducing his son, George, to the Friendly Sons to carry on the Casey Tradition.

I proudly offer my congratulations to Dr. Casey for receiving this award from the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. I applaud his commitment to providing dental care to Pennsylvanians, including those with special needs, and his lifetime of service to the Pittston area.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in acknowledgment of Joseph J. Joyce, who will receive the Achievement Award from the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick on Monday, March 17, 2014. Joe is a graduate of St. John's High School, Pittston, Pennsylvania, and Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. He went on to major in Business Education & Accounting at Bloomsburg University.

In 1989, Joe became licensed in Property and Casualty, Life, Accident and Health insurance and joined Joyce Insurance Group. Today, he focuses his efforts on commercial insurance, overseeing the Commercial Lines Division and company-toagency relations, specializing in governmental and self-funded entities.

Throughout his life, Joe has done charity work with several organizations. He is a member of St. John's Roman Catholic Church, Pittston, PA; the Jolly Boys Association, Avoca, Pennsylvania; the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce; the Avoca Lions Club, where he served as Secretary to the Board of Directors; and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Greater Pittston Chapter, where he served as President and Treasurer. Among his many accomplishments, Joe was the 2012 recipient of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Swingle Award, which honors a member for assisting and giving back to his community.

Currently, Joe resides in Hughestown with his wife Anna. They have raised five children: Joseph, John, Brent, Kahli and Aidan. They are also proud grandparents of four grandchildren: Annabel, Joey, Adeline, and Remy Mack Joyce.

I am proud to congratulate Mr. Joyce for receiving this acknowledgment from the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons, and for his many years of service to the Pittston Area.

Mr. Speaker, last week, the number of those cut off from emergency unemployment insurance surpassed 2 million Americans-- men and women who worked hard but lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

I represent northeastern Pennsylvania, and my district has been particularly hard hit. In Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, the unemployment rate is 7.5 percent; in the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area it is 7.7 percent.

Congress could and simply should reinstate the expired Federal program. These Americans lost their jobs due to no fault of their own. They don't deserve to lose their homes as well. I will shortly be introducing legislation to implement a 6-month moratorium on foreclosures for people who have lost their unemployment insurance but are otherwise paid up on their mortgages due to this congressional inaction.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and to vote to extend long-term unemployment compensation.

Thank you, Mr. Pocan.

I want to say, at the outset, that I was impressed with the colloquy that you had with our colleague from California (Mr. George Miller), and I wish to associate myself with those comments. They were very well-taken.

I, for one, and I know I speak on behalf of the entire Congressional Progressive Caucus, but I, for one, hope that the National Labor Relations Board revisits what happened in Chattanooga, because what we believe here in America is free and fair elections, and that includes labor union elections as well.

We are here to talk about raising the minimum wage, and it was only appropriate that Mr. Miller from California was here with us this evening because he is one of the coauthors of H.R. 1010, the bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10, a modest proposal, I should add.

But let me attempt to address this House. I know that there are those who think that everything that could be said about raising the minimum wage has already been said, but allow me to address this House as if nothing had been said about raising the minimum wage in this country to $10.10.

It is simply a matter of arithmetic. You know, if you just take what people were making at a minimum wage in the late 1960s in this country and put it on a cost index, a consumer price index, any kind of measure of inflation that has gone on since 1968, you see that, as my colleague and good friend from Wisconsin mentioned, it is well over $10.10 an hour. It is something like $10.60 an hour.

So this is indeed a modest proposal to turn the minimum wage up from the

mid-sevens to $10.10 an hour, and there are good, solid reasons we have in this country for doing this.

My fellow Members of the House, you have to remember what life is like for people who are making $7.25, $7.50, $7.75. People who are in that range are not bringing home enough money to make a living wage. They don't have enough money for the necessities of life.

People who are working full time--you have heard the expression ``the working poor,'' that is who we are talking about. These are the working poor.

Think about what our society has to do for the working poor. These are the people who have to take advantage of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the SNAP benefits. They used to be called food stamps.

These people don't make enough money, even though they work full time, to feed their families properly, so they resort to help from the SNAP program. Who pays for the SNAP program you might ask?

All of us do. U.S. taxpayers, John Q. Public pays for the SNAP program, so it is John Q. Public, not the employers of these people making the $7 per hour, not the employers paying for that, it is John Q. Taxpayer picking up the difference.

It is the taxpayers paying for the SNAP benefits for the workers who, although they are working full time, their employers are not paying them enough so that they can feed their families, give them the very basic necessities.

What else?

These are people that live in section 8 housing, low-income housing. Everybody knows that, the projects. That is where they live, the people who make minimum wage right now and try to feed and clothe and shelter their families on minimum wage in this country.

So who pays the supplemental amount to keep the section 8 housing program going?

It is us. It is John Q. Public, John Q. Taxpayer. It is the American taxpayers picking up the difference because not enough is being paid to these workers so that they can sustain their families. But that is not all.

What about Head Start?

These are families that can't afford to send their kids to preschool because when they are making minimum wage, they can't pay the minimal fee to send your kid to preschool.

So where do they go?

They go to Head Start. Head Start, a federally funded program.

Who pays for that?

You already know the answer. You do. It is the American taxpayer. It is John Q. Public paying for Head Start because we have got working families that don't make enough even to send their little kids to preschool.

What is the point of all of this?

The point is that these employers paying the minimum wage to these workers are paying so little that the American taxpayers have to step in and improve the lives of these people to such a basic level that they can feed them and clothe them and shelter them and give them the basic elemental education.

In other words, these employers are freeloaders. They are getting a free ride off of the American public because they are paying the minimum wage, which is in the sevens and it should be in the tens.

Listening to this debate, the owner of a small business might say, well, wait a minute. That means I have to lay people off because I only have so much money to pay my employees, so if you up the minimum wage to $10.10, I don't have as much money to pay each person, so I have to lay somebody off so I can pay the remaining people the $10.10 an hour.

That is a fallacy. It is a completely bogus argument, and let me tell you why: because that assumes that your business is a zero sum game. It is not.

To prove that, we need go back a century to a great American businessman, a self-made man, Henry Ford out of Dearborn, Michigan. What did he do?

He started one the greatest auto companies in the world. A central tenet of his business principles was that he was going to pay his workers a living wage, and he did.

They asked him, Mr. Ford, why are you paying your workers so much? You don't have to do this.

The answer is: I want my workers to be able to afford the things that I am building. If these people can't afford what I am building, then I don't have a market.

That is where the magic word comes in: customers. If you pay $10.10 to your employees, it is not just your employees getting that increase in wages, it is everybody else's employees. Everybody in America, instead of making in the sevens, they get up to $10.10, and all of a sudden they have a few more coins jingling in their pockets, and they might show up in your place of business.

You are making customers out of millions and millions and millions of Americans by paying them a working wage, a living wage, a wage that will enable them to become your customers.

So don't write off this argument, and don't fall for the same old argument that has been used, trotted out time and time again for why we shouldn't raise the minimum wage. If we here in America had believed and followed that argument, the minimum wage would still be $2.25 instead of what it is now.

So think of the customers you will get. This is why raising the minimum wage just to what we would raise it to to account for inflation since 1968 makes sense.

Certainly.

If stacked end to end, how far into space would those sofas reach is the question.

It is a great point, Mr. Pocan. Of course, you know the answer. The answer is this: when we put that extra money in the pockets of the people who are making the minimum wage in this country, they don't put that money in their brokerage accounts just to languish and not help others in the economy. They plug that money right back into the American economy, and it turns into growth and it turns into jobs.

That is what we were doing in 1968 when our economy was humming along and we were the pride of the free world. That is what we need to do again.

We need to think about stimulating our economy the old fashioned American way, by paying American workers a living wage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Brotherhood of Chefs of Northeastern Pennsylvania, who volunteered their time and expertise to host the third annual ``Cooking for a Cause'' event on February 24, 2014.

