Floor Statements

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

H.R. 132, sponsored by Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma, conveys two buildings and two acres of land of the federal Arbuckle Project to the Arbuckle Master Conservancy District in Oklahoma. The district has operated and maintained the project for decades, and completed repayment of its capital costs for the project in 2012.

While non-controversial, legislation is necessary in order to facilitate this and other Bureau of Reclamation title transfers. Under current law, these buildings and land remain in federal ownership until legislation is enacted to transfer the title to the District. Mr. Cole's bill achieves this objective.

This title transfer is a win-win for the District and the federal government. The District will no longer be subject to certain federal paperwork requirements and the federal government will be relieved of all future liability and financial responsibilities associated with these facilities and land.

I urge adoption of the measure, which overwhelmingly passed the House on a bipartisan basis in the last Congress.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 1) approving the location of a memorial to commemorate and honor the members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 648) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to amend the Definite Plan Report for the Seedskadee Project to enable the use of the active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 648, sponsored by the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Cheney), allows the State of Wyoming to increase the active storage capacity for the Fontenelle Dam and Reservoir located in southwest Wyoming. The bill allows the State to enter into agreements with the Federal Government to study, design, plan, and perform construction activities to accomplish this goal. Wyoming will pay for any and all costs associated with these activities.

This bill, which passed the House without objection in the last Congress when it was sponsored by our former colleague Cynthia Lummis, simply empowers Wyoming to better utilize its Colorado River water allocation through improved water storage at no cost to the Federal Government. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Cheney).

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 267) to redesignate the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, 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 materials on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 267, introduced by Congressman John Lewis, redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. It also authorizes the National Park Service to include the Prince Hall Masonic Temple in the historical park's boundaries.

The Prince Hall Masonic Temple long served as the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This well-known civil rights organization was cofounded by Dr. King, who also served as its first president. Including the Prince Hall Masonic Temple within the unit's boundaries will allow the National Park Service to provide technical assistance to the building's owners with regard to repairs, renovations, and maintenance that will preserve its historic integrity.

Our Nation's historic sites and historical parks provide us with the unique opportunity to share the very spaces in which the generations before us lived and worked. At these sites, Americans are able to metaphorically walk in the footsteps of our Nation's Founders and of those who followed them and perfected their vision for our country. At this time of division in our country, it is important to be able to look back at leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., who promoted unity and the dignity of the human person.

Congressman Lewis' bill before the House today will expand opportunities for Americans to learn about the legacy of Dr. King and other icons of the civil rights movement. I urge adoption of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, the Bureau of Land Management manages 245 million acres, or nearly 10 percent of the total area of the United States, and a whopping 700 million acres of mineral estate. Nearly all of this acreage is in our Western States, which makes it imperative that the agency extensively cooperate with the State and local governments during the planning process.

It is true that the BLM's new planning rule, Planning 2.0, included revisions to several aspects of the planning process, some of which seemed to make some good sense.

Unfortunately, the new rule also introduced a significant measure of confusion regarding how planning areas would be determined, and, most distressingly, diminished the historic and valued role that State and local governments play throughout the process.

In many of the counties in my district, it is not uncommon for the public lands to make up well over half of the total area. For these communities, having an equal seat at the planning table isn't merely a luxury. It is an essential ingredient to ensuring that our way of life is proudly maintained over many generations and is not extinguished.

Because of this, the BLM is required by law to consult and to coordinate with State and local governments and maintain consistency across their management plans and policies. Yet, the agency's new planning rule envisioned weakening that partnership in several regards. For one, the agency intends to dismiss consistency requirements with anything other than the officially approved and adopted plans. This not only places an undue burden on rural communities who likely do not have the resources available to draft and maintain comprehensive plans, but significantly lessens the importance of an array of other policies and agreements that are germane to the planning process.

The importance of a State Governor's review of a Federal management plan is also reduced, as it appears to limit input only to the identification of inconsistencies with State and local plans, but precludes formal input and observations regarding other aspects of the plan.

