Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in support of H.R. 2262 so we can, after 135 years, update the 1872 Mining Law. Since Ulysses S. Grant's administration in 1872, the Mining Law has governed hardrock mining on our public lands, public lands. Those are lands which you, the taxpayers, own.

For nearly 100 years, those lands have been debated in Congress about changing policies that give away public resources and leave each new generation with a larger legacy of unreclaimed lands and degraded streams.

Debate has continued. It's continued while northern California's Iron Mountain spewed nearly a quarter of the copper and zinc discharged by industries to the Nation's surface waters; during the decades of efforts to control acidic, metal-laden discharges from old sulfur mines southeast of Lake Tahoe; as historic lands of the Indian Pass in the area of Southern California in the desert area faced destruction from the proposed Glamis mine; and as California cities spend millions of dollars to treat hazardous mine discharges and fight giant mining corporations in court.

Like the pollution problems it creates, the 1872 Mining Law persists, but that will now change with passage of this bill, and we owe that hard work to Chairman Rahall and to my colleague Jim Costa from California.

While this congressional debate has continued after all these years, we've allowed mining companies to take billions of dollars' worth of gold, silver, and other minerals from our public lands for free. However, we will no longer treat that as we have not treated oil, coal, natural gas. So they will all now have to pay.

While countless hearings have been held, nearly 3.5 million acres of public lands have been deeded to mining claim holders for as little as $2.50 an acre. We've had to buy back some of this land to protect the unique ecological, recreational and cultural values, paying prices much higher than those set in the Mining Law.

And during our long deliberation, the price tag for mining cleanup has risen astronomically. Since the House last acted on reform legislation, more than 20 mines and mills have been added to the infamous Superfund National Priority List, and the EPA Inspector General has warned that nearly $24 billion in cleanup costs from mine sites now exists, some of which will require treatment in perpetuity.

However, this is about to change. For today, the Hardrock Mining Reclamation Act of 2007 will do what it should have done years ago. I urge the passage of this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory and many accomplishments of Shreve ``Mac'' Archer III, pediatrician, race driver, inventor, and my cousin. He passed away in June, 2007 after a long battle with leukemia.

Mac was born in St. Paul, MN, in September, 1948. He moved to California and attended the University of California at Santa Cruz and Claremont Men's College, finally obtaining his medical degree in 1979 at the University of Miami, Florida. As a pediatrician in Carmel, CA, he specialized in learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and behavioral problems. He was well known for treating, studying, and funding programs for shaken baby syndrome and traumatic brain and spinal injuries.

My cousin was equally well known on the racing circuit as a professional motorcycle racer, and later as a vintage car racer for 20 years in his beloved ``Old Bertha,'' a bright red Cobra 427. Steve Earle, who founded the Monterey Historic Races 34 years ago, said of Mac: ``He always drove as competitively as possible, but without losing his manners. He was a gentleman and a great guy, and everyone admired his driving.''

Mac combined his knowledge of medicine and racing in a most creative way. His business, Entropy Racing and Impact Medical Technologies, created safety products for cars, motorcycles, and jets. He and his long-time friend Eric Bernhard designed such items as a helmet for the U.S. Air Force that lessens the impact experienced when ejecting from jets. They patented the idea of flexible armor and created a back protector that cushions the spinal cord, which is now standard gear for motorcycle racers and is being used more and more by street riders. They designed an air bag for motorcycle helmets that stabilizes the neck in a crash, and helped to design the extractable seat now used in Formula 1 racecars. At the time of his death he was working on a child's safety car seat that would move on tracks to reduce the g-load during a crash and also protect the head.

Madam Speaker, I honor the life of Shreve ``Mac'' Archer III, a man who combined his work and play in such a way as to make the world a better place for all of us. I know I speak for every Member of Congress in offering our condolences to his wife, Kim, and their sons Damon and Shreve IV. His passing leaves us sad for our own loss, but grateful for the life he shared with us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a happy note. It is a happy birthday today, the birthday of the United Nations. It was 62 years ago when 50 countries gathered in the great City of San Francisco, California, to make the cause of international peace and security a global mantra and launched the United Nations. It was a good idea then, and 62 years later, it is still a good idea.

