Donald Beyer

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), the ranking member of the Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, one quick point is that these national wildlife refuges are U.S. public lands paid for by U.S. taxpayers and should be managed for the benefit of all. So let me quote former Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, recently departed, who said these ``are not game farms managed for a slice of their diversity for the benefit of a few people who would call themselves hunters.'' Much has been made in this debate this afternoon, Madam Speaker, about whether ANILCA prohibits this Fish and Wildlife rule. We have gone back and forth with different cases. Let me just quote a few key paragraphs. Section 302 and 303 of ANILCA establishes 16 national wildlife refuges, and for each one, the purpose is stated for which the refuge is to be established and shall be managed, including: ``to conserve fish and wildlife populations in their natural diversity.'' The law doesn't say wildlife should be managed in some alternate state of unnatural diversity where no wolves, no bears, and overpopulated moose herds can destroy the landscape. Both the ANILCA, and the Improvement Act, the 1998 law that reorganized the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed Alaska's Federal refuge managers to conserve natural diversity, a value that the Fish and Wildlife Services correctly noted is incompatible with indiscriminate predator culls. Every Federal court to consider the question, including the Ninth Circuit, which contains Alaska, has held the States lack the authority to overrule Fish and Wildlife Service management decisions concerning Federal refuge management. So this has already been before the courts. The courts, I believe, have already decided. Madam Speaker, in the few minutes I have left, let me just quote a few of the letters we received from Alaska residents in opposition to the resolution before us. Elizabeth Figus, from Juneau, writes: ``I am an Alaskan. I hunt and fish, and I support regulations that prohibit cruel killing. This rule would rightly prohibit controversial and scientifically unjustified killing methods on over 76 million acres of Federal lands in Alaska. ``A hunter who cannot comply with humane methods of the trade/sport is simply lazy and undeserving of the right to harvest the flesh of another living thing. ``This is the 21st century, not the 1800s. We must carry out our hunting in a careful and organized fashion to ensure the safety of Alaskan residents as well as the sustainability of the wild animal resources into the future.'' This from Elisabeth Moorehead from Eagle River: ``My husband and I owned and operated a successful wildlife tourism business in Alaska for 27 years. The business still continues in the capable hands of one of our guides. . . . I am writing to convey my displeasure over the content of the joint resolution you recently introduced in response to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations that ban cruel and unsporting methods of killing bears, wolves and coyotes on Federal wildlife refuges in Alaska.'' And from Fran Mauer in Fairbanks: ``Over the last 15 years I have watched the state hunting regulations for wolves and bears get progressively more extreme. These methods go far beyond any common sense, are not supported by science, and have no place in our Alaskan National Wildlife Refuges. This is the result of the special interest lobby of extreme pro-hunting groups. . . . I for one, and many other Alaskan hunters, do not want to see the State of Alaska turn our National Wildlife Refuges into game farms.'' And, finally, from Jeff Fair from Palmer: ``I write you as a 23-year Alaskan wildlife biologist . . . Currently 64 years of age, I hunt and fish and enjoy a permanent license to do so in The Great Land. ``As a biologist, I recognize that predator control does not work in the long run to stabilize or maximize cervid populations. I also recognize that an attempt to repeal U.S. Fish and Wildlife regs on these lands would be an attempt to circumvent, contradict, overturn, or simply break the Federal law that establishes the Fish and Wildlife Service's mission and authority for these lands. And as a hunter I fear for the reputation of the hunting tradition, including conservation and fair-chase, when some service anti-predator techniques are allowed anywhere, including on federal lands.'' Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas).

