Floor Statements

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

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

I rise in strong support of this legislation and to congratulate our colleague from New Mexico, Mr. Tom Udall, who has worked tirelessly over the last year to bring this bill before us.

The bill will enable the settlement of the Pueblo de San Ildefonso's land-related claims against the United States. After several years of negotiating, all parties are prepared to resolve the case that has been pending for nearly 55 years. I salute Congressman Udall for his tenacity in getting this bill through the House. Mr. Udall could not be here today, but I have his statement to submit for the Record.

I urge my colleagues to support S. 1773.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 631 is an important piece of legislation that will enable the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of my district in Arizona to consolidate its land holdings and have some of its lands and interests in the lands taken into trust by the Secretary of the Interior.

Because of a quirk in Arizona State law, the tribe cannot acquire the subsurface mineral rights to certain parcels of State trust land it has purchased, making this legislation necessary. The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior, who acts as trustee to Indian nations, to acquire the mineral rights to land already owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe from the State of Arizona and take the land into trust on the tribe's behalf. It also requires the government to transfer other mineral rights into trust for the tribe. The tribe will pay the fair market value for the mineral rights involved as well as a transaction cost to complete the transfer.

The Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Governor of Arizona are supportive of this legislation, and I am personally thrilled that the House is taking up this bill today. It is an important measure that will enable the tribe to have full control over its own lands, providing opportunities for economic development and self-determination to the community.

I wish to thank my colleagues and the leadership within the Resources Committee for making this bill a priority for passage this session. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 631.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the aisle have no objection to this legislation which has been adequately explained by the majority. I would add that this conveyance comes at no cost to the Federal taxpayer. Furthermore, this legislation will remove a costly maintenance burden from the budget of this particular national wildlife refuge, and will ensure that this historic structure remains a public landmark benefiting the people of the region.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this week will mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, a joint conservation strategy implemented by both the United States and Canada to protect and restore wetland habitat stretching across North America.

Soon after the establishment of this comprehensive strategy in 1986, the Congress, led by the Dean of the House, John Dingell, authorized the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to establish a matching- grant program to take the goals of the North American plan off the drawing board and

into the landscape of the North American continent.

As many Members know, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act has demonstrated time and time again that it is one of our greatest wetlands conservation success stories.

Grants under the act have not only generated hundreds of millions of non-Federal matching funds; these contributions have been converted into acquisition, conservation, protection and restoration of millions of acres of wetlands across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Few Federal programs deliver such a bang for the buck.

Although the current authorization of appropriations does not expire until next year, there is no reason why we should not reauthorize this highly popular and effective conservation program to ensure its future success.

I commend the sponsors of this legislation, most notably Resources Chairman Pombo, ranking Resource Committee Democrat Member Nick Rahall and Congressman John Dingell, for their steadfast interest in this act and for their leadership in wetlands conservation.

I urge every Member to support this reauthorization.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the majority has already explained this legislation. I would only add that it is our understanding that the State is required, under its master plan for Jekyll Island, to limit development to preserve as open space no less than 40 percent of the island.

In light of stringent planning requirements, the corrections provided in the new maps adopted by this legislation should help the State realize its goals under the master plan without compromising the integrity of the Coastal Barrier Resources System.

We on this side of the aisle do not object to the consideration of this legislation.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this legislation has been championed by our colleague from Florida, Allen Boyd, without whose efforts it would not be on the floor today; and I want to thank him for that.

The majority has already adequately explained the bill. I would only note that the expansion of this Coastal Barrier Resource Unit will significantly increase the total area of lands that will now become ineligible for Federal flood insurance.

And because this region of the Florida panhandle is experiencing a frenzy of coastal development, this factor was a pivotal consideration in the committee's approval of H.R. 479.

The net conservation benefit in this instance was considered sufficient to protect the integrity of this coastal barrier unit, despite the strong reservations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove some small areas of private land from the existing unit.

We on this side of the aisle do not object to this legislation.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, it is always important to provide opportunities for the public to participate in conservation activity, yet in the case of our Federal fish hatcheries, the development of an enthused and motivated cadre of volunteers will help to partially address the chronic operations budget shortfall that severely limits existing visitor service programs.

One shining example of how a volunteer effort can enable a hatchery to become part of the fabric of its surrounding community is found at the White Sulphur Springs Natural Fish Hatchery in West Virginia. This hatchery, which is located in the district of the ranking Democrat member of the Resources Committee, Nick Rahall, has partnered for years with civic organizations such as the Rotary Club, its local friends group to coordinate widely popular recreational events such as annual fishing derbies, the hatchery's Centennial Celebration, and annual Freshwater Folk Festivals.

