Rick Boucher

Mr. BOUCHER

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time I recognize the gentlelady from Nevada (Ms. Berkley) for a unanimous consent request. (Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the chairman of the Transportation Committee.

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time I recognize, for 3\1/2\ minutes, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel).

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I recognize myself for 2 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I just want to comment further on some of the very positive things this legislation does in order to move forward national energy policy. This is truly a landmark achievement. The legislation that we have before the House opens the door to an entirely new era in which we will tap new forms of domestic energy resources and lessen this country's reliance on energy imports. The measure broadly incents the creation of new alternatives to today's traditional energy resources: from consumer appliance standards, which will be improved across a range of home appliances through this measure, to energy-sensitive building codes; to the capture of waste heat from industry that could produce the energy necessary to generate fully 60 gigawatts of electricity with no additional emissions of greenhouse gases; to the creation of a smart electricity grid that will lead to the day when consumers of electricity in their home can save money by consuming more electricity during times of low demand when prices are lower; to a major increase in automobile fuel efficiency, for which I want to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) for the hard work that he and his staff have put forth in coordination with the Speaker of the House in order to achieve that landmark advance; to the evolution from gasoline- powered to biofuel-powered cars, and to the day when our electrically powered cars will predominate in the transportation fleet of this country. In all of these ways, this bill makes a major advance in national energy policy. It will make America more energy efficient and energy independent. With this bill, we also make an important down payment in addressing the challenge of greenhouse gas emissions. And next year, beginning with work in our House Energy and Commerce Committee, we will take another landmark step in that direction as, in consultation with external stakeholders, and on a bipartisan basis with our Republican colleagues on the committee and in the House, we will structure a mandatory approach to controlling greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, an economy-wide program that will enjoy bipartisan support and spread the burden of greenhouse gas emissions equally across this economy. That approach begins in the year to come and will make a further enormous contribution to controlling emissions. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of our time.

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time I'm pleased to recognize for 2 minutes the distinguished chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business, the gentlelady from New York (Ms. Velazquez).

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I recognize myself for 1 minute. I can't let pass the suggestion that there is nothing in this legislation that advances the interests of the domestic coal industry in the United States. In fact, there are two very important provisions that address the future needs for coal. The first of these will stimulate the development of carbon dioxide pipelines that will enable carbon dioxide to be transported across long distances from the place where carbon dioxide is separated out of the coal combustion process to the place where it's injected for permanent storage. And, secondly, there is an investment tax credit totaling $1.5 billion that is available for companies that will take the step to develop those carbon separation and sequestration technologies. And carbon separation and sequestration truly is the future of coal. In a carbon constrained environment, it's critically important that coal- fired utilities be able to continue to use that fuel and to do so consistently with whatever the limits on carbon dioxide emissions are. The ability to separate carbon dioxide out of the combustion process and transport it to permanent storage in the ground is the answer that we'll be relying on in future years. This bill helps to make that possible.

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel).

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman from Texas that on our side, we only have one speaker remaining and then a speaker who will close. And so hopefully your speaker before your closer will appear.

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. On the subject of the renewable portfolio standard, the gentleman from Texas and I are actually in bipartisan agreement. And while I strongly support the legislation before us and have urged and will urge the House to pass this bill because of the many improvements that it makes in national energy policy, I share the gentleman from Texas's concern about the renewable portfolio requirement. The fact is that there are places in the United States where the renewable resources are simply not found in sufficient quantity to meet that requirement. In the southeastern U.S., for example, there is a deficiency of both wind and solar potential, and these are the two renewable resources that are most prominently used across the United States. The requirement that is before the House in this bill, frankly, is not broad enough in terms of the list of fuels that it makes eligible to meet the mandate. And there are States such as Pennsylvania that have made eligible a far broader range of fuels. So this provision really does need more work, and it would be my preference that it's not here. But notwithstanding its presence, this is good legislation and the House should approve it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUCHER

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, to close debate on our side, I am pleased now to recognize for 1 minute the very distinguished Speaker of the House of Representatives, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).

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

Mr. BOUCHER

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I move a call of the House.

