Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Allan

Alfred Voigt, a truly remarkable Renaissance man who passed away May 13, 2011.

Al Voigt was a scientist who held several patents, an artist, a community leader, a loving and devoted husband to his wife, Judith, a caring and inspiring father to his children, Che and Shanta, and doting grandfather to Logan Allan and Katherine Annabelle.

Al founded a series of aerospace engineering firms in Sonoma County that contributed to some of our most important national defense projects. His technical innovations in tactical missile and surveillance systems led to the development and success of the Stinger missile and Predator drone. More than 350 people in Sonoma County have high paying, technical engineering and manufacturing jobs because of these projects.

But Al's passions were much more extensive. He and his wife founded the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation, which has placed more than two dozen sculptures, either pieces owned by the foundation or on loan by collaborative artists, in publically accessible places in Sonoma County.

He also won furniture design awards with his abstract chairs and his aerodynamic tricycles have set world speed records.

Mr. Speaker, Al Voigt was a prodigious thinker who never rested on his laurels. He was always looking ahead for the next idea. His fundamental skill was analyzing a problem and finding the solution, whether it was in national defense, art, or a functional piece of furniture. It is therefore appropriate that we honor him at this time for his service to our country and to his community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of community member Lee Hart, for his outstanding work in Napa County, California.

Mr. Hart was born in San Francisco in 1940 and moved to Yountville at the age of 3. He is the great-grandson of a Yountville pioneer, Mr. Mathias Van de Leur, who was a Napa County Supervisor and a mason who built the St. Helena Catholic Church, several stone bridges and the Manor House at Stagg's Leap Winery.

Lee Hart has been on the Board of the Yountville Cemetery Association for 46 years and has been the President and proven leader since 1967. His love of Napa moved him to shift careers, from the banking world to serving as a police officer with the Napa Police Department, from where he retired after 26 years of service. Mr. Hart was recognized as ``Police Officer of the Year;'' he also taught self-defense at the Napa Valley College, and was an instructor for the Napa Police Academy. After retiring from the police force, he was a Marshall for the Napa Sheriff's Department for another 10 years.

Mr. Hart has been a lifelong member of Toastmasters, Ducks Unlimited, the California Waterfowl Association, and is the founding member of the George Yount Mountainmen organization. He has been known to participate in the Yountville Parade and dress as George Yount. Mr. Hart has been involved in martial arts since 1964, and is a 9th Degree Black Belt, having won several competitions with gold, silver and bronze medals.

``Anything done in moderation is boring,'' is one of Mr. Hart's favorite sayings and he can always be found sharing a good story and showcasing his duck decoy collection. Mr. Hart is fortunate to be surrounded by a large circle of loving family and life-long friends. He married Chrissy Hart in 1991. He has three children: Elizabeth, Victoria and Leroy-Mathias, and 10 grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we acknowledge Leroy Edward Hart for his decades of devoted service to the Napa Valley community on this Memorial Day.

I thank Mr. Ruppersberger for yielding, and I thank Mr. Ruppersberger and Mr. Rogers for their good work in the committee.

As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis, and Counterintelligence, I'm pleased that we were able to work through our differences to bring a stronger and now bipartisan Intelligence authorization bill to the floor today.

H.R. 754 will support critical U.S. intelligence capabilities by increasing resources for our country's counterterrorism efforts while also providing needed flexibility to the Central Intelligence Agency to hire the analysts that it needs.

Last year, under the leadership of then-Speaker Pelosi and Chairman

Reyes, President Obama signed the first Intelligence Authorization Act in 6 years. That bill included a number of long overdue provisions that supported critical U.S. intelligence capabilities, significantly enhanced congressional oversight, and improved accountability across the entire intelligence community. Today's bill builds on that effort and represents an important step forward towards enacting an Intelligence authorization bill for the second year in a row.

Unfortunately, the process used to produce this bill was badly flawed and there weren't proper hearings to get to where we are now. And that's evidenced by the amendments that we are able to get into this bill to bring it up to the position that it's in. However, with the changes made to the classified annex, I believe this authorization will strengthen our national security and is in the best interest of our intelligence community.