Americans the Nation over treasure our public lands and thoroughly enjoy our ability to be able to access them. But it cannot be denied that, in many of our communities, decisions made by Federal Land Management agencies like the BLM have amplified the impact. No planning process revision should weaken the voices of our communities as Planning 2.0 would do.

For those reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I applaud the efforts of my colleague out of Wyoming for her efforts on this and urge passage of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my thanks to my colleagues, Mr. Polis and Mr. Lamborn. I think among our three congressional districts, we hold the vast majority of public lands in the State of Colorado. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to work with you on these significant bills, to be able to address many of the challenges that we have, and to be able to work together in a bipartisan manner as well.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me time to be able to discuss this important legislation. H.R. 698 is a very straightforward bill, which Congressmen Lamborn and Polis and I have reintroduced this year that confirms private ownership of 148 acres of land in my congressional district.

The lands concerned were patented into private ownership via the United States land patents issued in 1914, 1917, and 1957, but their ownership came into question by virtue of a 1949 government

survey which erroneously showed them to be National Forest land rather than private land. A long-held U.S. law specifically states that a government resurvey cannot take away private property or private property rights.

Mr. Speaker, the Forest Service and the private landowner of the Elkhorn Ranch only became aware of the potential title issue in the early 2000s, and thereafter, the Forest Service conducted a lengthy and thorough review of the matter. Upon completion of their review in 2014, both the supervisor and the surveyor of the White River National Forest concluded the ownership of the 148 acres should be confirmed in the successors in interest to the original patentee; namely, the Elkhorn Ranch.

In reaching this conclusion, the Forest Service noted that the land has never been managed as National Forest land and, indeed, has been fenced and occupied with stock ponds, developed springs, roads and other private improvements, and has been used as private land for ranching and agriculture for the better part of the past 100 years.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is a simple matter of fairness and equity to a private landowner to honor government land patents that were granted by the Federal Government to the landowner's predecessors 60 to 100 years ago. The bill is supported by both the surveyor and supervisor of the White River National Forest; the Garfield County surveyor; the Garfield County Commissioner; the city of Rifle; Colorado Club 20, which represents 20 Colorado counties; and Piceance Energy, which has a lease on part of the area.

In addition, the legislative hearing that was held on the same bill in 2015, the administration testified that this bill is a practical and workable way to address this longstanding issue. This bill is identical to the one that passed out of the House by voice vote in the last Congress, and I once again urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Once again, I extend my thanks to my colleagues Congressman Lamborn and Congressman Polis for all of their hard work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I know I, and many of my colleagues, share concern about a Federal regulatory code that has become so bloated with redundant, ineffective, and unnecessary rules that the sheer bulk of it threatens to suffocate American economic recovery and long-term prosperity.

The Bureau of Land Management's rule to reduce venting and flaring from existing oil and natural gas operations is one such example of duplicative and unnecessary regulation. Aside from the fact that the authority to regulate air quality does not rest with the BLM, we certainly don't need the BLM rule in addition to the EPA methane rule and State regulations, which our colleagues on the other side have noted and lauded that have come out of the State of Colorado.

For all of the costs this rule would impose on industry, the supposed benefits of the rule would be emission reductions in the neighborhood of less than one one-hundredth of a percent of global greenhouse emissions. That is the definition of an ineffectual rule.

Methane is a marketable resource, and the oil and gas industry would prefer to economically capture and sell that resource, rather than vent or flare it, which is a necessary safety procedure in the absence of other viable options.

Instead of using its authority to take actions that would effectively facilitate capture versus venting or flaring, like processing pipeline right-of-way permits in a timely manner, the agency has once again issued a rule that unnecessarily burdens energy development.

There are cost-effective strategies available that will achieve emission reductions, and it is those strategies that we should focus our efforts on, rather than duplicative regulations.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, the United States is blessed with a wealth of domestic energy resources, allowing our Nation to responsibly develop safe, abundant, and affordable energy to meet our own needs.

The Third District of Colorado has blue skies, clean water, while maintaining a healthy amount of responsible development of oil, natural gas, and coal production in its many communities.