Mr. BOUCHER

Mr. BOUCHER. I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. BOUCHER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BOUCHER. As my friend and colleague and neighbor from Virginia, Congressman Goodlatte, mentioned in his remarks, I have the privilege of representing Virginia's Ninth Congressional District in which Virginia Tech is situated. On April 16 of this year, a tragedy of a scale and senselessness that defies explanation befell that university, and it came to a campus that is known across our Nation for its friendliness, peacefulness, and for the normally close association that is found there among faculty and students. In the wake of the tragedy, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger and the professional staff of the university reacted with poise, with dignity, and with strength under the most difficult and challenging circumstances imaginable. The skilled first responders of the town of Blacksburg, of the university's own security staff, and of Montgomery County, Virginia provided an outstanding service that saved lives and that prevented the loss from being even greater. In the intervening time, much healing has occurred. Virginia Tech has a proud tradition of teaching, learning, and research. That tradition endures. Following the violent and senseless act, campuswide and communitywide determination and cohesion emerged. The resilience of southwest Virginians and the spirit of the region in which we live that has helped to make Virginia Tech a great institution is assuring for the university a strong recovery and an even stronger future. In the days following the tragedy, the university established a fund for the benefit of the tragedy's victims. It is called the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. In an outpouring of sympathy and generous support from Virginia Tech alumni and friends across our Nation, more than 21,000 financial contributions totaling $8.5 million were made to the fund. Last month, Virginia Tech distributed these funds to the victims of the shooting in varying amounts based on the severity of the injuries that were sustained. Approximately $7 million in direct cash payments were made. An additional $1.5 million in the form of scholarships and tuition assistance were disbursed. Just as Congress acted in the wake of the Oklahoma and 9/11 tragedies to declare donations to the victims of those tragedies to be tax exempt to the recipients, the bill before the House this afternoon would declare that payments from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund not be taxable income to the victims and their families who received these payments. The colloquy in which I previously engaged with Mr. McDermott clarifies that it is our intent both that, in principle, contributions to the fund be eligible for a charitable deduction, and that payments from the fund not be taxed to the payments' recipients. I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and his able and very helpful staff, for the outstanding assistance they have provided to me and to my partner Mr. Goodlatte in the process of bringing this measure to the House floor today. I want to thank Subcommittee Chairman McDermott for his assistance and for his gracious allotment of time to me this afternoon. And, I thank my friend and colleague and neighbor in southwest Virginia Bob Goodlatte, the principle coauthor of this bipartisan measure. Mr. Goodlatte and I have consulted over the past several months in the shaping of this legislation, and I thank him for the partnership that we have on this measure and on many other initiatives to improve quality of life in the region that we both represent. It is truly a pleasure working with him. The bill before the House is also coauthored by our Virginia colleagues, Mr. Cantor, Mr. Scott, Mrs. Drake, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Davis, and I want to thank them for their cosponsorship. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of H.R. 4118. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUCHER. I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding. Before speaking on this measure, I wish to engage the gentleman from Washington State in colloquy. The bill provides that certain payments transferred from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund be excluded from the gross income of the recipients of those payments. It is my understanding that, in providing for the exclusion, it is intended that both the transfer of the amounts by the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund and the making of the payments by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University are considered to be consistent with the exempt purpose of these respective entities, and that donors who made contributions to the fund are, in principle, allowed a charitable contribution deduction. I would ask the gentleman if this is also his understanding of the intent of the bill.

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I recognize myself for 1 minute to close. Mr. Speaker, I urge approval of this measure. It would simply make payments to the victims of the tragedy that occurred in April of this year at Virginia Tech tax exempt to the recipients of those payments. Congress responded in a similar way following the Oklahoma City and 9/ 11 tragedies, and we ask that the House accord similar tax status to the payments that were recently made from the Hokie Spirit Memorial fund. I want to thank all who have assisted in the construction of this measure. Particular thanks to my colleague, Mr. Goodlatte, for his leadership and hard work in bringing this measure to the floor today. And thanks again to the Chair and the subcommittee Chair of the Ways and Means Committee and their very capable staff for the excellent assistance and cooperation they provided to us.

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

Mr. BOUCHER

Mr. BOUCHER. Madam Speaker, I am pleased today to join with my colleagues from Virginia, Mr. Goodlatte, Mr. Cantor, Mr. Scott, and Ms. Drake in introducing legislation to exclude from Federal income taxes disbursements from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund received by the victims of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Virginia's Senators are introducing identical legislation in the Senate. The tragedy at Virginia Tech was of a scale and senselessness which defies explanation. In the days following April 16, 2007, this great tragedy was followed by an even greater outpouring of support for the Virginia Tech community from across the nation. Thousands of individuals and organizations generously contributed sizable donations to assist the victims and their families in their time of need. The university established the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund as the vehicle to accept and distribute these donations, and last month Virginia Tech disbursed nearly $7 million from the fund to the families of the deceased victims and to the injured students. It is the families' and university's desire that these funds be exempted from Federal income tax, and this measure takes the entirely appropriate step of providing this exemption. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House of Representatives to obtain approval of this measure.

