Ken Calvert

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, this administration has already developed the most restrictive policies for the use of seismic airguns for offshore exploration to date. We do not need to place a moratorium on the use. Further, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area is more than 125 miles off the Florida coast, and the South Atlantic Planning Area also affects Georgia and South Carolina. So the amendment affects many other States other than his own. Also, the Department of the Interior has already classified the Straits of Florida as a low resource potential or low support for potential new listing. As such, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentlewoman's amendment. This amendment is consistent with policy agreed to last year in the conference on a bipartisan basis. Fishing is a national pastime, to which the national fish hatchery plays an important role. Therefore, I support the gentlewoman's amendment, and I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Mr. CALVERT. I am not going to oppose the amendment. I certainly appreciate what the gentleman is trying to accomplish and generally agree that this administration has placed way too many restrictions on drilling, both onshore and offshore. These restrictions have delayed the permitting process and slowed economic growth in your State and many other States around the Union. Various groups have used that to their advantage. I agree that more certainty is needed in the leasing and permitting process. What I am afraid of is this might lead to a precedent for preempting the Department of the Interior's decisionmaking under any President, and may lead to other amendments and kind of opening Pandora's box, and Members doing specific amendments that are off their particular States. Saying that, as we move this process forward, I am not going to oppose the amendment, but I just have some concerns we can talk about as we move this process along. We both want the same outcome. I just want to make sure that we make sure this works in an orderly fashion.

Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CALVERT. I certainly appreciate the gentleman yielding me time, and I appreciate the gentleman's willingness to work with us. We support the Forest Legacy Program, and I pledge to you we will continue to work with you and other supporters of the program as we move this process along.

Mr. CALVERT. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I certainly agree with the amendment, and I urge adoption of the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I certainly appreciate the gentleman from Florida raising this issue. I always learn new facts when we have these debates. I didn't know that St. Augustine was the Nation's oldest city. I always thought it was Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Mr. CALVERT. I know; but I have learned something today. I certainly commend the gentleman's longstanding interest in this. I know you have been working on this for a number of years. The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine needs a new visitors center. I certainly look forward to working with you as we move this issue forward, and we certainly have no objection to this amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CALVERT. I urge adoption of the gentleman's amendment.

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

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. CALVERT

Mr. CALVERT. As in the case with many of the amendments today before us, I cannot support the offset. Let me say this: EPA may be reimbursed for oil spill response activities from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. Now, personally, I think EPA should have direct access to that trust fund to avoid the delays, these administrative reimbursement delays, when responding to an oil spill such as what happened in California. However, that is an authorizing issue, not an appropriating issue. That is the proper place because those dollars will be there eventually to clean that up, and we just need to clean up the bureaucracy to have more immediacy in that process. This offset, I cannot support; and so, for that reason, I oppose the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, as the gentleman knows, the bill already provides $87 million for other land acquisition. Our intent was to needle a Federal land acquisition program that has strong support in the East--certainly, in New Hampshire--and lukewarm support in the West, where the government already owns a significant amount of real estate in the Western United States. When the conference begins on this bill with the Senate, Congress will exercise its power of the purse by selecting projects from the President's budget to improve recreational access that have strong local, State, and congressional support. I will work with the gentleman. I know he is a strong advocate of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, but this amendment might leave advocates on both sides of the aisle with some difficult and unnecessary choices. Therefore, I ask the gentleman to consider withdrawing his amendment, knowing I will be working with him in the future to see if we can't be of assistance through the conference process. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, in closing, the plus up in the BLM account was primarily to help resolve the issue in 11 States involving the sage-grouse, which is close to a listing, and we have a plus up in the Fish and Wildlife Service accounts to recognize a real problem that hits 11 Western States. We do not underestimate the problems in the West as they involve the drought, and we are going to continue to work on that. Again, I would oppose this based upon the offset. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate what the gentleman is attempting to do, again, on the offset. Right now, the BLM is involved in this issue of the sage-grouse in the West. We, in effect, gave both the BLM and the Fish and Wildlife Service additional resources in order for us not to be in a position to list the sage-grouse so as to make sure that we do what is necessary in the sage ecosystem. At the same time, we have plussed up conservation accounts within the Fish and Wildlife Service for those types of invasive species. We have a number of invasive species, not just in the plant world, but, obviously, we have this invasive clam, as you mentioned, that is stuffing up the quagga mussel, and that is causing disruptions throughout the West. I appreciate what the gentleman is trying to do. It is just that we are under the budget allocations we have. We have done what we can in both of these accounts, which is to do good work on conservation and to make sure we conserve species and get rid of bad species throughout the United States. I would hope the gentleman would withdraw his amendment, and I will work with him in the future on the other issue. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I don't necessarily oppose where the gentleman wants to go; I just oppose the offset right now because, under the budget scenario that we are operating under, we obviously have cut back a lot of these agencies somewhat. I am sympathetic to the job that the United States Geological Survey has. As you know, in California, we probably have the most adjudicated water rights in the world. I will work on this in the future as this process moves forward. If it is necessary, after some conversations with USGS, that they need additional resources, I will be happy to work with the gentleman to attempt to do so, but this offset, we could not accept at this time. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. CALVERT. I like the amendment. I would accept that amendment.

Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentleman yield?