According to the Energy Information Agency, coal accounted for approximately 60 percent of the electricity generated in Colorado in 2015; yet this vitally important resource that provides affordable energy and jobs to many of our families' homes has come under attack. Backed by radical interests, the government has issued new rules and regulations under the guise of environmental protections, but whose true intent is to bankrupt the coal industry with regulatory compliance.

The stream protection rule is a solution in search of a problem. Modern mining operations are already adept at avoiding impacts to watersheds, as the Office of Surface Mining's own numbers show. The industry is also already subject to a wide array of environmental statutes and regulations enforced by various Federal and State cooperating agencies.

I urge the passage of this resolution and encourage my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) for offering the resolution under consideration today.

This resolution of disapproval will repeal the SEC's resource extraction rule, which imposes burdensome disclosure requirements on public companies engaged in the commercial development of natural gas, minerals, and oil.

The SEC's mission is to protect investors, maintain efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation. Unfortunately, the resource extraction rule is well outside the bounds of these mandates, which acting SEC Chair Michael Piwowar noted in his dissent of the rule saying that it `` . . . neither reforms Wall Street nor provides consumer protection and it is wholly unrelated, and largely contrary, to the Commission's core mission.''

When our businesses are being overwhelmed by compliance obligations, it is crucial that our regulators do everything in their power to ensure regulations do not actively disrupt growth by enforcing nonmaterial, socially motivated disclosures like those included in the resource extraction rule.

The SEC itself has admitted that this rule will be costly. The SEC estimates that the ongoing compliance cost for the resource extraction rule could reach as high as $592 million annually and noted that the disclosure requirements could result in capital being diverted away from productive opportunities. An agency tasked with maintaining efficient markets and facilitating capital formation should not be promulgating unnecessary and burdensome rules like this.

Dodd-Frank is full of examples like the resource extraction rule that require Federal agencies to engage in rulemaking on topics outside of their substantive experience and jurisdiction. In the future, I urge my colleagues to craft legislation in a bipartisan manner that only requires actions consistent with the mission of the applicable agency. Until then, however, it is necessary for Congress to exercise its oversight power to unwind these misguided regulations that have hampered economic growth.

I am happy to lend my support to this resolution and encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense measure.

Mr. Chairman, the SEC Regulatory Accountability Act subjects the SEC to enhanced cost-benefit analysis requirements and requires a review of existing regulations.

By promoting economic analysis requirements during the regulatory process, this bill ensures that regulation writing is data driven and not done on an ad hoc basis with little thought to the true impact the expanding regulatory net has on businesses and the economy.

It is a mistake for regulators overseeing our financial system and the capital markets, including the SEC, to promulgate regulations without fully considering the costs and benefits, as well as all of the available regulatory alternatives.

This bill also takes the commonsense approach of requiring the SEC to evaluate whether a proposed regulation is inconsistent with, or duplicative of, other Federal regulations. When our businesses are being overwhelmed by compliance obligations that demand more and more time and resources, it is crucial that our regulators do everything in their power to ensure that regulations are effective, streamlined, and nonduplicative to minimize impact.

It is important to note that this legislation does not limit the SEC's rulemaking authority in any capacity. The bill appropriately strengthens the SEC's existing cost-benefit-related requirements to ensure that the true impact of regulations can be calculated.

To advocate for the status quo and against this legislation shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the financial system and the regulatory process. This legislation is a vote of confidence that, with the appropriate tools and a data-driven approach, our regulatory agencies can create a framework of safety and soundness that does not unduly burden our economy.

I am happy to lend my support to this bill and encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense measure. I, again, thank the gentlewoman from Missouri for her efforts on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Joe Gallegos, who served the County of Costilla, Colorado as a Commissioner for over ten years. Joe passed away on December 11, 2016, and will be greatly missed in the San Luis Valley.

Joe was a fifth generation farmer in San Luis, and his love for the land in the surrounding area inspired him to volunteer with non-profit community organizations to preserve water quality and find solutions to zoning issues. He was instrumental in the restoration of the old Costilla County Courthouse and the implementation of the Costilla County biodiesel pilot project.

