Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise again today to once again bring a sense of reality and clear light to the immigrant and Latino communities of our Nation.

Six months ago, my family and I went to the wake of a 19-year-old soldier who died in Iraq from my hometown of Tucson, Arizona. It was very difficult, especially when his mother asked me to tell her why he died. I should say, she spoke only Spanish. I said what I could about freedom, sacrifice, and liberty. And now, this Congress wants to change legislation to have the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission not investigate or prosecute cases of discrimination if the complainant doesn't speak English, like this young man's mother. She gave this Nation a son.

I challenge, no, I demand of those proponents that want to have second-class citizenship in this country to go to that mother and tell her why.

Madam Speaker, I rise today also to honor the soldiers and veterans that sacrifice so much for this Nation. And this week in which we celebrated Veterans Day, it is an appropriate and necessary time to reflect on that sacrifice. And in the Congress that often feels the need to scapegoat or debase immigrants, this body often forgets how immigrants enrich our lives.

I rise today to take a special moment to thank those foreign-born noncitizens who are serving in this war and have served in wars past. In this current war, there are approximately 21,000 noncitizens in uniform. No other war has produced anywhere near as many posthumous citizens as this one.

Madam Speaker, I ask you and all my colleagues to work toward civility, solutions and humanity when we talk about immigration. Please do not play politics with the lives of current and future immigrants and their family members, like me, who are only a generation removed from the experience.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2262.

It is an understatement to say that the West has changed dramatically since 1872, but this law that we are reforming today has not kept pace. Those of us from the West need this legislation to pass to protect the health of our communities, our scarce water supplies and our public lands, which are under continuing threat from an outdated mining law.

In my home State of Arizona, hardrock mining has left behind a legacy of contaminated lands and rivers, abandoned mines leaching poisonous metals into groundwater and other hazards to the public, with hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars to reclaim and cleanup the mess left behind.

Only a few months ago, a young girl was killed when she and her sister drove their vehicle into a mine shaft that had been left exposed after the site was abandoned. The mine shaft was hidden by brush, had no signs or barriers to warn anyone about the danger. The younger sister was trapped overnight with her sister's body before rescuers found them the next morning.

This is just one heartbreaking example of the impacts of a law left over from another era, an era when the West was not populated and when our value system was far different from what it is now.

The law simply must be updated to today's modern-day values and environmental standards. The issue of employment has been raised over and over again, exporting our jobs and importing our vital metals. I agree, mining jobs are good jobs, but I would suggest they are not the only jobs in the West. We need to have a diversified workforce, and that workforce needs what the population needs, diversified opportunities.

Chairman Rahall's bill puts standards in place, requiring cleanup and reclamation of mining sites. This bill makes certain that lands are off limits to mining, as they should be, but it also ends the free-for-all that this law has created over the years, where companies have used a patenting process to purchase inholdings within national forests and other public lands for a few dollars per acre, only to have the Federal Government later buy them out for millions of dollars when they threaten to develop the land.

The Federal Government has spent billions of dollars over the years rebuying patented mining lands, and taxpayers' are served much better for their money. They deserve a fairness and an equitable return for their tax dollars.

I strongly support the balanced approach that the chairman has taken with this bill. I am also pleased that the committee approved amendments I offered to allow Native American tribes to petition the Secretary to withdraw from mining lands of cultural, historic or religious importance to them. Tribes have been just as impacted as other communities by the impacts of mining and should be able to weigh in on these important matters.

There is an urgency here that cannot be understated. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will vote for this bill.

Let me thank the chairman for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here to support H.R. 1483 as chairman of the subcommittee, but also supporting the larger heritage area bill. One section in particular that applies to my community is the designation of a new heritage area in the Santa Cruz Valley of Arizona.

The Santa Cruz Valley has national significance and deserves the recognition that this designation would bring and highlight what is a shared border with Mexico. The Santa Cruz Valley encompasses many diverse cultures and histories. These include native peoples whose heritage dates back 13,000 years, and the descendants of Spanish, Mexican and American territorial settlers who shaped the region, its land, its customs and its traditions from the 1690s to the present date.

