Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1858) to provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, to correct the effects of an erroneous land survey that resulted in approximately 7 acres of the Crystal Lakes Subdivision, Ninth Filing, encroaching on National Forest System land, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1858, introduced by Representative Betsy Markey of Colorado, would provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving the Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado to correct the effects of erroneous land survey. The bill responds to an ongoing boundary dispute between the Forest Service and private land owners with property adjacent to the forest.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend our colleague, Representative Markey, for her work on this bill. As a freshman, she has demonstrated remarkable ability to get things done on behalf of her constituents. I ask my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 1858.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this point let me yield as much time as she may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, Representative Markey.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 310) to provide for the conveyance of approximately 140 acres of land in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma to the Indian Nations Council, Inc., of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 310 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey 140 acres of public land in Oklahoma administered by the United States Forest Service to the Indian Nations Council of Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts will use the land to expand their existing camping area and will pay fair market value for the land.

H.R. 310 is identical to legislation that passed the House last year by a vote of 370-2.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend our colleague, Representative Boren, for his work on this legislation, and I urge our colleagues to support passage of H.R. 310.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3123) to direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to remedy problems caused by a collapsed drainage tunnel in Leadville, Colorado, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3123, introduced by our colleague Representative Lamborn, will direct the Bureau of Reclamation to remedy problems caused by collapses in the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel. Due to structural deterioration, contaminated water has backed up in the tunnel, posing a public health and environmental threat.

I ask my colleagues to support the bill's passage.

Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the following exchange of letters between the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure concerning H.R. 3123.

House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure,

Washington, DC, September 8, 2009.

Hon. Nick Rahall,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Rahall: I write to you regarding H.R. 3123, a

bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to remedy

problems caused by a collapsed drainage tunnel in Leadville,

Colorado.

H.R. 3123 contains provisions that fall within the

jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure. I recognize and appreciate your desire to

bring this legislation before the House in an expeditious

manner and, accordingly, I will not seek a sequential

referral of the bill. However, I agree to waive consideration

of this bill with the mutual understanding that my decision

to forego a sequential referral of the bill does not waive,

reduce, or otherwise affect the jurisdiction of the Committee

on Transportation and Infrastructure over H.R. 3123.

Further, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

reserves the right to seek the appointment of conferees

during any House-Senate conference convened on this

legislation on provisions of the bill that are within the

Committee's jurisdiction. I ask for your commitment to

support any request by the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure for the appointment of conferees on H.R. 3123

or similar legislation.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure's jurisdictional interest in the Congressional

Record during consideration of the measure on the House

Floor.

I look forward to working with you as we prepare to pass

this important legislation.

Sincerely,

James L. Oberstar, M.C.

Chairman.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 541) recognizing and honoring the restoration and renovation of the Bishop Museum's historic Hawaiian Hall, the Nation's premier showcase for Hawaiian culture and history, on the occasion of the Museum's 120th anniversary.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and for 120 years has served as the Nation's preeminent resource documenting, preserving and educating others on Native Hawaiian culture. The museum's collection of 24 million objects is the largest Hawaiian and Pacific Island collection in the world. Over 2,000 of these objects and images are on display in the newly renovated Hawaiian Hall.

H. Res. 541, introduced by our distinguished colleague from Hawaii, Representative Neil Abercrombie, would express the appreciation of the House of Representatives to the Bishop Museum for 120 years of service to the people of Hawaii and the United States. We commend Representative Abercrombie for his tireless efforts on behalf of his constituents and the preservation of Hawaiian history and culture.

We support passage of House Resolution 541 and urge its adoption in the House today.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 361) recognizing the historical significance of Historic Virginia Key Beach Park of Miami, Florida, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, in 1945 a group of black men, led by Lawson E. Thomas, courageously protested the banning of African Americans from the public beaches of south Florida. As a result, Virginia Key Beach Park was established as a ``Colored Beach'' under the segregation laws that persisted throughout the civil rights movement.

