Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exemplary staffer, Ben Parmentier, Congressman Jim Costa's Victims' Rights Caucus Coordinator.

As co-founder and co-chair of the Victims' Rights Caucus with Congressman Costa, I have appreciated Ben's consistent hard work and enthusiasm on behalf of victims.

He always made the Victims' Rights Caucus a priority, ensuring that projects were completed in a timely manner and events ran smoothly.

As Ben heads off to graduate school, we will miss his commitment to the Victims' Rights Caucus and passion for victims' rights.

The Victims' Rights Caucus was fortunate to have a dedicated staffer like Ben.

I wish him success in all his future endeavors and know he will excel as he did in his work on Capitol Hill.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, this was a good day. And one of the reasons it's a good day is because Gabby Giffords is back.

Mr. Speaker, she is one of the best things in this Congress. To me, she came back tonight, cast her vote, the first vote since she was attacked. And she is a perfect example of bipartisanship. I have had the privilege to work with her on the issue of border security. And while she was in the hospital recovering in my hometown of Houston, Texas, her staff in Arizona hosted me so I could go down to the border and see firsthand the problems of border security in Arizona.

I think she is a model for the attitude that we should all have. She is tenacious and she is relentless in her love for America and her desire to do what's right and represent the people in Arizona that elected her here.

So welcome back, Gabby Giffords. You were missed, and we're glad you're back.

And that's just the way it is.

In this time of money crisis, we talk about the fact that we need revenue. Congress seems to be addicted to taxation as a form of revenue. But there's another way to raise revenue. Did you know, Mr. Speaker, that 27 percent of the land owned in the United States is owned by Uncle Sam? Fifty-two percent of it in the West is owned by Uncle Sam. How much is that? That's the size of all of Western Europe. So maybe we ought to think about Uncle Sam selling some of that land to Americans, not the National Parks, not the wetlands, these sensitive areas, but that land owned by the Bureau of Land Management that is not in use now. And then we sell that land, some of it, and then it will be revenue-producing because the people who buy it will pay taxes. Local taxes go to schools and help those schools. Something to think about. In this time of raising revenue, maybe Uncle Sam could do without 27 percent of all of the land in America. Let Americans own part of America, not just the Federal Government.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, in less than one month, Americans will observe the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks. Those who witnessed the events of September 11th will always remember that day and what they were doing. It's like those of us that were alive when President Kennedy was assassinated. We remember that day; we remember what we were doing. And the old timers, they remember Pearl Harbor and what they were doing on December 7, 1941. September 11th is a day that we as a Nation should always remember because it reminds us of the preciousness of this Nation and her belief in freedom and liberty. It is something that is without a doubt worth preserving.

As we remember where we were on that fateful day, it is even more important that we remember the 3,000 individuals that lost their lives that day. Many who lost their lives were heroes trying to rescue those trapped by the attacks. When those Twin Towers were set aflame, those volunteers, those firefighters, those emergency medical folks and those police officers, they rushed as hard as they could to get to that terror from the sky. As a result of their heroism, many got to live another day. There are countless stories of the selfless bravery which occurred on 9/11, how Americans reacted extraordinarily in order to rescue one and other. In the face of attack, we pulled through with a remarkable spirit of unity and compassion that swept through our country.

Shortly after the tragic September 11, 2001 attacks on our great Country, Americans all over the world raised up `old glory' in patriotic understanding of the events which had just befallen our country. The American Flag has always been a symbol of bringing our Nation together in good times or bad. One of these many flags was the symbol of our Nation's perseverance, was the Flag which was flown over Ground Zero. Still today this flag continues to fly, all around this great Nation in support of our heroes, because of Texas Patriot, Chris Heisler.

In the aftermath of September 11th, Chris Heisler, like many other Americans felt compelled to take action after witnessing his country come under attack. When Chris was gifted this patriotic flag by Texas House of Representatives, he helped organize one of the longest police motorcades in the history of the United States to honor it. The American flag is a symbol to revere, respect, and honor and Chris' profound respect for America's symbol should be commended.

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, patriotism surged in the United States. Many young men and women enlisted to help fight the war on terrorism. Chris Heisler was part of this movement, and at the age of 34 he put his business career on hold to enlist in the U.S. Army. While serving his country, Chris carried his revered flag with him to Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq so it could fly with soldiers in combat zones.

Soon soldiers began to refer to this flag as one of honor, as a result the flag is now named the United States Honor Flag. Ten

years later, The United States Honor Flag continues to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty protecting the freedoms we all hold dear. The United States Honor Flag has been to many places including Ground Zero in New York, the Pentagon, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, Presidential Libraries, VA Hospitals, and to countless sporting events. The flag has flown for more than 1,000 fallen soldiers and at funerals for police officers and firefighters. Recently it went to Space! It traveled on board the shuttle Atlantis' final mission.

It is one single flag. There's a lot of security details involved in transporting the U.S. Honor Flag. It is kept in a secure case. The Department of Homeland Security has sewn microchips into the seam of the flag to verify its authenticity. The flag is constantly traveling. It is a national treasure that is respected and guarded.

The betterment in our country often originates from the efforts of just one person. The establishment of the Honor Flag serves as an important reminder of the daily sacrifices our Nation's heroes make, and recognizes the freedoms of Old Glory. In recognition of Chris Heisler's patriotism, in remembrance of the tragic events on September 11, 2001 and for those who continue to fight to preserve our liberty, I am proud to salute Chris Heisler for his loyalty to America, and to the United States Flag.

We should remember those that died, those that got to live, and those that continue to fight for our freedoms today in places all over the world in the name of liberty and freedom.

And that's just the way it is.

Offered By: Mr. Poe of Texas

Amendment No. 83: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, time is up. It is time for the administration to quit stalling and make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline project, the pipeline that comes from our friends in Canada from Alberta all the way down to my congressional district in southeast Texas, to the refineries in Port Arthur, Texas.

The House has done its job this week by passing a bill to move this decision along. Now it's the Senate's turn to pass this bill so that the administration finally makes a decision on the Keystone XL project that will create thousands of American jobs and decrease our dependence on unfriendly nations for energy.

I commend my friend from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) for passing this legislation and being the spearhead of this legislation.

All that has to happen is the State Department has to make a decision and the administration has to support that decision one way or the other. It's been 3 years for the administration to make a decision, yes or no, on the XL pipeline. It's time to fish or cut bait. Pick a horse and ride it. The administration must make a decision.

And this should be, to me, an easy choice for this administration. Either they can force Americans to continue to rely on unfriendly foreign countries for our energy, like Venezuela and the Middle Eastern dictators, by depriving Americans of a reliable source of oil at a time when gas prices are around $4, or they can work with our friends in the north to supply over 1.4 million barrels of oil per day.

Pipelines are the proven and safe, efficient source of energy. Best of all, this project creates thousands of jobs at a time when unemployment in this country is 9.2 percent. And it is climbing. I would think this job-creating, shovel-ready project--which my liberal friends always talk about--would be something they would support and the administration would support.

As the administration continues to stonewall our own domestic production, we must safely and immediately look for ways to meet energy needs.

The country needs energy. It needs jobs. This project provides both. What's the holdup, Mr. President?

For every barrel of oil shipped a thousand miles, less than one teaspoon of liquid is lost from a pipeline. Transporting goods by pipeline has the lowest carbon footprint as compared with other transportation modes. Crude oil has to get to America some way. It either comes by barge or truck or rail or marine, and pipelines historically are the safest way to transport crude oil.

Attacking a pipeline on environmental grounds seems to be absurd to me. Pipelines have been the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to transport oil and natural gas. A medium-sized pipeline, which is about 150,000 barrels a day, requires operating more than 750 trucks or a 75-car train every day to transport the same amount of crude oil.

Transporting oil through a pipeline is far safer than using transportation by oil tankers. When an oil tanker has a major oil spill, millions of barrels of oil can be spilled in a matter of a few minutes, a few hours, or just a few days.

Nearly half a million miles of natural gas and crude oil pipelines are in the United States--500,000 miles of pipeline. Over half of these are in the State of Texas alone--270,000 miles of pipeline. And about one-third of all of the Nation's pipelines, I understand, go through the energy capital of the world, my district in southeast Texas.

If we don't use the crude oil from Canada in this pipeline, the Canadians could very easily, instead of having a north-to-south pipeline, have a pipeline east-to-west and pipe it to the west coast, and then ship it to our good buddies, the Chinese, who want to buy it.

You know, America's energy plan seems to be twofold: send money to Brazil and let the Brazilians drill off their coast, and we'll buy their crude oil; and the second part is, make sure we use those cute little curly CFL light bulbs. And that's it.

