Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on this, the eve of the anniversary of American Independence, it is fitting that we recognize not only the role of the founders in freedom's birthplace, Philadelphia, but that we salute those who have, ever since that declaration of freedom in 1776, fought in battle after battle and in war after war to secure our freedoms. On that day of days celebrating America's freedoms, like all days when freedom reigns, we should honor those who have so selflessly served and made such extraordinary personal sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, more than a year before independence was declared, General George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. His leadership was born of our War for Independence, and, to this day, General Washington remains a revered figure for the soldier in the field. And for so many reasons, the General still warmly resides in America's hearts and minds. Among our Nation's highest honors stands one enjoying almost universal recognition and holding a distinguished reverence by those both inside and outside the ranks of our dedicated military services. Its pedigree stretches back to the legendary commitment General Washington had made to his troops.

Above all, the Purple Heart symbolizes the sacrifice made freely for this country, given for each of us and for future generations. Here in our Nation's Capital on the office wall of West Virginia's Third Congressional District hangs one of my most cherished recognitions, a citation from the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the United States of America recognizing my service to the Order. Each year, I am honored to welcome West Virginia members of the Order to my office and to discuss with them issues of importance.

Many times I have had the high honor of presenting the Purple Heart to my fellow West Virginians. Without exception, they are as humble in accepting this award as they were meritorious in their actions for which it was granted. Here, Mr. Speaker, is found the true heart of the American character.

In the heart of the Appalachian Coalfields, in the heart of Logan County, West Virginia, its County Seat, the City of Logan, has been rightly proclaimed ``A Purple Heart City.'' Through the decades and by the thousands, the men and women of this patriotic town and from throughout this county have freely enlisted their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to further the cause begun with the ``shot heard 'round the World.''

The Proclamation honors the service and sacrifice of those who have received a Purple Heart. Our service men and women and veterans, many of whom are honorably represented by Logan's Chapter 733 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, are revered by the citizens of the City of Logan and those in the County at large.

The great cost, the blood lost, will never have been in vain within these city limits. Mr. Speaker, the honor and respect paid to those in uniform and those now in the ranks of our veterans is supreme and as about as united as you are going to get in these United States of America.

As Logan Mayor Serafino J. Nolletti's Proclamation states, ``the contributions and sacrifices of the men and women from the City of Logan who served in the Armed Forces have been vital in maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by our citizens.''

Nor, Mr. Speaker, does the service to our Nation end for the West Virginia veteran with his muster out pay. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Our veterans continue to contribute to their community through their faithful work in their churches and service within the many charitable organizations to which they belong. Their selfless work is the mortar that so securely binds our Republic together.

That most certainly includes the dedicated commitment of the officers of Chapter 733: Charles Baisden, Commander; Troy Varney, Senior Vice Commander; Charles Frye, Finance Officer; and Larry Thompson, Sergeant at Arms.

In creating the military honor that preceded today's Purple Heart, General Washington issued an order that closed with these words: ``The road to glory in a patriot army and free country is thus open to all.'' Mr. Speaker, my fellow colleagues, if the veterans and Purple Heart recipients in Logan, West Virginia, have any say in the matter, and I assure you they will, the road to glory will always be open to all in a free United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the EPA is expected to unleash what is essentially a Federal cap-and-trade proposal aimed at our Nation's existing coal-fired power plants.

I will oppose this rule, as it will adversely affect coal miners and coal mining communities throughout West Virginia and the Nation. At stake is our economy and the livelihoods of our coal miners, our steelworkers, electrical workers, those who keep our freight trains running, and families and businesses that rely on affordable energy from coal.

Even though we don't have the details of the rule yet, from everything we know, we can be sure of this: it will be very bad for jobs. The only real question is where, on a scale from devastating to a death blow, the new rule will fall.

I have written to OMB opposing the new source performance standards rule for future power plants and calling upon the Director to return the draft rule to EPA and calling on EPA to go back to the drawing board on their proposal.

I have joined 181 Members of this body in a letter to Administrator McCarthy asking that the normal 60-day comment period be extended to at least 120 additional days.

I have cosponsored and voted for H.R. 3826, the Electricity Security and Affordability Act, along with my colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield), which would block the new source performance rule for future power plants. The House passed the bill on March 16, by a vote of 229-183, and sent it over to the other body.

I have cosponsored, along with my colleague, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley), H.R. 2127, a resolution of disapproval that would prevent the new source performance standard rule for future power plants from going into effect. If enacted, this would have the same effect as the Whitfield bill, blocking EPA from advancing the rule on existing plants.

More importantly, Mr. Speaker, are the effects on our coal miners' health care and pension plans. There are more than 100,000 retirees, their dependents, and surviving spouses who receive health care and/or pensions from the UMWA, United Mine Workers of America, health and retirement funds.

Because these benefits are paid for by contributions made by the coal companies for every hour worked by an active miner, this rule could dramatically undercut the solvency of these funds.

In 2012, for example, a total of $1.2 billion went into coal field communities in pension payments and direct payments to health care providers for retiree health care benefits. That included nearly 400 million into rural West Virginia communities.