Specifically, the additional funds authorized by this bill to hire more counterterrorism analysts will make our country safer and more secure. It was, after all, counterterrorism analysts that located Osama bin Laden after he had disappeared for nearly 10 years and that are now tracking senior al Qaeda leadership around the globe. By providing more resources to this critical effort, our intelligence community will be able to confront head-on the threat posed by al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations throughout the world. In fact, given the recent success of our counterterrorism effort, this is the strategy we should pursue over our counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan, which has not shown the results Congress expected or that the American people demand. This tactical change would significantly reduce our military footprint in countries around the world while allowing our military and intelligence assets to confront terrorism threats wherever they're developed.

Mr. Chair, our intelligence community must be prepared for any and all threats, making it all the more critical for Congress to pass an Intelligence authorization that furthers our national security.

This legislation is necessary, will enhance the capabilities of the intelligence community, specifically our counterterrorism efforts, and will make our Nation safer.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill and thank the members of our intelligence community and their families for their great work and their sacrifice.

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

Mr. Chairman, according to this bill's drafters, the legislation would not require leasing permits in the northern California planning area, which is the coastline of my district. My amendment merely makes that clear.

Drilling on the north coast of California is a disastrous idea, and the legislation must be clear that it is not acceptable to drill off California's north coast. Because this amendment is a clarification of the legislation's intent, there is no cost associated with it.

Just about 3 weeks ago, we marked the 1-year anniversary of the Nation's worst oil spill. I will not let what happened to the Gulf of Mexico happen to the north coast of California. I have introduced separate stand-alone legislation which would permanently ban drilling off the coast of my district.

It is important to me and to my constituents that H.R. 1231 clearly notates that drilling will not occur in the northern California planning area along the coasts of Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties. The coastal area of my district is one of only four major upwellings in our world's oceans.

An upwelling is where cold, nutrient-rich waters are brought from the ocean depths to the surface. Upwelling regions promote seaweed and growth, which, in turn, supply energy for some of the most productive ecosystems in our world, including many of our world's fisheries.

North coast ecosystems also sustain some of the largest salmon populations in the lower 49 States and provide essential habitat for Dungeness crab, rockfish, sole, and urchin.

In 2006 and 2008, commercial fishery disasters that virtually eliminated salmon fishing in California were economically disastrous to my district, to our States, and our Nation. If an oil spill were to occur off the coast of my district, the environmental and economic costs would be staggering. Drilling for oil or gas off California's north coast could cause serious harm to the unique and productive ecosystem and abundant marine life found in this area.

My district is economically dependent upon the rich natural resources we are blessed to have, but it is also subject to significant earthquakes which exacerbate the issues, the threats, and the problems related to oil spills.

One of my counties just wrote to me, and I quote, ``The modest amount of oil available in terms of our Nation's daily demand does not justify jeopardizing our fisheries, our environment, and our economic livelihoods.''

This amendment will merely protect the north coast of California and will simply clarify what the drafters of this bill say that the bill does, and that is that they claim that it does not require drilling off the coasts of Mendocino, Humboldt, or Del Norte Counties.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself the balance of my time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Again, I want to point out that the majority party has told me and told my staff that the bill that they have offered today, the bill that we are going to be voting on, does not affect the north coast of California. Now, my effort with this amendment is merely to trust but verify.

To oppose this amendment really calls into question, what is the underlying motivation of this bill? Does it do what they claim and not affect this region of our ocean, again, one of only four major upwellings in the world's oceans. This is an area that feeds and promotes the fisheries and the marine life not only in my area, but in all the ocean. And the idea we would put it at any kind of risk. Those of you who know the area know how rough the water is, know how rocky the shores are. If there was an oil spill there, it would never be cleaned up. The area is seismically active. To drill in that area with the threat of earthquakes, you are

looking at a situation that would make the Gulf of Mexico disaster pale in comparison.