In a world that is tense with war, the U.N. fights for peace every day. Where hunger plagues the poor, the U.N. provides food aid to more than 80 million people every day, every year. In 166 nations that suffer devastating poverty, the U.N. offers proactive programs to buttress economic development. And, most important of all, the U.N. deploys 100,000 peacekeepers around the world on missions vital to stabilization of regions under threat of conflict.

The answer to global distress is found in solving the problems that are the root causes of poverty, the lack of health care, shelter and legislation. The U.N. is the only organization worldwide dedicated to this grand mission.

I congratulate the United Nations for its hard work, and ask Members of this body to support and invigorate America's commitment to this vital international organization.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it's a pleasure to rise as a former member of this committee and to congratulate the chairman and the ranking member and the fellow committee members for bringing this bill to the floor. Much of the committee work in the past, I think, was focused a lot on the Federal lands in the West. This bill, interestingly enough, focuses on land mostly east of the Mississippi.

Congressional authorization is essential to sound management of these important places. But this just isn't about land designation; it's about the beauty and heritage of American spirit, our cultural spirit.

As cochair of the House Tourism Caucus, we have learned that we need to increase travel in this country, particularly outreaching to foreign visitors, because the image of the United States around the world is not that good.

However, visitors coming to this country, seeing this beautiful land, and meeting the people in this country, and looking at our history and our beauty of what I think is the best culture in the world, the American spirit, can only be done by showing them places that we have preserved, so that it's just not all sort of sprawled-out urbanism.

These special places need to be protected, because they need the guidance of a good government structure like the Federal Government along and in partnership with State and local government. I want to associate myself with the words of the other speakers that have long been involved in land-use planning and land use, and there has never been an eminent domain or taking of this land.

In fact, the prices, if they do buy them, are agreed upon by the landowner, and they're agreed upon without having to have any disputes. So I think it's worked very, very well.

America is a beautiful place, but it's beauty is not just in its scenery. It's also in its people and the people's heritage.

I urge my colleagues to authorize the celebration of America's great assets, this bill, the heritage of our people.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. William C. Potter, director of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, CNS, at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, MIIS, for holding the first Nunn-Lugar Chair in Nonproliferation Studies.

The Cooperative Threat Reduction, CTR, Program, commonly referred to as Nunn-Lugar, was created to address the threat against global security resulting from the dissolution of the Soviet Union and loss of control over weapons of mass destruction. Just think what could have happened without Nunn-Lugar--since the program's inception in 1992 nearly 7,000 nuclear warheads and 2,000 missiles have been decommissioned. Nunn-Lugar also provides critical funding for security upgrades and conversion of many former nuclear and biological weapons facilities.

Along with Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar, Dr. Bill Potter has devoted his academic life to nonproliferation issues as the director of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Under Dr. Potter's leadership, the center is world renowned as a nexus for nonproliferation education, resources, and policy information. For over 9 years, the center has published The Nonproliferation Review, the leading international journal in the field, and other significant publications on various nonproliferation topics by international experts and practitioners. The center nonproliferation databases and website have become known among analysts, government experts, and the media as reliable sources of objective information on cutting-edge policy issues, as well as a broad range of technological and regime-related questions.

Dr. Potter is a global leader on nonproliferation issues. He has authored or edited 14 books and has contributed chapters and articles in over 90 scholarly books and journals. He has served as a consultant to the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the RAND Corporation. His present research focuses on nuclear terrorism and on proliferation issues involving post-Soviet states. He is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations and served for 5 years on the U.N. Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Research.

Madam Speaker, Dr. Potter's work on nonproliferation and disarming weapons in the former Soviet Union and locating ``loose nukes'' has contributed significantly to our global security. I can think of no one more worthy of the honor of the first endowed Nunn-Lugar professorship in the world devoted to nonproliferation study than Dr. William C. Potter. It is my honor to consider Dr. Potter a friend.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American, Mr. Mel Mason, on the occasion of his recognition by the Monterey Peninsula Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People with its Stephen E. Ross award for community service. I have known Mr. Mason for many years. He has distinguished himself in so many fields: as a mentor, an athlete, a public servant, and most of all as an advocate for justice.