This is what keeps the health care systems in these communities open. Doctors, pharmacies, clinics, therapists, and nursing homes all depend on this funding to survive.

So in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, let me say how devastating these proposed rules--although we have not seen the details yet--could be for coal mining communities.

I--and I am sure others who represent coal mining communities across this Nation--will not sit idle in the face of this latest challenge by the EPA to our way of life.

It is about jobs, it is about jobs, and it is about jobs, and I will look at any and all options that will be available to block this proposed rule from being finalized.

Madam Chair, I strongly support the passage of the Graves amendment, of which I am a cosponsor, to establish a National Commission on the Future of the Army.

Last December, I joined with 142 of my colleagues in expressing to Defense Secretary Hagel my deep concerns about Army cost-saving proposals that would impose draconian cuts on the Army National Guard. Congress rightly rejected similar proposals that would have reduced end strength and force structure for the Air National Guard, and I am pleased that the Armed Services Committee chose to reject such proposals for the Army National Guard too.

I question the wisdom of making such cuts, considering the cost- effectiveness of the Army National Guard as a dual use force, and cost- savings that could be achieved in the Total Army by better leveraging the Operational Reserve. Blending Active and Reserve Component Army units, as the Air Force is doing, could ensure long-term budgetary savings to maintain a robust Total Army. As the Reserve Forces Policy Board (RFPB) has noted, a blended Total Army composition means more combat capability at about one-third the cost.

I believe we need to take a harder look at the future force structure of the Army, which is why a Commission is absolutely necessary. The House should fully consider and be fully informed about how the Army's proposed cuts fit into a long-term national security strategy.

With the operational reserve being rebuilt since September 11, 2001, this generation of Army National Guardsmen and Reservists has proven every bit as effective, committed, and capable as their active counterparts. These men and women have served with distinction and honor overseas, and our Nation cannot afford to lose their service. We must not go blindly down a path that would inhibit our Army's ability to respond to world events and domestic emergencies.

Mr. Speaker, tonight, Hospice of Huntington will honor one of its long time stalwarts and earliest leaders. This great organization is distinguished by the respect and gratitude of the larger community it so ably, and with so much empathy, serves so faithfully. One daughter, whose father had been a hospice patient, wrote with her ``sincere and heartfelt appreciation'' about the ``graceful care and gentle mercy shown to my father in his

last days.'' Indeed, there is much to be thankful for this evening.

In fact, it is no overstatement to say, that for countless families, Hospice of Huntington has helped answer many prayers for relief and the joy of comfort.

According to a local news account, this Hospice--with 140 employees and more than 300 volunteers, an annual budget of about $12 million a year, of which more than 80 percent goes directly to patient services-- serves about 1,000 patients a year in Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln and Mason Counties in West Virginia, as well as Lawrence County, Ohio.

Tonight, there will be much talk--and rightly so--of references to angels and angelic acts here on earth. Through my work with constituents, in getting them the government services they need and deserve, I know for a fact that Hospice of Huntington harbors a host of the better angels among us.

And if there is one on this earth who has guided and grown, directed and expanded and led and served the resources, services and programs for that host of angels to employ, it is none other than the archangel we so thankfully have in Charlene Farrell. Not only does Charlene trumpet the potential and possibilities of Hospice's many programs, echoing the skills and talents of Gabriel himself, but like Michael, she never fails to unsheathe her sword to defend those programs and the people who make them possible for the families they serve.

It is my honor to share these comments about Hospice of Huntington and its champion, Charlene, with my colleagues and our Nation. Ours is a blessed Nation because we are a giving Nation. Charlene Farrell's body of work, her spirit of giving will live on and grow long after she has turned the keys and passwords into the able hands of Melanie Hall.

As Sarah Denman, Chairwoman of the Hospice Board has said, Charlene ``has created a team that will be able to carry that legacy into the future. That's the greatest gift--when you step away, the organization will continue at the same level with the same values and the same vision.''

All this, Mr. Speaker, will continue to contribute to the greater benefit of the People of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I close my remarks honoring Charlene with these lines from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the ``Ode to Joy'':

Your magic brings together what custom has sternly divided.

All men shall become brothers, wherever your gentle wings

hover.

To Charlene, and her husband, Judge Paul Farrell, may your next symphony, the one with those seven loving grandchildren, be just as complete.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report. This legislation is a reminder, and unfortunately a stark reminder, that when given a chance to work together in a bipartisan fashion, we can produce results for the American people.

I salute the chairman of our T&I Committee, Mr. Shuster from Pennsylvania, for his tireless efforts in this regard, and as well our subcommittee chairman, Mr. Gibbs, and our ranking member on the full committee, Mr. Tim Bishop.

One of the first acts of our Federal Government was to improve navigation. On August 7, 1789, the first Congress federalized the lighthouses built by the Colonies and appropriated funds for their operation and maintenance.

Today, in the 113th Congress, we keep faith with that fundamental premise of government by advancing legislation that authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve navigation on our inland waterways and our ports. This is an effort which has languished

these past 7 years, and the results of that inactivity are evident.