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Tauxemont Cooperative Preschool celebrating its 75th Anniversary on March 18, 2017 at its Diamond Jubilee. Tauxemont, a NAEYC accredited preschool located in the Fort Hunt corridor of Alexandria, Virginia, has been teaching preschool and kindergarten children a love of learning since 1942. The Tauxemont learning experience encourages parents to participate with their children during this major step away from home. At Tauxemont, the faculty is involved with their children both during school and at special events. Family involvement is what makes a child's experience at Tauxemont unique. Tauxemont's primary purpose is to provide an environment for a child to grow emotionally, developmentally, physically, socially, and intellectually. Tauxemont, therefore, allows them to: discover that school is a happy place, that learning is fun and rewarding and that teachers are understanding and stimulating human beings; learn how to work and play successfully with other children; learn to develop their own skills, talents, and interests, and to expand each of these to the fullest extent; develop a sense of personal worth and an understanding of the needs and rights of others; and to develop a sense of excitement and interest in the world in which we live and an eagerness to learn more. Tauxemont prepares children for formal schooling and ready to learn anything. The secret behind Tauxemont's success for over 60 years is parent involvement. Parents participate in all aspects of the school, contributing to the success of children.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I think the real question for the majority is: What do you have against Secretary-elect Ryan Zinke? He is being given a brand-new rule and the keys to the castle. He has a clean slate to develop the playbook for a hugely impactful planning process and free rein to make it what he wants. Yet, one of the first moves the majority is making, before Mr. Zinke has even been confirmed, is to undo Planning 2.0 and leave the agency with a planning process that was written before my staff was born. In other words, the majority is tying Mr. Zinke's hands. Quite simply, the majority is laboring under the false impression that Planning 2.0 makes the BLM's planning process worse when, in fact, it makes it better. Under the current regulatory framework for resource management plans, it takes BLM an average of 8 years to update and revise a plan, and this matters because, by the time the plan is completed, it is almost already out of date. Significant public involvement doesn't happen until the end of the process. There is often litigation which stalls the process even more. This is a huge waste of government resources and taxpayer money. Mr. Speaker, as Ranking Member Grijalva said earlier, the use of the Congressional Review Act to revoke BLM Planning 2.0, or any other Federal regulation, is a radical step. That is the reason why the Congressional Review Act has only been used once before this year. Once Congress approves the Congressional Review Act resolution, the agency can never issue a similar rule. So this is an extreme overreach in general, but especially for something like BLM's Planning 2.0, which is designed to enhance efficiency and make BLM more responsive to public input. Isn't our goal to improve how government works and make it more efficient? This resolution will permanently lock us into an old rule that didn't work for anybody. I know House Republicans and President Trump are eager to roll back regulations, but we should pump the brakes on this particular resolution. A lot has changed since 1983.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 90th birthday of Thomas H. Birdsong III, a great Virginia business leader. Mr. Birdsong has a lifetime of leadership and commitment within the peanut commodities business. His company, Birdsong Peanut, is the largest company of its kind in the United States. Birdsong Peanut Company got its start in 1914 as a feed and seed store in Courtland, Virginia. In 1939 the founder of Planters Peanuts, asked the company to relocate near his factory in Suffolk, Virginia. That plant is still in operation today. Mr. Birdsong partners with farmers throughout the United States and sells to peanut product manufacturers around the world. His clients consist of companies such as Mars, Snickers, and Smuckers. Thomas H. Birdsong III graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 1949, received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award from the college in 2009, and in 2013 received an honorary degree of law. He has also served as a philanthropic leader at Randolph Macon College. His commitment to quality and service has proven successful not only in the peanut business but also in community relationships both at home and around the globe. I am honored to congratulate Mr. Birdsong on his 90th birthday celebration; I thank him for the many lives that he has touched along the way. It is for these reasons that I join Mr. Birdsong's family and friends in wishing him a blessed 90th birthday and continued health and happiness in the years to come.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, with respect, I quote Mr. McKinley: ``We have to do this for the people of West Virginia and around the country.'' And I agree, and this is why we need the stream protection rule. It is a commonsense approach to minimizing the impacts to surface water and groundwater from coal mining. In Appalachia alone, mountaintop removal has been responsible for the destruction of 2,000 miles of streams. Peer reviewed studies have linked mountaintop removal mining to cancer, birth defects, and serious health problems for residents living near these mining sites. Just look at my Virginia map. The highest death rates in the State and the most chronic diseases are in the coal fields. I saw this firsthand while I was Lieutenant Governor of Virginia for 8 years, when mountaintop removal mining became the most prevalent coal mining technique in central Appalachia. That is why this is so important. Communities near coal mining sites have a right to know what is