Madeleine Bordallo

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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 bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1462) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the implementation of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Species in the Central and Lower Platte River Basin and to modify the Pathfinder Dam and Reservoir, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The purpose of H.R. 1462, as introduced by our colleague Congressman Mark Udall of Colorado and amended by the Committee on Natural Resources, is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the implementation of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Species in the Central and Lower Platte River Basin and to modify the Pathfinder Dam and Reservoir. H.R. 1462, as amended, would secure benefits for four target species and their associated habitats while also providing Endangered Species Act compliance for existing and certain new water-related activities in the Platte River basin. H.R. 1462, as amended, also authorizes the modification of Pathfinder Dam and Reservoir as is required by a legal settlement and is the key part of the water devoted to recovery implementation. Mr. Speaker, this program is the result of years and years of negotiation and compromise between water users and environmentalists and should be seen as a model for dealing with endangered species conflicts. I congratulate my Democratic colleague from Colorado, the Honorable Representative Mark Udall, for his hard work on this legislation. And I strongly urge my colleagues to stand in support of this noncontroversial bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1803, introduced by Congressman Duncan Hunter, would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study to design and construct a four-reservoir intertie system. This intertie system will improve the water storage opportunities and water supply reliability for the City of San Diego and the Sweetwater Authority, the third largest water retailer in San Diego County. Similar legislation was passed by the House in the 109th Congress. We have no objection to this noncontroversial bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1803) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study to design and construct a four reservoir intertie system for the purposes of improving the water storage opportunities, water supply reliability, and water yield of San Vicente, El Capitan, Murray, and Loveland Reservoirs in San Diego County, California in consultation and cooperation with the City of San Diego and the Sweetwater Authority, and for other purposes.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 813) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Prado Basin Natural Treatment System Project, to authorize the Secretary to carry out a program to assist agencies in projects to construct regional brine lines in California, to authorize the Secretary to participate in the Lower Chino Dairy Area desalination demonstration and reclamation project, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) for his support on this noncontroversial bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1337) to provide for a feasibility study of alternatives to augment the water supplies of the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District and cities served by the District, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1205) to reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to recognize the sponsor of this bill, the Honorable Mr. Faleomavaega from American Samoa, for 4 minutes. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, as a new chairman of this subcommittee, I want to go on record to thank my colleagues for their input, their expertise on this particular subject. They have all spoken in support of this legislation, and I want to thank them for their bipartisan support.

Ms. BORDALLO. I yield to the gentleman from American Samoa.

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. 1205, as amended, would reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act through fiscal year 2012 and give the Federal Government, States and territories additional tools to protect and conserve coral reefs. I commend the gentleman from American Samoa, the Honorable Eni Faleomavaega, for sponsoring this legislation and for his hard work to move it forward. H.R. 1205 was referred to the Natural Resources Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. I'm including in the Congressional Record an exchange of letters between Chairmen Nick Rahall and Bart Gordon asserting both committees jurisdiction in H.R. 1205. Science Committee Chairman Bart Gordon gracefully agreed to allow this bill to come to the floor today. H.R. 1205, as amended, broadens and improves the definition of ``coral reef ecosystem'' to include mangroves and sea grass habitats. Additionally, the bill gives the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior the authority to cover related costs for damages to coral reefs in U.S. waters located outside national marine sanctuaries. Mr. Speaker, more than 70 percent of the coral reefs under the jurisdiction of the United States are found in the Pacific, including Guam. Regrettably, coral reefs worldwide remain imperiled and deserving of greater protection. I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill, as amended. House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, September 26, 2007. Hon. Bart Gordon, Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, Washington,

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I now recognize my colleague from Florida, the Honorable Mr. Klein, for 3 minutes.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 767) to protect, conserve, and restore native fish, wildlife, and their natural habitats at national wildlife refuges through cooperative, incentive-based grants to control, mitigate, and eradicate harmful nonnative species, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 767, as amended, would give the Secretary of the Interior additional tools to combat harmful nonnative species that are hurting native wildlife and plants on our national wildlife refuges. I commend the author of this bill, Representative Ron Kind, for his leadership and on other matters affecting the National Wildlife Refuge System. H.R. 767, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue grants to States to assess the extent of invasive species affecting refuges. The Secretary may also provide matching grants to entities for the control, mitigation, and eradication of invasive species on refuges and adjoining non-Federal lands. The bill, as amended, includes a provision authorizing the Secretary to give States financial assistance to address invasive species outbreaks in emergency situations. H.R. 767, as amended, will encourage the development of partnerships to address the threat of invasive species on a cooperative landscape basis. I urge adoption of the bill, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my dear friend across the aisle, Mr. Gohmert, the gentleman from Texas, for his very kind words. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentleman, my colleague from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for 1 minute. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. BORDALLO. I thank the gentleman from Texas for his very supportive words on this particular measure. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure to work with my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), in managing these noncontroversial bills this afternoon, and I want to thank him very much. I hope we have the opportunity again.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The purpose of H.R. 1855, as amended, is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide support for the design and the construction of the Madera Water Supply and Enhancement Project in California's Central Valley. Similar legislation was introduced by Congressman Radanovich in the 109th Congress and passed by the House. With the concurrence of the minority, H.R. 1855 has been amended to simplify the legislation and to ensure there is no doubt that this project should be promptly funded and constructed without further studies of its feasibility. We have no objection to this noncontroversial bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.