It is not too much to ask that we merely verify what it is the majority party says that they are not doing with this bill. And the idea that this amendment would be opposed is quite startling to me. I believe that this is something that everyone can get behind. To say that the bill doesn't do this and then refuse to take the amendment calls into question the motive of the bill.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with both pride and sadness today with my colleague, Lynn Woolsey, to honor one of Sonoma County's pioneering leaders. Jess Stonestreet Jackson passed away April 12, 2011, at his home in Geyserville, California. From the wine industry to local philanthropy, Jess Jackson touched lives across the North Bay, and he was admired and respected for his devotion to our region.

Born on February 18, 1930, and raised in San Francisco, Jess Jackson worked numerous jobs as a child to support his parents. As a young adult, he worked as a long shoreman and police officer to put himself through the University of California, Berkeley. He embodied the American ideal that a dedicated and hardworking person can build a successful life.

With a unique drive and an entrepreneurial spirit, Jess Jackson established himself as a leader in the American wine industry. With a successful law career in San Francisco, he began growing grapes in the 1970s. He produced his first wine in the 1980s at the age of 52, quickly putting Sonoma County on the map as one of the premier wine- growing regions of the world. Jackson's work redefined the use of ``California'' as an appellation of quality for Chardonnay. His family company, Jackson Family Wines, now operates over 30 wineries around the globe.

Jackson was also known for devoting much of his energy, intellect and financial resources to help others. He donated millions of dollars to charities locally and across the country. In Sonoma County, for example, he supported the Family Justice Center, the Redwood Empire Food Bank, and the Boys and Girls Clubs. He and his wife, Barbara R. Banke, spearheaded a wine auction, Sonoma Paradiso, raising millions of dollars for a host of local causes for the benefit of children.

Jackson and Banke also embarked on a pioneering venture to promote the study and practice of sustainable viticulture. Their multimillion- dollar commitment to the University of California, Davis, which will fund the construction of a wine center geared toward education, testifies to the forward-thinking approach Jackson always took to business and agriculture in the Wine Country. It will create an opportunity for future generations to practice sustainable viticulture.

In addition to his wife, Jackson is survived by his five children and their families who will continue his legacy in the North Bay.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in honoring the life of Jess Stonestreet Jackson. His fine wines earned him friends worldwide. His entrepreneurial leadership and compassionate heart earned admirers throughout the North Bay. He has enriched our lives, and he will be dearly missed.

Mr. Speaker, it is with both great sadness and a sense of great honor that I rise today, along with my colleague, Lynn Woolsey, to honor and pay tribute to Mitchell ``Mitch'' Mulas, of Sonoma, California, who passed away March 31, 2011 of complications following heart surgery.

It is no exaggeration to say that Mitch Mulas was an icon in Sonoma County and a role model for generations of fire fighters, teachers and students, and farmers. He represented the best in community service and in devotion to his family.

Mitch was born in 1928 in Sonoma, California, the son of an Italian immigrant father and a mother who survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He met his wife, Nilda when he was 15 and she was 13. They had their first date three years later, and three years following that, they were married. Nilda was his partner, friend and soul mate and survives him in his passing.

Mitch was a dairy farmer and a leader in the county's agricultural organizations. He joined the Farm Bureau after he graduated from high school and served as President from 1965-1967 and 1985-1986. He was inducted into the Sonoma County Farm Bureau Hall of Fame in 2002.

He took a brief hiatus from leadership positions within the Farm Bureau to serve on the Sonoma Valley Unified School Board for 12 years from 1969 to 1981. His influence stretched from the classroom to the football field, where he anchored a favorite spot in the bleachers each season. Not only did he receive the district's ``Salute to Education'' award but the Sonoma Valley High School Athletic Hall of Fame created the Mulas Family Recognition Award in his honor, which is presented annually to persons or businesses in the Sonoma Valley who have contributed time and resources to student athletes and coaches.

Mitch was also the ``Chief,'' a title he wore with distinction and pride. In 1942, at the age 14, he helped his father start what later became the Shell-Vista Fire Protection District. He served first as a volunteer firefighter, was named Assistant Chief in 1955 and served in that position until he was named Chief in 1968. He served in that position until his death.