in their water because it impacts their livelihood and their lifespan. This rule includes commonsense monitoring of streams--many of which are important drinking water sources--for pollutants such as lead, selenium, and manganese. Basic monitoring for these toxins is essential, given their potential impacts on human health and the environment. The rule also requires that streams and lands disturbed by surface coal mining be restored. This would result in the protection or restoration of approximately 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forest over the next two decades. This is really important because we know the contamination of streams by coal mining pollution threatens everything from fishing and outdoor recreation to small businesses like restaurants and farms that are relying on clean, safe water. This rule is an appropriate balancing act between our energy needs and our environmental protections, and it is also appropriately flexible to coal mining companies. Most importantly, the Congressional Review Act doesn't make sense here. If you want to trim a tree, you don't chop it down and bury it under cement so it will never grow again. The Congressional Review Act is an extreme measure that would permanently damage our surface mining laws. We have heard that it was a product of more than 7 years of work and the chairman talks about the 13 hearings, but not one has been held in the 18 months since the rule was proclaimed. The Congressional Review Act describes the vast amount of work that the Office of Surface Mining did in order to create this rule.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, what is most dangerous is, because of the lack of clarity regarding the Congressional Review Act's prohibition on similar rulemakings, the agency may never take future efforts to update and improve surface mining regulations. Even if you don't like this surface protection rule, disallowing any future protections for the water and health of communities living near coal mining operations makes no sense at all. I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up 724, which would rescind President Trump's refugee ban on those who, like 69-year-old Armenouhi Badalyan and 77-year-old Hmayak Shahmirian, are Christian refugees from Iran and have applied for resettlement in the U.S.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 172 years of service of the Prince Hall Universal Lodge Number 1 of Alexandria, Virginia. The Prince Hall Free Masonry began in Alexandria in 1845. Over the past 172 years, Universal Lodge Number 1 has worked on significant issues such as slavery, education and schools, church buildings, and the general welfare of African Americans. I greatly commend their many years of service to the Alexandria community.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Chair, I rise with my Joint Economic Committee Democratic colleagues to address the terrible effects that the Republican budget will have on this country's health. I listened with rapt astonishment to Speaker Ryan's recitation of the percentage increases in the premium costs for insurance, for insurers on the Obama exchanges. But the Speaker omitted important facts. Number one, more than 80 percent of ObamaCare customers get subsidies to help them pay the cost of these premiums. They do not pay the full cost and will not feel the brunt of these increases. Number two, these increases are uneven. Yes, Arizona is up, but Rhode Island will decrease 14 percent. The Speaker cherry-picked the highest ones, omitting the overall increase. But most importantly, number three, most people are unaffected because most people get their insurance through their employer, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA. Only a small fraction of Americans actually buy insurance on the individual market. Premiums, for the average single person through the employer market last year, were exactly the same as those for families; only up 3 percent. As an employer myself who offers health insurance to more than 300 people, and someone who is very concerned about the debt, my great concern is that the Republicans seem willing to throw out our total commitment to managing our debt for this repeal. I have listened to my friends in the Freedom Caucus lament about our national debt and together we have made significant progress on the budget deficits. But blowing up ObamaCare will blow up our national debt, the most fiscally irresponsible act since we waged two wars without paying for them. A study by the Commonwealth Fund projects that repealing ObamaCare will cause the State of Virginia to lose up to 100,000 jobs and $50 billion in business output. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this most fiscally irresponsible plan.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Colonel Howard Merritt Steele, Jr. Colonel Steele was the epitome of a soldier. He loved his family, his country, his God, the Army, and West Point. He attended the prestigious Peekskill Military Academy, Yale University, and the United States Military Academy. Colonel Steele fought in Korea, where he was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action. He received the Bronze Star for his service as a rifle company commander. After the war, he was company commander in the 3rd Infantry, The Old Guard, at Fort Myer, Virginia; two tours in Vietnam; Commander of the 54th Infantry Battalion; and a graduate of the Army War College. Colonel Steele's awards include three Bronze Stars, Meritorious Service Medals, three Legions of Merit, three Air Medals, Army Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and a number of other service and foreign medals. He is survived by Dotsie, his beloved wife of 65 years; his son, Howard Merritt Steele, IV; two daughters, Cynthia Steele Vance and Susan Steele; and six adoring grandchildren. Colonel Steele, you led a long, brave, generous life of service to others--a soldier's soldier. Your legacy is a growing family who basked in your love and a country just and free.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Section 2: ``The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.''