For the third year the Brotherhood of Chefs has donated their culinary skills to help a number of nonprofit agencies whose mission is to benefit children in need. Many of these organizations rely on events, like ``Cooking for Cause,'' to support their daily programming costs and without their support might find the need to scale back basic services to children with special needs. An event like this offers an opportunity for the entire community to come together to celebrate and support many worthy childhood development agencies. ``Cooking for

a Cause'' under the able leadership of Tom Malloy, President, Nello Allegrucci, Vice President, Ed Ancas, Secretary and Carmen Allegrucci, Treasurer, along with an extremely talented team of 20 chefs has made significant contributions in its brief history.

I join with other members of my local community in congratulating the Brotherhood of Chefs of Northeastern Pennsylvania for donating their time and unique talent to making our community a better place and for focusing their efforts on children in need in our community. I believe this effort reveals the American spirit of generosity and selfless giving that is one of our greatest virtues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Patrick J. Solano for his lifelong commitment to public service. For his distinguished civic career, Mr. Solano has been selected as the recipient of the 2013 Attorney Joseph Saporito, Sr., Greater Pittston Lifetime of Service Award.

During World War II, Mr. Solano served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. While in the military, he completed 23 combat missions over Germany with the Eighth U.S. Army Air Corps Heavy Bombardment Group. For his exemplary service to our nation, Mr. Solano was awarded the Group Presidential Citation, the Air Force Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the European Combat Theatre Medal with two Bronze Stars.

Upon his retirement from military service, Mr. Solano dedicated himself to serving both his community and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Mr. Solano has been an integral part of the civic leadership of Greater Pittston. He has served on dozens of local committees, boards and organizations including the Pittston Township Bicentennial Committee. Since 1969, Mr. Solano has also held numerous positions in the state government and worked with ten Pennsylvania governors. He served as the acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources when it was first established and was recently honored by that agency for his dedication to Pennsylvania's state parks and forests.

Mr. Solano has received numerous other awards, including the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce's Lifetime Achievement Award and the United States Army Corps of Engineers Commander's Award.

I would like to thank Mr. Solano for his years of civic service on behalf of northeastern Pennsylvania and the entire Commonwealth. I am moved by his dedication and leadership, as I'm sure many others are. It is my pleasure to recognize his work, and I am certain that his dedication to our state will continue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Stephanie Jallen for her remarkable and inspirational perseverance and resolve. Ms. Jallen will represent the U.S. at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, which take place March 7-16, and she has also been recognized by the Sunday Dispatch of Pittston, Pennsylvania as the Greater Pittston Person of the Year for 2013.

Ms. Jallen was born on February 13, 1996 with CHILD syndrome (Congenital Hemidysplasia with Ichthyosiform Erythroderma and Limb Defects Syndrome), a rare genetic birth disorder that mostly affects girls. Consequently, the left side of her body is underdeveloped. Ms. Jallen has only one leg and one fully developed arm. Despite a life- altering condition, Stephanie has thrived.

At the age of nine, Stephanie was first introduced to skiing by the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports. She met and trained with Mau Thompson, who would help her enter multiple NorAm ski races. With Mr. Thompson's assistance, Stephanie became involved with the U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing Team and was named to her first national team for the 2011-12 season. Since then, she has been a part of the two most recent national teams. She has competed in countries across the globe, including Germany and Australia.

Ms. Jallen is the epitome of a student-athlete. She trains and competes while also balancing academics. Stephanie is a senior in my district at Wyoming Area Secondary Center, and she has been accepted to Kings College in Wilkes-Barre where she will be starting in the fall as a freshman.

I would like to commend Stephanie Jallen on her determination to compete on a global stage and wish her the best of luck as she proudly represents our country in the 2014 Winter Games. Her remarkable story has brought her community together like few things can, and she has inspired many fellow students and citizens of northeastern Pennsylvania to be the best they can be.

Madam Chairman, this bill is being brought to the floor during this week that has been labeled ``stop government abuse week.'' I am here to say that this is a bill that has some stopping power, all right.

It would stop the government from protecting our health and safety by bringing the regulatory process to a grinding halt.

And I want to address title I of this antiregulatory package right now. It includes the text of the All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act. This legislation, Madam Chairwoman, is unnecessarily burdensome for agencies.

Agencies are already required to provide status updates twice a year on their plans for proposing and finalizing rules pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order No. 12866.