Clearly, as the volunteer program at White Sulphur Springs Natural Fish Hatchery demonstrates, our natural fish hatcheries could benefit from enhanced opportunities for volunteer participation, and I urge Members to support this legislation which seeks to make that goal a reality.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor a great American who has recently passed away.

Last week, Jonathon Solomon, a leader and elder of the Gwich'in Nation, passed away in Alaska. A lifelong advocate on behalf of his people, Jonathon was an inspiration to many and was instrumental in the fight to protect the birthplace of the Porcupine Caribou Herd in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As a Traditional Chief of Fort Yukon, Jonathon was raised in the traditional subsistence lifestyle, depending on the Porcupine Caribou herd as his ancestors before him had for a millennium. To the Gwich'in, there is no more sacred place than the calving grounds of the caribou herd upon which their way of life depends. Jonathon was one of the leading Gwich'in voices on a myriad of issues. He halted the construction of a dam in the 1960's that would have flooded several Gwich'in villages, and was one of the first native leaders to work on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. However, it was protecting the sacred calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd that was the most significant issue in Jonathon's life.

His work to protect the Arctic Refuge began in 1978, when the House was debating the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. In 1988 when the House was considering oil drilling in the calving grounds in the Arctic Refuge, Jonathon helped organize the first Gwich'in Gathering. At the gathering, the Gwich'in Steering was created, and the first resolution of the Gwich'in Nation, calling for permanent protection of the caribou calving and nursery grounds as congressionally designated wilderness, was passed. In 2002, he and two other Gwich'in leaders were honored with the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for their work to protect the calving grounds in the Arctic Refuge.

I had the great honor of meeting Jonathon during one of his many trips to Washington, DC, to talk with Members about the threat of oil drilling to the way of life of the Gwich'in people. Jonathon was ever an optimistic advocate, dedicated to his people, and sure in his cause. His funeral will be today in Fort Yukon, Alaska, and it is my privilege to honor him this morning.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Alfredo Gonzales Kame.

Mr. Kame was a great father, grandfather, and soldier. He served this country with honor, even though his family was the victim of discrimination. His father and brother were interned at the Poston Internment Camp in Poston, Arizona. He fought for his country and against the prejudice impacting his family and was courageous in both fights.

Mr. Kame, of Japanese and Hispanic heritage, was always proud of his heritage and his service to his country. A World War II veteran from Hayden, Arizona, he proudly served with Company C of the 100th Infantry Battalion.

Alfredo enlisted in June 1942 and eventually wound up in Camp Shelby with the 100th. He was deployed to North Africa and was involved in a number of campaigns including Monte Cassino, Anzio-Rome, Belvedere, Rome-Amo, Bruyeres-Biffotaine, German Gothic Line, Po Valley, and Rhineland. He was wounded in battle in Vosges Mountains at Bruyeres, France on October 15, 1944.

He was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation with an Oak Leaf Cluster, Combat Infantryman Badge, American Campaign Medal, Eurpean African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Victory Medal, and Good Conduct Medal.

After his service in the Army, he returned to Hayden in 1948, where he lived until his death. He worked for 30 years as a mill foreman for Kennecott Copper Corporation and retired in 1983.

Mr. Kame leaves a great legacy for his family and his community. He lived his entire life with honor and courage. He fought valiantly in World War II while overcoming prejudice within his country. I rise today to thank Mr. Kame and his family for their sacrifice and to ask that this Congress recognize his selflessness and service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Mr. Craig Snow. Mr. Snow was an extraordinary advocate for all people in need in his community. He was a coach and trainer of those who work in the non- profit sector, a man who led by example as well as by instruction, and a man who inspired others to acts of philanthropy. It would be difficult to imagine Tucson today without the tireless efforts of this remarkable individual.

Craig came to Tucson in 1977, as a visiting Lecturer at the University of Arizona. He stayed on to serve as associate director of composition and then as the founding director of the Composition Board of the University. However, at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, Craig realized that immediate action was essential, and he organized brainstorming sessions which resulted in the formation of Tucson AIDS Project. He became the director of the project and led it for 12 years on a path which provided sustenance, direction and education to the sufferers of AIDS and the community at large. He promoted understanding and compassion in a time where few had the courage to face the issues the AIDS epidemic underscored. As a result of Mr. Snow's actions and foresight, Tucson developed one of the most forward thinking AIDS support organizations in the world. As the crowning achievement of his tenure with the Tucson AIDS Project, he was instrumental in bringing several Tucson AIDS support organizations together to form the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation.

