Steve Daines

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, Colstrip, Montana, is a town that runs on coal. Hundreds of hardworking Montanans depend on jobs in Colstrip's coal-fired power plant and its coal mines to provide for their families, but one anticoal energy consultant said that Montanans ``should plan for life without Colstrip,'' due, in part, to job-killing regulations proposed by the Obama administration. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy recently met with a group of Democrat Senators who commended the Agency's efforts on these emissions rules. I urge Administrator McCarthy to get out of Washington, D.C., and speak with the Montana families who will be directly and negatively affected by these regulations and to explain to them why the Obama administration is waging a war on their livelihoods and their town. He is waging a war on the middle class.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. I want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership on this amendment, as well as the chairman for allowing us to have this debate. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. In the appropriations process, we must prioritize funding for necessary projects and balance those with spending reductions to reduce the national debt. In Montana, we depend on a steady supply of water to irrigate our crops, to water our livestock, and to provide energy through hydropower--a renewable resource. The struggle for clean water continues to create health challenges for Indian Country and nearby communities, in addition to making economic development more difficult. Without this critical funding for Rocky Boy's-North Central Mountain Rural Water System and the Fort Peck Reservation-Dry Prairie Rural Water System, thousands of Montanans in rural communities could go without quality water accessibility. The President's budget requests for these critical projects continue to decline each year, while prioritizing other accounts that are not related to the basic needs of our rural communities. Mr. Chairman, every year that we wait to delay the funding of these essential projects, the more expensive construction, operation, and maintenance become. For instance, the Fort Peck project's reduced funding levels have doubled the authorization period, and inflation has nearly doubled the overall cost of construction, but the projected savings is still $11 million. However, overhead will consume the projected savings on the project to date and will encroach upon the authorized construction ceiling. The CBO has just scored this amendment. This decreases the net budget outlays. Passing this amendment is the responsible stewardship of tax dollars and is important to rural communities. It is also a nonpartisan issue. Funding these projects is supported by the entire Montana delegation--both Republicans and Democrats--and last year, a similar amendment passed by voice vote. I urge the support of this amendment.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Vice Chairwoman Annette Lambert of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation, who recently passed away. Serving her people was Ms. Lambert's calling in life. Prior to her election to the tribal executive board, she was a businesswoman who helped provide services and jobs on the reservation. She inspired the young men and women to pursue higher education as a volunteer member of the tribe's higher education board of directors and one of the founders of Fort Peck Community College, a tribal college in Poplar, Montana. Ms. Lambert will be greatly missed by many. Her commitment to service and leadership should not only serve as an inspiration for her fellow tribal members, but for all Montanans.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, since it was first offered as part of the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005, the Indian Coal Production Tax Credit has been a crucial tax incentive that levels the playing field for the production of Indian coal. However, it expired last year. Before its expiration, this important incentive served as a counter- balance to the additional costs and time required to develop Tribal coal deposits, which are subject to more regulatory requirements than comparable development on private, state, or federal lands. The production of coal has been a boon for the Crow Tribe of the State of Montana and has already generated more than 125 jobs for Tribal members. Crow Tribal Chairman Darrin Old Coyote has called the tax credit an ``essential tool'' to ``the economic viability of our existing coal mining operations.'' Montana's Northern Cheyenne tribe and other coal-producing tribes stand ready to likewise utilize this important policy to create jobs and increase energy development. I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 4785 and make the Indian Coal Production Tax Credit permanent to ensure strong economic benefits for future generations of Montana Tribes.