This legislation would require agencies to report monthly. They are already required to report twice a year. This takes them to monthly. It is incredibly burdensome on agencies.

But the most egregious provision in title I would prohibit agency rules from taking effect until the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has posted the information required by the bill online for at least 6 months. This moratorium can only be avoided if the agency claims an exception from the notice and comments requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act or if the President issues an executive order. Therefore, it delays most regulations by an additional 6 months.

I think we can all agree that transparency in the rulemaking process is a good thing, but this bill sacrifices common sense in the name of improving transparency without achieving any kind of meaningful transparency.

Agencies already make significant amounts of information available during the rulemaking process on the Web site www.regulations.gov. This bill could simply require agencies to make additional information publicly available, but it doesn't do that.

Under this bill, an agency could post information about the cost of a proposed rule on its own Web site for a year; but if the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs didn't post the information for at least 6 months, the agency would be prohibited from finalizing the rule.

Madam Chair, my amendment would strike the moratorium provision in title I. Striking that provision would ensure that an agency rule will not be needlessly held up because the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs did not post a piece of information online for exactly 6 months.

I have been assured by the Congressional Budget Office that my amendment is revenue-neutral. I urge Members to vote for my amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva).

I rise today to express my opposition to H.R. 2954, the mistitled Public Access and Lands Improvement Act. Rather than improving our Nation's lands, this bill negatively affects our land management decisions. It conveys or disposes of Federal lands improperly. It rewrites grazing policy, and it waives numerous environmental laws like the Natural Environmental Policy Act, the Wilderness Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Overall, H.R. 2954 contains a number of provisions that would undermine the responsible balance of interests and considerations in the stewardship of our Nation's lands and our Nation's resources.

Included in the myriad of poor land management provisions that this bill cobbles together is language that gives away thousands of acres of Federal land in Florida, Alaska, and Nevada, valued at millions of dollars, without a transparent public planning process. When the Federal Government gives away land, we do so with certain understandings of how it will be used. It is just wrong to change the rules without due consideration and without any compensation for the Federal Government--the taxpayers of this Nation--if others will now profit from this land.

Yet another ill-advised land management provision, H.R. 2954 also prevents the Bureau of Land Management from carrying out its mission to manage public lands for multiple use. Specifically, this bill requires that until the agency creates a public database of all lands identified for disposal, BLM would be barred from all land acquisitions. This is couched as a transparency measure when, in reality, it is nothing more than an attempt to prevent and delay BLM from doing its all-important work.

Further, provisions of the bill would disregard or reduce public engagement on a range of community interests, including natural resource protections. In fact, H.R. 2954 would overturn a multiyear National Park Service process that has resulted in balanced provisions that protect threatened shorebirds and endangered nesting sea turtles while preserving the economic health of the community at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The National Park Service should be allowed to continue their balanced and successful management of Cape Hatteras National Seashore in order to ensure these critical protections remain in place.

Along with these poor land management decisions and irresponsible consideration of our Nation's lands and natural resources, H.R. 2954 would eliminate or delay timely reviews of grazing leases necessary to ensure sound conservation principles.

In addition, H.R. 2954 includes a bill to expedite salvaged logging on the Rim Fire area of northern California, overriding NEPA and administrative and judicial review.

The end result after piecing together all these provisions is a piece of legislation that waives Federal law, including laws that require consultation with Federal, State, local, or tribal governments or with local residents in order, among other things, to expedite timber harvest on certain Federal lands in California; reverse course on the science-based National Park Service plan that provides an appropriate balance of off-road vehicle access and protection of sensitive seashore areas in North Carolina; and waive NEPA in multiple scenarios, weakening important public involvement and planning provisions.

Mr. Chairman, our public lands and natural resources would simply be mismanaged, unprotected, and undervalued as a result of this bill. I believe we have to put partisan politics aside and work together to protect and responsibly manage America's natural resources and to support and ensure that the Nation's spectacular landscapes, unique natural life, and cultural resources and icons endure for future generations. This bill is just a giant step in the wrong direction.

Mr. Chairman, for all these reasons, I urge my colleagues here in the House to vote ``no'' on H.R. 2954.