In 1989, a book by the author John McPhee described the corps as follows:

In addition to all the things the corps actually does and

does not do, there are infinite actions it is imagined not to

do and infinite actions it is imaginable to be capable of

doing because the corps has conceded the almighty role of

God.

Indeed, the history of the Corps of Engineers is one of constructing incredible feats of engineering to assist navigation and to combat the ravages of flooding; yet, in recent times, we have fallen into deficit when it comes to this infrastructure.

Aging locks and dams hinder the efficient movement of waterborne commerce, and many of our coastal ports are ill-prepared to take advantage of the expansion of the Panama Canal because their harbors need to be dredged and, in some cases, deepened.

The pending legislation will revitalize our inland waterway system, so that bulk commodities such as coal can be transported more efficiently, and it provides a path forward to spending down the funds currently being held hostage in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.

Further, it wrests back control to the Congress, to elected officials, decisionmaking authority over future corps endeavors, rather than ceding this responsibility to the administration, as is currently the case.

One aspect of this legislation, which I am especially pleased to see, is the application of the Buy American provisions for steel and iron that exist in the Federal Surface Transportation Program to projects constructed by the Corps of Engineers.

That provision further defines this legislation, as my good chairman has said, as being about jobs--jobs to construct flood control projects, jobs to expand our harbors, jobs to make improvements to our waterways, and American jobs in the production of iron and steel, which goes into these works.

I, again, commend our full committee chairman, Mr. Shuster, for the manner in which he has conducted himself and all members of our committee, both sides of the aisle, as well as our staffs for the transparency and openness and cooperation that has brought this legislation to where it is today.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop), our distinguished ranking member. Again, I thank him for his tremendous vision and superb knowledge which has brought this conference report to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown), a very valued member of our conference committee, and thank her for her help.

I yield 15 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), a very important member of our conference committee.

I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Napolitano) and thank her for her help on the conference committee as well.

(Ms. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards), a very valued member of our conference committee.

(Ms. EDWARDS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Frankel), a valued member of our WRRDA conference committee as well.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), a real champion of Buy American provisions in everything we do in this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from California (Ms. Hahn), another member of our conference committee, and thank her for her help on this bill.

I have three more.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from California (Ms. Matsui).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison).

How much time do I have remaining, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I assume the chairman has the right to close. Is that right?

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. There are a number of highlights that have been mentioned during the course of this debate. The important ones, of course, are reforms of bureaucracy, it accelerates project delivery, and it streamlines environmental reviews. It is a fiscally responsible bill--as our chairman has shown--and it strengthens our oversight, transparency, and accountability.

Mr. Speaker, as I conclude, I want to commend not only the Members on both sides of the aisle, but the staff on both sides of the aisle: on our side of the aisle particularly, Mr. Jim Zoia, who is our chief of staff on our Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; on the minority side, Mr. Ryan Seiger, Mr. Dave Wegner, and Mr. Ward McCarragher for their tremendous work. This has just been an example of how this body ought to operate. We got along very well on both sides of the aisle at the Member level and the staff level. The chairman's transparency, openness, and cooperation were above question. I again want to thank Chairman Shuster for his tremendous work and commend him on this legislation. I hope we have the vote we had when we initially passed this bill out of the House, which was 417-3.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate and thank Congresswoman Lois Frankel for organizing this special order to recognize the significance of Israel's Independence at the kind invitation of Linda Kline.

I was pleased to join Rabbi Jean Eglinton of B'Nai Sholom Congregation; Senior Pastor Chuck Lawrence of Christ Temple Church; Martin Greenberg, executive director for the Network of Independent Communities for the Jewish Federations of North America; Rabbi Victor Urecki of B'Nai Jacob Congregation; and, City of Huntington, West Virginia, Mayor Steve Williams for the 4th Annual West Virginia Israel Independence Celebration at Pullman Square, Huntington, West Virginia on Sunday, May 4, 2014. I was pleased to deliver the following remarks:

In a State where the official motto is, ``Mountaineers are always free,'' we cherish independence as much as anyone. And while we are the first to lend a hand to a neighbor in need, we admire independence in others. All that West Virginia independence, some would suggest, is rooted in the rugged living our mountains impose upon us. But I think it might just run a little deeper than that.

We all know the story of America's Independence Day, July 4th 1776. But on that same day, the Continental Congress passed a lesser known resolution appointing to another committee three of the men who had just helped to draft the Declaration of Independence. Their task was to design a seal for the newly formed United States of America. Two of those men, Dr. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, spent considerable time over the next five weeks working on designs that included the story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt.

Franklin's design incorporated Moses standing on the shore, extending his hand over the sea, beckoning Pharaoh's demise. Jefferson's depicted the Israelis in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

From our earliest beginnings, our roots have run deep with Israel and the Jewish people. And that includes our country's Judeo-Christian heritage that is so deeply engrained in us. It shines especially bright in America's spirited independence.

So, we quite naturally welcome the opportunity to join in celebrating Israel's Independence Day.

But there is more to celebrate today than history and heritage. In today's world, practical realities have to take first order. The simple fact is that Israel is America's strongest, most dependable ally in the Middle East. And as I have said, time and again, a stable Middle East is in the long-term best interests of the United States.

