Sam Graves

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize John Carpenter Erickson. John is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 5, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. John has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years John has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. John has also contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. John led an effort to redo the community garden at Camp Mabry. John mapped out plant beds, ordered the necessary materials, recruited and coordinated volunteers, and handled the logistics of the food that was donated. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending John Carpenter Erickson for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize David Stengel Erickson. David is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 5, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. David has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years David has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. David has also contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. David raised $3,800 to resod the playground at the Helping Hand Home for Children. He planned, coordinated, and recruited all of the volunteers. Furthermore, David handled the logistics of food and beverage donations for the volunteers, so that they had something to eat and drink while they worked. Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending David Stengel Erickson for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to once again rise in support of H.J. Res. 27, which I introduced to negate an ill-timed and ill-conceived rule coming out of the Biden administration. I remind my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that since I last spoke on the floor of this Chamber in support of H.J. Res. 27, the resolution passed both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support. While the Clean Water Act has greatly improved the health of our Nation's waters in the 50 years since it has become law, this administration's rule defining a ``water of the United States,'' or WOTUS, is just the latest in a string of examples of executive overreach beyond the intent of the Clean Water Act. Decades of agency interpretations and misinterpretations of WOTUS have created a lot of uncertainty for rural communities, farmers, businesses, and industries that rely on clean water, and this rule does absolutely nothing to provide clarity. In his message to the House regarding the veto of this legislation, the President claims that H.J. Res. 27 ``would leave Americans without a clear definition of `waters of the United States.''' This is simply untrue and disingenuous, especially considering it was his own administration that decided to get rid of the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which provided long-awaited clarity on the scope of WOTUS, in favor of this new overreaching and unclear definition. This issue matters to everyday Americans all over the country, and I hear about it all the time. I am disappointed to see the President favor radical environmental activists over America's families, small businesses, farmers, builders, and property owners. That being said, I am hopeful that the Members of the House and Senate can come together to override this veto, terminating this ambiguous and burdensome rule in favor of greater economic prosperity for Americans nationwide. Recently, two Federal courts halted enforcement of the administration's rule, granting relief to farmers, homebuilders, and landowners in 26 States. Every Member today has the opportunity to vote to override the President's veto and ensure all 50 States are relieved of the burdens this rule has created. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to override the President's veto of H.J. Res. 27, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford), the chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen), the ranking member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. General Leave

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Williams).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, the administration's definition of ``waters of the United States'' under the Clean Water Act is an onerous, burdensome, and ambiguous rule that is going to create even more issues for hardworking farmers, builders, small businesses, and property owners throughout the Nation. While the President claims that the rule is going to help advance infrastructure projects, economic investment, and agricultural activities in his veto message, this simply is not the case. Instead, this costly, overreaching rule favors radical environmentalists at the expense of infrastructure, agriculture, and economic growth and those who depend on these activities. Last month, Members from both parties in the House and Senate came together to stand up for everyday Americans by rejecting this flawed rule. Today, we have the opportunity to do so again. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to override the President's veto and vote in support of H.J. Res. 27, and I yield back the balance of my time. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), the cosponsor of the resolution and the chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Duarte), who is somebody who personally knows how disruptive this rule can be.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry), who is the chairman of the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the veto message on H.J. Res. 27.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), who is the chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield an additional 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, one of the things I like to do in the Capitol is learn about the individuals who came before us and the wisdom and the knowledge that they possessed. Daniel Webster served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1823-1827. He is considered one of the great orators in the U.S. House. He actually also served in the other Chamber. A very good quote of his went on to say, ``Let us develope the resources of our land, call forth our powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered.'' That individual is the only individual that is quoted here in this Chamber, Daniel Webster, right up there on the wall above the dais. That first part is what says it all, ``Let us develope the resources of our land.'' That is exactly what we are trying to do so that we can be energy dependent on ourselves. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer) will manage the remainder of the time for the majority.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Chair, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which will unlock United States energy potential, benefiting Missourians and Americans nationwide. Broadly speaking, this bill is important for so many reasons, from increasing domestic energy production to encouraging the production of critical minerals to modernizing the NEPA process for energy and other infrastructure projects. This bill does exactly what the title says. Division C of the bill was produced by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and it focuses on streamlining and clarifying the scope of section 401 of the Clean Water Act to prevent its continued abuse in blocking energy infrastructure projects. Many projects that require water quality certifications under section 401 are critical to our Nation's energy production, such as natural gas pipelines, LNG, and coal export terminals. Division C of the bill makes clear that States cannot block important energy projects on grounds outside of the Clean Water Act quality standards, consistent with the intent of the original law. Last month, H.R. 1152, which is encompassed within division C, was marked up and passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As included in H.R. 1, division C is incredibly important to lowering energy costs and boosting energy production while still ensuring water quality. Mr. Chair, I thank two of my subcommittee chairmen, David Rouzer and Garret Graves, for their leadership in sponsoring this piece of legislation. Mr. Chair, I would urge support of the bill. By passing H.R. 1, the House would support moving critical energy projects forward and support lowering costs for Americans through greater energy independence. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer), who is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), the cosponsor of the resolution.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.