Cory Gardner

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, in 1893 Katharine Lee Bates made her way up the slopes of Pikes Peak and first wrote the words to one of America's greatest patriotic hymns, poeticizing ``purple mountain majesties'' and ``amber waves of grain.'' One hundred years ago, Enos Mills helped preserve ``mountain scenes of exceptional beauty and grandeur,'' giving to the country the crown jewel of American splendor, Rocky Mountain National Park. For over a century, visionaries such as John Iliff helped to settle the high plains of Colorado, described by Ian Frazier as a ``heroic place,'' an expanse of splendid isolation with unparalleled sense of space and generations of pioneers. This is Colorado. From west to east and north to south, the beauty, heritage, and vitality of Colorado calls and beckons across our Nation and the world to those looking and longing for a place to call home, to live and work, to visit and vacation. Our love for Colorado drives us to be better stewards of the land, to reach for solutions to great challenges, and to find optimism in every vale and valley. For generations, we have challenged our sons and daughters to always look up--look up to that great Rocky Mountain horizon--as our ever-young State and our ever-hopeful attitude live peak to peak--the honor of living in the west, a land of opportunity and new beginnings. It is this constant drive for a better future for our great State and Nation that leads me to the floor of the Senate to speak for the first time, where my duties as Colorado's newest Senator begin, walking in the footsteps of Colorado's first Senators, Jerome Chaffee and Henry Teller, and alongside my colleague Senator Michael Bennet. It is an incredible and heavy obligation to fulfill to well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office, defending our Constitution with faith and allegiance to the rights we cherish, but an obligation and duty every person in Colorado expects us not just to fulfill but to excel at--from Beecher Island to the Book Cliffs, from Fisher's Peak to the Pawnee. Somewhere in between is my hometown of Yuma, home to hardy pioneers that have seen the high plains through great success and record harvests, depression and dust bowls, drought and tragedy. Yet through it all, the good times and challenges, it is still called home by generations who would live nowhere else. It is here in this little eastern plains town, weatherworn and always thirsty, that Jaime and I are raising our children, Alyson, Thatcher, and Caitlyn, in a home that once belonged to their great-great- grandparents and are surrounded in town by family, Lala and Papa, great-grandparents, and more. No matter where across Colorado's four corners you live or across this great Nation, we all hope for the same thing for our children--to live in a loving community that values every citizen, where they learn the value of hard work and perseverance, where hard work is met with merited reward, and that they find a Nation of liberty and freedom that they help make a little more free and a little more perfect to carry on the tradition of our Founding Fathers, always endeavoring to be better tomorrow than they are today. Our Nation has always understood that this endeavor is not something that is just passed on, hoping someone else does the work for us. It is something we ourselves have to fight for today. We are responsible for the starting point we hand to the next generation, and we have a moral obligation to make it the best point possible, always advancing. To accomplish this I have laid out a Four Corners plan representing all areas of Colorado and those issues that matter most to the people of this country: growing our economy and getting this Nation back to work in the kinds of jobs with the kind of salary that allows people to achieve their dreams, to develop North American energy security while enhancing the protection and appreciation of our environment, and making sure that we give our children the tools they need to succeed in a world growing both in its complexity and its interconnectedness. In rural America we must work not only to keep the generations of families who grew up there on the farm and ranch but to find new ways to bring new families back to the farms, ranches, and small towns throughout our great State. We must revitalize Main Streets that are slowly losing their place as the heart and soul of the community-- boarded up and forgotten. To do this I will introduce legislation that will help provide ways to infuse new investments and life into our rural communities, called the Rural Philanthropy Act. It will help struggling businesses to find new private sector partners to serve their community, whether it is a smalltown newspaper or a local clothing store. It will help grow jobs and create more opportunities for startups and innovation. We must look to reimagine burdensome rules and regulations that tie the hands of people who want to start a business by revitalizing Main Street and breathing new life into a tired city block. Doing good things shouldn't be so difficult, and we need a government that recognizes this. Colorado's economy will also benefit from value-added trade opportunities with the passage of new trade agreements opening up new markets and eliminating barriers to growing markets. I will work to ensure that small businesses have the resources they need to participate in trade, making sure the benefit of new markets doesn't just stop at the biggest corporations. Through my First in Space Initiative, we will focus on policies that promote and grow Colorado's leading aerospace economies, launching new jobs in space, engineering, and aeronautics. A healthy economy means that everyone benefits--not just those who already have found success. That is why I will work to expand the earned-income tax credit. By eliminating the waste, fraud, and