Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered to be the first sponsor of H.R. 3333, a bill originally introduced by Representative Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, for the purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII.

I was in the doctor's office a moment ago, and I had the opportunity to be watching C-SPAN and listen to what the gentleman from Kentucky said about Yucca Mountain. I just thought I better come down here and set the record straight, because obviously my esteemed colleague from Kentucky doesn't know the Yucca Mountain issue very well. So with this 5 minutes I would like to help enlighten him and the rest of my colleagues.

The State of Nevada is opposed to storing this Nation's nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. President Obama pulled the plug because, and only because there is no scientific evidence, and there never has been, that Yucca Mountain can safely store thousands and thousands of tons of toxic radioactive nuclear waste within the Yucca Mountain complex. And let me tell you why, Mr. Speaker.

At Yucca Mountain we have discovered there are groundwater issues, seismic activity, volcanic activity. To refresh everybody's memory, the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, had a radiation standard of 10,000 years, where they wanted to be able to safely store this Nation's nuclear waste, thousands and thousands of tons of radioactive material, for 10,000 years.

The U.S. Court of Appeals overthrew that radiation standard, and let me share with you why: Because they determined, based on scientific evidence, that the radiation standard should be 300,000 years because that is when radiation reaches its peak. So the 10,000-year radiation standard was thrown out by the U.S. Court of Appeals, and they could never figure out how to come up with a radiation standard that tracks with the scientific evidence.

There is no way to safely transport radioactive nuclear waste across 43 States in order to be buried in a hole in the Nevada desert where, I remind you, we have groundwater problems, seismic activity, and volcanic activity. There are no canisters that currently exist--they do not exist--that can safely transport and store nuclear waste; not in Yucca Mountain, not anywhere.

We had better figure out as a Nation, before we start building more nuclear power plants that create more nuclear waste, what we are going to do with the by-product of nuclear energy, which is the nuclear waste.

This country has been single focused, and the people of Nevada have said year after year, decade after decade, we are not the answer. We don't want to be this Nation's garbage dump for this Nation's nuclear waste.

We do not produce one nanogram, not one speck of energy using nuclear in the State of Nevada, so why should we be accepting everybody's nuclear waste. If you have a nuclear power plant in your district, in your State, then that is fine. You figure out what you are going to do with the nuclear waste that is produced by creating nuclear energy.

The idea that Nevada should be the repository, and some people call it the suppository, for nuclear waste in this country is an absolute absurdity. We will fight this.

We thank the President of the United States for standing with the people of the State of Nevada. We do not want the nuclear waste. It is dangerous, and we join with everyone else in trying to come up with a solution. But this myth that we are going to have one repository instead of 43 or 33 or however many nuclear power plants we have in this country is preposterous, because these power plants are going to keep creating nuclear waste. So we are not eliminating nuclear dump sites; we are creating an extra one. Can't do it. Shouldn't do it. Won't do it.

I urge my colleagues to join with me and come up with a suitable method of dealing with our nuclear waste. Yucca Mountain just is not that answer, and it never will be.

I appreciate the congressman's yielding.

I particularly want to thank my colleague from Nevada, Dina Titus, for introducing this resolution. I think it's very important to honor those in Las Vegas who have given so much to their country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution and the law enforcement personnel who put their lives at risk every day in order to protect their fellow Americans. Today, we honor two Nevadan heroes, Stanley Cooper and Joe Gardner, for their courageous actions while protecting the staff and visitors at the Lloyd George Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas during an armed assault earlier this year. Officer Cooper was downed during this senseless act of violence and gave his life while bravely serving his country.

We should never forget the heroic sacrifice he made, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

U.S. Marshal Gardner thought quickly and acted bravely in responding to the armed assault, and I wish him a speedy recovery from the wounds he received in the line of duty.

I also commend the other court security officers, U.S. marshals and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for their quick and courageous responses to this attack and for protecting the public and preventing further loss of life.