For me it's an important designation. I grew up on a ranch, Canoa Ranch, that is located within the Santa Cruz Valley. It's a historic ranch, been designated as such and presently is being renovated to bring and highlight what that ranch life was in the 1800s and 1900s.

The towns and cities of the Santa Cruz Valley support this. The amount of support that this proposal has is truly outstanding. I want to say something not only about the Santa Cruz Valley and its importance, but I think it transcends the discussion that we are having about heritage areas. Heritage areas, through the designation, is also a recognition of a mosaic, a mosaic of history, people, traditions, the environment, a mosaic that shapes this country. Each one is as different and diverse as our Nation. To get to a designation point takes a great deal of work and cooperation among communities and peoples, and that's what we are acknowledging with heritage areas, the work that went into it, the diversity of this great Nation of ours, and the mosaic that makes this Nation of ours as special and privileged as it is in the world.

I would also like to say that we are going to hear things about taking property rights, the cost. A GAO study was commissioned, and many of the organizations which have been submitted for the record as private property rights advocates were solicited to provide specific examples where heritage areas did indeed interfere with, take or prohibit the use of someone's private property. Not one instance came up in that study. I just want to reaffirm that these projects, these heritage areas are cooperative, bipartisan and truly deserving of the designations. I want to thank the chairman for the entire bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 189) to establish the Paterson Great Falls National Park in the State of New Jersey, as amended.

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 bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, soon after the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton selected the area around the Great Falls of the Passaic River as a site for the first planned industrial center in America. Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treasury, invited Pierre L'Enfant to design the city in 1791. The result was the City of Paterson, New Jersey, which became one of the most important manufacturing centers in America during the Industrial Revolution. President Gerald Ford designated the Great Falls Historic District as a national historic landmark in 1976. The 104th Congress established an historic district and authorized the restoration, preservation, and interpretive program for the area.

H.R. 189, sponsored by our colleague, Representative Bill Pascrell, the former mayor of Paterson, designates the historic district as a National Historic Park and a unit of the National Park System. This bill contains standard management language for NPS units.

This is a unique area and will make an excellent addition to our National Park System. Representative Pascrell is to be commended for his tireless efforts on behalf of the legislation and the city and the people of Paterson. We urge the adoption of this bill by the House today.

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

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield such time as he may consume to the gentlemen from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman from Georgia, if I am not mistaken, the original designation for the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area was also not supported by National Park Service, and I know that the people of Georgia are glad that this Congress used its legislative prerogative to create that designation.

With that, let me yield such additional time as he may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. Speaker, let me just in closing say this legislation, H.R. 189, this designation goes beyond a simple designation. It speaks to the strengthening of our independence as this Nation develops. It speaks to a beautiful natural resource that needs to be protected and designated, and it speaks to an historic legacy about people and industrial advancement that needs to be preserved and enhanced and designated for the whole Nation to appreciate. I want to thank the sponsor of the legislation and urge my colleagues to exercise the wisdom of Congress and approve H.R. 189.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 830) to authorize the exchange of certain lands in Denali National Park in the State of Alaska, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 830 was introduced by the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young). The legislation would authorize an exchange of easements on land along the Alaska Railroad track inside the Denali National Park.

The exchange would make it possible for the railroad to build a turnaround track near the Denali Park station, helping to accommodate the increasing popularity of rail travel in the park.

Mr. Speaker, this is an exchange of easements only. No park land will change hands. The railroad has an existing easement along its entire track, granted as a result of the 1982 Alaska Railroad Transfer Act. But the easement will not accommodate the turnaround.

H.R. 830 would allow the Secretary of the Interior to grant a new easement for the turnaround. In exchange, the railroad will relinquish its existing easement on an approximate equal number of acres elsewhere along the current track.

Mr. Speaker, we support H.R. 830, as amended, and recommend its adoption by 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 pass the bill (H.R. 2197) to modify the boundary of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in the State of Ohio, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2197 was introduced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Space). The legislation would modify the boundaries of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in south central Ohio to add two tracts, totaling almost 360 acres.

