Ken Calvert

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Madam Chairman, it is my distinct honor to bring to the House floor the fiscal year 2019 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. Before I go into details about the bill, I would like to commend Chairman Frelinghuysen for his leadership and support throughout this process. As reported by the Appropriations Committee, the fiscal year 2019 Interior and Environment bill is funded at $35.252 billion, which is equal to the FY18 enacted level. We have made sincere efforts to prioritize critical needs within our subcommittee allocation and in reviewing more than 5,200 individual requests. In the interest of time, I won't outline all the problems or programs and activities funded in this bill. I would like to point out a few highlights. The bill provides robust wildland fire funding totaling $3.9 billion. It fully funds the 10-year average for wildland fire suppression costs and provides an additional $500 million in suppression funds for the Forest Service. The committee has also provided a $30 million increase over fiscal year 2018 for hazardous fuel reduction. The bill provides $500 million in fiscal year 2019 for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes, PILT program, which is a top priority for many Members on both sides of the aisle. The bill also makes critical investments in Indian Country, a top priority of this committee. This legislation honors our commitment to Native Americans with a particular emphasis on Indian health, law enforcement, education, and water settlements. The bill fully funds contract support costs and Tribal grant school support costs; provides funding to staff newly constructed health facilities; improves public safety; significantly increases economic development; invests an additional $16 million in fiscal year 2019 to address needs of schools throughout the BIE system; and invests an additional $82 million to correct funding disparities across the Indian Healthcare System. Overall, funding to EPA has been reduced by $100 million from fiscal year 2018, with reductions aimed at research and regulatory programs. Members from the Midwest will be pleased to know that the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is maintained at the fiscal year 2018 enacted level of $300 million. The bill continues to invest in water infrastructure and cleaning up contaminated land. These programs help create jobs and spur economic development in communities all across the Nation. The bill provides funds to leverage over $10 billion worth of investment in water infrastructure through the funding in the WIFIA program and the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds. The bill also provides $3.2 billion for the National Park Service. It maintains, and builds upon, critical investments made in the fiscal year 2018 enacted bill to address longstanding park operations and deferred maintenance needs. We have also attempted to address a number of concerns within the Fish and Wildlife Service accounts. The bill restores popular grant programs through fiscal year 2018 enacted levels. It also restores funds to combat international wildlife trafficking; protects fish hatcheries from cuts and closures; and continues funding to fight invasive mussels and Asian carp; and reduces the backlog of species that are recovered but not yet de-listed. We have also increased funds for the Recovery Challenge program, which we started in 2018 to challenge non-Federal partners to a more active role in recovering endangered species. The bill also provides $360 million for Land and Water Conservation programs with bipartisan support. Lastly, this bill makes significant investments toward critical deferred maintenance, construction, and infrastructure needs within the Department of the Interior, Forest Service, Indian Health Service, Smithsonian, as well as critical air and water infrastructure programs within the EPA. In closing, I would like to thank staff on both sides of the aisle who have worked long hours on this legislation. On the minority side, I would like to thank Rita Culp, Jocelyn Hunn, and Rebecca Taylor. On the majority side, I would like to thank Darren Benjamin, Betsy Bina, Jackie Kilroy, Kristin Richmond, Mac Cloyes, and Dave LesStrang from the committee staff, as well as Ian Foley, Rebecca Keightley, Tricia Evans and Dave Kennett from my personal staff. To say the least, this has been a team effort. Lastly, I would like to thank my good friend and ranking member, Betty McCollum, for working with me to address a number of critical needs throughout the bill.