Mr. BOUCHER

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) for the good work that we have been able to do together on the amendment that he offers this afternoon. I want to thank him for the time that he and I have expended in conversations about the subject matter the amendment addresses, and for the considerable amount of time that his very capable staff and mine have also expended on this matter. The staffs have focused on it a bit more than we have. Collectively, I think we've done a very good job in addressing a range of the concerns that the gentleman from Virginia last expressed. These adjustments are being made in a manner which I think improves the bill, and it is my intention to urge that the amendment be adopted. Under the amendment, 26 acres will be removed from the Brush Mountain East Wilderness Area in order to ensure that an existing power line is not within the wilderness boundary. Another adjustment is of 1,263 acres, and that is in the Seng Mountain Scenic Area, which will carve out a motorcycle trail and an area appropriate for bear habitat management. Another portion of the amendment provides greater flexibility for the Forest Service regarding trail construction adjacent to the Raccoon Branch designated area. And as I indicated, these changes improve the legislation, and I urge adoption of the amendment which makes them. As for the underlying bill, I would point out that this is truly a bipartisan measure. It is cosponsored in this body by a majority of Virginia's House delegation, including three original Republican sponsors, three original Democratic sponsors. In the other body, both of Virginia's United States Senators, on a bipartisan basis, have introduced the identical measure. And so the construction of this legislation arises from a deep bipartisan conversation that has proceeded over a number of years. It also strongly reflects the desires of the people in the district that I have the privilege of representing. It is true that some of the areas added for protection in this measure go beyond what the forest plan devised by the Jefferson National Forest management had recommended. But nowhere is it written that Congress making ultimate public policy is in some way disabled from adding areas for protection that go beyond what the agency suggests it would like to see. We have incorporated the recommendations made in the forest plan, and we have added selected additional acreages that have been endorsed by the local governments, by the elected boards of supervisors that reflect the will of the people and the counties where these added areas are situated. I would also note that large numbers of civic organizations and scores of locally owned businesses have endorsed the passage of this measure. And it clearly, given that broad base of support, bipartisan here, and among elected representatives, local businesses, civic organizations, and others in the district that I represent, clearly represents the will of what the people in that part of Virginia would like to have. So, Mr. Speaker, I hope that our colleagues will join us in approving this legislation and in adopting the amendment offered by the gentleman from Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. BOUCHER. I would say to the Speaker that I rise for purposes of claiming the time in opposition, although I will not actually oppose the amendment.

Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) who, with such distinction, chairs the Committee on Natural Resources, for his leadership and his very able assistance in bringing this measure to the House floor today. Earlier this year, I introduced the legislation, along with other members of Virginia's House delegation. In fact, original cosponsors of this legislation comprise a majority of Virginia's House delegation, and it is a bipartisan majority of that delegation. And I want to express my appreciation to our colleagues from Virginia, Representatives Wolf, Davis, Scott and Moran for coauthoring the bill, along with me, and for their strong support of this effort. I would also note, Mr. Speaker, that the legislation was coauthored by our recently departed colleague, Mrs. Davis as well. Again, on a bipartisan basis, Virginia's United States Senators have introduced a measure identical to the bill that is under consideration today. The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act offers needed protection to 53,000 acres of national forest land in the congressional district that I have the privilege of representing. It extends protection to approximately 550 acres of the Jefferson National Forest situated in our neighboring State of West Virginia, in the congressional district represented by Chairman Rahall. Of the total acreage protected, 43,000 acres will receive the wilderness designation, and 10,000 acres will become new national scenic areas. These designations confer both economic and environmental benefits that are of great importance to our region. Virginia's national forest provides an excellent outdoor experience with our State's highest mountains, fast-flowing rivers and superb hunting, camping, fishing, backpacking, winter sports and other activities. Our existing wilderness areas are treasured by a growing number of travelers who collectively are boosting Virginia's tourism economy. In fact, tourism is among the fastest growing of all the industries in my congressional district; and our existing wilderness areas, which are a haven for outdoor activities and recreation of various kinds, are a significant contributor to that current growth in the economy within my region. The protections we're extending today for lands containing rare treasures of Virginia's natural heritage and the permanent protection that will then be afforded will further enhance our region's travel economy. These designations also protect old-growth timber, wildlife habitat, and our region's clean water resources. Virginia has a long and proud history of resource conservation and protection of our diverse ecosystems. We have continual awareness of the unique role that our natural landscape plays in our culture and in our State's history. That awareness is reflected in the bipartisan support for this measure in both our House and Senate delegations. It is reflected in the endorsement of this bill by local governments in my congressional district, and it is reflected in the endorsements for the bill of numerous civic organizations and literally of scores of local businesses. With thanks to the six Virginia cosponsors, and all who have assisted us, and particular thanks to Chairman Rahall of the Natural Resources Committee, and his outstanding staff, I urge passage of the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act. Over the last several weeks, I have been engaged in discussions with my friend and colleague, the gentleman from our neighboring Sixth Congressional district in Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) regarding the possibility of adjusting the boundaries of some of the areas receiving protection in this legislation. Mr. Goodlatte will be offering an amendment shortly that reflects our conversations and our agreement to adjust some of those boundaries. I'll be urging the adoption of Mr. Goodlatte's amendment when that amendment is offered later this afternoon. I, again, thank the gentleman from West Virginia for yielding this time to me.