The Hopewell Culture was a pre-European civilization best known for the numerous mounds and earthworks found throughout the Ohio Valley. The current park boundary encompasses five sites totaling 1,174 acres. H.R. 2197 would add two tracts, the 177-acre Spruce Hill Works unit and the 180-acre addition to the existing Seip Earthworks unit.

Mr. Speaker, the National Park Service has testified in support of the legislation, and it was approved by the Resources Committee by unanimous consent. This addition to our National Park System will preserve important sites from our Nation's past.

I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Space) for his diligence in bringing this bill to the House. Representative Space is on his way back from his district this afternoon, but will submit a statement for the Record.

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 pass the bill (H.R. 783) to modify the boundary of Mesa Verde National Park, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 783 authorizes a boundary expansion at Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado of approximately 362 acres. Mesa Verde National Park, established in 1906, contains the most extensive concentration of cliff-dwellings in the United States.

H.R. 783 authorizes the acquisition of two parcels of the land that border the park. One parcel is in full view of the park's entrance road and contains important archaeological sites, an ancient forest, and the largest known population of a globally imperiled plant. This parcel is currently zoned for a subdivision, but the owners would prefer to protect the property through inclusion in the park.

The second parcel is currently owned by a park partner, the Mesa Verde Foundation.

The foundation intends to donate the parcel to the park for the development of a visitor information center and museum collection facility but cannot do so until the park boundary is expanded.

Mr. Speaker, the administration has testified in support of this legislation, the Natural Resources Committee approved the legislation with a minor amendment by unanimous consent.

I want to acknowledge, at this point, the hard work of the bill's sponsor, Representative John Salazar, in bringing this important legislation forward. We support this bill and urge its adoption by the House today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this legislation, Representative John Salazar.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2094) to provide for certain administrative and support services for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, and for other purposes, as amended.

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 bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, there's no doubt that Dwight Eisenhower played a significant role in American history. His service as a military leader, both during war and in peacetime, as our Nation's 34th President and as a statesman and a scholar are deserving of a memorial here in our Nation's capital.

Plans to establish such a memorial, a site across the street from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, are well underway. The commission established to oversee the memorial is now developing a design concept. Once the design is approved, the commission will oversee construction of the memorial.

H.R. 2094, sponsored by our colleague from Kansas, Representative Dennis Moore, makes technical changes to the staff organization and administrative authority of the commission. These changes are necessary as the commission transitions from the planning phase to the construction phase.

Representative Moore has worked very hard in this very difficult process to help get this memorial established. Thanks to his efforts, and those of the commission, future visitors to Washington will come away with a better understanding of President Eisenhower's place in American history.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me indicate at this time that Representative Moore, the sponsor of the legislation, is in his district and will have a statement to submit for the Record.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 523) to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain public land located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the Wells Hydroelectric Project of Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County, Washington, to the utility district, as amended.

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 bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, the Wells Hydroelectric Project, operated by the Public Utility District in Douglas County, provides electricity to approximately 17,000 customers in Washington State. The central feature of the project is a dam on the Columbia River.

The utility district is in the early stages of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's relicensing process. The project's current license was granted in 1962 and will expire in May 2012. An application for relicensing must be submitted by 2010.

H.R. 523 directs the Secretary of the Interior to sell 662 acres of BLM land within the project boundary to the utility district and requires the district to pay the appraised fair market value of the land.

Importantly, the legislation requires that, even after the conveyance takes place, the Secretary of the Interior will retain authority under the Federal Power Act to place conditions on the utility district's new license, if necessary, to protect the natural resources of the area.

Mr. Speaker, we have worked closely with the sponsor and our minority colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee to improve this legislation. We thank them for that and appreciate it very much.

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

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

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

Madam Speaker, today we celebrate National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, and the 25th anniversary of HIV/AIDS. Let us mark this day with a renewed spirit and effort to battle against this deadly virus.

HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects Latinos in this country, for while Latinos only represent 14 percent of the population of this country, 19 percent of those with HIV/AIDS are Latinos. 100,000 Latinos have died from this disease. We cannot continue to allow HIV/AIDS to ravage our communities.

Educating and reaching out to our children, family, and friends to address drug use, sexuality, and sexual activity should be our number one priority, because knowledge is the first step in successful prevention. The fact that these are topics that have been deemed unmentionable for generations is one of the reasons the epidemic of HIV/AIDS affects Latinos disproportionately; this is something that we must strive to change.

We must utilize our strengths to defeat this epidemic in our communities; we cannot allow silence and lack of information on this virus to be the cause of such tragic illness and death any longer.

Access to care is also a major issue for many Latinos. This week the House will be voting to override the President's veto of the Children's Health Insurance Program, legislation which will provide 10 million low-income children with health insurance. This access to health care will allow these children to begin and continue to live healthy lives.

For a person with HIV/AIDS, access health care is imperative. Many cannot obtain private insurance, are uninsured, or do not know how to apply for public insurance. This lack of insurance leads to less access to care, which further stymies the possibilities of successfully living with HIV/AIDS. I believe that access to appropriate and affordable health care is a basic human right, and while the passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program, SCHIP, will be a good first step, it is by no means the only step we need to take.

This has been a long, frustrating battle, and it is far from over. Today I join in solidarity with those who have suffered or watched a loved one suffer from HIV/AIDS. As I recommit myself to the fight against this virus I ask you to please join me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3246, the Regional Economic and Infrastructure Development Act of 2007.

This bill acknowledges a critical component of our country's success, and creates the Southwest Border Regional Commission for border counties in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

First, I thank the committee for the inclusion of this region in the bill. I am proud to represent this region, home to one of the most vibrant communities. Where the United States and Mexico meet, it is a symbiotic community. For cities in my district, there is often a division.

Many times on this house floor, the debate of the border is divisive and based on demagoguery. There is no room for those issues in today's debate. This commission is about investing in U.S. citizens that live in a unique community, a community that is the gateway to our country.

For as much as this Congress debates and exploits immigration and constantly works to militarize our border, we could spare some time to discuss needed investment in the region.

The residents of the southwest border are burdened with concerns that include low income, low education levels, the lowest number of health professionals, some of the highest rates of diabetes, tuberculosis, AIDS and other health crises, a lack of economic development, and the list goes on.

The southwest border communities are at the periphery of the United States and Mexico's national economic and political concerns. The U.S. Government has historically forgotten this community in terms of economic development, education and social programs.

The Southwest Border Regional Commission takes a great step to correct this misguided omission. It is our responsibility to assist our border communities and our border residents.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill and reject any attempts to further exploit the citizens who are at the gateway of this country and who sacrifice so much already to the demands of our border security.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 3221.

This bill is a package of important provisions that will move our energy and climate policies toward a more sustainable future. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

One of the highlights of this bill is a provision to require royalty payments from oil and gas leases that currently are exempt from royalties. We are losing millions of dollars on these faulty leases that are allowing oil and gas companies to extract taxpayer-owned resources for free. Putting a stop to this is fiscally unsound public policy is a much-needed step in the right direction.

With this measure, we will also establish progressive and sensible policies designed to help families and businesses save energy with new efficiency standards for appliances, lighting and buildings.

This bill puts our priorities back on track in funding new research into renewable fuels, which could be unlimited sources of clean energy if we invest in them properly. This will begin to move us away from the antiquated, dirty sources of energy we use today.

I support this bill and plan to vote in favor of it. I am, however, disappointed that several important provisions were removed from the Natural Resources Committee bill, H.R. 2337, as it was being incorporated into this bill. The colleagues who demanded the removal are primarily from big oil producing states whose interest is to move that product for the corporate interests they represent without thought or consideration for the rights of other Western states, communities, ranchers, farmers and the shared public lands of the American people.

One gentleman in particular represents a vast oil producing district with no real public land, at least 100 hazardous waste sites, numerous former superfund sites, watershed and ground water contamination sites. Perhaps the gentleman feels that is the price of doing the oil industry's business? I and many others in the West prefer a different scenario--where study, consultation, protection of our public lands, public participation, and cost recovery for the tax payer--are an integral part of doing business.

As Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, I've become concerned about the 2005 Energy Policy Act's impacts on public lands, private landowners and wildlife in the West.

The provisions removed from this bill prior to floor consideration would have made very modest improvements to the Energy Policy Act, a bill largely written by and for the fossil fuel industry.

The first would have simply authorized a study before federal agencies designate energy corridors on federal lands across the entire West. I am deeply concerned that the most recent maps put forth by the agencies identify corridors crossing through National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, Monuments and wilderness areas. Like Dick Cheney's Energy Taskforce, the initial maps of the draft corridors were drawn at the request of the energy industry, with very little public input. The study would have simply put a better, more thorough process in place by requiring agencies to consider congestion and constraints on the system as well as barriers to access for renewables. My provision would have also required the agencies to avoid places like National Parks when designating corridors.

The second provision, specifically requested by the Western Governors' Association, would have required land management agencies to analyze the impacts of oil and gas activities in critical wildlife areas before allowing drilling. I ask unanimous consent that these letters from the Western Governors' Association be entered into the Record.

Under the 2005 bill, the oil and gas industry is able to conduct drilling and other activities on public lands without first ensuring protection of wildlife and other resources. The original provision would have required agencies to avoid wildlife areas and follow appropriate laws to protect the environment.

I am disappointed that these modest reforms of the oil and gas industry's sweetheart package from 2005 were rejected.

Nevertheless, I support the reform provisions of this bill and I know that there will still be opportunity to address some of the shortcomings of the 2005 Energy bill as we move forward. Because once the public is fully aware of the consequences and immense impacts of the energy corridors designations and categorical exclusion provisions, they will demand action.

Congress of the United States,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, July 27, 2007.

Hon. Nick Rahall,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Rahall: I write to urge you to keep the oil

and gas management reform provisions of H.R. 2337, which

contain several modest but important reforms to restore some

semblance of balance to the federal government's oil and gas

development programs.

As you are aware, the overall House Natural Resources

Committee package will restore responsible stewardship to the

development of our publicly owned oil and gas resources.

Unfortunately, some of the criticism from opponents of these

provisions misrepresent the content and anticipated

consequences of these provisions.

These provisions will not increase oil and gas prices. In

fact, oil prices respond to global market forces of supply

and demand, not whether or not oil and gas operators on

public lands are required to pay a small administrative fee

to obtain drilling permits, or a dollar per acre fee to

discourage speculation, or post bonds to repair the damage

done by development to fish and wildlife resources, or make

sure private property owners are treated fairly, or whether

environmental values are properly protected.

It has also been alleged that the oil and gas language in

H.R. 2337 would ``limit energy development on the public

lands in the Intermountain West.'' In fact, no provisions in

H.R. 2337 limit any company's access to federal lands for oil

and gas activities in the region.

Of particular concern to critics are provisions of the bill

that provide some modest protection for the private property

rights of private surface owners who do not own the federal

oil and gas resources under their farms and ranches. These

provisions would not give landowners a veto over oil and gas

development, but would require lessees to minimize impacts on

the surface. In addition, the critics apparently have a

problem with requiring companies that drill on federal lands

to protect water resources that might be impaired by their

operations, and replace resources damaged by their

operations. Critics also have a problem with requirement

financial guarantees from operators on federal lands to

ensure that they clean up after they have completed

operations, and do not leave the clean-up bill for

taxpayers to pay. None of these provisions will impair any

company's access to federal oil and gas resources. They

will, however, ensure the responsible development of these

resources.

Other important provisions of the House Natural Resources

Committee package are the language on energy transmission

corridors and categorical exclusions. This language would

require that a needs assessment of constraints and congestion

in the West's transmission system for the transmission of

various energy resources be finalized, and the data used when

applicants apply for rights-of-way across federal lands. In

addition, the provision contains some commonsense protections

of sensitive areas and resources that could be impaired by

the improper siting of transmission facilities. The provision

for categorical exclusions ensures proper environmental

review for oil and gas in critical wildlife areas.