Craig's activism went above and beyond. He also created a consulting firm, which specialized in working with non-profit, care giving organizations. His constant theme was to help the helpers of humanity to do their work better. He assisted groups as diverse as the Brewster Center for Battered Women, the Primavera Foundation for the Homeless, Child and Family Resources, the Center for Adolescent Parents, and KARE, a group that helps grandparents raising grandchildren. His vision and work helped these organizations, and many others, improve their outreach, organizational structure, and constituent services. Craig also served as a priceless facilitator among government bodies, non- profit organizations and the people they served. Craig had a wonderful manner of using every social occasion and interaction to encourage and enlighten every person he met. Then, when they

were ready, he would enlist their help in working for a cause which suited them and where they could be the most effective. No friend or acquaintance of Craig Snow's was left untouched.

Mr. Snow lost his long battle with bladder cancer this year. As a community we must celebrate Craig's life and embrace his take on life; to live fully and at every level. He will be sorely missed and as a community we must honor him by committing ourselves to providing service to those in our surrounding community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say we need to bring our troops home.

Before continuing, though, I must say that this resolution before us, unfortunately, is perfectly irrelevant to the choices facing the American people and this Congress. It is transparently political, does nothing to get us out of our predicament in Iraq, and is a crude attempt to intimidate and smear those who wish to honor the desire of the American people by bringing our troops home. This resolution attempts to reinforce the lies that led us to war which have been refuted and disproved many times over.

All of the lies that were offered to justify sending our men and women to fight and die have evaporated in the light of truth. All that we are left with is this argument that we're there now, so we have to stay ``as long as it takes.'' This is nonsense.

This is the same illogical rhetoric that kept our Nation in Vietnam, the rhetoric that doubled the cost of that conflict in American lives. More than half the combat deaths in Vietnam occurred after Richard Nixon was elected on a promise to bring the war to an end, and after the American people had already decided that they did not want one more soldier to die in Vietnam.

Our vital task today in this Congress is to prevent a repeat of that tragedy in Iraq, to stop the bleeding, to make the will of the American people, which is to bring our troops home, the policy of our government as soon as possible. Our task today is to save the lives of our troops who remain in Iraq by bringing them home.

We in this Congress have a choice. The American people have a right to exercise a choice on this issue, as to whether our men and women will continue to fight and die in a war based on deception and fantasy, or to start bringing the troops home.

The American people have decided that it was a mistake to choose to go to war in Iraq.

The American people deserve some answers, as to how we could spend so much in Iraq and achieve so little. They deserve to know why all this money is being spent on a war of choice, when one on eight Americans lives in poverty, and when 46 million Americans have no health insurance, including 13 million children.

No one in this body wants to see terrorism and the rule of force prevail in Iraq. Some on the other side say otherwise, but I believe they know better.

Bringing the troops home is necessary not just for the future of Iraq, but also for the people of the United States. We must stop the

hemorrhaging of tax dollars that could go to meet our Nation's vital domestic needs.

This war of choice in Iraq is undermining the very fabric of American society.

By the end of this year, the costs of the invasion and occupation of Iraq will total $450 billion; $450 billion spent in Iraq, who knows how much of it going to corrupt, crony contractors.

All of the President's statements amount to excuses for an open- ended, seemingly never-ending commitment of our troops to occupy Iraq. He is trying to salvage the terrible wager he made in Iraq by doubling down the bet with human lives: Iraqi and American.

While this debate today is a belated effort to inform the American people, it is nevertheless an empty gesture. It is time to admit our mistake in Iraq and begin to bring our troops home with honor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding community leader, Mrs. Judith Bobbitt, Somerton Elementary School District's Superintendent. She will retire this year from a lifetime commitment to education as a school administrator.

Mrs. Bobbitt's dedication to serving students and encouraging them to become contributing citizens of the State of Arizona and our great nation is remarkable. She has worked in public education for more than 40 years and has served as an instructional leader and role model to hundreds of teachers and school administrators. Her leadership style is admired by many. She has led efforts to reform public education so every child has an equal opportunity and equal environment to maximize learning.

Mrs. Bobbitt led Somerton Elementary School District through an explosive growth in a diverse district where 95 percent of students are first generation Americans of Mexican descent and three percent are members of the Cocopah Nation. Her efforts to improve the State's funding of school construction frequently found her testifying at the Arizona State Legislature addressing equity issues.