Mr. Speaker, Mitch Mulas was a farmer, educator, activist and sports enthusiast who also protected his community for 69 years as a fire fighter. But above all else, he was a devoted family man who is survived by his wife, Nilda, four children, six grandchildren and two great grand children. An entire community mourns his passing, and it is appropriate that we honor him at this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chef Thomas Aloysius Keller, of Yountville, California on the occasion of being honored by French President Nicolas Sarkozy as a Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor.

Chef Keller was born at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California to Elizabeth and Edward Keller on October 14, 1955. He is the youngest of five boys. Chef Keller's experience in the restaurant business began when his family moved to Florida. He was studying psychology and working as a dishwasher when his mother asked him to take over as a replacement chef at the restaurant she managed.

One summer he was discovered by French-born Roland Henin, who taught Chef Keller the fundamentals of French cuisine. After working at a small French restaurant in the Hudson River Valley in Catskill, New York, he moved to France where he refined his skills through working at Michelin-starred restaurants, including Guy Savoy and Taillevent. He soon returned to the U.S. and opened his first restaurant, Rakel, in 1986.

In 1994, Chef Keller took ownership of The French Laundry in Yountville. Built as a saloon in the 1900s and converted to a French steam laundry in the 1920s, the restaurant has commandeered world-wide recognition, having been named ``Best Restaurant in the World'' in 2003 and 2004. It has been awarded three Michelin stars every year since 2006. In 1996 he was named Best Chef in California and in 1997, Best Chef in America by the James Beard Foundation. He now has 8 restaurants and two bakeries in the U.S., among those Bouchon, Ad Hoc, and renowned New York City restaurant, Per Se. Chef Keller's work ethic knows no bounds and the professionalism of his staff is legendary--two of the reasons why his ventures are successful.

Chef Keller is also the author of various award winning books, including, ``The French Laundry,'' ``Bouchon,'' ``Under Pressure,'' and the best fried chicken recipe in ``Ad Hoc At Home,'' which was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 6 weeks.

Chef Keller is also very giving of his time to organizations and causes which benefit the Napa Valley. He helps with March of Dimes, City Meals on Wheels, Share our Strength and Auction Napa Valley. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Culinary Institute of America, and is the President of Bocuse d'Or USA.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we acknowledge my friend Chef Thomas Keller for his extraordinary work and for being only one of three Americans who have been bestowed the honor of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Elizabeth Okerstrom Murguia of Eureka, California on the occasion of her retirement after more than 35 years of extraordinary public service for the people of California's North Coast.

Born and raised in beautiful rural Mendocino County, Liz's parents, Merle and Astrid Okerstrom, instilled in her a deep appreciation for the important things in life: family, community, and civic engagement. From age 10 and on, Liz was raising ``Dollars for Democrats'' and serving in student government, paving the way for a long career in public service.

Early visits to the Bookmobile growing up nurtured Liz's lifelong passion for books and reading. Graduating from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature in 1972, Liz quickly became a committed and dynamic library advocate. She served on the Humboldt County Library Construction Advisory Committee from 1979 through 1995, playing a central role in raising the funds to construct a new Main Library for the Humboldt County Public Library system. In 1991, she was appointed as a California Delegate to the White House Conference on Libraries in Washington, DC. As Co-Founder and President of the Humboldt Library Foundation since 1996, Liz was the recipient of its distinguished Helen Everett Award in 2006 in recognition of 25 years of tireless work on behalf of public libraries. In 2008, Liz was also appointed to serve on the Library of California Board to ensure that all Californians have access to library resources and services for lifelong learning and enrichment.

Following her graduation from college, Liz worked for Zero Population Growth in Washington DC., after which she returned to California and began working for former State Senator and Assemblyman Barry Keene in 1975, where she remained for 18 years.

In 1993, I was honored that Liz joined my State Senate staff as District Representative and then my Congressional staff in 1998, serving as my representative for Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in the United States Congress. Throughout the past 18 years, Liz has proven herself to be an invaluable asset, trusted adviser, and cherished friend. She is a creative and effective problem solver with a breadth of knowledge of public policy and local issues relating to health care, education, community development, and working with Native American Tribes. Liz also has a developed expertise in understanding and solving the North Coast's wide range of natural resource issues, including public land management, timber, salmon restoration, and ocean resources.