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to read a letter from my constituent, Mrs. Karen O'Hern, of Alexandria, Virginia: ``Congressman Beyer, ``We are a family of four. The company my husband worked for went bankrupt in 2009 after the 2008 financial meltdown--losing income, retirement savings, and health care. ``He now owns a small business and we now get our healthcare insurance through healthcare.gov. ``We need you to defend the ACA. We depend on the availability of this insurance option. ``My son had surgery on December 30 at Fairfax Hospital to remove a brain tumor. His prognosis is good. I cannot imagine how we would manage financially without this health insurance. ``Please be strong on this matter and represent the needs of your constituents. ``I need my Affordable Care Act health insurance. ``Regards, Karen O'Hern.'' Mr. Speaker, millions like Karen O'Hern will lose their coverage if the Affordable Care Act is repealed. We must not make America sick again.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, today I stand in recognition of Jonathan B. Jarvis, the 18th Director of the National Park Service. Director Jarvis, a native of Virginia, began his career with the National Park Service in 1976 as a seasonal interpreter in Washington, D.C. Today, he manages that agency whose mission is to preserve America's most treasured landscapes and cultural icons. Director Jarvis's 40-year career has taken him from ranger to resource management specialist to park biologist to superintendent of parks such as Craters of the Moon, North Cascades, Wrangell-St. Elias, and Mount Rainier. Before being confirmed as the 18th Director of the National Park Service on September 24, 2009, Mr. Jarvis served as regional director of the bureau's Pacific West Region. Today, he is responsible for overseeing an agency with more than 22,000 employees, a $3 billion budget, and 413 national parks that attract more than 320 million visitors every year who generate $30 billion in economic benefit across the nation. Director Jarvis has reinvigorated the National Park Service's role as an international advocate for protected areas and recognized world leader in cultural and natural resource management. Managing the National Park Service through its centennial in 2016, Director Jarvis has focused on several key areas that are critical for the future: enhancing stewardship of the places entrusted to the Service's care; maximizing the educational potential of parks and programs; engaging new generations and audiences, and ensuring the welfare and fulfillment of National Park Service employees. Director Jarvis speaks frequently about climate change, sustainability, the outdoors as a source of public health, and the parks as a unifying, inspirational force for the nation. His blueprint for the agency's second century, A Call to Action, calls for innovative, ambitious, yet practical ways to fulfill the National Park Service's promise to America in the 21st century. From a seasonal interpreter in the year of our nation's bicentennial to the head of an internationally known institution on its 100th birthday, Jarvis has gained a thorough knowledge of these great American treasures, the national parks. ``America's National Park System is a gift from past generations to this and succeeding generations,'' said Director Jarvis. ``And while the challenges we face today--like climate change, shrinking open space, habitat destruction, non-native species, and air and water pollution--could not have been imagined when this agency was established in 1916, our mission remains the same: to preserve this nation's natural and cultural heritage, unimpaired for the enjoyment of this and future generations.''

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4665 is indeed a bipartisan bill, which my colleagues Congressman Dave Reichert, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Congressman Peter Welch, and I introduced. The bill would direct the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis to measure, analyze, and report on the full economic impact attributable to the outdoor recreation economy. In the United States, this economy is a major driver of job creation and growth. Hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, kayaking, climbing, BASE jumping, you name the outdoor sport, it is generating revenue for our country. In northern Virginia, we are blessed with great outdoor opportunities like the W&OD Trail and the Mount Vernon Trail, and we are very excited by the recent development of the Capital Trails Coalition, which is looking at how to foster increased interconnectedness of all the trails in the national capital region. Mr. Speaker, as an avid hiker, this is very personal to me. I am now at 1,435 miles out of the 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail, and over those 1,435 miles, I often experience the outdoor economy firsthand with the number of backpacks, sleeping bags, stoves, water filters, diners, small motels, the many, many ways we find to spend money while on the trail. Beyond the recharge of just being outside, I love getting to know the small towns and the forest communities along my hikes from Georgia to Maine. I know that my time spent there puts a lot more tax dollars back into these communities and into the local businesses, boosting the economy. According to an estimate by the Outdoor Industry Association, the outdoor recreation economy generates more than $646 billion in consumer spending and, we have already heard, more than 6 million jobs. Unlike other major sections of the U.S. economy, however, the Federal Government, until this year, did not track the contributions of the outdoor recreation sector to economic growth, and that left policymakers and business leaders in the dark. This data is going to help quantify the economic importance of outdoor recreation and help inform the decisions that affect the businesses and the 142 million Americans who play and work outside each year. We deeply believe that no child should be left inside, and H.R. 4665 will ensure that our policymakers, our decisionmakers have the data to understand how we can best make this part of our economy