Israel's security is paramount to that regional stability. Syria's domestic chaos and tragic loss of innocent lives; the uncertainty of a volatile nuclear threat from nearby Iran; the continual threat of terrorist organizations infiltrating and working their will in country after country; all these call for our constant vigilance as a strong partner in Israel's security needs.

That's why I have cosponsored and strongly supported heavy sanctions against Iran and its nuclear weapons advancement. That's why I have supported defensive tools for Israel like the Iron Dome program. And that's why I have co-sponsored and strongly supported the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act to foster the close alliance we have enjoyed with Israel over the decades.

Today's anniversary of Israel's independence is a good time to review and re-assess our partnership. Clearly, Israel has earned its seat at the table with the independent nations of the world. And she has done so as a strong U.S. ally. It is incumbent upon our leaders to return that respect and confidence.

As a world leader, we have a tremendous responsibility to actively help bring long-term peace to the Middle East. That must always include a free and independent state of Israel. America's interaction in the region must reflect the maturity of our place among other Nation states as a seasoned and substantial diplomatic leader.

My bottom line to any administration and to my colleagues in the Congress is that the U.S. must be a positive presence in the Middle East. This is in our and Israel's best interests. That requires the utmost care in both the words we use and the deeds we employ to maintain that positive presence.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the theme of this year's National Day of Prayer, ``One voice united in prayer.'' Echoing that sentiment of unity, those of us who grew up reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at school every morning recall its stirring words with absolute clarity to this very day: ``One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.''

Yet today in some schools, the Pledge has taken a back seat to busy class schedules and that crucial phrase, ``under God,'' seems under constant fire by an unrestrained judiciary. National Prayer Day serves to remind us we need to regain our footing in this country again if we are to stand tall in His eyes among the brotherhood of nations.

My efforts in the Congress have long been to preserve our Constitutional guarantees of freely exercising our religion, and not vanquishing that right from the public square. Since the earliest days of our founding, and in the hearts and minds of those landing on our shores to settle a new world, hope endured through prayer.

I have again introduced a Constitutional Amendment to ensure voluntary prayer in public schools. H.J. Res. 42 reads: ``Nothing in this Constitution, including any amendment to the Constitution, shall be construed to prohibit voluntary prayer or require prayer in school, or to prohibit voluntary prayer or require prayer at a public school extracurricular activity.'' In the past, I had jointly introduced this amendment with our late senator, Robert C. Byrd. And, I have co- sponsored H. Res. 547, supporting the 63rd annual observance of the National Day of Prayer on May 1, 2014, and urge all West Virginians to come together to pray and reaffirm the importance prayer has played in our nation's heritage.

As wise old Ben Franklin told his fellow delegates in calling for daily prayer at our Constitutional Convention, ``the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth--that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?''

Being a firm believer in the power of prayer, I remain convinced that collectively, through the power of prayer, we can begin to heal our land. Because when we weigh what little our Lord asks of us--the faith of a mustard seed, the mere touch of a garment's hem--the return is nothing short of amazing grace.

The leadership of our pastors helps guide us to greater understanding and appreciation of that sound investment. I thank them for their compassion and for their continuing commitment to the power of prayer, and the strength and guidance it grants us to make the Lord's work here on Earth our own.

Mr. Speaker, I, like my colleagues from West Virginia, Mrs. Capito and Mr. McKinley, remember Mick Staton as a dedicated public servant, a son of West Virginia.

I enjoyed serving in this body with Mick. He always knew where he stood on a given issue. While he and I were members of different political parties, on principle, we often agreed. He shared the most basic value of true West Virginians, loyalty--loyalty to his faith, to his family, to his friends, to his Nation, and to our State.

Mick's word was his bond. Of course, he was a loyal Republican, and as a copper-riveted, rock-ribbed Republican through and through, Mick was always my friend. There is a good lesson in that for our Members today. Our friendship continued to grow after his distinguished service ended in this body.

Mr. Speaker, Mick Staton's service to our State of West Virginia never ended, nor did his efforts to bring people together to get things accomplished for West Virginians.

He worked hard for that, and his devotion flowed as naturally as a pristine mountain stream. This courteous, cordial fellow--with what could best be described as an award-winning, ever-present smile--had a good way with people. It is no secret to anyone who knew him that all of that warm personality--that sincere charm--stemmed from a good heart.

Mick always made a point of delivering a birthday card to me, personally, sometimes in my congressional office. This May, as my birthday approaches, that good heart will be sorely missed. My thoughts and prayers remain with Lynn--his wife--and with his family.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today, on the eve of the 4th Anniversary of the tragic explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia--a disaster that took the lives of 29 miners. I take this opportunity to remind my colleagues and all Americans of that terrible day, of the good men we lost far too young, of those injured, of the families that still mourn and the communities that were forever altered.

I come here, also, to remind my colleagues that the Upper Big Branch miners are still owed our full energies and every effort to ensure that such a tragedy will never occur again.

And I take this time to caution my colleagues--and the public--not to be duped by the self-serving sack of utter baloney being circulated on the internet. The so-called documentary ``Never Again'' is nothing more than a piece of carefully crafted fiction--a transparent attempt to white wash history and revise reality.