She established and founded the South Yuma County Adult Education Consortium and made the Somerton District a leader in Adult Literacy. Under her leadership, she developed the Migrant Even Start Program in Somerton and worked with numerous community-based agencies to promote lifelong learning.

Mrs. Bobbitt was appointed the 2000 National Chair of the Interstate Migrant Council and was recognized as All Arizona Superintendent of the Year for Mid-Sized Districts in 1998.

The integrity with which she leads was acknowledged by her appointments as a Public Board Member for the Arizona Bar Foundation, Puentes de Amistad, and Somerton Boys

and Girls Club. In addition, she was elected President of the Yuma County Education Foundation, Somerton's Rotary Club, and Yuma County's School District Association.

Mrs. Bobbitt has demonstrated great leadership and thousands of students are now beneficiaries of her vision of equality and personal best.

I would like to personally commend Mrs. Judith Bobbitt for her tireless commitment to our community. Her life and work is an inspiration to us all.

Mr. Speaker, here we are again debating a bill that has been rejected by Congress and the American people too many times to count. So how many times do we have to go through this obsessive exercise? How many times will we waste our time debunking the myth that drilling in the Arctic will solve our energy problems and make us energy independent? How many times do we have to reject the notion that drilling will not harm the native peoples or the environment of the Arctic? How many times will the sponsors of this measure try to hide the fact that it will do nothing to reduce gas prices?

Mr. Speaker, our country needs real solutions to our energy problems,

namely, one that is affordable, stable and reduces the impact on the environment. Instead of wasting our time with this stale proposal that has been rejected so many times, let us spend time on incentives for clean air technologies and stop this head-in-the-sand approach to energy policy.

This is a great country. Let us start acting like we have the will and the ability to face the challenges of the future, and we can begin by rejecting H.R. 5429.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Mr. Joachim Matthew Chavez, a life-long teacher and strong advocate of public education.

Mr. Chavez will retire this year from a 30 year career as a public school educator. Originally from Yuma, Arizona, he graduated from Yuma High School, home of the Criminals and later attended Arizona Western College and Northern Arizona University. He started his career teaching History and English in Parker, Arizona and later moved to Somerton, Arizona where he spent most of his professional career. He created and developed the district's first Biliteracy Program where students learned to use their native language skills as a base for English instruction. He later served as the District Director of the Bilingual Programs. He was named Somerton's Teacher of the Year in 1988 and again in 1990.

His dedication did not stop at the school gate but he also committed himself to teaching Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) courses in the evenings and weekends to farmworkers in the Yuma Valley. An active member of the religious community, he taught religious education for over 25 years. As an involved parent, he was a Little League Baseball and Youth Soccer Coach, Ballet Folkloric sponsor, a parent Band Booster, and a supporter of the Cibola Thespian Group.

He and his wife Annette have become role models and mentors to many young teaching

professionals. Fully bilingual themselves, they provided area families an opportunity to learn about how parents can have a lasting impact in their children's education.

Mr. Chavez has been credited with elevating the district's English Language Learning program to a level of significant academic achievement among students.

I would like to personally commend Mr. Joachim Matthew Chavez for his tireless commitment to our community. His life and work are examples of service and of hope.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Hinchey amendment. This amendment is a fair and fiscally responsible way to fix a huge problem in our country.

Because of mistakes made in lease agreements in the 1990s and other subsidies contained in last year's Energy Policy Act, we currently are allowing energy companies, who already are reaping huge profits, to take oil and gas from our public lands and waters without paying any return to the taxpayer.

The situation as it currently stands will result in the loss of many billions of dollars in revenue.

So while our constituents suffer from skyrocketing gas and home heating prices, oil companies are able to take publicly owned resources for free.

Both oil company executives and the President said that there is no need for incentives because oil prices are so high, to encourage companies to drill for new sources.

Yet, this Republican leadership has thus far failed to take any action to address the situation.

Energy companies should willingly come forward to renegotiate the leases in question. They should refuse more subsidies. To continue to benefit so much from mistakes made in the 1990s and to take subsidies when they are not needed is corporate irresponsibility at its worst.

My constituents are angry about taxpayer handouts to an industry awash in cash. This amendment is a fair way to deal with an issue that is currently defying common sense and fiscal responsibility.

Vote ``yes'' for the Hinchey amendment, and in that way, protect our consumers and in that way respect the hardworking American taxpayers.