This resolution honors these public servants' courageous actions and Officer Cooper's legacy of bravery and selflessness. This resolution serves as a tribute, not only to Officer Cooper and to U.S. Marshal Gardner, but to all public servants who put their lives on the line daily while serving their country. I encourage my colleagues to support this measure.

If I may take an additional minute, to those of our fellow citizens who are so frustrated with their government or who are so angry with life or with what is happening in this country or in their lives, there has to be a better way than this to express your anger and frustration.

In the aftermath of these tragedies, the government continues to function; Congress continues to meet; life goes on except for the lives of the perpetrators. More often than not, they are brought down by those who protect and defend the rest of us. Their families are destroyed, and they can't figure out why their loved ones reacted in this manner, and the misery they cause to their innocent fellow citizens, who are only doing their jobs, is beyond mention.

So I say to those who are angry and frustrated, do not do this. It creates misery in this country that has no place in the United States of America.

Again, I offer Officer Cooper's family my condolences and Officer Gardner a very speedy recovery.

Madam Speaker, today I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the National Association of Women in Construction, NAWIC, Las Vegas Chapter 74 for their representation of women in the construction industry.

Las Vegas Chapter 74 has been representing women in construction for 48 years.

The NAWIC Las Vegas Chapter 74 has benefited Southern Nevada through numerous educational and development programs.

The Las Vegas Chapter 74 has unceasingly promoted the employment and advancement of women in the construction industry.

The construction community, represented by the Las Vegas Chapter 74, has been a driving force in fostering community development through renovation and beautification projects, promotion of skilled trade careers, and a positive vision of the future.

They have sought to achieve successful results for Las Vegas and surrounding areas in a cooperative spirit with other organizations.

As the Representative for Nevada's First Congressional District, it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the Las Vegas Chapter 74 and their many dedicated volunteers for their steadfast work to support women in construction. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing this outstanding organization.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this jobs bill.

Nevada is experiencing unprecedented economic challenges and an unemployment rate of well over 13 percent. It is essential that this Congress pursue policies and programs that will spur long-term economic growth and create the jobs that the people of Las Vegas and across the United States so desperately need. This legislation is a positive step in that direction.

Incentives such as the payroll tax holiday, a tax credit for retaining workers, and the extension of enhanced expensing for small businesses will all help create conditions for increased hiring and retention of new employees.

In addition, the extension of funding for highways and surface transportation projects will provide employment both today and in the future by continuing the infrastructure investments that are critical to long-term economic growth.

And, finally, the direct payment option for certain tax credit bond programs will enable the Clark County School District, which I represent, to increase school construction and continue to fund essential projects.

Nevada, and the Nation, needs the jobs and other support provided in this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' a resounding ``yes'' on this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, during the campaign, President Obama pledged to Nevadans that he would kill the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository project. He has kept his word.

Yesterday, the Energy Department moved to pull the license for the dump. The President's blue ribbon panel will meet this month to find an alternative to Yucca Mountain. But I think it is important for me to reexplain why the opposition to Yucca Mountain is so strong, not only throughout the State of Nevada, but throughout the United States.

There is a very long history here. As we refer to it in Nevada, the so-called ``Screw Nevada'' bill that was passed over two decades ago decided there were three sites that were supposed to be considered for the disposition of nuclear waste. All of a sudden, in the ``Screw Nevada'' bill there was one State, and we had the honor of being selected as the State that got screwed by the United States Congress. So this was always a political decision. It never was based on sound science.

Let me tell you what the proposal of this bill was: 77,000 tons of toxic radioactive nuclear waste being shipped across 43 States to be buried in a hole in the Nevada desert where we have groundwater issues, seismic activity and volcanic activity, and 90 miles from a major population center in the western United States.

This was never based on sound science, and it never was a viable option. However, for the last 20-some odd years, it has been the option that this Congress and the former administration wanted to foist on the American people.