Four separate studies found that Massey Energy, with Don Blankenship at the helm, created a callous corporate culture in which production was valued over safety, in which profit was valued over people. The families of the victims of UBB are rightly livid over the release of this fantasy film, and I stand with them, sharing their complete disdain.

Failing to legislate to close safety loopholes exploited by Massey is akin to condoning that corrupt culture and its fatal results. And Mr. Blankenship is not alone in his dangerous, fantasy view of mine safety. There are deep-pocketed individuals who have funded studies which actually suggest that mine safety rules are un-needed. Nothing could be further from the truth and it is immoral that the Congress has not acted to protect coal miners further.

So many of my colleagues in this body are defenders against what we sagely see as a war on coal. It is common these days for us to come to this floor, red-faced with anger to shout about the unfair treatment of coal by an overzealous and ideological EPA. We are disgusted and rightly so.

But I believe that to be a champion for coal, one has to be a champion for the coal miner.

Defense of the coal miner cannot stop at the mouth of the mine. It must follow him into the mine, ensuring that working conditions are as safe and healthy as we possibly can make them.

Defense of the coal miner must follow after a miner leaves the mine, so that the promises of retirement and health benefits made to miners and their families are honored. And so that the opportunities every American is entitled to are made available to every coal miner as well.

This Congress, however, has yet to take up a package of reforms I worked on with the late great Senator Robert C. Byrd--reforms that we know are necessary to save lives in the wake of the UBB tragedy. It has, frustratingly, yet to act on legislation to protect the health and retirement security of miners.

What this Congress has done, and it has done it over and over again, is tried to repeal the law containing the reforms I fought for over many years to better enable our miners stricken with black lung--and their spouses and widows--to get the benefits they are owed.

I believe that the fight for the coal miner should not end when a miner retires. That has been the long-time policy of our government-- during both Republican and Democratic Administrations going all the way back to Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt. But this Congress seems utterly indifferent and ignorant of that commitment.

This Congress is bent on cutting budgets for the agenices that help to provide medical care and monthly benefit payments to miners stricken with black lung. It seems content to allow black lung victims to languish for years in a legal limbo, waiting for review of their claims.

This Congress is bent on cutting funds for the health and safety protections that ensure miners return home after every shift.

This Congress, which boasts about its commitment to the future of coal, is bent on cutting funds for the research and development of new technologies critical to ensuring coal's place in our Nation's long- term energy portfolio.

This Congress, in the worst and most callous way, has been utterly indifferent to the plight of retired miners whose health and retirement benefits are stripped away in bankruptcy proceedings.

The closure of the mine research facility in Pennsylvania, the rewrite of grant guidelines for black lung clinics, the denial of sufficient funding for long-time organizations providing essential mine rescue team training required by Federal and State laws--these are all priorities that have fallen by the wayside in the bureaucracy of this Administration and, apparently, in this uncaring and indifferent Congress.

I have always felt that fighting for our miners meant fighting for a decent wage, fighting to ensure that they could retire with dignity, fighting to ensure that they had access to medical care, and that their children had access to the opportunities afforded by a college education.

But the leadership in this House is blocking an increase in the minimum wage. It is promoting cuts to Medicare and is prepared to put Social Security on the chopping block. It is axing worker training and college grants. It is refusing to close the loopholes that allow unscrupulous operators to walk away from the health and retirement benefits promised to their workers.

Where is all the anger when it comes to the coal miner now? Where is all the rage?

There is much more to defending coal country than fighting against the EPA.

I say to all my colleagues who regularly come to this floor and raise the roof in defense of coal, we must recommit ourselves not just fighting the anti-coal zealots of this Administration, but also to the intense and long-term battle for the well-being of America's coal miners.

We should start by moving meaningful mine health and safety legislation that honors the memories of the 29 miners who perished in the Upper Big Branch Mine on April 5th, 2010. Our obligation to them is long overdue.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to the bill.

Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If the amendment is adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

My amendment is quite simple. It raises the minimum wage to $10.10. My amendment assures that, in America, if you work hard, you will not be forced to live in poverty.

In this era of stagnant and falling wages, of a widening gap in inequality between the haves and the have-nots, we must ensure that the promise of the American Dream remains a reality for all Americans, not just the wealthiest among us. We can't just say it. We have to act to make it possible.

Today, the minimum wage is 22 percent below its peak level in the 1960s. It has not increased since July 2009, when it reached $7.25 per hour. It has not been raised in five long years.

It has not increased since the near bottom of the Great Recession, when working Americans were walloped by the greed and reckless behavior of the privileged and the elite on Wall Street.

We like to think that, if you work hard, if you earn calloused hands, you can rise to the heights of success in America. The reality is that, by not raising the minimum wage, we are condoning--we are endorsing a pay cut for the very hardworking Americans that we speak about in such glowing terms whenever we talk about working our way--working your way up the ladder. Such doublespeak makes a mockery of the American Dream.

This is the House of the people, not the House of the 1 percent. Ours is a government of, for, and by the people and not a government of, for, and by the billionaires, at least not yet. Heaven help us.