Mr. CALVERT. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman. I want to thank my colleague from New Jersey for expressing support for the Superfund program. The Superfund program continues to be a priority of this committee. In the fiscal year 2018 omnibus, we provided a $66 million increase to the program to accelerate cleanup of Superfund sites and respond to the release of hazardous materials. I look forward to working together through the 2019 process to ensure that the Superfund program receives necessary funding to clean up and revitalize our Nation's toxic sites, like the American Cyanamid site, so that they are returned to productive use.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. CALVERT. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, while I certainly have some concerns about the offset, I am able to support my recent classmate's and colleague's amendment. As the gentlewoman knows, this bill has a strong history of supporting underrepresented communities, including African American and Tribal communities. This bill funded the construction of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and continues to strongly support the operations of this very popular museum. This bill maintains a strong bipartisan support for Tribal health, Tribal education, Tribal law enforcement, and numerous other priorities critical to Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and this bill supports underrepresented communities throughout the Historic Preservation Fund grants under the National Park Service. Though we may have to turn the lights off at the Department of the Interior if we keep going on--he is a Navy SEAL; he will get by--I certainly urge the adoption of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman, and certainly we are prepared to accept the amendment. I understand the gentleman's overall goals to continue funding for the AML pilot consistent with the fiscal year 2018 enacted bill that provided the funding for the six Appalachian States, and I know the economic devastation that has happened throughout that region. This increase to the AML program by $30 million, so that Ohio, Alabama, and Virginia would receive $10 million each, equal to the fiscal 2010 enacted levels, could certainly help in those regions. So we can accept this package of amendments at this time. I look forward to maintaining funding for the six States, with distribution similar to fiscal year 2018 and the final 2019 enacted bill. As such, I encourage my colleagues to adopt the amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for bringing this issue to our attention. Invasive species, pests, and diseases have wreaked havoc across the Nation and continue to do so. I know that the emerald ash borer has been a tremendous pest throughout a good part of our country, certainly in State and private forests also. We need to improve management in our forests, and we need those conditions to improve. So I am happy to accept the gentleman's amendment, and I hope we can reduce the emerald ash borer. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I just want to note that this bill provides $10 million above the President's request for Superfund Enforcement and $12 million above the fiscal 2018 enacted level for the entire Superfund program. We attempted to find middle ground on enforcement while also prioritizing on-the-ground cleanup efforts that returns land to productive uses. I certainly appreciate the gentlewoman's support for the interest in the Superfund program, and while the amendment does not do as she intends, this amendment is something we are unable to support at this time. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I am happy to work with the gentleman as we go through this process. If we can find some additional funds as we move to conference, I will be more than happy to revisit this issue with the gentleman.

Mr. CALVERT. Madam Chairwoman, at this time, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance) for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, with the change of administrations, we were able to reduce the number of issues addressed in this bill, but some issues warrant continued congressional attention. WOTUS is one of them. Deciding how water is used should be the responsibility of State and local officials who are familiar with the people and the local issues. Under the WOTUS rule, however, the reach of the Federal jurisdiction would be so broad that it would significantly restrict a landowner's ability to make decisions about their property and a local government's right to plan for its own development. The language in the underlying bill simply repeals the misguided WOTUS rule and clarifies what rules will be in effect until a new rule is finalized, specifically, the same rules that were in effect immediately prior to the promulgation of the final WOTUS rule. WOTUS is an issue that warrants continued congressional attention and the provision in the underlying bill is the appropriate action to take. For these reasons, I must urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CALVERT. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment. The Delaware River Conservation Program leverages Federal funding by at least 2 to 1. That is exactly the kind of public-private partnership we should be fostering throughout the enterprise. That is why I support this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. CALVERT. Madam Chair, I appreciate the Member's interest in the New England Scenic Trail and the National Park Service operations generally. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Madam Chair, it is my understanding that the United States Geological Survey is in its early stages of discussing temporary spaces but that, eventually, the United States Geological Survey may have to develop a long-term solution for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. I encourage the Department of the Interior, the United States Geological Survey, and the National Park Service to work together to develop a plan for the future observatory because operating the HVO out of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was a cost-effective solution for many years. Madam Chair, in the meantime, I certainly support my colleague's amendment. I urge an ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, certainly, I agree with the gentleman that hazardous fuel reduction is something that is extremely important. That is why we provide for a $30 million increase from last year's levels for hazardous fuel reduction in this bill. Second, the national forests are overgrown and prone to severe and catastrophic fires, there is no doubt about it. Colorado, for instance, has already experienced a number of these fires this year, and, certainly, our home State of California is no different. We have had a number of fires, and we have fires going on at this very moment. The timber program, which removes trees from these overgrown stands, significantly reduces the threat of catastrophic fire. We went down a path in the early 1990s that many people in the mainstream environmental movement now realize is a mistake. We have now got out of that enterprise, and a lot of these forests, unfortunately, have overgrown and have bark beetle disease, so that now becomes hazardous fuel. Unfortunately, it wasn't harvested in a responsible way earlier. Responsible harvesting of timber from the national forest is a necessary component of good forest and land management. So taking money from that account is the offset that I can't support. But certainly, I do support hazardous fuel reduction, because, unfortunately, we have created a lot of it in our home State of California and throughout the West. So, unfortunately, I have to urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentleman yield?