Madeleine Bordallo

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1423) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease a portion of a visitor center to be constructed outside the boundary of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Porter County, Indiana, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would just simply say to the gentleman that it is not only the sharks in the sea who fear being de-finned, it is also the American people who are being fleeced at the pump by Big Oil. And further, Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman that during this summer as many Americans flock to the beach, they have a greater chance of being bitten by Big Oil than by a shark. Also, Mr. Speaker, our colleague from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) is attending to official business in his district today and is therefore unable to be here on the floor for this debate. I note, however, for the record his involvement in drafting and advancing this legislation in committee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3981) to authorize the Preserve America Program and Save America's Treasures Program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. I thank the gentleman. Madam Speaker, today the teaching of history to our children and young adults is an integral part of the learning experience and the American elementary and secondary education system. History is a formidable, important part of the curriculum and the intellectual development of our youth. It is through history that we learn about, recall, and reflect upon lessons of the past and it is through history that we learn to responsibly recognize and seize the opportunities of the future. History is an exercise of self-awareness. It helps each citizen understand his or her place and role in our society, and it helps us establish a continuity for progress. It is through history that we learn about and come to appreciate our roots, our heritage, our culture, our progress as a society, and our relationships to one another and about how our family and our community relate to the broader world and to the generations that have come before us and those that follow us. Through history, our children learn about people and the faces and the stories behind the names that have helped shape our great democratic experiment. The teaching of United States history is fundamental to the American classroom. Yet, the teaching of history can be elevated today with greater incorporation of facts related to the territories and our fellow Americans who call the territories home. Integration into the modern day curriculum of the accounts of relationships and the circumstances surrounding the entry of each of the territories into the American family is both appropriate and needed if our teaching of American history is to be complete and meaningful. Learning about the contributions of illustrious persons from the territories complements this goal and is a proven, effective means of sharing our history. Today, American children, for example, learn about Squanto, George Washington, Paul Revere, Lewis and Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, Francis Scott Key, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Rosa Parks, and many, many other notable Americans. But, Madam Speaker, the names and the stories of historic figures in the territories are not known, and we have many historic leaders, as my colleague pointed out from her own territory of the Virgin Islands. Today, our school children learn the capital cities of Jefferson City, Boise, Concord, Tallahassee, and many others. But San Juan, Pago Pago, and Hagatna, for example, they are unfamiliar to their ear and rarely can be pinpointed on the map. Our territorial flags, seals, trees, flowers, birds, et cetera, they are all too frequently overlooked or a mystery, our history under appreciated. How many young students today know that Guam was discovered by Magellan in 1521, and Guam was governed under Spain for 100 years. Today, too few Americans know and realize that the territory of Guam was bombarded, attacked and invaded by Imperial Japanese forces concurrent with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Too few Americans know and learn about the loyalty and courage of the people of Guam in suffering at the hands of a brutal enemy, while their homeland, sovereign American soil, was occupied. Guam is the only American community to have been occupied since the War of 1812. This resolution is an exercise about learning to appreciate the cultures and the history of our islands, where our U.S. flag flies. House Concurrent Resolution 2 expresses the sense of this Congress that schools and educators all across these 50 United States and right here in our Nation's capital city should strive to teach our children about the territories and should in their noble profession seek to honor the contributions of individuals from each of these territories. For over a century now individuals from Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands have contributed to the growth and development of our country. Individuals from the territories have stood shoulder to shoulder with their brothers and sisters in harm's way, and I am speaking about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have worn the uniform in times of war, and boast some of highest enlistment rates in our military. Many have paid the ultimate sacrifice from World War I to the present day war against terrorism. Some have gone on to distinguished military careers as officers. Others have made contributions in the fields of medicine, law, music and the arts. Some have become incredible teachers in their own rights, and work to