As Representatives of the people, we have a constitutional obligation to look after the interests of all of our citizens, but more fundamentally, we have a moral obligation to ensure that opportunity is available to all and not reserved only for the most well-to-do among us.

Each and every year, minimum wage workers face a pay cut as inflation eats away at their earnings. Each and every year, this House, the people's House, sits inactive. It sits silent. It sits shamefully moot.

As the House of the people, we have a moral obligation to do what we can to help boost the paychecks of hardworking Americans. There should be outrage. There should be contempt for our inactivity on this issue.

I am talking about the 3.6 million American workers whose salaries are at or below the current minimum wage, more than three-quarters of whom are adults, nearly two-thirds of whom are female, more than one- third of whom are full-time workers, and nearly three-quarters of whom have graduated from high school.

These are real people--real people, Mr. Speaker, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers. Every day, they must make hard choices to provide for their families. Every day, they look to this body, this House of Representatives, the House of the people, they look to us for help; and every day, this body has nothing to say, nothing new to offer.

Introduced in 1938, the minimum wage has been increased 22 times, by both Republican and Democratic Congresses. It was even raised in the hyperpartisan Congress of the Gingrich impeachment era twice--twice; but it has not been raised in this Congress, nor the last. That is more than shameful. It is immoral.

In running against the do-nothing Republican-controlled House of Representatives in 1948, Harry Truman spoke of the gluttons of privilege, of cold men, of cunning men who were curiously deaf to the voice of the people, but who also were curiously able to hear even the slightest whisper from Big Business.

Here is a case where the government must be an advocate for the people and for the working men and women of this Nation and for the forgotten man, as another great President once said, those at the bottom of the economic pyramid upon which everything else is built.

Vague promises of hope are not sufficient. Economic excuses are not enough. We must act, and we must act now, and we can. Vote for this amendment to increase the minimum wage for the working men and women of this country.

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

I thank my dear colleague from New Jersey for yielding me the time.

Mr. Chairman, I do rise in support of the pending legislation, H.R. 2824; and to my good friend, the chairman of the committee, Doc Hastings, I commend him for bringing this bill to the floor of the House.

As he knows, I am the only Member left in this body that served on the original conference committee that wrote H.R. 2, which was enacted as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, otherwise known as SMCRA.

Due to the nature of my congressional district and my years of service on the Natural Resources Committee, I am very familiar with SMCRA and what it requires.

This law has numerous performance standards governing the coal surface mining and reclamation process. These standards govern everything from the handling of excess spoil to the period for which successful revegetation must take place prior to bond release.

One fundamental aspect of the performance standards is that the mine area be reclaimed to its approximate original contour, with one exception. The law is clear, and it provides for an exception from the approximate original contour requirement in the case of mountaintop removal operations if certain conditions are met.

A stream buffer zone rule is not included among the many SMCRA performance standards. Such a rule was not contemplated by the conferees on H.R. 2 back in 1977. This rule was a manifestation of the bureaucracy.

That is not to say that there should not be such a rule, but any such rule must work within the statutory framework of SMCRA.

The effort by the current administration to replace the 2008 stream buffer zone promulgated by the Interior Department does not meet that test. It is clear, at least to me, that the effort by the current administration to revise the 2008 rule is aimed at halting a mining practice that is specifically condoned by SMCRA.

Fundamentally, there is no question; this debate is about jobs. It is about good-paying jobs in West Virginia and other areas of the Appalachian region.

Mr. Chairman, it is about our economy, whether it be providing needed flat land for agriculture or industrial facilities or saving millions of dollars by providing a readymade roadbed for a new highway, as has been done, and is continuing to be proposed in Mingo County, in the congressional district I am honored to represent.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I urge passage of the pending measure, the Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Act. I commend, again, the chairman of the committee, and I commend my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Johnson) for his introducing this bill as well.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee yielding me this time, especially since we do not see eye to eye on this particular piece of legislation.

We do see eye to eye on numerous other issues before the Congress and the American people, such as protecting the health and safety of our Nation's coal miners and our American workers; and, indeed, we all, both sides of the aisle, share the common goal of wanting to provide clean water, clean air, and health and safety for our families each and every day of the year. In that sense, we all have that common ground.

There is a fear though in the coal fields today. I really wish the distinguished Majority Whip on that side of the aisle had mentioned my home State of West Virginia, one of the largest coal-producing States in the country when he mentioned and was going district by district about the various people that are going to be affected by these proposed regulations.

I do rise in support of H.R. 3826 as a cosponsor. I commend my coal country colleague, Ed Whitfield, for his leadership on this issue and bringing it through his committee.

Those of us from the coal-producing regions of this country have truly become sick and tired--sick and tired--of this EPA turning out anti-coal regulations, while showing little or no appreciation of how these regulations will affect the lives and the livelihoods of the real people who have to work and live under them.

Granted, some are proposals; but, nevertheless, I remind my colleagues, it strikes fear--it strikes fear--in the very heart and soul of coal country.

Many of our coal companies that are laying off workers, as we speak, have this fear of what is coming down the pike as a main factor in laying off workers today.