Mel was born on January 7, 1943 in the Appalachian coal mining town of Providence, KY. As an African American, Mel suffered the full force of that community's Jim Crow era segregation, In 1956, Mel moved with his mother to Seaside, CA. As a young man, Mel made a mark on the basketball court at both Monterey High School and Monterey Peninsula College where he was the stand out basketball star of his day. He still holds the MPC scoring record. While serving in the Air Force, he became the youngest basketball player to

be named All-Air Force team and in 1964 led all branches of the military in scoring in Europe. After returning from the Air Force, Mel then attended Oregon State University for a short time under a basketball scholarship.

In the Air Force and then at OSU, Mel encountered head on deep seated racism in his superior officers and coaches. Mel fought back, for which he paid a price. In 1965, his complaints about his treatment in the Air Force earned him a bad conduct discharge. In 1966, his complaints and actions at OSU over its treatment of him and other black players led to the loss of his scholarship and a ban on Mel from playing basketball at any U.S. college. U.S. Senator Thomas Kuchel later helped Mel change his discharge to honorable but the college ban stayed and Mel returned to California.

These experiences truly fired Mel up and he became a burr under many saddles. He helped organize a Black Workers Unity Organization to fight racism at a San Jose company where he worked. Back in Monterey County he organized a Black United Farmworkers Union support committee during UFW's organizing efforts in the Salinas Valley in the early 1970s. He helped organize the first anti-police brutality campaigns on the Monterey Peninsula and has remained an advocate for fair treatment for people of color and the mentally ill by law enforcement agencies in his community. In the 1990s, Mel co-founded both the Regional Alliance for Progressive Policy and the Pro-Democracy Education Fund. In 2002, Mel began the first of two consecutive terms as President of the Monterey Peninsula Branch of the NAACP.

Throughout the early 1970s Mel was an active member of the Black Panther Party, and later the Socialist Workers Party. He ran successfully for a seat on the Seaside City Council where he championed programs for youth, tenants, organized labor, and minorities. Mel later ran unsuccessfully as the SWP candidate for California Governor and President of the United States.

Much of Mel's work has been called subversive by many. Some of the organizations that he has been associated with over the years are not popular. While Mel may not have always made right argument, he has always argued in the right way. He has taken unpopular ideas into the democratic process and so made our Nation a better democracy. Madam Speaker, I wish to extend the congratulations of this House to Mr. Mel Mason for his achievements so far and our wishes for his success in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Matthew Richard Will, a father, husband, firefighter, and hero who died recently in the line of duty helping to protect the people he had sworn to serve.

Matthew Will was a Heavy Fire Equipment Operator for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire. Will started his career with Cal Fire in 2003 and recently graduated from the department's fire academy in Ione. He was assigned to the Hollister Air Attack Base in Cal Fire's San Benito-Monterey Unit.

Earlier this month a house fire broke out in the heavily wooded and rugged area of Big

Sur, California, known as Palo Colorado Canyon. The fire soon spread to the surrounding brush and began to threaten the lives and property of other Palo Colorado Canyon residents. Quick action by Matthew and his comrades from Cal Fire and the other responding fire fighting agencies kept the fire from engulfing the whole canyon, limiting the damage to the initial home and about fifty surrounding acres. As part of this effort, Matthew was on his bulldozer working to check the spread of the fire by clearing a fire break. Tragically, Matthew's bulldozer slipped and tumbled down a steep slope. Matthew later died of his injuries.

Matthew Will's youth magnifies this tragedy. He was just 30 years old. He is survived by his wife Diana ``Dee Dee'' Will of Hollister, California; 10-year-old son Trysten; 8-year-old daughter Elsie; parents Gary and Debbie Will of Campo, California; and brothers Brandon and Justin Will of Campo, California.

Madam Speaker, I have been an occasional Big Sur resident myself for over 50 years. In that time I have seen fire threaten or destroy the homes and property of neighbors and acquaintances. The people of Big Sur live with a heightened sense of fire's danger and a deep respect for the men and women who risk their lives fighting those fires. I know I speak for this House and my neighbors when I share our deep gratitude for his service as a firefighter, and our deep sorrow at his death. Our prayers are with Matthew Will's family, friends, and colleagues at this time of grief and loss.

Madam Speaker, I have the distinct honor and privilege of representing California's 17th congressional district and, on behalf of all the residents of the central coast, I would like to commend to my colleagues' attention the 35th Anniversary of Monterey-Salinas Transit.

The Monterey Peninsula Public Transit System Joint Powers Agency was formed by the cities of Carmel, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Seaside and the county of Monterey on October 1, 1972. As the predecessor of Monterey-Salinas Transit, it served the Monterey Peninsula area, and later expanded to provide service to the cities of Marina, Salinas, and Watsonville, now serving all of northern Monterey County with new connections into Santa Clara County, including downtown San Jose. It is the foresight of the MST member jurisdictions that has enabled the transit service to be on the cutting edge of technology and service, with ridership of nearly five million passengers each year, including a paratransit van service for disabled customers, a Waterfront Area Visitor Express service for tourists, and the innovative Carmel Valley Grapevine Express.

Not only does MST play a significant role in the transportation system of the Monterey Bay region, but it helps meet the basic transportation needs of thousands of constituents. A majority of MST passengers are either elderly or low-income. More than two out of every five

MST passengers live in a household without an automobile. For the more than four thousand riders who depend on public transportation every day to get to work, the safe and reliable bus system that MST operates is a necessity for their economic independence.

In addition, MST is at the forefront of mixed-use TOD--transit oriented development--promoting community livability and sustainable development along bus routes. Connecting housing and transportation will be the key to retaining the unique quality of life for residents and visitors to the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. It was my privilege earlier this month to help MST mark a milestone in its history and operations with the opening of the new Marina Transit Exchange. The first phase offers customers and staff expanded amenities, electronic signage, and other customer information services and the second phase will provide MST developed housing.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to commend Monterey-Salinas Transit for providing 35 years of exemplary public service to the central coast of California, and ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to wish them well on the next 35 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a remarkable citizen, Mr. Melvin Bell Lane, who passed away in July at the age of 85. Mel and his brother Bill helped define Western living with their publications ``Sunset'' magazine and Sunset books. Mel was also well known as a philanthropist and was one of California's most prominent conservation leaders.

Mel Lane was born in Iowa, where his father sold advertising for ``Better Homes and Gardens'' magazine. When Mel was 6 years old, his family moved to California, where his father bought the 30-year-old ``Sunset'' magazine. It was then the on-board tourist magazine for the Southern Pacific Railroad's Sunset Limited.

During World War II, Mel and Bill both served in the Navy. After the war, the brothers went to work for the magazine, eventually becoming co-owners. Under their direction, ``Sunset'' magazine and its books on food, gardening, travel, and do-it-yourself became standards of the industry. It was said that ``Sunset's Western Garden Book'' was the most revered of its many publications, with well-thumbed copies found in nearly every nursery in the State.

In 1965, California Governor Pat Brown appointed Mel to be the first chairman of the newly created San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. This agency was successful in stopping developers from filling in the bay and paving over the wetlands. Later, Governor Ronald Reagan named him to be the first chairman of the California Coastal Commission, and Governor Jerry Brown re-appointed him. His attitude was that a healthy environment was crucial to a healthy economy. ``As soon as business tightens up, not only do we drop environmental controls but as a shot to the economy we drill for more oil and cut down trees,'' he said. ``These are a rip-off of the environment that can't be done indefinitely, so it's poor business.''

When Ronald Reagan was elected President, he asked Mel to come to Washington to direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but Mel was not one who enjoyed being in the public eye, and he declined. Mel also co-founded the Peninsula Open Space Trust, preserving nearly 60,000 acres to expand State and local parks.

Mel graduated from Stanford University in 1944, and as a trustee from 1981 to 1991, he was a strong supporter of the humanities and creative writing, and of course for environmental research and teaching. Following the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, he worked to restore the damage that had been done to the campus, especially to the Memorial Church.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Joan Fletcher Lane; daughters Whitney Miller and Julie Lane Gay; his brother, L.W. ``Bill'' Lane; and four grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I had the great pleasure of knowing Melvin Lane when he and my father worked together on the California Coastal Commission. He was a smart businessman, a dedicated environmentalist, well known yet humble; a man who always said ``Make my speech shorter.'' He had that unique ability to inspire confidence and loyalty from people with opposite points of view. He will be sorely missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate San Benito County Council #2890 of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, on its 20th anniversary. LULAC is the largest and oldest Latino national membership organization in the United States. This chapter was formed on October 17, 1987, and was the first Latino civil rights organization in San Benito County.