preserve our history and expand the circle of awareness about the beautiful tapestry and the rich history of the people of the United States territories. The textbooks, the classroom discussions, the maps, the globes, the technology, the learning games, all could stand to include more pages, more study questions, and more focus on the territories. I want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Christensen, for her leadership in working to incorporate the territories into history for America's schoolchildren. I stand here today proud of our own schoolchildren on Guam. This debate is on the heels of their participation last week for the first time in the national competition for National History Day, and my colleague spoke about this. His office is located right across from mine, and they all performed in the hallway. History students from George Washington High School, Untalan Middle School, Agueda Johnston Middle School and Guam High School all competed with students from all across the United States at the University of Maryland, College Park, in the national competition with research papers, exhibits, performance and documentaries. This occurred, as I said, just last week. And they also went on a field trip in Washington, DC. So, Madam Speaker, I stand in full support, in strong support for the passage of this very important House Concurrent Resolution 2.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, today I have introduced a bill to protect the United States from harm caused by invasive species. The bill, entitled the ``Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act,'' constitutes a proactive approach to combating invasive wildlife species by preventing their entry at the border. Currently there is no federal law prohibiting the importation of invasive species into the United States. Yet, nonnative plants and animals are known by scientists to have been introduced into ecosystems in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories. Invasive, nonnative species can harm the economy, human health, and the health of other animal species. Such harm ranges, for example, from depreciating farmland property values to the spreading of disease and loss of irrigation water. Additionally, collapse of buildings; competition with native animals; sport, game, and endangered species losses; habitat alteration; and other ecosystem disturbances; have resulted from the introduction of invasive species. Scientists and economists estimate the cost of damages caused by invasive species in the United States to amount to over $123 billion annually. The risks associated with the introduction and establishment of invasive species, and the costs of mitigation, will continue to rise concomitantly with the expansion of trade and increased speed and frequency of travel. The sheer volume of cargo shipped and exchanged worldwide continues to increase, and many communities across the United States are experiencing growth in tourism and in their visitor industries. These factors are reason alone to develop protocols and a system for assessing the risk of all nonnative wildlife species that could be imported or introduced into the United States. Preventing the introduction of invasive species is a significant challenge and priority for many communities across the country, including my district, Guam. Invasive species, for example, threaten the biodiversity and the ecology of the Florida Everglades, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and the Great Lakes, among other national environmental treasures in our country. On Guam, the brown tree snake has caused the extirpation of many native, endemic forest birds and lizards. The coqui tree frog and the coconut rhinoceros beetle are the latest species to have entered Guam. Although the brown tree snake was accidentally introduced through cargo shipments several decades ago. intentional introduction of invasive species today is something that can and should he controlled. The bill introduced today would protect citizens, the economy, and the environment from imported wildlife species that have the known potential to and that would likely harm our interests in the United States. Absent a comprehensive federal law addressing the importation of nonnative species, the only is protection provided by the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981. This law authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to designate wildlife species considered ``injurious'' to humans and prohibit importation of such species into the country. The process, however, to designate a species as injurious can take four years on average, at which point in most cases harm has already been caused and realized. The Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act authorizes the establishment by regulation of a risk assessment process to control the importation of wildlife species. The bill adopts a preventative approach by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to develop with public notice and public input a ``green list'' of species allowed to be imported and a ``black list'' preventing invasive species from entering the country. Prior to approving a species to be imported, the Secretary must evaluate its potential risk to humans, other animal species, and environmental health. Any imports of ``black list'' species will be subject to penalties under the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981. The Secretary, however, may permit importation of an animal of such other prohibited species for educational, scientific research, or accredited zoological or aquarium display purposes. Finally, import fees will be collected to cover the costs of the risk assessment process. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this legislation and to strengthen the abilities of the federal government to more effectively manage and prevent the introduction and establishment of nonnative wildlife species.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt) for yielding me the time and for his leadership in working toward permanent protection of whale populations around the world. I join him in these efforts. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 350, authored by our committee chair, Mr. Rahall, which calls for an end to commercial whaling in all its forms and for renewed United States leadership for conservation of whale species. Consideration of this resolution today could not be more timely or needed in advance of next week's meeting of the International Whaling Commission, or the IWC, in Chile. House Concurrent Resolution 350 calls the United States delegation to the IWC to maintain the commercial moratorium, close existing loopholes that have allowed more than 11,000 whales to be killed under the guise of scientific whaling, and oppose any effort that would undermine the moratorium or resume commercial whaling. The United States has an opportunity and a responsibility to help refocus the IWC toward its important conservation aims. Established under the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling as an international body to conserve whales for future generations and to regulate the whaling industry, the International Whaling Commission initially focused on the allocation of whaling quotas to member countries. When these quotas were routinely exceeded and whale populations plummeted, the United States successfully proposed a whaling ban, which, in turn, led to the international moratorium on commercial whaling. The moratorium has saved thousands and thousands of whales and has prevented some species from extinction. Under the convention, however, members lodging a formal objection are not bound by the moratorium. Both Norway and Iceland used this process to escape the moratorium. Similarly, the convention allows for the killing of whales for research purposes under self-awarded special permit quotas, and there are no limitations on the commercial sale of the meat. Both Japan and Iceland kill whales under the guise of scientific whaling. The IWC scientific committee has consistently challenged the science behind Japan's special permit whaling programs, questioning the need to kill, while also reinforcing the value of nonlethal methods to study whales. Despite this, Japan continues to increase the quotas and the species of whale it targets. The continued development of the IWC as a whale conservation body is at risk. Today pro-whaling countries are increasingly working to convince IWC members that the body is unworkable. They do so through vigorous country recruitment and a gradual erosion of the will of conservation-minded IWC members. The IWC, now divided almost equally in favor for and against commercial whaling, declared itself at a deadlock in 2007. The meeting next week is therefore pivotal and consequential to the success and the future effectiveness of the International Whaling Commission. Pro-whaling countries will repeatedly ask for a resumption of commercial whaling. Such countries are also pushing for the approval of coastal or community-based whaling, which should not be confused with subsistence whaling for our native peoples and which have been determined to be another label for commercial whaling. The world's whale population cannot afford a compromise on the commercial whaling moratorium, nor should the United States be intimidated by countries who threaten to leave the IWC if their requests are not met. The world's remaining whale populations, many of which have yet to fully recover from historic overexploitation, face modern threats from ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, pollution, overfishing or prey species, and the emerging impacts of climate change. This warrants greater, not lesser, leadership from the United States in whale conservation. It is for these reasons that I have cosponsored House Concurrent Resolution 350. I commend Chairman Rahall for introducing this resolution and his invaluable leadership in working to strengthen the IWC. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Together, we call on the United States delegation to work with its International Whaling Commission partners to end all forms of commercial whaling and to conserve and protect whale species.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. In that case, then, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that a bill that was approved by the Natural Resources Committee by unanimous consent is suddenly objectionable to the minority. But I urge Members to support it.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman stated that if you were an oil company, would you drill where there is no oil; of course not. And that is not the situation. The oil companies bid on these Federal leases. They pay for them because they believe there is oil on this acreage. The oil companies are paying rental fees on these leases. Why, because they believe they hold oil. Drill it or lose it. I do have another comment on the gentleman's comments that he made earlier. Mr. Speaker, monkeys do pose a disease risk. Some monkeys used as pets often carry the deadly Herpes B virus, and the CDC concludes that makaks are unsuitable as pets because of this health risk. And the gentleman mentioned dog bites. Of course there are more dog bites, Mr. Speaker, there are 75 million dogs in the United States, but only 10,000 to 15,000 monkeys. But every monkey bite causes unnecessary disease risk to those who are bitten. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Yes, Mr. Speaker, people indeed are being bit by monkeys, and they are also being bit at the gas pumps. I would just like to note a few statistics regarding monkey risks to the public. In June of 2008 in New York, a 22-month-old girl playing in her backyard put her fingers through a fence into a neighbor's yard and was bitten by their pet monkey. Doctors spent 12 hours trying to reattach her finger. In March 2008 in Indiana, a child visiting a home was bitten by a pet capuchin monkey. In February 2008 in Arizona, a 3-year-old boy was bitten by a pet lemur his family just got 2 weeks before. In February 2008 in Washington, a pet monkey escaped from a home and bit three people. In December 2007 in North Carolina, a clerk at a convenience store was bitten by a customer's pet monkey. In September 2007 in Missouri, two children were bitten by a pet monkey at a park. The woman who owned the monkey ran off with the animal. In August 2007 in Wisconsin, a woman was bitten by a pet monkey a man had on a leash. In April 2007 in Mississippi, a Federal agent approached a home and was attacked by a monkey. Mr. Speaker, from January 2007 right here on my list until March 2005, there are nine other listed cases. So yes, people are being bitten by monkeys. And this is how they are getting bitten at the pumps. Currently oil and gas companies hold leases on nearly 68 million acres of Federal land both on shore and under OCS waters that they are not, I say that they are not developing. That is roughly the size of the State of Colorado. That 68 million acres of leased but stockpiled, inactive Federal oil and gas lands could produce an additional 4.8 million barrels of oil and 44.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas every day. I would point out that would nearly double total U.S. oil production and increase natural gas production by 75 percent. Let me reiterate that if drilling took place on the 68 million acres of Federal lands currently under lease to oil and gas companies, an area the size of Colorado, we would nearly double total domestic oil production. It would also cut U.S. oil imports by one-third and it would be more than six times the estimated peak production from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. So that is where the problem lies, the industry is simply not using what it already has. And one must wonder, is this done on purpose? Is it being done to keep supply off the market in order to keep record-level prices and world- record profits? Let me remind my colleagues that the number of Federal onshore drilling permits has exploded in recent years. Between 1999 and 2007, the Interior Department increased the number of those permits it issued by 361 percent. I would also note that of all the oil and gas believed to exist on the Outer Continental Shelf, 82 percent of the natural gas and 79 percent of the oil is located in areas that are currently open to leasing. So the gentleman is correct, we have a problem here; but the solution is to prompt the holders of these valuable energy leases to develop them. The chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, Mr. Nick Rahall, has put forth a solution, drill it or lose it. The Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act of 2008 would compel oil and gas companies to either produce or give up Federal onshore and OCS leases that they are stockpiling by barring the companies from obtaining any more leases unless they can demonstrate that they are producing oil and gas or are diligently developing the leases they already hold during the initial term of the leases. Companies could avoid this new lease prohibition by relinquishing their non-producing leases, creating an opportunity for another company to explore for and perhaps produce oil or gas from them. Under the bill, the terms of leases which are in production or which can demonstrate diligent development are extended. Companies which lease Federal coal resources are by law required to diligently develop these leases. This requirement has discouraged the rampant speculation that once existed in the Federal coal leasing program, the same type of speculation that now appears to be plaguing the Federal oil and gas leasing program. So I say, let's set the Big Oil monkey off the people's backs; drill it or lose it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2964) to amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to treat nonhuman primates as prohibited wildlife species under that Act, to make corrections in the provisions relating to captive wildlife offenses under that Act, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2964, the Captive Primate Safety Act, was introduced by our colleague from Texas, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit the import, export, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce of nonhuman primates.

Ms. BORDALLO. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1199) commending the Orange County Water District and its employees for their sound financial management and innovative groundwater management, water quality, water efficiency, and environmental programs, on its 75th anniversary.

Ms. BORDALLO. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5511) to direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to remedy problems caused by a collapsed drainage tunnel in Leadville, Colorado, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5710) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority for the planning, design, and construction of the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System, and for other purposes.

Ms. BORDALLO

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