The park was transferred to the city of Miami in 1979, which attempted to close it three years later, citing a lack of operating funds. Since then, dedicated community leaders have fought to not only keep the park open, but also add it to the National Register of Historic Places and establish a trust to manage it.

With this resolution, sponsored by Representative Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the House of Representatives recognizes the historic significance of the site and honors the African American struggle for equality represented there.

I ask my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me also congratulate the gentlelady from Florida for the resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 616) congratulating the Louisiana State University baseball team for winning the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I College World Series.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days during which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H. Res. 616 into the Record.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Louisiana State University baseball team for their victory in the 2009 NCAA Division I tournament.

On June 24, the LSU Tigers captured the university's sixth national baseball championship with an impressive 11-4 victory over the talented University of Texas Longhorns. This decisive victory over the Texas Longhorns in the third game of a three-game series marked the first baseball championship for the Tigers since 2000.

We want to congratulate the coaches, the fans and the supporters of the LSU Tigers in this dramatic victory. They were rated number one going into the season, third when the tournament began; and they pulled a dramatic victory.

I must emphasize that LSU is not only an athletic powerhouse, but this university is also a premiere academic institution. They offer bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees. The school enrolls over 26,000 students, including more than 1,400 international students and over 4,000 graduate students. LSU graduates elite athletes, renowned scholars, and famous elected officials who are changing the world as we know it.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I congratulate Louisiana State University. I want to thank Representative Cassidy for bringing the resolution forward. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of my colleague, Mr. Cassidy, if he has any additional speakers.

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

We have, I believe, no further speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1035) to amend the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental and Native American Public Policy Act of 1992 to honor the legacy of Stewart L. Udall, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 1035 into the Record.

I rise in support of H.R. 1035, a bill that enhances the Morris K. Udall Foundation and honors the life of Stewart Udall.

The Morris K. Udall Foundation is an independent Federal agency based in Tucson, Arizona, which operates exceptional educational programs focused on developing leadership on environmental and Native American issues. It also includes the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, the only program within the Federal Government focused entirely on preventing, managing, and resolving Federal environmental conflicts.

The legislation today will enhance the foundation's programs and operations and at the same time honor one of the greatest public servants and conservationists in history, Stewart L. Udall, by adding his name to the foundation with that of his late brother, Morris K. Udall.

The Udall Foundation was established by Congress in 1992. Initially the foundation's mission was to provide educational opportunities for studies related to the environment and Native American tribal policy and health care. In 1998, Congress amended the Udall Foundation in enabling legislation to add a new mission: resolving conflicts related to environment, natural resources and public lands through services including mediation, facilitation and training.

The work of the Udall Foundation has become even more important today as the Nation seeks long-term responses to climate change, sustainable energy supplies, and a sustainable economy for all Americans.

Through the education programs, the Udall Foundation identifies and educates tomorrow's leaders that are critical to the energy, climate change, and economic issues facing this country.

The programs include a premier scholarship and doctoral fellowship program for studies related to the environment; a scholarship for Native Americans studying tribal policy and health care; the Native American Congressional Internship program, which brings gifted undergraduate and graduate students to Congress to work in our office and with agencies throughout the Federal Government; the Native American Nation's Institute for Leadership and Management, which trains and educates tribal leaders on the changing role and how to apply research and how indigenous people can meet the practical challenges of nation building; and the Park and Focus Program, which connects underserved youth to nature through the art of photography, instilling a new and lasting long-term understanding and appreciation of our public lands.

It's appropriate for Congress to provide solid support for the Udall Foundation's important programs through this legislation, while simultaneously recognizing the unsurpassed contributions of Stewart L. Udall by adding his name to the foundation's title.