Granted, there are many other factors affecting the current slump in the coal fields. I don't deny that for one minute; but we have been frustrated--frustrated--with an EPA that has, time after time and time again, pushed out piles of guidance documents, regulations, using slanted science, and inflating claims about the benefits of their regulatory agenda without any consideration--one iota--of the affects upon jobs--the affects upon jobs in the real America that their regulatory agenda means.

Last September, when the EPA proposed regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions for future power plants, it did so hinged upon the promise that the technologies required to achieve the new standards were proven and ready.

Based on this claim, we have to question whether this EPA is actually using good, sound science or if it is picking and choosing science that sounds good to meet whatever ends the agency desires.

There are no power plants--there are no power plants in commercial service anywhere in the world that have installed and operated the CCS technologies necessary to comply with the proposed rule--none, nada.

I thank the distinguished ranking member again.

The proposed greenhouse gas rule for new power plants may be the mother of all anti-coal regulatory measures so far promoted by this particular EPA. It spells curtains for the development of new coal- fired capacity in this country. That means decreased energy reliability and increased costs for American families and businesses.

What is more, the agency readily admits that the new regulations will have nearly zero impact on the emissions of greenhouse gases as economies around the globe continue to grow their use of coal power.

That is why this legislation is so important. It would block the EPA from unilaterally imposing these caps, requiring that any such efforts be approved by the Congress.

It would help set a course for the development of cutting-edge CCS technologies needed to ensure reliable, affordable coal-fired energy for America throughout the foreseeable future.

For those of us from coal country, this legislation is fundamental to preserving the jobs of our coal miners, those who work hard every day, going beneath the bowels of this Earth to produce the energy that fuels this Nation and the economies of our communities and, indeed, a national energy security for the United States.

I urge support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to draconian budget cuts that would adversely impact the Army National Guard.

Currently, my State of West Virginia is under a State of Emergency because of a chemical spill into our Capital's water supply. Our state's National Guard has been critical in getting clean drinking water to affected residents and ensuring their health and safety.

The Guard's assistance is an absolute necessity in times of state emergencies, but let us not forget that the men and women of the Guard are also serving overseas and safeguarding our Nation's security as Soldiers in the Total Army, held to the same standards and exposed to the same risks as their active component counterparts.

I strongly believe that a proposal to reduce the Army National Guard to its lowest level in over 50 years would not only weaken our national security and homeland defenses, but makes very little fiscal sense within a long-term military strategy, as personnel costs for Guardsmen are roughly one-third the cost of active component personnel.

Congress should be clear from the beginning of the budget cycle that draconian, end strength reductions to the Reserve Component are dangerous. We owe our Guard and the American people better.

Mr. Speaker, many of us recall one of the lessons of the late Speaker Tip O'Neil who advised us, if ``a constituent calls about a problem, even if it's a streetlight out, you don't tell him to call City Hall. You call City Hall.''

That is a lesson in government service that those at the helm in City Halls across this nation know all too well. I refer, of course, to our mayors--the mayors of America who gladly take calls, 24/7, about matters A-to-Z, in and out of their city limits.

Mr. Speaker, West Virginia has been blessed by a plethora of long- serving mayors, men and women who have devoted entire careers to caring for their hometowns. These public servants not only know everyone in line at the local grocery store, they also know their parents and grandparents as well as their children and their grandchildren.

To those term-limit zealots out there, I will say these local elected officials know the severest term limit of all--the town election. And yet, election after election, voters repeatedly return so many of these faithful people to public service. Voters know their mayors and know them well, and it says something meaningful when they choose to reelect them over and over again.

Today, Mr. Speaker, I note a celebration happening in my own hometown this week to honor the City of Beckley's longest serving mayor, Emmett S. Pugh III.

Mr. Speaker, in this native son of Beckley, public service roots run deep. His grandfather, A.K. Minter, served as mayor from 1938 to 1959. His other grandfather, E.S. Pugh, served on common council.

Growing up in Beckley, he formed lasting friendships that served as a foundation for his deep sense of caring about people and their problems and his commitment to finding solutions to the community's challenges.

As a Babe Ruth second baseman and shortstop, Emmett helped win the state championship--a first for a Babe Ruth team from Beckley. He grew up with boys who would eventually become business and community leaders: Pat Fragile, the Rosenbaum twins, Palmer Farley, and Fred Lewis, who would become a Supreme Court justice in Florida.

Emmett joined a local band, the Red Barons. He and several friends formed their own ``fraternity'' at Woodrow Wilson High School, calling themselves the ``Dirty Dozen.'' The Red Barons would eventually appear on Dick Clark's ``Cavalcade of Stars''. The fortunes of the ``Dirty Dozen'' are far less clear.

A 1973 University of Alabama graduate and Political Science major with a specialization in State and Local Government, Emmett began his professional career as President of Bowl-wick, Inc., serving there for thirteen years. He then became a broker for Wheat First Securities for two years. He served as Councilman-at-Large for the City of Beckley from 1979 until 1988, at which time he became Mayor of the City of Beckley, a position he holds today.