In summary, the oil and gas management provisions of the

House Resources Committee package contain a modest number of

reforms that will help protect the wildlife, water resources

and other environmental values and private property that can

be impaired by irresponsible oil and gas development.

Sincerely,

Raul M. Grijalva,

Chairman, Subcommittee on National

Parks, Forests and Public Lands.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Portable Practical Educational Preparation Inc., PPEP.

For the past 40 years, PPEP has been working diligently for rural communities, improving the lives and futures of the people it serves. PPEP has been steadfast in its service to the rural poor, the disenfranchised, the developmentally disabled, at-risk youth, and the migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families.

The founding philosophy of Project PPEP is to involve those who are less fortunate in carrying out meaningful programs to eliminate rural poverty--to help overcome the problems faced by rural people by mobilizing public and private resources in support of these programs. Armed with their first grant of $19,000 from the Office of Economic Opportunity, Project PPEP and La Tortuga became a reality.

On August 24, 1967 John David Arnold, founder and current chief administrative officer, embarked on PPEP's first outreach trip to provide training by touring in a converted 1957 Chevrolet school bus named ``La Tortuga''--the Tortoise. This portable classroom allowed PPEP to teach English to migrant workers and taught many people the value of learning vocational and technical skills like driving a car, and improving sanitation and nutrition. La Tortuga was driven all over southern Arizona, taking PPEP's resources to the cotton and vegetable fields and providing educational preparation to African Americans and ``Braceros'' and their families.

In November 1967, the Arizona Daily Star summarized PPEP as, ``a practical education which is brought almost to the doorstep of unskilled and poverty-stricken people in Southern Arizona.'' As Project PPEP celebrates 40 years of success, these words still ring true.

In the past 40 years, PPEP has touched over 4 million people, developed numerous programs that have become national self-help models, has established 42 field offices operating with 17 group homes servicing over 167 developmentally disabled adults, and has created 13 charter high school campuses throughout Arizona, having graduated over 2,400 students in the past 11 years.

The staff of PPEP has encouraged and enabled many disadvantaged citizens to develop technical skills and computer literacy which has allowed many of them to move from welfare to more productive lives in the job market. PPEP provides a bridge for farm workers, the rural poor and many other disadvantaged individuals.

Due to the support of PPEP, many migrant workers, low income families and the rural poor are building homes, building businesses and building communities of opportunity.

I offer my thanks to the dedicated and committed staff of Project

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce legislation today to protect a magnificently diverse natural landscape in the mountains southwest of Tucson. When enacted, the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Act will make a major contribution to the conservation of the natural wonders of Arizona, to the benefit of all of our citizens-- those alive today and all the generations to come.

The Tumacacori Highlands is the collective name for two adjacent wilderness areas on public lands that are part of the Coronado National Forest.

These desert peaks and canyons are key parts of the world-renowned Sky Island bioregion, a biological ``hotspot'' where the southern margin of habitats for many species from the Rocky Mountain west overlaps the northern extent of habitats for many tropical species better known in Mexico. The area is home to subtropical species like the elegant trogon and Chiricahua leopard frog that are found nowhere else in the United States, and offers secluded habitat vital for jaguars, the rare and elusive spotted cat that is now repopulating this portion of its former range.

the new wilderness areas

This legislation will expand the existing 7,553-acre Pajarita Wilderness, which Congress protected in 1984 under the leadership of one of America's greatest conservation leaders, Rep. Morris K. Udall, and his close colleague, Sen. John McCain. As the House committee report explained, this ``is one of the most delicate and important ecotypes in all of Arizona,'' providing ``an important corridor for life zones to the north and south.'' My new legislation will afford statutory wilderness protection to some 5,750 additional acres, enhancing overall protection for this rare biological gem.

