Norm Dicks

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. Yes, I will yield to my friend for a second.

Mr. DICKS. Yes, we will be glad to discuss that. But this is the rule, as you know.

Mr. DICKS. I appreciate the gentleman alerting us to his concern. This is a great rule, a great bill. It is bipartisan. We do everything in my subcommittee on a bipartisan basis. Mr. Simpson has been just a delight to work with, and the Republican members have been at every hearing. We couldn't have better members on our subcommittee on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 876, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 2996) making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include tabular and extraneous material on the conference report to accompany H.R. 2996.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes. It is my privilege and pleasure to present the fiscal year 2010 Interior, environment, and related agencies appropriations bill to the House today. This very fine bill is the product of many hours of work, always with bipartisan input and excellent participation. I especially want to thank my friend and ranking member, Mr. Simpson, for the outstanding participation and cooperation he offered throughout this process. I want to thank Chairman Obey for recognizing that the programs funded through this bill have been chronically underfunded and for providing the allocation necessary to reverse that trend. From 2001 through 2008, when adjusted for inflation, the budget request for the Interior Department went down by 16 percent, the EPA went down by 29 percent, and the non-fire Forest Service accounts were down by a striking 35 percent. This bill invests taxpayers' dollars in our natural resources, and for this investment all Americans will see a great return. This conference report also contains the continuing resolution which will keep the government running until December 18. It is vital that we pass the Interior conference report to avoid a shutdown of the Federal Government. This agreement provides focused funding to protect the environment. Clean water and drinking water infrastructure receive $3.6 billion, enough to provide assistance for more than 1,500 communities throughout the Nation to improve public health and restore ecosystems. We include authority for subsidized assistance to those cities and towns that cannot afford conventional loans. This agreement invests $641 million to restore major American lakes, estuaries, and bays. It fully funds the President's request of $475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and makes significant investments to protect other great American bodies such as Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay. To address global climate change, this bill provides $386 million for climate change adaptation and scientific study. The agreement before us also represents a promising renewal in our Nation's trust responsibility for Native Americans. It provides a $654 million increase for health care, law enforcement, and education in Indian country for a total of $6.8 billion. The increases here will help these communities promote the health and safety of our Nation's ``First Americans.'' This agreement makes a major investment of $3.37 billion for Forest Service and Department of the Interior wildland fire activities, including the largest non-emergency increase ever for wildfire suppression. We also have included the FLAME Act, which reforms wildfire budgeting and will help create a steady and predictable funding stream for wildfire suppression. This agreement provides $90 million for the Legacy Road and Trail Remediation program to protect streams and water systems from damaged forest roads. We have agreed to provide a $218 million increase for the National Park Service to invest in what Ken Burns has called ``America's Best Idea.'' The National Wildlife Refuge System gains a $40 million increase, to a level of $503 million, which will reduce critical staffing shortages, implement climate change strategies, and improve conservation efforts. We have provided an increase of $82 million above 2009 for the cultural agencies supported by this bill. We recommend $167.5 million for both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The endowments are vital for preserving and encouraging America's creative and cultural heritage. They are very important for education. Finally, I want to thank the dedicated staff who have spent long hours over many months to prepare this bill. For the subcommittee staff, majority clerk Delia Scott, Chris Topik, Julie Falkner, Beth Houser, Melissa Squire, minority clerk David LesStrang and Darren Benjamin. And I also want to thank Pete Modaff and Ryan Shauers on my staff and Missy Small and Megan Milan on Mr. Simpson's staff. Additionally, I want to take note that we are losing Greg Knadle after 6 years of loyal service to the Appropriations Committee. We thank him for his work on the Interior Subcommittee and wish him the best in his new endeavors. I think we should give him a round of applause for his good work. In closing, I am very proud of this bill. It funds programs that cover a wide range of issues: from our cultural and historic heritage to the water we drink and the air we breathe. These programs redeem our trust responsibilities for the First Americans, fight fires, protect public health, and conserve natural resources. The impact of this conference agreement stretches across the Nation and will make a difference to the well-being and the future of every citizen. We should all be proud of this conference agreement and I urge the House to support it when the vote comes. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, a person we worked very closely with on all aspects of the bill, my classmate and good friend, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall).

Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), the chairman of the Military Construction and VA Subcommittee, who I have enjoyed working with over the years and who is one of the best leaders we have in the House on military construction and VA matters. He has done a great job leading our subcommittee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) who is also a classmate and someone who is known in the House of Representatives for his concern about Native Americans and his advocacy on their behalf.

Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished chairman of the Transportation and HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, also a very hardworking and conscientious member of our subcommittee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver).

Mr. DICKS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DICKS. I want to commend the gentleman. He was at every single hearing and was especially very helpful to all of us on the Native American issues. As a Native American, we appreciate your contribution, and we thank you for your good work and for your participation. It made a big difference.

Mr. DICKS. I yield myself 1 minute. Madam Speaker, again, on this question of how much is in this bill, I want to remind people that the Interior budget had been cut by 16 percent, the EPA budget by 29 percent, and the Forest Service budget by 35 percent. So the Obama administration made an increase here, but this is playing catchup. I mean these budgets have been really stressed over the last 7 or 8 years. We did good things on the Park Service, but many other agencies were cut, and because we didn't have the FLAME Act, we had to borrow money out of the trails and road repair and out of other things which are essential. So I think this is just a catchup year, and I hope Members will take that into account as they make their decisions on how to vote. I hope that they will vote for this conference report, remembering that the CR is in this, and we don't want the government to come to a screeching halt on Saturday. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. I yield myself 1 minute. Madam Speaker, I just want to make it clear that what we tried to do in dealing with the Coburn amendment was to focus it on the very southern border, itself. We were concerned, that if it weren't focused on the fence area, it could overturn the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, the Native American Graves Repatriation Act, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Endangered Species Act, NEPA, and many other laws. So we tried to focus this like a rifle shot. I went out there myself to visit the border. I think the fence area is working pretty effectively, but I am concerned about the impact on other areas adjacent to the border. So we have tribes there, and 700 miles of the border are part of Federal lands. This is a very significant problem, and we're taking it very seriously, and we want to make sure that Secretary Salazar and Secretary Napolitano work together.

Mr. DICKS. I yield myself another 1 minute in order to yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Mr. DICKS. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).

Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the distinguished chairman of the full committee.

Mr. DICKS. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. DICKS. I yield an additional 1 minute to the distinguished chairman of the full committee, Mr. Obey.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished vice chairman of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Mr. Moran of Virginia, who knows more about endocrine disruptors than any other Member.