Stewart Udall served in this House of Congress with distinction from 1955, representing an area that included what is now my district, until he was appointed Secretary of the Interior in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. As Secretary of Interior, Stewart Udall had an unmatched record of environmental leadership overseeing the creation of four national parks, six national monuments, eight national seashores and lakeshores, nine recreation areas, 20 historic sites, and 56 wildlife refuges. He continued to make substantial contributions to environmental and Native American policy as a lawyer and author following his tenure.

I urge passage of H.R. 1035.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) for as much time as he may consume.

(Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for 3 minutes.

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize my good friend, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Mitchell), for 3 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I continue to reserve.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1035. It is a solid acknowledgement of two great Americans that contributed much to this country, and their public policy legacy is obvious and known to all. But I think one thing that they contributed--and I think it is important in our times to remember that as political figures and as public figures they contributed civility to the discourse and they contributed humor to the discourse.

They brought integrity into their decisionmaking, and they were about bridging political differences and not exploiting them. I think that is the kind of legacy that bodes well for all of us that are in public service, and something that not all of us, including myself, mirror all the time.

I come from a region in which the Udall family is part and parcel of the history, the accomplishments, and the legacy of that region. And so with great pride and with sincere hopes that the House will support this, I urge passage of H.R. 1035.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I rise today in support of the Restore our American Mustangs Act, H.R. 1018, a bill that will ensure wild horses and burros continue to have a place to roam on our public lands.

Mr. Speaker, as a steward of our public lands, I have been appalled by the proposal of the Bureau of Land Management to euthanize tens of thousands of healthy wild horses. According to the recent report by the Government Accountability Office, the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program is terribly inefficient and ineffective, and the BLM's so- called solution to this inefficiency is to simply put the animals they care for to death.

Mr. Speaker, there has to be a better way.

The better solution includes more options and more rigorous management. The ROAM Act will provide both. It includes reasonable tools such as the use of fertility control, the establishment of sanctuaries, and a much more robust adoption program, all leading to a more humane and constructive scheme.

Mr. Speaker, the amended bill being considered today has taken into account input from a range of stakeholders, including the administration, wild horse advocacy groups, and, based on their experiences and their efforts in the field, this bill has been put together.

Perhaps most significant, the bill provides a definition for the term ``thriving natural ecological balance,'' which appears in the 1971 law but was not defined. The definition makes clear that the management of horses and burros should seek to achieve a balanced, multiple-use of public lands, ensuring the health of all aspects of the range.

Testimony given to the Natural Resources Committee under consideration of this bill from the Director of the Game and Fish Department in my home State of Arizona highlighted the need for such a definition, and the bill provides one.

The amended bill is a solid foundation from which to correct the problems with BLM management of wild horses and burros and to begin to restore these animals to their natural, rightful place on our public lands as intended by the original 1971 law.

I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the bill before us today and to reject the substitute. The substitute has no cost savings. It guts H.R. 1018. It continues the costly practice of holding animals in pens that cost $27 million a year to taxpayers. And it's a carte blanche for the BLM to kill, outright, up to 30,000 horses they have sitting in their holding pens.

This amendment is expensive and inhumane, and I urge its defeat.

Private health insurance companies have two-thirds of all Americans that have insurance enrolled in their plans, and they pay one-third of the overall costs for health care in this country. Two- thirds of that cost is borne by the American taxpayer and the working middle class of this country.

You will hear in the next few days a lot of harping about the cost of health care reform for this Nation. I think the only way--and I believe sincerely--to reduce health care costs, bring private insurance companies under control by having a competitive plan, is to have a public option.

A public option does not deny people health care because of preexisting conditions--a public option in the free marketplace that competes with private insurance, and a public option that extends health benefits and opportunities to all Americans.

If we are going to do health reform right, we must provide competition for public insurance, and we must provide opportunity and choice for the American people.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation before us today.

As the Chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands of the House Natural Resources Committee, I have held a series of hearings on the impacts that climate change is having, and will have, on our lands, waters, and wildlife. In response, my congressional colleagues and I developed a bill to give state and federal natural resource managers the tools to respond and adapt to these impacts. That bill is included within the American Clean Energy and Security Act which I strongly urge my colleagues to support today.

