Norm Dicks

Mr. DICKS

Mr. DICKS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DICKS. I'm prepared to have a meeting with officials from the Interior Department, with Mr. Simpson, and yourself to address this issue. That's the best I can do today. But we will follow through and make sure it happens.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Chair, I welcome a colloquy with my distinguished colleague, Mr. LaTourette, and yield him 2 minutes.

Mr. DICKS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DICKS. I appreciate the gentleman's remarks. We were pleased to include funding for this important program in the bill, based on the administration's budget request and the broad bipartisan support of my colleagues including my colleague from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette).

Mr. DICKS. The gentleman from Ohio is indeed correct. In my district I have seen the importance of the partnerships in the CELCP to our fragile coastal resources. The committee expects NOAA to invest in Great Lakes conservation through CELCP, as the gentleman has outlined; and I would be happy to work with him to ensure that the funds will be used for this purpose.

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

Mr. DICKS. Madam Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky, who is a distinguished member of our subcommittee (Mr. Chandler).

Mr. DICKS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DICKS. First, Mr. Simpson, I want to commend you for your leadership on the Interior and Environment Subcommittee and your support of the DERA program. There is no doubt that the DERA program is a worthwhile and beneficial program that plays a significant role in combating global warming and improving air quality. This is why this subcommittee has continued to fund and support this program. We provided $60 million in both fiscal years 2009 and 2010, and an additional $300 million through the Recovery Act. To date, only 32 percent of funds appropriated for this program through the Recovery Act have been spent. I understand that EPA plans to obligate all the Recovery Act funds before they begin a solicitation for the 2009 funds. It could be well into 2010 before the 2009 funds are spent. President Obama's budget requested $60 million for the DERA program in FY10 and this bill provides that. Over the next fiscal year, I will work with you, Mr. Calvert--Congresswoman Doris Matsui has also talked to me about this--the EPA, and program stakeholders to review DERA in hopes of improving and streamlining its grant-making process and ensuring that we provide the proper level of funding in 2011.

Mr. DICKS. Can you tell us what the remaining time is on both sides?

Mr. DICKS. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DICKS. I want to commend the gentleman for his work and his staff's work. It's been a real pleasure. Everyone has worked together. I also want to commend again, the attendance on your side of the aisle. We have four Cardinals on our subcommittee, so they have subcommittees they are running. It's very difficult for everybody to be there, but your side has been there, and it's been terrific and the questions have been great, and it's just been a real pleasure. And I also want to thank Mr. Obey, the chairman of the full committee, for this allocation. We can only go as far as our allocation, and I think Mr. Obey recognized that we had been hurt over the last 8 years, and that this was a catch-up budget. But these are such important programs, our national parks, our national forests, our Fish and Wildlife Service, and the programs for the tribes. And I have really appreciated Mr. Cole and Mr. Olver, who have both been so concerned and sensitive about these tribal issues. And we have made substantial increases. But even with that, the work remains to be done. There still is more that needs to be done in order to really take care of the issues in Indian country. And I thought some of our hearings this year where we really got into law enforcement and the need for more law enforcement, the need for a recognition that the laws are covering tribal areas today are not sufficient, and the Justice Department needs to take action on this. So I commend the gentleman for his solid work and participation, and let's get on with the amendments.

Mr. DICKS. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DICKS. This is a good amendment. It's the so-called manager's amendment. It does three important things, but they are modest. First, as Chairman Rahall of the Natural Resources Committee pointed out, this amendment restores the Interior Department's authority to assist cooperative watershed projects that restore streams damaged by acid mine drainage. This authority was in law for several years but was inadvertently discontinued after the surface mining reclamation law amendments of 2006. This amendment aids citizens groups and States that are restoring streams damaged by previous coal mining. Second, this amendment adds $10 million to the National Park Service State grant program. This program provides grants for acquisition of park and recreation lands by State and local communities and was proposed by Mr. McGovern. There is tremendous demand for more parkland and for recreational facility development. It is more and more vital to get people, and especially kids, out in nature and outdoors doing active recreation. Lastly, this amendment increases the Save America's Treasures program by $1 million. This will provide funding for cost share historic preservation projects, and I urge adoption of the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. I yield myself the balance of my time. I would just say to the gentleman from Idaho, we should have had more dialogue on this manager's amendment. And we are just getting a new team in place, and I am not blaming it on anybody, so I take responsibility myself. But in the future, on any manager's amendment, you and I will have a thorough discussion about it. And if the gentleman has some suggestions for the manager's amendment, they will be considered. So I take the gentleman's point as well made, and this is something we will follow through on. Again, this is, I think, very noncontroversial, so I urge adoption of the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 9, line 20 be considered as read.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Chairwoman, though I plan to support the amendment, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. DICKS. I have to say that I have really appreciated the gentleman's leadership and the fact that he has come before our committee and taken the time to present witnesses. Also, I think this is a very good amendment. This is a good amendment that increases funding for a program that funds conservation easements that protect critical forest and watersheds in the Northeast. This amendment increases the funding for this program by $2 million, bringing the total to $4 million. The Highlands conservation program is an example of how a cooperative approach to land protection can provide wood resources, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, recreational opportunities and other benefits to the environment and to the community. The goal of this program is to promote forest stewardship as a working, sustainable landscape, both ecologically and economically for future generations. I urge adoption of the amendment. I would be glad to yield to the gentleman from Idaho if he would like to say a word.

Mr. DICKS. I ask for a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 68, line 12 be considered as read.

Mr. DICKS. Madam Chair, although I support the gentleman's amendment, I ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition.