Neil Abercrombie

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 3891, introduced by my colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), expands the size of the Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation from 25 to 30 members. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation was established by Congress in 1984 as a charitable nonprofit corporation. The foundation was formed to further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While the foundation and its conservation programs continue to grow and fundraising for these programs keeps pace, it is considerably more difficult to meet the increasing administrative expenses of the foundation. Expanding the size of the board of directors will improve the ability of the foundation to raise private funds, to cover its administrative expenses, and to improve the implementation of its conservation programs. I commend Congressman Henry Brown, again, a good friend of many of us here in the Congress and a friend of the Natural Resources, for introducing this bill, and urge all Members to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, before yielding back the balance of my time, and I will do so, I have a brief closing insert that I would like to read from Congresswoman Bordallo who, as I indicated, finds it impossible to be here today at this time. She says as follows: Madam Speaker, as Chairwoman on the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, I reiterate that the Natural Resources Committee supports this bill as a means to maximize community participation in the activities of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It is our expectation, that is to say Congresswoman Bordallo's expectation, that the foundation will view this expansion of its Board of Directors as an opportunity to increase the diversity of professional backgrounds and views that board members bring to the foundation, and also that the Secretary of the Interior will appoint qualified individuals, hopefully with conservation experience in the offshore territories.

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

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2675) to provide for the conveyance of approximately 140 acres of land in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma to the Indian Nations Council, Inc., of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 2675 was introduced by my colleague and our friend on the Natural Resources Committee, Representative Dan Boren. The legislation directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey 140 acres of public land in Oklahoma, administered by the United States Forest Service, to the Indian Nations Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts will use this land to expand their existing camping. The Boy Scouts will pay a fair market value for the land. Madam Speaker, I want to commend our colleague and friend, Representative Boren, for his work on this bill. I support the passage of H.R. 2675, as amended. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

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

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 3651 was introduced by the ranking member on the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee, Representative Bishop. The legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain identified public lands to the State of Utah for use by the Utah National Guard. The land would revert to the United States should it ever cease to be used by the National Guard. Madam Speaker, I want to commend my colleague and friend, Representative Bishop, for his leadership in this matter and his willingness to work with the committee to resolve issues raised in earlier consideration of the legislation. I am sure that I speak for Chairman Rahall in that regard, and most certainly his fellow members on the Resources Committee. Therefore, I have no objection to the passage of H.R. 3651; and, in fact, enthusiastically endorse it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, and as chairman of the Air Land Subcommittee of that committee, I particularly want to commend Mr. Bishop for his remarks regarding the National Guard deployments and our obligations to them. And in recognition of that, I would like his remarks to be incorporated as my own with regard to his bill. With his permission I would like to do that.

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

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2515) to authorize appropriations for the Bureau of Reclamation to carry out the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program in the States of Arizona, California, and Nevada, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 2515, as introduced by our colleague and friend, Representative Dean Heller, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the multi-species habitat conservation plan on the lower 400 miles of the Colorado River. The States of Nevada, Arizona and California, along with several major water districts, are participants and funding partners in this program. As amended, this legislation is not controversial and should be supported. And I might say, Madam Speaker, exhibits the multiple responsibilities of the Resources Committee and the really extraordinary complications and details that have to be considered when such legislation comes forward. It is a tribute to the staffs of the members on the committee, and most particularly the professional staff of the Resources Committee, that this legislation is able to be compiled, understood and comprehended by the members, and then brought forward to the body as a whole in a way that advances the public interest. With that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I observed that Mr. Bishop was looking directly at me when he recited, with a look that I can only determine as ``gleeful,'' he cited the razorback sucker and the bonytail chub. I am not sure whether I was being categorized by him in the sucker category or the chub category, or he was gazing at me metaphorically. Do you suppose he might be able to answer that for me.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. I will yield. Mr. BISHOP of UTAH. I have certainly never thought of the gentleman as either a razorback or a bonytail.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Thank you very much. Madam Speaker, it is now clear for me. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Will time be allowed on the Democratic side of the aisle in opposition?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Will time be allotted on the Democratic side of the aisle for opposition?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Can the Speaker inquire of the gentlelady whether time will be given in opposition on the Democratic side of the aisle?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I am under the impression that a question has been directed to the gentlelady.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. That's my question, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Will time be made available on the Democratic side in opposition?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Does any time remain?

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, that's nonresponsive. Mr. Speaker, I have permission to ask, and I'm trying to get an answer. That's certainly fair. Will there be time or not?