Any serious attempt to address climate change must include a focus on the management of our nation's natural resources. Our land, water, fish and wildlife resources are critical to public health and the American economy.

These natural resources are also vulnerable to a wide range of physical, biological, economic, and social effects as a result of climate change. At the same time, public lands and resources represent some of the best opportunities we have for implementing natural resource adaptation strategies to help mitigate some of those effects.

Unfortunately, the previous Administration pursued a ``Head in the Sand'' policy regarding climate change and, as a result, the gap between what we know about climate change, and what federal and state resource management agencies are doing about it, has never been wider.

After the Natural Resources Committee held a series of hearings on the impacts that climate change is having, and will have, on our lands, our oceans, and our wildlife, several of my colleagues and I introduced H.R. 2192 to promote a proactive federal-state partnership to address the impacts of climate change on our nation's natural resources and provide the direction and the tools that resource managers will need to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies for our land, water, and wildlife.

We are gratified that the Energy and Commerce Committee shares the belief that this is an important piece of the puzzle and has elected to include our legislation as part of the bill before us today.

The bill establishes a Natural Resources Climate Change Adaptation Panel made up of Federal agencies responsible for managing our Nation's natural resources. The Panel's mission will be to foster the kind of interagency and federal-state cooperation and planning that is both critical in responding to climate change and, so far, sorely lacking.

The Panel will be tasked with developing a comprehensive, national strategy for combating climate change. Once the national strategy is in place, each Federal agency with jurisdiction over natural resources will be required to translate that broader plan into a climate change response tailored specifically to their programs and activities. Furthermore, funding will be authorized to assist states in developing similar state-wide adaptation plans that lead to concrete, on the ground actions to address the impacts of climate change on the natural resources they manage.

In addition, the bill will streamline, centralize and improve the collection and dissemination of climate-related scientific information. This provision will ensure that Federal climate research will be better funded, more aggressive and more easily available to land managers, policy-makers and the public.

Finally, the bill will create a centralized database of geographic mapping information designed to identify significant wildlife habitat and migration corridors. Such areas must be included in any ecosystem- level adaptation planning efforts.

These efforts are belated--we cannot hope to reverse a decade of inaction immediately--but they are important tools and these provisions are an important step forward in developing a response to climate change that will protect the lands and waters owned, and deeply valued, by the American people.

We have wasted valuable time when we should have been working to stop harmful global warming, but with this vote to rein in carbon emissions, we will take a big step toward joining the rest of the world in addressing mankind's impact on our environment. Our existence on this planet depends on our taking action now rather than later, and therefore, I urge passage of the legislation today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Raul H. Castro, Arizona's first Hispanic Governor, who has devoted his life to ensuring democracy for all.

To review the lifelong commitments of Governor Castro is to describe the epitome of the American Dream.

Born in Mexico, he immigrated to a community near Douglas, AZ in his teenage years. The son of a copper miner and a midwife, he overcame great poverty and adversity as a young adult. He was always committed to his family and the need to do something great with his life. In high school he was a stellar athlete and student, which taught him discipline and earned him an athletic scholarship for college. In college, he was an undefeated boxer, winning mostly by knockout and earning the name the ``Douglas Destroyer.''

Governor Castro worked diligently through school, completing his first degree in higher education in 1939, the same year he became a United States citizen. He worked for the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Service officer in Agua Prieta, Sonora for a period of time, then applied and was accepted at the University of Arizona, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree.

He then practiced law in Tucson, AZ, became deputy Pima County Attorney and was elected Pima County Superior Court Judge. In his six years on the Superior Court bench, he gained a reputation of being fair and grew further respected in the community for his work and commitment to justice.

It wouldn't take long for the country to notice the young judge from Pima County. President Lyndon Johnson appointed Raul as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador in 1964, where he served until 1968. He then served as Ambassador to Bolivia from 1968-1969, and returned to Tucson to specialize in international law.