Now, let me explain what some of the things are that are wrong with this. First of all, there is no safe way to transport 77,000 tons of toxic radioactive nuclear waste across 43 States. It would take 300,000 trips either on our highways or on our rails across this country where we would be going past schools and hospitals and residential areas in order to get to Nevada. Now, just statistically, there would have been X number of accidents when you have 300,000 shipments.

Also, after 9/11 we became painfully aware of the potential for a terrorist attack. What would prevent a terrorist from attacking a nuclear train that was bringing this nuclear waste to the State of Nevada? That is number one.

Number two, there is no canister that exists that could safely store the waste. This was the initial proposal. Yucca Mountain was supposed to be a natural depository that would collapse on itself once it was full. Well, what do you know? They found out that it wasn't bone dry. There is moisture in Yucca Mountain. So then they said, well, let's create a canister to store the waste. Of course, no canister exists. But they did say there was the possibility that the cannister would leach into the groundwater.

So then they said, well, what we will do, since the mountain is not a natural repository and the canisters don't exist, and if they did exist they couldn't protect the groundwater from the leaching of nuclear waste into the groundwater, so we will have titanium shields over the canisters that don't exist in Yucca Mountain that isn't a natural repository.

Then they came up with the brilliant plan in the last administration that there would be an army of robots, because it would be too dangerous for human beings to go down to Yucca Mountain, so an army of robots that would have to be invented would go down to Yucca Mountain to seal the canisters that don't exist with the titanium shields in Yucca Mountain that isn't a natural repository. This is what we have been dealing with for over two decades.

Also, there are EPA standards. They said 10,000 years. Well, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled that because, do you know what? The shelf life of nuclear waste is 300,000 years. So that made no sense either.

The nuclear industry and its allies continue to talk about putting nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. That plan is so dead, because the State of Nevada supports the President of the United States, who has finally pulled the plug on this ridiculous program.

There is no magic money tree. This is going to cost billions and billions of dollars. Where are we getting that money? Nevada doesn't have a money tree.

Do you know what else Nevada doesn't have, Mr. Speaker? We don't have any water. We are in the middle of a desert, and it takes millions of gallons of water in order to cool the nuclear waste. So I don't know where they are expecting to get the water, but they ought to take a look at the map, because there is no water in the State of Nevada. We are in the middle of a desert.

So I want to thank the President of the United States for honoring his promises. This blue ribbon panel will finally meet and start the process of finding an alternative to Yucca Mountain. If this country is going to rely on nuclear energy in the future, we'd better finally figure out a way of what to do with the nuclear waste. I support the President and the blue ribbon panel. I wish them well.

Mr. Speaker, I represent the most unique city on the planet, the City of Las Vegas. It's a great place with great people, but we are hurting, and my constituents are angry.

I've got the second highest unemployment rate in the country, the highest mortgage foreclosure rate in the country, and 460,000 Nevadans have no health insurance. The stimulus bill saved our State--money for education and Medicaid, unemployment compensation, job creation, infrastructure improvements--but we need to do more. We need to pass a jobs bill to get more people back to work. We need to pass health care reform to provide medical care for those who can't afford it on their own.

Finally, for the financial industry, whose reckless behavior put this Nation and the rest of the world in a deep recession, Congress must past meaningful Wall Street reform and consumer protection. I know we talk all the time about Wall Street's being a casino. Coming from Las Vegas and representing Las Vegas, let me assure you no casino on the planet behaves as irresponsibly and as recklessly as Wall Street does. Wall Street ought to be ashamed and should take a lesson from the casino industry.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of Yucca Mountain Johnny and the people of the State of Nevada, I want to thank the President for putting the kibosh on the Yucca Mountain project, which would have shipped 77,000 tons of toxic nuclear radioactive waste across 43 States to be buried in a hole in the Nevada desert, where we have groundwater problems, seismic activity, volcanic activity, no radiation standards, no way to safely transport the waste, and no canister that currently exists that could store the waste without corroding.