abuse all too common within the EITC, we can save billions of dollars and then use that money to expand the credit, making a program that has already lifted millions of people out of poverty to do even more good for people throughout Colorado and in our urban centers. Measuring a successful economy shouldn't simply be a matter of looking to see whether the haves have more but about what policies we have put in place to actually help the poor lift themselves out of poverty. We are living in a veneered economy. While the numbers on Wall Street look good and profits are looking up, scratch the surface and too many people continue to suffer, endlessly searching for jobs they desperately need and earning the kinds of salary they need to help achieve their family's goals. While parts of Colorado may be succeeding, others are struggling. True success means that every part of our State's economy flourishes. Thanks to our State's energy economy, parts of the State that seem to have been left behind are now thriving. A national policy geared towards North American energy independence will not only boost jobs and provide abundant and affordable energy upon which our economy relies, but it will boost our national security by providing to our allies abroad the energy partner they need that presents an alternative to nations such as Russia and Iran. I look forward to continuing my push for an expedited export process for LNG, allowing Mesa and La Plata County energy producers the opportunity to play a leading role in national security while creating jobs at home. Commonsense Colorado energy solutions also means focusing on renewable energy as well. Harnessing the winds in Weld, the sun in San Luis, and the power of water in the West, we can lessen pollution and help clean up the air. Working across the aisle with Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, I will focus on energy-savings performance contracts, an often overlooked private sector tool that has the potential to create thousands of jobs and save the taxpayer billions of dollars while helping to reduce pollution. Reducing pollution and protecting our environment is a cornerstone of Colorado. I look forward to working with Congressman Scott Tipton on legislation to help preserve and restore our great forest lands and to protect Colorado landscapes. Whether it is healthy forest legislation, reducing the maintenance backlog in our national parks or finding collaborative solutions to challenging land conflicts, we owe it to future generations of Coloradans to pass on an environment that is cleaner when they receive it than the one which we inherited. Future generations of Coloradans also deserve the opportunity to receive an education. Whether that is fighting to restore local control to States, school districts, and parents or working to make the dream of a college degree a reality, our future depends on our ability to provide the skills and training for the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. I will continue work on my legislation called the Making College Affordable Act. This will help families save for college and meet expenses in primary and secondary education. I look forward to promoting STEM education opportunities and transforming our immigration system from one that sends the best and brightest students back home to compete against us to one that allows them the opportunity to stay here in the United States to create jobs and innovation that we will continue to benefit from. There is no doubt in the next 6 years many issues will arise that fall outside these Four Corner issues, and I look forward to meeting every single one of these challenges by finding new opportunities that will help make Colorado a better place. I look forward to working with Congressman Mike Coffman to finish the VA hospital in Aurora, a hospital earned through sacrifice but tarnished by delay. When it is completed, it will give veterans a far better place for the care they deserve. That always must be our focus, making Colorado and the United States a better place, giving the people of this country the confidence that we can work together to achieve common goals, to strive for brighter horizons, to deliver to the American people a government they can be proud of again. I will work with Senator Bennet and anyone who is committed to these common goals. Too many people believe that government can no longer address the great challenges of our time--an $18 trillion debt, mounting entitlement costs, a health care crisis that continues into the next century, and seemingly overwhelming policy challenges. Some leaders would have us believe they can't do anything about it, that a managed decline is better than a rapid decline. The American people know better. They don't have to--and indeed, they will not--accept second best. A government that we can be proud of is one that solves the greatest challenges of our time, balances our budget, and puts in place solutions that rise above the rhetoric. A government we can be proud of again means an America that is always advancing and never in retreat. Our search for solutions, our search for a government we can be proud of comes from the common bond--regardless of color, gender or creed, and, yes, even party--that we as Americans all hold: the shared story of our lives, the unrelenting American spirit. This is the American story. We owe our Nation to the sacrifices made by millions of men and women for freedom for each other, to countless generations in the past and present who have worn a uniform in the defense of our Nation--a nation made exceptional by pioneering people, a nation of innovation and opportunity, a nation that imagines and inspires, a nation that rises above to be better tomorrow than we are today. I grew up working at the family implement dealership, a family business that was started by my great-grandfather 100 years