His work abroad became a benefit for the state of Arizona. He continued his commitment to his country by becoming active in Arizona Democratic Party politics, and ultimately won a spirited campaign for the governorship in 1974, becoming Arizona's first Hispanic governor.

Governor Castro wouldn't complete his term, President Jimmy Carter selected him to represent the United States again and serve as Ambassador to Argentina, where he served until 1980.

Governor Castro returned to Arizona and devoted more than two decades to practicing law. He has recently retired to Nogales, AZ where he remains involved in the community.

Governor Castro's story is one of inspiration for young and old alike. He has shown all aspects of the American Dream, to work hard, care about your community and success will follow. Arizona and this nation have been blessed by his commitment to democracy and justice.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Governor Castro and thank him for being a role model for so many of us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 627 and in strong opposition to the Coburn amendment. This vital legislation was hijacked in the Senate by a dangerous amendment that would ban virtually all regulations of guns in national park and wildlife refuges--an amendment that has absolutely no place in this bill.

The Coburn amendment overturns reasonable limits put in place by Ronald Reagan and goes far beyond the regulations proposed by George W. Bush. The House will vote on this extreme language separately, and I urge my colleagues to strip the Coburn amendment from the legislation.

We need to be very clear. The rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment are fully protected under the current policy. The current rule allows guns in parks and refuges as long as they are not loaded and properly stored. The National Rifle Association has spent years trumping up claims and distorting data in order to claim a symbolic victory by overturning these Federal limits on guns in national parks. Clearly the NRA is a special group with no interest at all in protecting and preserving our national parks and wildlife areas.

Claims that visitors will be safer with loaded guns goes contrary to the data and is not credible. The FBI states that there were less than two violent crimes for 100,000 national park visits in 2006. Nationally, the violent crime rate is 300 times that.

It is important that we realize that our parks are special places and that a tradition of 100 years, law that has been in place and regulations since the Ronald Reagan era have protected and enhanced those parks. The Coburn language will have devastating consequences-- some intended, some not. It is far different from the rule proposed by the former Secretary Kempthorne and goes well beyond anything we have considered in this House under Democratic or Republican leadership.

Our parks and refuges are America's cathedrals. They are a sanctuary for wildlife and visitors. Loaded guns, which can be brandished at the drop of the hat, are wholly inconsistent with these values. I urge defeat of the amendment.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Tucson Citizen which is closing after 138 years.

The Arizona Citizen was founded in 1870, by John Wasson, a newspaper man from California, with help from Richard McCormick, the territory's governor and later territorial delegate to Congress. In 1976, Gannett Co., Inc. bought the newspaper and changed its name from the Arizona Citizen to the Tucson Citizen.

The closure of the Tucson Citizen is a great loss for the community of Southern Arizona. As the state's oldest newspaper, the Tucson Citizen has been a part of Arizona's history. During its existence, the Citizen reported on Arizona's biggest stories, among them the 1881 gunfight at the OK Corral and the 1934 arrest of bank robber John Dillinger.

The Tucson Citizen has been a place that Tucsonans turned to for local news. The stories published reflected the diverse community and the stories that impacted multiple generations.

Losing the Tucson Citizen is losing a piece of history and losing a bit of family.

For the past several decades, the Tucson Citizen has been a family affair. Many a reporter, assignment editor and publisher worked in the same newsroom as their previous relatives. This newspaper worked hard to connect our present with our past and another voice will be lost when the doors finally shut forever.

From the beginning, there have been individuals dedicated to keeping the public informed, communities educated, and discourse alive and well. Throughout its existence, the Tucson Citizen has worked to provide our community with accurate information. A desire for good journalism is vital to fostering a more enlightened public. I ask to recognize the Tucson Citizen for its contribution to Southern Arizona.

Madame Speaker, I rise today to recognize the nursing staff at El Rio Community Health Center in Tucson, AZ.