Liz is a masterful writer and fundraiser, well known and deeply respected by the community. Her impact has been far-reaching through her service on many boards and committees such as the Open Door Community Health Clinics Board, Keep Eureka Beautiful Board, St. Joseph's Hospital Advocacy Committee,

Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee, Aligning Forces 4 Quality Care Leadership Team, and Timber Heritage Museum Advisory Council. She has also previously served on the North Coast Regional Land Trust Advisory Council, Humboldt Child Care Council, Women's Resources For Work Board, and the North Coast Pro-Choice Pac Board. In 1988, Liz was selected as Democrat of the Year by the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee.

Liz is fortunate to be surrounded by a large circle of loving family and lifelong friends. She shared 30 years with the great love of her life, her late husband Sef, with whom she shares four children, Todd, Dana, Adam, and Michael, and nine grandchildren. Liz has a deep appreciation for the arts and music, and is known for her warm and welcoming nature as a hostess of frequent dinner parties, as well as being a passionate gardener, how she spends much of her time.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we acknowledge Elizabeth Okerstrom Murguia for her 35-plus years of dedicated service and extend our best wishes for a well-deserved retirement. She will be greatly missed.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, if H.R. 658 passes, this 4- year FAA reauthorization bill would devastate rural communities across our great country. This legislation completely phases out the Essential Air Service program, rolls back critical funding needed for airport improvement programs, fails to adequately protect the rights of air passengers, and would cost us close to 70,000 American jobs.

The EAS, the Essential Air Service program, is necessary to provide air service into our country's most rural communities. This year alone, 110 rural airports in the continental United States were helped by this important program. These airports, like the one I represent in Crescent City, California, would simply not be in operation if it weren't for the EAS program. This legislation would completely phase out the EAS program for all airports in the Lower 48 by 2014. This would be devastating for small businesses and a public safety disaster.

I singled out Crescent City Airport in Del Norte County on the west coast of California because, as we all know, just a couple of weeks ago we had a tsunami. Crescent City, California, was ground zero for that tsunami on the Pacific coast. Crescent City received about $40 million worth of damage. We lost a life. All the roads were closed in and out of the area. The only way to get people in and out--some of those people critical public safety individuals, folks who came in to do assessments and to help out in this devastating time--were through our small airport. If this program is lost, that small airport would not be there for my district and all of the other rural districts across the country.

Mr. Chairman, I agree that we've gone too long without a long-term FAA reauthorization bill. However, the bill before us, I believe, would do more harm than good for our aviation system. For that reason, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

I yield to my friend from Illinois.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1076.

Without so much as a single hearing, the legislation being debated today would dismantle a public radio system depended upon by 34 million Americans weekly, many of whom are from rural America.

In fact, in many rural areas of our country like the one I represent, public broadcasters are among the few journalists still around who actually deliver local news to residents.

One needs to look no further than last week's massive earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunami that devastated communities on the west coast to understand how important public broadcasting is in these rural areas.

A small community in my district, Crescent City, California was hit the hardest. Eight foot waves of water destroyed the city's harbor, caused over $36 million dollars in damage, and took the life of an individual who was swept into the sea.

When the tsunami warnings were first issued, KHSU public radio, the most-listened-to station on the North Coast of California, broadcast essential information to the people of Crescent City and the surrounding areas.

KHSU was on the air with tsunami warnings by 6 a.m. local time-- telling residents to evacuate the low coastal areas, announcing school closings, and letting people know where emergency shelters were located in both Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

KHSU kept up with this information until the warning was lifted later in the afternoon.

This critically important local coverage was coupled with breaking news from NPR about the earthquake in Japan, the tsunami warning for the entire west coast, and the science and analysis behind this event and how it can affect us--immediately and in the long run.

If H.R. 1076 is passed into law, KHSU would be prohibited from using CPB funds to acquire this necessary programming in the future, even though it was critically important during this local emergency.