ago. Sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms, I learned what it takes to make a business work. I learned about the employees who made the business function and how we succeed as a business when our employees succeed--the hard-working men and women who hope their aspirations will be fulfilled. I learned from my grandma, the real life Rosie the Riveter who welded liberty ships in World War II alongside her husband, my grandpa. They gave up everything, moving their family and all they had in life to be part of the effort to win the war and to provide their four children with the opportunity to succeed and to build their own futures for their own families in a free world. A few weeks ago, when going through some old boxes--a random collection of endless material, pictures--I discovered a stack of letters that were written by my grandfather to his parents and to my grandmother during World War II. The letters were written in near perfect cursive. Others were typed on an old hammer-strike typewriter they undoubtedly used to the last days of the implement dealership. He talked about the loneliness for home, new friends he had made during the war, questions about his young son, and the new countries he was visiting in France and beyond. I would like to share parts of one of those letters today because it shares part of our American story. It was written on August 15, 1945. Dear Folks, Aha, that day, 14 August, is indeed a history making day, and last night at twelve o'clock when at last all the rumors were confirmed that the world was at peace I said a silent prayer and know that it won't be long until we are all together again. If you pull those reins hard enough, maybe I will be home for Xmas, mother, certainly have a good chance of making it now, although anything can still happen and there are thousands of miles to cover, but one can't help but be optimistic. It must have been an incredible feeling to know that the war you had been fighting, the war that had consumed the world and taken our Nation's young men and women thousands of miles away from home was over, to have received word that ``the rumors were confirmed that the world was at peace.'' And after years of battle and weariness and a silent prayer, the optimism of one soldier and that soldier's Nation persevered. There are countless families across this country who share a similar story. One of their aunts or uncles, parents or siblings are people who share the honor and the obligation of wearing a uniform for the United States of America with all of the responsibility that comes along with it. They are people whom we will most likely never meet, nor will we ever be able to fully thank them, but they still fought for all of us. Through the words of one simple letter, we recognize the power of peace over conflict, of love for family and country. A silent prayer, no doubt of thanks, thanks for answering so many other silent prayers, silent prayers for a day of peace and homecoming. What it must have been like to know that the great darkness of war which threatened freedom not for some but for all had finally come to an end. Just like that, you will be home as if nothing ever happened. Somewhere in that silent prayer, under the new calm of a war-torn horizon was the thanksgiving of a soldier for his victorious nation, a soldier looking to go home a civilian to live out his dreams far away from harm, in the arms of his family. While we may disagree on the details of policy and the tactics of direction, let us make no mistake in our charge--to ensure that we have a nation that is worthy of the sacrifice so many have made; to refuse to pass on to future generations a nation in retreat or decline; to make sure ours is a nation that is always worth fighting for. This is Colorado. This is the United States of America. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to your attention to Liberty Common High School's (LCHS) outstanding performance on the ACT college readiness assessment. Liberty Common High School is a relatively new public high school located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and its students performed exceptionally on this year's exam. Liberty's achievement not only shows the intellectual strength of the Class of 2015, but also demonstrates the overall success of the charter school's educational program. The ACT is a college readiness assessment that all Colorado high school students are required to take in their junior year. In both 2012 and 2013, Liberty Common High School achieved the highest composite ACT score in the state of Colorado. This year, Liberty Common High School's composite score of 28.63 was not only the highest of all the high schools in Colorado, but was also the highest in the history of our great state. LCHS also now holds the record for every subject category on the ACT. These feats are particularly impressive given the fact that LCHS only opened in 2010 and is such a young school. It has obtained the highest ACT score in the state in every year that its students have taken the test. Academic achievement at this level not only shows the success of a charter school built on parental involvement, but also the strength of the curriculum taught at Liberty Common High School. The principal of Liberty Common High School, former Congressman Bob Schaffer said, ``These scores are a reflection of a solid classical, college- preparatory curriculum we've built atop the powerful Core Knowledge curriculum we use in grades K through eight.'' This Core Knowledge curriculum, along with the character education in both elementary and high school, is structured in a way so that students' knowledge builds upon what they learned in the previous year. The foundational skills learned in the elementary grades allow students to reach a higher level of education in high school. While in high school, LCHS students are not only challenged by their classes