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, our Nation's nuclear triad is an essential aspect of our national defense and makes the world safer by deterring our rivals and reassuring our allies. Every leg of the triad is critical and protects our Nation on a daily basis. The Defense Department recently put forward a nuclear force structure plan under the New START Treaty. It is committed to maintaining 450 nuclear launchers in at least a warm status. In doing so, the Pentagon recognized the strategic value of preserving our robust nuclear deterrent capability. Just last month, the House of Representatives reaffirmed its support for the triad and for maintaining the current ICBM force. Unfortunately, the base bill includes language that could open the door for the premature decommissioning of our Nation's missile silos. I believe this would be unwise. My amendment ensures the United States has maximum flexibility to respond to nuclear threats and makes it more difficult for adversaries to target our nuclear assets. Maintaining our nuclear launchers provides our commanders with the tools necessary to respond to potential nuclear threats against the American people and, importantly, our allies. Recently, I visited Montana's Malmstrom Air Force Base and heard firsthand from missileers about their very critical mission. In fact, I have in my hand today the Malmstrom commander coin, which expresses why the nuclear deterrence they help operate still works. It simply says this: Scaring the hell out of America's enemies since 1962. I urge House passage of my amendment to help protect this critically important capability.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. DAINES. While I appreciate the gentleman's comments, we have the strong support of HASC, and this is just ensuring that we don't have a decommissioning moving forward here as we reconcile both the appropriations with the NDAA. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, this amendment strikes section 8132, which prohibits the use of funds to reduce or decommission Minuteman III ICBM silos or to put these silos into a nondeployed status other than warm status. A warm silo is one that can be made fully operational with the reintroduction of a missile. Let me remind those who are listening tonight that anybody who says, ``Thank God we have never had to use our ICBMs,'' I would argue they are used every day to ensure that we maintain peace and stability in the world. This section is modeled after language that was included in the House-passed NDAA to maximize the readiness of the land-based leg of the nuclear triad. I rise in opposition to this amendment. The language in this section is essentially the same as the language that was included in the House- passed National Defense Authorization Act. This section says that, if the Department of Defense takes a silo down to nondeployed status, it must keep it warm. That means it must be kept in a state that would allow it to become fully operational if a missile is reintroduced. This section would ensure that we maximize the readiness of the land-based leg of the nuclear triad and inhibit the administration from making unilateral cuts to our strategic deterrent. I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAINES. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAINES. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, today, I am so proud to congratulate Sean- Daniel Taylor, Kane Knudson, Emma Gabbert, and Hayden Kunhardt, who are students from Washington Middle School in Glendive, Montana, for being top finishers in the Montana History Day Contest. This week, they are among seven Montana students who traveled to the National History Day Contest in Washington, D.C. Out of 600,000 participants in National History Day, less than 3,000 advance to the national contest, so I speak for all Montanans when I say that we are incredibly proud of their success. It is truly great to see young students--young Montanans like Sean- Daniel, Kane, Emma, and Hayden--thinking critically about our Nation's history and the rights and responsibilities that come with citizenship. Congratulations, again, to all seven Montana students competing in the National History Day Contest.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, in Montana, transportation services like Amtrak and Essential Air Service are critical for the strength of our economy. Montanans rely on rural air service every day, and thousands of tourists ride Amtrak every year to visit Glacier National Park, an important economic driver in northwestern Montana. But proposed changes to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill place these programs in danger. We need to get our fiscal house in order, but we must do it responsibly, ensuring our rural communities aren't forced to bear the brunt of cuts that will harm their local economies. I will remain a strong advocate for these programs and encourage my colleagues to support and protect the critical services on which rural Americans rely.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chair, just a reminder that the DOT's own study says that less than 0.2 percent of truck-involved accidents have property and injury damages that exceed the current requirements. The bottom line is this: let the small business owner decide what they want to insure above the already required $750,000. This is one more regulation that is going to benefit the trial lawyers at the expense of small businesses. Remember, again, what the DOT said. Raising the minimum insurance levels is not the best way to meet the needs of catastrophic accident victims.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, this April, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that it would be moving forward with a rulemaking that would increase the amount of required liability coverage for truck and bus companies. This comes despite findings by the Department of Transportation that less than 0.2 percent of truck-involved accidents have property and injury damages that exceed the current minimum liability coverage requirements, which is $750,000. Current proposals regarding the insurance increase call for minimum levels to go up by more than 500 percent, and this would lead to a significant reduction in insurance availability for motor carriers, especially small businesses. The bottom line is this: the trial lawyers win, the small businesses lose. It is estimated that premiums could increase by more than four times the current levels, up to $20,000 per truck and even more per bus. Further, more than 40 percent of currently operating motor carriers could go out of business due to these new requirements. There is no evidence supporting higher insurance requirements or that coverage levels result in the improved safety performance of a motor carrier. DOT's own report argued that increasing minimum insurance levels is not the best way to meet the needs of catastrophic accident victims. My amendment would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from moving forward with a rulemaking action that would increase the minimum financial liability insurance requirements for truck and bus companies during the 2015 fiscal year. Please join me in support of this effort to keep safe small business truck and bus companies on the road. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4228, the DHS Acquisition Accountability and Efficiency Act. As the vice chairman of the Oversight and Management Efficiency Subcommittee, I am proud to join Chairman Duncan in sponsoring this most important legislation, which works to improve efficiency at DHS and improve accountability to hardworking American taxpayers. The DHS acquisition process has long faced problems resulting in waste, delays, and mismanaged taxpayer dollars. This is simply unacceptable. American taxpayers deserve better from their government. Through increased accountability, transparency, and improved collaboration with the private sector, this bill works to address these problems and bring accountability to DHS. This legislation adopts commonsense, private sector principles, like developing incentives for program managers and senior Department acquisition officials to prevent cost overruns, avoid scheduled delays, and achieve cost savings in major acquisition programs. It is long past time we move away from the government agency ``spend it or lose it'' budgeting tactic. This legislation could serve as a pilot program for adopting this principle across other agencies. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, coal is vital to our way of life in Montana. It provides thousands of jobs, affordable electricity for families, and millions of dollars that fund our schools and our parks. So when Montanans hear about new coal regulations from the EPA, we get a bit nervous. A new study predicts that President Obama's rules will effectively ban new coal generation--killing jobs and causing energy prices to skyrocket. The House passed the Electricity Security and Affordability Act, a bill I cosponsored, to halt these job-killing regulations. I urge the Senate to also take action to stop President Obama and protect Montana families who rely on coal for affordable energy and whose livelihoods are supported by Montana's coal industry.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, like many Montanans, I am outraged by reports that a number of VA clinics have failed to give our veterans the care and honor they deserve. These clinics deliberately covered up delays that may have led to the preventable deaths of at least 40 veterans, yet the VA executives at these troubled facilities are more likely to be given a bonus than face any sort of accountability. This is disgraceful, and I stand with the millions of Americans who are demanding accountability from the VA. The Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act will ensure the VA is able to remove career appointees who are failing to do their jobs. And this is common sense. If you fail to do your job and fail the men and women you serve, you shouldn't be getting bonuses. You should be held accountable. Our veterans deserve nothing less.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, ``If America is going to approach adversaries with a dove of peace in one hand, we must have a sword in the other.'' That is what President Reagan wrote when he used U.S. military strength to hasten the demise of the Soviet Union. The nuclear triad is our country's most lethal sword. It makes the world safer by deterring our rivals and reassuring our allies. The commander coin of Montana's Malmstrom Air Force Base expresses why nuclear deterrence works. It says: Scaring the hell out of America's enemies since 1962. My amendment reaffirms support for the nuclear triad, the airmen, and the sailors who work this mission because there is no greater asset for peace than an unrivaled U.S. military.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, while the President is the Commander in Chief--this is the issue of micromanaging--the Constitution gives Congress the power to raise and support armies and to provide and maintain a Navy. It is our duty and responsibility to help shape our Nation's defense policy. Regarding the ICBMs, they are deployed in hardened silos. That would tend to force an opponent to exhaust his own nuclear forces to disarm U.S. ICBMs, leaving the opponent vulnerable to a U.S. retaliatory strike. Without ICBMs, as few as five nuclear warheads could successfully disarm the U.S. Now I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Dakota, Kevin Cramer, my friend.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Jesse Zhang, an eighth grader from Missoula, Montana, on winning the Montana State Geography Bee last month. This week, Jesse was one of 54 students from across the Nation to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the National Geographic Bee. Jesse is a true example of the Montana work ethic. He studies geography for several hours each week and has a passion and commitment for learning that will continue to take him far in life. Jesse, congratulations on this incredible achievement, and best of luck as you continue to pursue your goals. We appreciate your hard work. You make Montana proud.