The President came to Nevada 20 times during the campaign and pledged to stop Yucca Mountain. This week, he honored his pledge. The people of the State of Nevada are grateful that he ended this expensive, dangerous, foolish project.

On behalf of Yucca Mountain Johnny, and myself, we thank you, Mr. President. Way to go.

Mr. Speaker, things are very tough in Las Vegas right now. We have the second highest unemployment rate and the very highest mortgage foreclosure rate in the country. People are hurting. We rely on tourism to fuel our economy. It's our major industry.

So when the President singled out Las Vegas again by saying, ``When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don't blow a bunch of cash in Vegas,'' he is hurting the people I represent badly. What he should have said is that Las Vegas is the most amazing place to vacation. It's a bargain right now, and everyone should go and enjoy our wholesome family entertainment, our great hotels, our fabulous shows, great restaurants, shopping, convention space, gaming, our great weather. We're near the Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam. Las Vegas has it all. That's what the President should have said. Mr. President, words matter, and you need to watch what you say. Your words are hurting the businesses and the families that call Las Vegas home, and they're hurting me.

Madam Speaker, the Republic of Kazakhstan this month undertakes its new role and responsibilities as the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the world's largest regional security organization.

I would like to congratulate Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his fellow citizens on this signal achievement. Kazakhstan is making history with this new assignment and its broader engagement in global affairs. For the very first time, the OSCE will be headed by a new post-Soviet country east of Vienna. It is also the first Asian and Muslim nation to head the OSCE. It is a recognition that the OSCE draws its strength not only from Europe and the United States, but also from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Balkans.

Kazakhstan has been a leader in international nuclear security since its earliest days of independence. After the Cold War, Kazakhstan renounced its nuclear weapons, closed the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and transferred over half a ton of uranium to secure sites outside their country. Our government continues to work with Kazakhstan to advance our common non-proliferation goals: In April, President Obama will host the Global Nuclear Security Summit, with President Nazarbayev and other world leaders participating.

Since its independence, Kazakhstan has also made economic reforms that have attracted investment and created jobs. It has developed multiple energy export routes and diversified its economy to ensure that its oil wealth can be enjoyed by all sectors of society.

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a co-chair of the Friends of Kazakhstan Caucus, I look forward to the progress that Kazakhstan can make during its tenure at the helm of the OSCE. We will work with Kazakhstan this year to modernize and strengthen the OSCE, for the benefit of all member States. And I wish President Nazarbayev-- and his able Chairperson-in-Office, Secretary of State-Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev--great success as Kazakhstan embarks on this new path toward increased democracy, improved security, enhanced cooperation, and stronger economic growth and prosperity.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to call my colleagues' attention to some extraordinary news from Ioannina, Greece. Last month, a group of citizens called the Citizens Initiative for the Defense of the Jewish Cemetery of Ioannina held a public rally against anti- Semitism, bringing Jews and Christians together to combat racism and hatred.

The Jewish cemetery of Ioannina, which was vandalized four times in 2009, is a cultural monument of one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world--dating back almost 3,000 years to the time of the Babylonian exile. The Jewish community of Ioannina believes the cemetery vandals are members of a neo-Nazi group.

Therefore, the Citizens Initiative came together--Jews and Christians alike--to create ``a human chain against racism'' surrounding the cemetery, showing support for the Jewish community and demonstrating their outrage at the recent desecrations. Additionally, a public exhibition highlighted the historic Jewish community there and the cemetery's significance in that history.

Madam Speaker, I applaud the good citizens of Ioannina who organized and participated in this remarkable event. I hope their good will and unity will compel the political leaders of Ioannina to act against the vandals in their city. This kind of citizen action should also serve as a beacon to people everywhere who seek to put an end to racism and anti-Semitism: it proves Margaret Mead's theory yet again that ``a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise expressing my strong support for

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, who is doing a remarkably good job, in spite of all the misinformation on the other side, of moving this bill along.