Since its formation, San Benito County LULAC has encouraged its membership to uphold and defend the rights of the Latino community, and serves as a circle of community influence and support. It promotes voter participation by encouraging the Latino community to register to vote, to participate in the electoral process, and to defend their voting rights against violations. The chapter encourages and supports San Benito County agencies and government bodies, ensuring that the Latino population has a voice that represents their needs and concerns.

San Benito County LULAC formed a Youth Council on October 5, 1989. It encourages youth participation in community and educational opportunities and has provided scholarship grants to over 140 students totaling $136,000. They also formed a young adult council on February 10, 2000, whose local members attend colleges and universities throughout California. The chapter also served as the home State council for the local State director and State youth president.

LULAC believes that education is the foundation for the cultural growth and development of every community member. It organizes student conferences and retreats for youth development and leadership training. For the past eight years, this chapter has sponsored the after school Young Readers Program at the former Fremont School and Ladd Lane School, enabling over 240 first through third grade students and their parents to develop strong reading habits.

Madam Speaker, I commend San Benito County LULAC on its many accomplishments. Its exemplary record of civic involvement and extended support to the residents of this community personifies the very best of community involvement. I congratulate them on the 20th anniversary of their chapter's founding and invite all citizens of the county to celebrate their accomplishments.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula, or SCRAMP. SCRAMP held its inaugural race on November 10, 1957. For 50 years, the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula has worked to establish Laguna Seca as one of the premier road racing venues in the world. Unlike the operators at other tracks, SCRAMP is a non-profit volunteer organization. As such, they can make donations to the community, but cannot accept donations. Consequently, the Laguna Seca Raceway Fund was established as a 501(c)(3) to be the fundraising arm of the track. SCRAMP has invested more than $20 million in the Monterey County-owned facility over the last five years, part of an ongoing effort to keep the track positioned as one of the world's finest road courses.

SCRAMP presents five world class motorsports events each year: the U.S. Sports Car Invitational, the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, the AMA Superbike Race, and the Monterey Sports Car Championship. These events bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Monterey County. The financial impact on the community is significant, estimated at one million dollars annually. SCRAMP itself donates hundreds of thousands of dollars of its proceeds each year to civic and charitable organizations that volunteer at events held at the track, a major source of revenue for these organizations.

Mazda became the title sponsor of the venue in 2001 and it was renamed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The new sponsorship is a major contributor in realizing the continuing vision for improving the raceway, making it more beautiful, functional, and safe.

Madam Speaker, I know my colleagues will all join me in offering congratulations and encouragement for this fine organization on their golden anniversary.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor one of the most prominent centers of agricultural research and education in the world on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems, CASFS, located on the campus of the University of California at Santa Cruz, enjoys a reputation as the Harvard of organic farming.

While this reputation is well deserved, it did not come easily to the UCSC Farm, as CASFS is more commonly known. The program began life in 1967 as an obscure 4-acre organic garden tucked away in a disused and unnoticed corner of the UCSC campus. It was birthed by master gardener Alan Chadwick who inspired a group of students to convert a dry hillside into a magnificent terraced garden that incorporated the latest techniques in chemical free horticulture and reflected the back to the land Zeitgeist of the day. In 1972, the project expanded onto another unused campus site where garden participants began a 17 acre, later 25 acre, experimental organic farm. There they set out explore ways of improving and applying organic farming techniques. Throughout the 1970s, the little UCSC Farm community quietly grew with a mixture of a little campus support, some creative grant writing, and the sales of its farm produce. A steady stream of student apprentices advanced through constantly evolving program. By the 1980s, the UCSC Farm had come to a crossroads. Could it reach beyond the little world of the UCSC campus and help shape the broader world of agriculture?

While the UCSC campus family welcomed the project, the broader UC system didn't know what to do with it. It didn't have any formal accreditation and it was not located on one of the UC land grant institutions where agriculture was supposed to happen. It simply lacked the necessary pedigree to secure an official and funded place within the University of California system. As the State assembly member representing the Monterey Bay Area during the 1980s, I had the honor of securing a line for the UCSC farm in the State's higher education budget. In 1990, I authored the California Organic Standards Act, which was largely shaped by work at the UCSC Farm and the Santa Cruz community of organic growers that had grown up in its neighborhood.