There is no doubt that public radio's ability to effectively serve rural America will be permanently impaired if this legislation is signed into law.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to protect this critically important resource and vote against H.R. 1076.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 45th anniversary of the Humboldt Arts Council in Humboldt County, California.

Since 1966, the members of the Humboldt Arts Council (HAC) have been dedicated to promoting Humboldt County's rich artistic heritage. Incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 1971, HAC is the County's largest multidisciplinary arts organization. The HAC serves as a community leader to provide opportunities for artists of all ages, including the development of art education and partnerships, as well as ensuring accessibility of the arts through innovative and multicultural programs.

Beginning in 1996, the Humboldt Arts Council began a successful capital campaign for renovation of the Carnegie Library Building, a historic symbol of community pride and local culture, into a regional art museum and art center. On January 1, 2000, the community ushered in the new millennium by celebrating the grand opening of the Morris Graves Museum of Art. Embarking on its new ``Century of Service'' to the community, the Museum was enthusiastically welcomed and has since been the leading contemporary arts exhibition and performance facility in the area.

On the first Saturday of each month, thousands of visitors are welcomed to the Morris Graves Museum of Art and its seven galleries to celebrate local artists during Eureka's Arts Alive. This includes a Courtyard Sculpture Garden, classroom facilities, an Arts Resource Center, a Performance Rotunda, and more.

The Humboldt Arts Council will be celebrating its 45th year of advancing the arts in Humboldt County on April 6, 2011.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we honor the Humboldt Arts Council on the occasion of its 45th anniversary of continuing the rich legacy of the arts on California's North Coast.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the distinguished

public service career of Ms. Janet M. Bedrosian. Ms. Bedrosian has honorably served the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for nearly 38 years and will retire on April 2, 2011.

Ms. Bedrosian was born in Tennessee and moved to Grass Valley, California, as an infant, where she grew up in California's Mother Lode country and graduated from Nevada Union High School as class valedictorian.

Ms. Bedrosian attended the University of Nevada-Reno, where she earned dual degrees in journalism and English. Ms. Bedrosian, currently the Deputy State Director, External Affairs at the BLM's California State Office, began her BLM career in 1973 at the Nevada State Office as its first public affairs staff member. She also worked in the Washington, D.C. office as Assistant Public Affairs Chief before returning to California to work in the state office as a public affairs specialist and congressional liaison. Ms. Bedrosian worked with California's 54-member Washington delegation, more than 120 full-time members of California's State legislature, and key State and local governments and their staffs. During this time, she built a robust and comprehensive congressional and legislative program that remains unequalled in the BLM's history. Her understanding of government processes and her ability to develop strong relationships have been crucial to many of the BLM's and Department of the Interior's successes, particularly in California.

Issues for which Ms. Bedrosian played a key role include the coordination between elected officials, the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, and the BLM that resulted in passage of the California Desert Protection Act--the largest piece of wilderness legislation in the contiguous United States ever to come before Congress.

Ms. Bedrosian is well respected for her knowledge of land management and her ability to handle complex issues. Due to these attributes, a former BLM Director called upon her to act as the BLM's Chief of Staff in 2007.

For her dedication, expertise, and service, Ms. Bedrosian has been honored with the two highest awards from the Department of the Interior--the Meritorious Service Award in 2007 and the Department's highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Service Award, presented to her in 2010. According to the Interior Department, ``Recipients of the Distinguished Service Award must have demonstrated extremely significant long-term contributions to Departmental programs and missions.'' These awards are signed by the Secretary of the Interior and have been presented since 1948. Ms. Bedrosian is recognized nationally as an expert, a leader, and among the best External Affairs managers the BLM has ever had.

Outside the workplace, Ms. Bedrosian enjoys politics, travel, and making cookies. But mostly, she enjoys her family: husband Tod, son Sean, and daughter Kate; and her three sisters, brother, and father, all of whom live in the Sacramento area.

Ms. Bedrosian's nearly four-decade career in public service deserves the highesi appreciation and commendation. I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Ms. Janet Bedrosian on a successful career and in wishing her happiness in her retirement.