It's time that we take care of ourselves. This is a good project for America, American jobs, and a way to get crude oil into the United States. It's time for the White House to make a decision.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, over the past 10 years, the EPA has sent almost $100 million in taxpayer money to fund green projects in foreign countries. In 2010 alone, the EPA gave 18 grants to our good friends, the Chinese. Why does the EPA do that? We owe the Chinese over $1 trillion. Why are we adding to our debt in misguided hopes that they can clean up the smoggy skies in China with American grant money? There is more. Why is the Breathe Easy, Jakarta program in Indonesia the responsibility of the taxpayers in Houston, Texas? Well, it's not. I don't breathe easier knowing green money from the U.S. is financing green development in Indonesia.

At a time when we are facing ``somewhat'' of a financial problem, we can't afford to be trying to green the rest of the world too. I'm for protecting our environment, but we do not have the money to spend in hopes of controlling pollution in other countries. Let's green America first, not China.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor a Star of Texas, a United States Marine, an American Hero, Sgt. Joshua Yarbrough of Port Arthur Texas, of 1/5 Bravo Company. On June 15, 2011, in Helmond Province in Afghanistan Sgt. Yarbrough was almost mortally wounded in an IED blast which took his two fine legs and parts of his fingers while gallantly trying to save the lives of his fellow Marines in the fog of war. After an IED explosion, which left a fellow Texan

from Dallas, Eric Galvan, near death, he ran immediately to his side. Pulling him to safety and applying tourniquets on both his lost legs and hand, he proceeded to run to Cpl. Wheeler who was hit by shrapnel from the IED. But on the way he stepped on an IED himself, which threw him 10 ft. into the air. Losing both of his legs and parts of his fingers, his new battle had just begun. Josh joined the Marines in June of 2004, and has done tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was married to his wife Rachael, in November 2004, and while on his 31st MEU in July of 2006 his baby boy Sean was born. Its only been only a few short weeks, but his will to live and his attitude would make any Marine proud. Hooo . . . . Rah! And with his family's support, these quiet unsung heroes. . . . Joshua has amazed us to see how far and how fast he has come. I place this tribute to Sgt. Joshua Yarbrough, penned by Albert Caswell in his honor.

All In Darkness's Light

All . . . .

All In Darkness's Light . . . .

All in that fight!

But, comes something so very special . . . . oh so very

bright!

All in the times of war, all in such hearts of faith . . . .

that which so insures!

That which so ignites!

But come such men of honor, whose hearts take flight!

While, all around them such hell so breaks!

Mr. Speaker, delay, delay, delay is the administration's energy plan. The Keystone XL pipeline project would bring 700,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in southeast Texas. This would provide more energy for America.

The President has had over 2 years to approve the project, but the State Department, the EPA, and out-of-towners have stonewalled the project on alleged environmental grounds.

Pipelines are the most cost-effective and more environmentally sound ways to transport oil and natural gas. Oil must reach our refineries somehow. We can either import oil from a safe, reliable pipeline from our neighbors or on risky tankers coming from unstable Middle Eastern countries. Even the EPA should be able to figure this out after 2 years of delay, delay, delay.

Our neighbors in Canada have developed a safe way to obtain crude oil from their oil sands. Unlike many of the countries in the world, the Canadians are concerned about environmental issues in crude oil production. They will sell us their crude oil. It will be piped to refineries in my district in southeast Texas and will be refined into energy and byproducts of crude oil. And it will create jobs in America.

If the White House fails to act, the Canadians will take their oil someplace else. The Chinese are interested in buying that oil, so it's going to be used and it will go to China. Why not let it come to America?

Some environmental extremists are against the project. Of course they are. They are against every type of energy that comes from below the ground. But they have no answers for our energy needs. They say they want green energy. Well, I do too, but there isn't sufficient green energy yet to run America. So they're against everything, it seems, except those curly CFL light bulbs that come from China. They're all in favor of those.

The radicals are against nuclear energy because, well, the Japanese had an earthquake that caused reactors to overheat, so no more nuclear energy.

They are against natural gas because they don't like fracking, even though safe fracking has been around for decades and they don't even understand what fracking does.

They don't want America to use coal even though our resources are abundant and new technologies have made clean coal safer and more efficient.

They don't like wind turbines because running turbines at night in west Texas may bother the flight pattern of bats.