flourish. I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Gabbard for scheduling this Special Order. Mr. Speaker, Mark was a special presence in the freshman class of the 114th Congress. He brought his Hawaiian cheer to every room he entered, and I got to enjoy this perhaps more than most because he was my fourth-floor Cannon hallmate. Early on, Mark decided that as hallmates, our staffs should get together and break bread. A Hawaiian pizza party was born, and Mark burst in with a hearty aloha and bearing gifts of chocolate-covered Macadamia nuts and Hawaiian coffee. He regaled the staff with a few good stories, and it always seems that he led with his island shirt, a lei, and an enormous smile wherever he went. Our hearts are with Sami and the children. Mark will be sorely missed. After Mark was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he was resolute, brave, and determined to do all possible to battle a very difficult disease. But months later, when it was clear that Mark was dying, he seemed different to me. He grieved for his children, for Sami, for his myriad friends, and perhaps especially for all that he wanted to accomplish here in the people's House. We never know when our time will come, and Mark's life and death teaches us that we must make the most of each and every day. Mark Takai was a superlative role model and a beloved friend. God bless you, Mark, and all your generations to come.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 5577 is a bipartisan bill, introduced by two of my colleagues on the Committee on Natural Resources, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal). It really would bring the offshore oil and gas leasing system into the 21st century. Last month the Department of the Interior took one step in that direction by streaming the opening of leasing bids live on the Web. However, companies still submitted their bids by sticking them in an envelope and mailing them. This bill would direct Interior to start moving that process online and to provide much more transparency by ensuring that the public has access to all the data from these sales in machine-readable and downloadable format. H.R. 5577 will also ensure that people across the country can follow these sales in real time. I commend the sponsor of this bill for their efforts to improve government operations. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4789 is an uncontroversial technical provision authorizing construction of a small restroom facility on the grounds of the Marine Corps Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. Recently, billionaire David Rubenstein donated more than $5 million to the National Park Foundation to be used for repairs and rehabilitation of the memorial and the surrounding grounds. Because of the donation, the National Park Service was able to look closely at the needs of the memorial and the visitors who come there, and one amenity it clearly lacks is public restrooms. At the moment, the only restrooms available are Park Service-supplied porta potties. With visitation steady and possibly increasing because of the memorial rehabilitation, there is a clear need to address this deficiency in visitor services, and this is especially concerning because this is a very popular destination for veterans, not all of whom are able-bodied. The current statutory ban on additional structures on the Marine Corps Memorial dates to 2002, and it was part of this debate over the location of the Air Force Memorial. Well, in the meantime, the Air Force Memorial was ultimately located somewhere else, but we still need this legislation to authorize construction of restroom facilities. The provision has already been passed by the Senate, and I am pleased by its consideration in the House. The National Park Service has long wanted to build a small structure with water and restrooms at the Marine Corps Memorial because there are no such facilities within several miles, and this is in keeping with the broader policy of improving accessibility of all the memorials on and around the National Mall. I am particularly thankful for Mr. Cook's support in putting this together and for Mr. Thompson's leadership and for the chairman's support. I urge all Members to support this bipartisan bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER

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

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. BEYER

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

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This bill authorizes the National Park Service to conduct a special resource study of Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York. Fort Ontario was a military installation that was used during the French and Indian War, which was later used to house refugees who fled the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Refugees were allowed into the United States as guests of President Franklin Roosevelt's. Many Americans remember our Nation's role in World War II through events like the Invasion of Normandy or the Battle of Iwo Jima, which have been re-imagined in film and memorialized in stone, but the story of Fort Ontario is also an important component of our historical legacy. Providing refuge from persecution says as much about our national character as the bravery and sacrifice of the millions of Americans who were deployed overseas. The site has been managed as a New York State Historic Site since 1949 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970. The special resource study authorized by this bill will look into the best available options for the continued preservation and management of Fort Ontario, including the possibility of turning it into a unit of the National Park System. Fort Ontario has had many uses throughout our Nation's history, and it has had a particularly relevant place in the story of Jewish Americans. As we work to ensure that our public lands tell the story of all Americans, Fort Ontario and its unique story will be a fitting addition. I thank Representative Katko, the sponsor of this bill, for bringing the story of Fort Ontario to our attention. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.