Mr. Speaker, on March 11, 2011, I missed rollcall votes Nos. 172-174 due to a tsunami in my district. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: rollcall No. 172, ``aye;'' rollcall No. 173, ``aye;'' and rollcall No. 174, ``nay.''

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

What we're hearing on this amendment and as to the amendment itself is certainly a switch from what we've been hearing over the past couple of days. I say that because this amendment is a Washington, D.C., solution to a very, very local issue.

This amendment would stop a comprehensive local solution to a major and very costly problem in the Klamath River Basin.

This effort at the local level, supported by farmers and ranchers, fishermen, conservation groups, the privately owned power company in question, tribes, as well as the States of California and Oregon, it has a very bipartisan root. It was negotiated under both the Bush administration and the Obama administration.

It's a study. It does not, nor is it an agreement to, remove any dams.

All the local communities in the Klamath Basin, even those who were opposed to dam removal, support the completion of the study and they are at the table working on this specific issue.

Even the California Farm Bureau is in support of completing this study. It needs to be noted that only Congress can authorize dam removal.

This amendment is not wanted by any of the stakeholders: agriculture, conservation, local government, the dam owners, sportsmen and -women, nor the tribes. It will exacerbate the already serious problems we face in the Klamath Basin watershed.

I ask my colleagues to please join me in voting against this bad amendment.

I thank the gentleman, and I want to agree with you, Mr. Dicks, on the salmon implications of this, and also Mr. Walden, who talked about the agricultural implications of not having a solution. This has been an absolute mess for decades, and we've seen the fruits of that disaster bear out in the salmon industry crashing and agricultural problems that we have.

And for the first time in decades, first time ever, we have had all the stakeholders come together. These are people who you couldn't get in the same town with before who are sitting around the same table. They are working out solutions. They have come to some agreements. And this study has to be made, and, Mr. Dicks, you are absolutely right.

Will the gentleman yield?

I would just like to clarify one fact.

I just want to clarify one issue, and that's the cost of energy as a result of this. If this isn't solved, the dam owners, the private owners that are supporting this study will have to make repairs to the dam that far exceed other costs and will drive the ratepayers' utility rates up through the roof. That's why the statement was made about those costs of utilities and the costs to the ratepayers.

Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Madam Chair, there is bipartisan

agreement that Congress needs to create jobs, grow our economy, and live within our means. The bill before us today, though, goes too far, with irresponsible and arbitrary cuts that will threaten the economy and cost us more than 800,000 private and public sector jobs. Included in today's bill is reckless language that will cost thousands of jobs in coastal communities in my district and in Oregon by destroying the recreational and commercial salmon fisheries.

Over the years, my district has been hit hard by politically motivated water management decisions that have resulted in dramatic declines in salmon stock. For example, in the Central Valley, we witnessed a peak of 768,000 fall-run salmon in 2002, followed by a collapse to a historic low of only 39,500 fish in 2009. These declines have led to an estimated $1.4 billion in lost economic activity in 2008, 2009 and 23,000 lost jobs.

In these 2 years, the commercial fishery was completely shut down. Last year, only 14,500 salmon were caught by the California salmon fishery, which is about 20 percent as many as were caught during the 2006 disaster. This only exacerbates the economic crisis facing fishing families in communities in my district. These fishing families have been put out of work in my district and up through and into Oregon. Some have lost their homes, their savings, and their livelihoods.

Water management decisions in the collapsing bay-delta ecosystem need to be based on science, not politics. In 2002, the science on minimum flows in the Klamath River was ignored, resulting in the death of some 80,000 salmon and the loss of countless fishing community jobs. Today's bill does the same thing by waiving Federal protections, which put at risk fishing industry jobs. By de-funding the biological opinions, this bill also threatens water supplies for southern California farmers and cities by placing the burden to comply with the California Endangered Species Act solely on the State Water Project.

We know that with the right tools and careful water management we can meet our water needs in a cost-effective way and restore salmon runs and coastal economies. We need to continue the ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching balanced solutions for California's water challenges. This bill undermines that effort.

For these reasons and many more, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this reckless piece of legislation that hurts jobs, hurts the economy, and hurts my district.

I yield back the balance of my time.