I rise in support of this legislation to extend expiring tax provisions. It is very important that Congress pass this bill this year.

Allowing these provisions to expire would amount to a tax increase at a most challenging economic time for our Nation's businesses and families. Waiting to enact an extension retroactively would add to the already uncertain business climate and make tax planning all the more difficult for companies and individuals that depend on these tax credits.

The bill extends necessary tax relief to parents and teachers, college students, homeowners, small businesses, and millions of other middle-income families. This legislation is needed in my State for so many critical things. It ensures that Nevada residents who do not pay a State income tax can continue to deduct their sales and State tax from their Federal income tax. For Nevada college students, most of whom come from middle-income families, deduction of their tuition makes the difference between going to college and not going to college.

The bill extends a few alternative and renewable energy tax credits, so critical at this particular time, such as the tax incentive for natural gas and propane used as a fuel in transportation vehicles. These important provisions will help increase clean energy production and consumption.

When it comes to the State of Nevada, and all politics is local, I would like to tell the other side how important this is to the people I represent. This is not a joke, and this is not using these people. This is providing tax relief for millions and millions of people across the country and hundreds of thousands of Nevadans.

Over 23,000 teachers in my home State will not get a tax benefit for purchasing school supplies out-of-pocket if we don't pass this.

Over 32,000 families in my State will not be able to deduct their higher education tuition costs, and 346,000 Nevada families in my State will not be able to deduct the State sales tax that they pay. This would be a loss of a $574 million benefit for the State of Nevada. And 141 businesses in my State will not be able to get a credit for their crucial research and development costs.

I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, this is an important piece of legislation. It is timely. We need to pass it now.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Dakota for yielding.

The bill we are considering this afternoon is not my chosen option. While I will vote for this bill, I don't think it goes far enough, nor is it a truly permanent solution.

Yesterday at the Rules Committee, I offered an amendment that would have raised the estate tax exemption and reduced the rate, creating a sensible, stable and, most importantly, a permanent framework to help families and businesses effectively plan for the burden of the estate tax.

This position is favored by a wide coalition of business and farm groups; and unlike the bill on the floor today, it is indexed for inflation. This is important, because without indexing, the estate tax will, like the alternative minimum tax, grow over time to cover more and more estates, eventually affecting many middle class Americans.

Philosophically, I don't think there should be an estate tax. There are few things in this world that you can do to avoid paying taxes. I think dying should be one of those things.

I introduced bipartisan legislation to alleviate the burden the estate tax creates for farms, businesses, and individuals. The legislation would have responsibly phased up the exemption to $5 million, $10 million for couples, and lowered the rate to 35 percent over the next 10 years to reduce the burden on those estates that still have an estate tax liability.

Given the current economic situation, even one job lost to the estate tax is too much. We need to encourage stability in every way possible. While the bill before us, in my opinion, is not a permanent solution, it is far better than a short-term patch. It ensures stability in the Tax Code and allows for estate planning. I believe it will free up resources currently used to plan for the estate tax.

I will vote for this bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me and do likewise.

I thank the gentleman from California for yielding me the time.

I have had the fastest growing senior population in the United States for many decades in a row. My seniors need health care and they need to be able to see a doctor. But every year when we get to the end of the year, we play this ridiculous game of whether or not we're going to provide a doctors fix and be able to reimburse the doctors for seeing our senior patients under the Medicare program. And every year I receive telephone calls from doctors in the Las Vegas area telling me that if in fact they don't get reimbursed as they should, that they will not be able to continue seeing Medicare patients.

Now, short of me going to medical school so I could go home and take care of the seniors in my district when I go home on the weekends, we better figure out a way of adequately reimbursing the doctors--not doing it on a year-to-year basis which gives them an accounting nightmare--and being able to provide stability for the Medicare system so that the millions of seniors in this country that depend on the Medicare program for their health care needs to be met, that we are able to meet them. I urge that we support this bill.