Just to the north, separated only by an unpaved Forest Service road that crosses the mountains between Nogales and Arivaca, the legislation will also designate the Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness. This larger area comprises some 70,000 acres surrounding Atascosa Peak and the ridges and canyons that fall away from it on all sides. This is important intact habitat--a remaining oasis of what southern Arizona used to be--and protects important parts of the watersheds for both the Santa Cruz River and the world-renowned riparian area of Sycamore Canyon in the core of the expanded Pajarita Wilderness. The area offers outstanding opportunities for recreation and renewal. Some folks hike to Atascosa Peak or other high points for sweeping views hundreds of miles in all directions. Others linger along the highly accessible margins of the area enjoying the scenic wonders of this wilderness landscape from the roadside.

user-friendly wilderness

Madam Speaker, along the roads that offer extraordinary access to these wilderness areas, one is surrounded by wild scenery. These ``user friendly'' wilderness areas offer diverse recreational opportunities for people of all ages, whether for an easy stroll and picnic or a more vigorous extended outing.

For the visitor who craves wild scenery but chooses not to hike, the Ruby Road and its numerous spurs offer a marvelous motoring experience, with the wilderness literally at the roadside untarnished by intervening roadside development beyond turnouts and trailheads that offer inviting picnic stops. As we too often forget, one of the greatest values of preserving our wilderness areas is for the enjoyment of those who use them by viewing their scenic vistas from the edges. And I hasten to add that other public lands in this region are available for those who choose other forms of outdoor recreation, including motorized recreation.

The boundaries proposed in this legislation have been adjusted to ensure plentiful road access to the wilderness for recreation. We emphasize protection of habitat, which is vital to increasing numbers of sportsmen who seek true wilderness hunting. As a result, this proposal has earned the support of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Arizona Wildlife Federation.

community-friendly wilderness

Protecting open space and scenic wild places like the Tumacacori Highlands contributes directly to the high quality-of-life sought by our people. The dramatic scenic backdrop of these mountains, uncluttered by development creeping up the slopes, entices people to choose to make their homes in these communities, including Green Valley and Rio Rico. Indeed, seven homeowners' associations in Green Valley, representing some 1,400 households, have formally endorsed this proposal.

The wild landscape of the Pajarita and Tumacacori Highlands are an essential asset for our small business owners, a matter of particular importance to me as a member of the Committee on Small Business. A University of Arizona study found that in Santa Cruz County alone, visitors to natural areas spent between $10 million and $16 million annually on travel and accommodations. The natural wonders of this landscape draw artists to artist colonies such as Tubac and Arivaca-- and bring art lovers to patronize local galleries and studios. My friends in the local arts community tell me that art that evokes the wild splendors of the southern Arizona landscape is perennially popular with their customers.

Little wonder then that business people have been among the voices urging that we designate these new wilderness areas. More than 100 southern Arizona businesses have endorsed the proposal. In giving their formal support, the board of directors of the Tubac Chamber of Commerce pointed out that protecting open space and wild landscapes such as the Tumacacori Highlands contributes directly to a high quality-of-life and is a key component in drawing local business patrons and tourists dollars to the area.

This is the wildest land in the spectrum of the open spaces and recreational lands we have to offer our increasingly urban population. In this sense, I think of these new wilderness areas as lungs for our city dwellers, and as their preserved public lands where they can go to recreate, to reconnect with family, friends, or personal spirituality. And I think of them, too, as particularly vital classrooms. In these wildest expanses of the natural world, we offer our children the opportunity to experience nature in its most unspoiled state and to learn first-hand how the natural world works. Wilderness inspires awe and offers a living, breathing learning environment that cannot be replicated in a classroom. More than 80 professors and graduate students in fields such as wildlife and fisheries, natural resources management, and environmental science have endorsed designation of these new wilderness areas.

These wildest places in the rapidly growing southern Arizona region offer our people sanctuaries--refuges of quiet offering outstanding opportunities for solitude, high quality recreation, and spiritual reflection. Many of my constituents express the great value they place on protecting these wild sanctuaries, feeling that doing so is part of our responsibility in caring for God's creation and fulfilling the obligation we share to preserve such places for the benefit of future generations. This has led both the Arizona Ecumenical Council and the National Council of Churches to support this proposal.