They don't want more offshore drilling; certainly can't have that. And, of course, they are against domestic crude oil anyway because they hate American oil companies.

So what's the answer? Well, the only White House plan that has been offered is to give American money to Brazil so Brazil can drill off its shores and then America will buy their crude oil. But no more offshore drilling for us it seems.

If we're going to buy crude oil from foreign countries, let's buy it from our neighbor, our ally, Canada. Or do the progressives prefer we keep buying crude oil from dictators like Chavez in Venezuela or continue to be held hostage by the monopoly of OPEC and Middle Eastern countries? Or do they just want us to do without energy altogether?

Meanwhile, gasoline is around $4 a gallon. So it seems to me the progressives, if they get their way, will have no progress in energy self-reliance, and we'll regress and go back to the horse and buggy days. But whoa, wait a minute, Mr. Speaker, we can't go back to using horses because they, too, cause pollution.

Mr. President, approve the pipeline. Show some leadership. Time to start making progress on taking care of America's energy needs.

And that's just the way it is.

I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding. I also admire the gentleman from Florida with the exotic tie and his comments. But I stand in support of the rule and, of course, the underlying bill. The rule is a fair rule.

I represent southeast Texas. We still think we're the energy capital of the world. The pipeline from Canada will go down into southeast Texas, Port Arthur, Texas, which actually has high unemployment. The pipeline will go to the refineries. The refineries will be able to expand and hire refinery workers to refine that crude oil. I think that's a good idea.

The Canadian oil sands will be able to produce 175 barrels of oil reserves, second only to Saudi Arabia. The idea that we need to move away from Middle Eastern oil is a good idea. Maybe we ought to support our loyal allies that are in a stable country.

A medium-sized pipeline, just to give you some statistics, pumps about 150,000 barrels a day. To replace that, you would have to have 750 trucks a day or a 75-car train every day.

Pipelines are the safest way to transport crude oil. Seventy-five percent of the accidents occur with a third party causing the accident to the pipeline. But if we don't make a decision--that's what we're asking the President to do--make a decision. And as my friend from Florida knows, being former judges, we made decisions. It didn't take us 3 years to make a decision. You get the evidence; you make a ruling. And it has taken, I think, the Federal Government way too long to make a decision on this issue.

But failure to act--delay, delay, delay--is tantamount to a ``no,'' and eventually the Canadians will sell that crude oil that they have to China or other buyers. So I think it's quite important that we go ahead and make a decision, have the Federal Government rule on this issue.

There are 500,000 miles of pipelines into the United States; about half of those run through Texas. I'm told that a third of all those pipelines run through my congressional district. We have a lot of pipelines. And I think it's important that we continue to try to take care of ourselves, use a safe product from Canada, make sure that all the environmental requirements are imposed in making this pipeline that creates jobs in America--build a pipeline, create jobs in southeast Texas for Americans and the refinery business--because we still rely on crude oil.

And last I would say, I agree, we need to eventually have green energy, but we don't have that now. So if we cut off all of this, what will we use?

So I urge support of the rule. I urge adoption of this legislation so that we can move forward with construction, American jobs, and deal fairly on the issue of energy reliance upon ourselves and getting that from our allies instead of Third World dictators like Chavez and the Middle East.

Offered By: Mr. Poe of Texas

Amendment No. 71: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Offered By: Mr. Poe of Texas

Amendment No. 72: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

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

Mr. Speaker, Mexican bandits have killed yet another American. The reason: His family couldn't come up with the $10,000 ransom.

Jorge Dieppa was a court translator for the Federal court in El Paso, Texas. He also was a lecturer at UTEP. Dieppa had gone to Juarez to get his car fixed, but he was kidnapped on July 6. When his relatives didn't pay the ransom, he was murdered. He was found bound with duct tape after being stabbed repeatedly.

Juarez is the border city of death. Thousands of Mexicans have been murdered there as well as several Americans. Rogue bandits and drug cartels rule the city. They rein terror on people through violence, racketeering, extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and drug deals.

The violence in ``death city'' is not the only border town with an atmosphere of outlawry. Other border towns such as Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros are dangerous for honest persons. Violence in Mexico affects the U.S. border towns with the cross-border crime, including reports of Americans with Spanish surnames being kidnapped and held for ransom.

Failure to realize that crime in ``death city'' and other Mexican border towns is real and expanding is to live like Alice in Wonderland.

And that's just the way it is.