This week, we celebrate National Nurses Week, to honor the men and women that care for us in some of our hardest moments. I am humbled to recognize the nurses of El Rio who endure so much for the health of our community.

From its beginning, El Rio has had a strong community base which comes from advocating and working to ensure that quality and affordable health care were provided to underrepresented communities in the late 1960s. Today, it is among the largest community health centers in Southern Arizona.

The legacy of quality and affordable health care continues at El Rio, because of the sacrifice and commitment of its nurses.

El Rio nurses are often the unsung heroes; they are protective of their patients, are selfless in the care they provide, and are in tune with the needs of the patient. This is just what we see as patients or family of loved ones.

Behind the scenes and off the clock, El Rio nurses are constantly training or researching the newest techniques, health trends, nurse education, or how to provide culturally and ethnically competent care. They do this so that their patients can have the most up-to-date and personal care.

This year, Congress is preparing to undertake health care reform, a debate that is decades old to which we will hopefully find solutions. The work by El Rio nurses are actions and principles that my colleagues and I should embrace as we move forward on this important debate. El Rio nurses are committed to the idea that each patient deserves respect, receives quality care, and is part of the community. If we could replicate their concern, passion, energy, and success, our country's system would provide the quality health care we all hope to attain.

Words are not strong enough to thank the nurses at El Rio on behalf of their dedication, sacrifice, and work for a better future.

Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Climate Change Safeguards for Natural Resource Protection Act. I am pleased to be joined in sponsoring this measure by Chairman Nick Rahall as well as . . .

Madam Speaker, in 1850, the estimated number of glaciers in what would become Glacier National Park was 150; today, it is 26. The Joshua Trees in Joshua Tree National Park are dying. Unless Congress and the Administration work together to combat climate change on Federal lands, these parks and others like them will need new names.

Forests, wildlife refuges, national parks and other federally-owned land and water represent a 650-million-acre front in the battle against global climate change, but many Federal land and water management agencies have yet to take up the fight in earnest.

The previous Administration pursued a ``don't-ask, don't-tell'' approach to climate change; scientific research was undermined and planning was discouraged through underfunding and censorship. As a result, the gap between what we know about climate change and what we are doing about it has widened.

The legislation we are introducing today is intended to narrow that gap by providing Federal land, water, and ocean management agencies and the States, the tools they need to protect our fish, wildlife, oceans, plants and other resources from the impacts we know are coming.

The bill requires establishment of a Natural Resources Climate Change Adaptation Panel made up of Federal agencies responsible for managing our Nation's natural resources. The Panel's mission will be to foster the kind of inter-agency cooperation and planning that is both critical in responding to climate change and, so far, sorely lacking.

The Panel will be tasked with developing a comprehensive, national strategy for combating climate change. Once the national strategy is in place, each Federal agency with jurisdiction over natural resources will be tasked with translating that broader plan into a climate change response tailored specifically to their agency's programs and activities. Furthermore, funding will be authorized to assist states in developing similar state-wide adaptation plans that lead to concrete on the ground actions to address the impacts of climate change on the natural resources they manage.

In addition, the bill will streamline, centralize and improve the collection and dissemination of climate-related scientific information. This provision will ensure that Federal climate research will be better funded, more aggressive and more easily available to land managers, policy-makers and the public.

Finally, the bill will create a centralized database of geographic mapping information designed to identify significant wildlife migration corridors. Such corridors must be included in

any ecosystem level adaptation planning efforts.

In developing this legislation, we have been privileged to work closely with our colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, including Chairman Waxman and the Dean of the House of Representatives, John Dingell to include this bill in larger, so-called ``cap and trade'' legislation. We support having this measure included in the larger package and appreciate the support of the Energy and Commerce Committee in this effort.

This legislation is the product of multiple oversight hearings and extensive negotiations in the Natural Resources Committee. A serious and sustained commitment to fighting climate change is a significant priority for the Members of our Committee and we ask our colleagues to join us in this effort.