He has served as the Legislative Chairman of the West Virginia Municipal League sixteen

times over the years as well as Chairman of the West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board. He is a past president of the 4-C Economic Development Authority and Beckley Rotary Club. He has served as Chairman of the Region I Planning and Development Council in Princeton, the Beckley Sanitary Board, the Pinecrest Development Corporation, and Beckley Renaissance. He has also served as Director of the Mountain State University Foundation, Board of Directors/Vice-President and past Campaign Chair of the United Way of Southern West Virginia, a member of the Raleigh County Airport Authority, a member of the Board of Trustees for Beckley Little League, and Vice Chairman of Appalachian Regional Healthcare in Lexington, Kentucky.

Awards Mayor Pugh has received include being named Past Mayor of the Year, being a recipient of four All Star Community Awards and the Paul Harris Fellow from the Beckley Rotary Club. He was also the proud recipient of the 2009 Spirit of Beckley Award. Mr. Pugh is a member of the National League of Cities, Moose International, NAACP, and the West Virginia Municipal League.

During his tenure, the fortunes of the City that Emmett Pugh serves as mayor have grown. The list is long, but projects Mayor Pugh has led include the renovation of the police garage, the construction of two new fire stations, the annexation of additional properties that have expanded the City's reach, the razing of deteriorated properties to open opportunities for renewal, the paving and enhancement of streets and addition of traffic lights, the purchase of equipment for community playgrounds, and the addition of picnic shelters in community parks. His handiwork can be seen in the Beckley Intermodal Gateway, the Rahall Company Store, Thornhill Courts, Freedom and Word Parks, and the Lewis- McManus Trail. And, the list goes on.

As long as humankind holds public office, the Good Book teaches us there will be no perfect office holders. But we can thank the Almighty that there are talented, dedicated, caring human hearts and minds that take up the call to public service.

It has been said that the highest honor one can receive is one from those who themselves walk in our shoes. That Emmett's fellow Mayors have honored him not once, not twice, but three unprecedented times, electing him as their League President, and presenting him with their ``Quiet Strength'' Award speaks volumes. Emmett's mentor, John McCulloch, a former Beckley Mayor himself, helped put Emmett's own quiet strength to work for the good families, businesses and industries of Beckley. Over the decades, whether calling City Hall, the Mayor's home, or even his cell phone, one knew that the quiet strength of Emmett Pugh could be counted on to answer. For that, we thank my long- time friend and ALL of Beckley's Mayor, Emmett Pugh.

Mr. Speaker, nestled in a picturesque valley setting, amidst gently sloped green hills, complete with a meandering river is the town of Bramwell, West Virginia, which celebrates its 125th birthday tomorrow.

Coal was very much a part of the genesis of Bramwell. It is a town that was home to many coal mine owners and operators. So much so in fact, this small town was once able to boast of more per capita millionaires than any town in the country. Entrepreneurism still reigns in Bramwell, although today it is not as much of the pocketbook as it is of the heart. Many of the town's grand homes have been painstakingly and lovingly preserved by homeowners.

Throughout the year, the town hosts a number of festive events that celebrate its coal heritage. Every Christmas, homes are opened for tours and period costumed, well versed and pithy witted interpreters will guide visitors through a domestic lifestyle enjoyed in yesteryear. Each spring, home tours welcome the new season just as cordially and each fall, the Bramwell Octoberfest is not to be missed.

However, any day of the year is a good day to visit this homage to history. Visitors will be met with a sincere pride in our coal heritage, the heritage of our families and of our State. That sense of pride is just as alive and kicking as ever. For everyone in Bramwell, history is not a thing of the past; it is a prologue to the future. In fact, the future of this temperate region fittingly dubbed Four Seasons Country, is bright, largely due to the efforts of communities like Bramwell.

For the same pioneering spirit that established deep roots here, the same productive

mindset that grew this small town into a considerable per capita national asset; the same soul that said our best days are yet ahead; this town, with its share of Bluestone, is seeing more and more blue skies each day. And the word has spread. From Hatfield and McCoy Trail riders, from national and international Boy Scouts of America and their families, to even our neighbors here in the Virginias, Bramwell has become a distinctive, desirable destination in and of its own right. Of that we are most proud.

I take great pride myself in playing a role in bringing the federal resources to bear so that the Bramwell story can be told and retold 1,025 years from now. From Coal Heritage funding to supporting funding for VISTA to help staff the new Farmer's Market, Bramwell is one heck of a good, sound federal investment. And, boy, that's a story we can share with the world.

It's a story that exceeds the fame and infamy of the fabled fortunes of coal barons. It's a tale with far broader implications than a slice of living history romanticized for a few days of entertainment. It is nothing short of a life's lesson, of a people not giving up nor giving in. And it is proof positive of the productivity that comes from a close knit group of people who work together for the common good.

Mr. Speaker, the work and achievements this town's citizens have forged constitute nothing short of a model for the country.

I hope my colleagues will take note of this national investment and take time to visit soon. They may feel completely free to share this treasure of a town with their constituents. Bramwell welcomes all.

To all my good friends in Bramwell, I wish you a very Happy Birthday and Godspeed.