Since entering Congress, I have worked hard to share the story of the UCSC Farm's important work with my colleagues. Congress has responded with a total of over $3 million in direct appropriations to the UCSC Farm since 2000 to assist with its important research and extension work with the rapidly expanding organic farming sector. Indeed, the UCSC Farm's influence has been far reaching, inspiring may sustainable agriculture programs at other universities, including UC Davis, Cal Poly, and USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I pass on the congratulations of the House to all the people who have worked so hard over the course of the past 40 years to make the UCSC Farm such a great success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and thank three of my constituents who helped save the life of their friend Todd Endris, after he was attacked by a Great White shark off Marina State Beach in California on August 28. Though shark attacks actually are less common than the media would have you believe they are nonetheless startling and scary whenever they do happen. We are reminded only too graphically of the power of nature when these beasts of the ocean appear.

Endris, a 24-year-old student at California State University at Monterey Bay, was surfing in Marina when a 15-foot Great White caught him on his right side and dragged him under the waves. Todd fought with the shark, striking it again and again on the eye with his fist. After what seemed like endless punches the shark released Todd who scrambled desperately back to the water's surface exhausted and bleeding. His friend Joe Jansen who had seen the attack unfold shouted to Endris to grab hold of and climb back on his surfboard as best he could while friends and fellow surfers Brian Simpson and Wes Williams helped steer him back to the beach. Todd lost nearly three liters of blood and was close to shock. Without the intervention of the other three swimmers, he could have slipped away and back into danger's path. As it was, he suffered extensive injuries to his torso and right hip and leg. He was flown to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose and is now expected to make a full recovery.

Madam Speaker, August 28 started out like any other day for these young men, who were simply out for a day of surfing. No one expected to be called ``hero'' before the day was done. But that is exactly what I would call Joe Jansen, Brian Simpson and Wes Williams for their courage in saving their friend Todd Endris from a fatal shark attack. I thank them for their selfless bravery and wish Todd good luck in his recovery.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Monterey County Film Commission's 20th year of ``lights, camera, and economic action'' for Monterey County. It was created in 1987 by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors to increase local economic development through the film industry.

The film commission markets Monterey County to bring an economic boost to the area from film, video, and multimedia production. Its mission has expanded over the years as it also provides local educational programs on various aspects of the film industry's artistry, skills, and employment opportunities. It has also created a scholarship fund for students of filmmaking.

The film commission has helped attract and facilitate hundreds of movies, TV shows, commercials, documentaries, and still shoots, bringing in nearly $60 million to date to the local communities. There is also spin-off tourism value when local sites are shown in these products.

The film commission acts as a liaison between film productions and local governments and communities. It serves as a resource for information and guidelines on film procedures and filming on public and private property. It provides services including a location library, scouting assistance, and logistical referrals for crew, facilities, and support services. It markets the county's locations through tradeshows and sales trips, advertising and public relations, and film industry events.

The commission is a member of the Greater San Francisco Film Commissions, California Film Commission, and is affiliated with the Association of Film Commissioners International.

Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to honor this group, and I know my fellow Members join me in congratulating them on 20 years of service to the community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the inaugural Writer's Festival in my hometown of Carmel, California. As co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus, I would like to commend the organizers, Jim and Cindy McGillen, for their efforts to initiate the first ever Carmel Authors & Ideas Festival, which will take place at the Sunset Center in Carmel on September 28-30 this year.

Inspired by the Sun Valley Writers' Conference, the format of the festival is to be a combination of talks by well-known authors and break-out sessions with lesser-known writers, allowing attendees to interact with them on an informal basis. The first line-up of authors includes Frank McCourt, ``Angela's Ashes''; Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian; John Grogan, ``Marley and Me''; Douglas Brinkley, editor of ``The Regan Diaries''; Seymour Hersh, investigative reporter; Irshad Manji, critic of radical Islam; and Elizabeth Edwards, ``Saving Graces.'' In all, 25 award winning authors will be present, including Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winners, and New York Times Best Sellers.

Carmel Mayor Sue McCloud said of the festival, ``It's certainly in keeping with our history as a writers' haven and artists' haven.'' Boutique conferences like this one are a good match for the community which is known for its non-traditional approach to literature and poetry. McGillen has sought out authors who are interesting, compelling, and entertaining.

Madam Speaker, this festival promises to be an exciting new addition to the lineup of high quality cultural events enjoyed year-round in California's 17th District, and I am proud to represent them in the U.S. Congress.