Joe's fellow county commissioner, Lawrence Pacheco, said that Joe was the only true cowboy he knew, and at his last conference of commissioners, he remained focused on his mission to promote sustainability, protect watersheds, and make sure the most vulnerable people in the community had a voice and seat at the table.

The magnitude of Joe's impact on the San Luis Valley is immense and it is a privilege to recognize his legacy of public service and hard work

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Gigi Dennis, of Alamosa, Colorado, who was recently named Colorado's Administrator of the Year for 2016 by the Association of County Administrators. Administrator Dennis was selected by her peers to receive this honor, and it is clear that through her dedication to public service, she has left a lasting impact on the community of Alamosa and across the state of Colorado.

Throughout her career, Administrator Dennis has served in a variety of state-wide positions, including as Colorado Secretary of State, State Senator, and most recently, Alamosa County Administrator. As a State Senator, she served as Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee, was a member of the Legislative Council, and Chair of the Majority Caucus. Administrator Dennis is a quality individual with a truly impressive record of public service.

Mr. Speaker, although this award recognizes individual achievements, Administrator Dennis credits her team for her success. Her modesty, commitment to fiscal responsibility, and passion for improving the lives of others is truly remarkable. I wish Administrator Dennis all the best and am thankful for her continued service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ryan Moeller, who was recently named to the 2016 First Team All-Pac 12 list. After playing football at Rifle High School, Ryan walked on to the Colorado Buffaloes football team as a special teams player. As a junior on the team this year, he earned nine total tackles on special teams and forced six fair catches on punts.

Ryan also played 391 snaps on defense, recording 36 tackles, with two forced fumbles. His overall play supported the biggest turnaround by a football program in Pac-12 Conference history. After a 1-8 conference record in 2015, the Buffaloes went 8-1 in conference matchups this season. Ryan's accomplishments are the result of dedication, hard work and perseverance, qualities that will serve him well in life.

I am proud that such an outstanding athlete and upstanding young man calls the Third Congressional District of Colorado home, and I congratulate Ryan and the Buffaloes on an exciting and successful season.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Paul Mundt of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Known in Southern Colorado as KRDO's Paul Richards, he passed away on December 11, 2016. Paul leaves behind five children and his wife, Julie Halling, along with a lasting legacy.

Paul was the voice on five radio stations in Colorado Springs during his broadcasting career. Most recently, he was at KRDO where I had the privilege of getting to know him. After hearing of his passing, Paul's listeners immediately took to social media to share their memories of the man who played such a big part of their days and grieve with his family.

Paul was known to so many around the community as a morning broadcaster, but he will be especially missed for his volunteer work outside of the recording studio. Paul never missed a moment to help others.

Mr. Speaker, Paul's life ended much too early, but he truly lived it to the fullest while he was with us. It is an honor and a privilege to recognize Paul's work, service to his community, dedication to helping others and commitment to his family and friends. On behalf of Southern Colorado, and to the family and friends of Paul Mundt, I offer my condolences for the loss of their husband, father, and friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. Cory Notestine. Mr. Notestine is a school counselor at Alamosa High School and has recently been named the 2015 School Counselor of the Year by the American School Counselor Association.

Mr. Notestine has been counselor since 2008 and prior to accepting his position at Alamosa High School in 2012, was the North Carolina School Counselor of the Year. His passion for his students shows in the investment he makes in their individual success. Since coming to Alamosa High School, he has implemented numerous counseling innovations that have improved the success of his students and better prepared them for life after high school, even joining with his fellow counselors to raise financial aid on behalf of their graduating seniors. Mr. Notestine has made huge strides in improving the counseling program in his first year at the high school, earning a RAMP designation--which is given for the program's efforts to ensure a rigorous education to all students and equitable participation in the program.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Notestine's selfless work ethic and devotion to serving as an advocate for our nation's youth through his community is worthy of admiration and duplication. His students are truly fortunate to have him in their lives as they prepare for their futures. I stand with the residents of Alamosa County, the people of the 3rd Congressional District and the State of Colorado in thanking Mr. Notestine for his dedication, and congratulating him on the prestigious award.