and teachers, but also by their peers. Members of Liberty Common High School's Class of 2015, who have just recently set the ACT composite score record for the state of Colorado, attribute their success, in part, to the class which preceded them. The Class of 2014 not only set the bar high for the class below them, but held sessions that helped juniors prepare for the ACT early. They challenged the Class of 2015 to beat their score while helping them to do so. A student community like the one at Liberty allows students to invite others to try their best while offering help to one another in the process. This score is outstanding, but what is more outstanding is what this score symbolizes--a school run by parents, chosen by parents, and supported by parents preparing their children to achieve in college and in life. Successes like these should not go unnoticed, but instead should be highlighted as an example for what a great public education can achieve.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the Greeley, Colorado chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) for their outstanding service to our state and nation. Abiding by the motto ``God, Home and Country,'' the Centennial State chapter of NSDAR has worked tirelessly over its 110 year existence to provide assistance for members of our military serving oversees and those honorably discharged. This group of women has a commitment to the veteran's community of Greeley, but also to education and higher learning within the community at large. It is an inspiration to see an organization so committed to educating our children, serving those in need, and preserving American history. I am honored that the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution serves Colorado's 4th district. Their service resonates throughout the community. I commend them for preserving their long and storied history, and wish them continued success in the years to come.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Whitfield for his leadership on the Energy and Power Subcommittee, and I certainly appreciate the work you have done on energy independence. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the EPS Service Parts Act of 2014. This bill simply seeks to achieve congressional intent of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 regarding exemptions for certain service parts. I would like to thank my colleague from New York, Congressman Tonko, for working with me on this legislation, and I would also like to thank Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Waxman for bringing this bill to the floor. In the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, Congress recognized the need for manufacturers to continue to produce and distribute service and spare parts to be used with older out-of-production products that didn't comply with the new energy efficiency regulations produced by the 2007 bill. The most common forms of EPS products are laptops, desktops, tablets, printers, and network products--products we use every day. Congress anticipated issues surrounding older service parts. The 2007 bill provided that from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2015, the energy standards would not apply to EPS made available as service or spare parts for end use products manufactured before July 1, 2008. The reason for this legislation is to make a technical correction to provide explicit authority to the Department of Energy to create a similar exemption when the Department of Energy updated their EPS efficiency standards. The existing language in the 2007 bill, according to DOE, has the opposite effect. It actually prevents DOE from extending this needed exemption in its February 2014 rulemaking on EPS efficiency standards. The EPS Service Parts Act is in line with the original intent of the 2007 energy bill. It allows for continued production and distribution of replacement EPS for use with equipment manufactured before February 10, 2016, the effective date of the new DOE efficiency standards. By passing this legislation, the bill will benefit both U.S. consumers and manufacturers. It will allow manufacturers such as Dell or Hewlett-Packard to maintain and distribute supplies of replacement parts for older equipment. It will also allow for warranty and contract compliance by these manufacturers. Without this legislation, manufacturers would be required to redesign and qualify service on spare EPS parts at significant expense solely to support products that are no longer in production. Manufacturers would also be forced to destroy existing inventories. Again, they would have to be destroyed--existing inventories--that were intended to support service and spare parts. Also, in addition to meeting energy efficiency standards, the redesigned EPS parts would also need to be recertified to all the applicable safety, efficiency, and other environmental specifications. Because of the low volume of services and spare parts, this would be a very costly and job-costing undertaking for manufacturers. Companies have estimated increased costs in the millions of dollars with no corresponding benefit to energy savings or the consumer. This bill has the support of the Information Technology Industry Council, the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, the Consumer Electronics Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The bill saves money and avoids a regulatory overreach not intended by, but accidentally instigated by a previous Congress. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill. Again, thank you to my colleague from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in observation of the 1-year anniversary of the horrific floods that hit the State of Colorado 1 year ago. Starting on September 11, floods ravaged communities and wiped away homes, schools, and businesses. The widespread damage was unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime in Colorado. As the flooding was happening and in the immediate aftermath, I joined neighbors and leaders to survey many of the damaged areas. We worked together to make sure that we provided the much-needed relief. In west Longmont, I saw railroad tracks ripped and tangled. I saw vehicles lying upside down and garages filled with mud. I also saw people working in the spirit of community, striving to recover, helping each other. I couldn't possibly name all of the heroes involved in the flood response and recovery, but I would like to recognize a few: St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District Director Sean Cronin has provided invaluable resources to water districts and ditch companies to help them provide water to communities for agriculture; John Zadel and Stan Linker of the Central Weld County Water District worked to get water systems for small communities like Frederick and Firestone back in operation; Local fire districts like Mountain View, Hygiene, Johnstown, and others were on the front lines of flood response. In the year since the disaster, we have made tremendous progress, but there is a lot more work to be done. Communities in Weld, Morgan, and Logan continue their work today. With the great resilience of the people of this State, I have no doubt we will come back stronger than ever and continue working together for the good of our great State.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Pat Bowlen. Mr. Bowlen is a natural leader with unquestionable integrity, an incredible work ethic, and a voracious appetite for success. As the Denver Broncos owner over 30 years, he led the team to back-to-back Super Bowl Championships and 6 AFC Division Championships. In 1984, Mr. Bowlen took over as the Denver Broncos CEO during a time when the team was having financial difficulties. Since then, his distinguished leadership and strategic vision has turned the franchise into one of the most successful teams in the NFL today. His outstanding business acumen is respected by players, coaches, and the fans themselves. In 2000, according to an ESPN fan poll, Mr. Bowlen was voted in as the NFL owner fans would most like to play for. Mr. Bowlen is also very proactive in the Denver community. In 2007, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2013 received the Mizel Institute Community Enrichment Award, only given to those who have exemplary philanthropic involvement in their communities. During his personal time, Mr. Bowlen has participated in grueling fitness activities such as the Ironman Triathlon, which is just another testament to his incredible self discipline and work ethic. Due to Mr. Bowlen's courageous fight against Alzheimer's disease, he will step down this month from his position as CEO of one of the greatest NFL franchises in history, but his dignified legacy will live on. Mr. Bowlen, thank you for being such a positive influence and inspiration for the city of Denver, the Colorado community, and people all across the United States.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, Abecedarium. A-b-e-c-e-d-a-r-i-u-m. Abecedarium. It was 1985 and I was in the fifth grade at Yuma Middle School. Back then, the school held the fourth through eighth grades under one roof. As a fifth grader, we weren't the new kids any more, getting used to a new school. And we certainly weren't the oldest or the coolest. We weren't in junior high and we didn't get outdoor camp like the sixth graders. We were in sort of a ``tweener'' grade for a tweener age--long before any of us knew there was any such thing as a tween. But what we lacked in age rights or age slights, we made up for in our teacher, Leslie Woody. With a Bachelor's degree from Colorado College, Mrs. Woody began her teaching career in 1980, and after 34 years in the Yuma School District RJ-1 (and a Master's degree along the way), retired this year. It's hard to believe that anyone can stay in the same workplace for 34 years; today, the average length of a job is just under 5 years. But for the hundreds of kids who were lucky enough to call her our teacher, we are very glad (and blessed) that she did. It's hard to believe she had only been teaching for 5 years when she met the motley class of 1993! She taught us to be happy (it's hard to do!). Positive about life. To surprise people with optimism. And she was the Superspeller's super coach. I couldn't spell bupkis (sp?) without her. She taught us to compete, to excel, and not be afraid. To work hard and study. We made it to the district, regional, and state spelling bees. We got crushed by the students from St. Mary's, but we made it nonetheless. We gained confidence that only comes from hard work and perseverance and hours of practice. Perhaps the most important thing, and her secret lesson plan all along, was that Mrs. Woody taught us the lesson of how to learn. Our daughter is entering fifth grade this year. And while Mrs. Woody will not be teaching her, there are other great teachers who will shape her young life the way Mrs. Woody shaped ours, something Jaime and I are certainly grateful for. But no one can ever replace the special place for a special teacher who helped make someone--who helped make me--who they are today. For your years of service to our children and the future, and for the impact you had on my life, thank you. Please accept this recognition from one member of the United States House of Representatives and your student, knowing you made a difference. Thank you. T-h-a-n-k y-o-u. Thank you.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I will take this time to talk about Brand USA. To the chairman of the subcommittee, thank you for your leadership on this important, bipartisan issue. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation and urge its favorable passage today. Just looking at the Colorado Tourism Office, just reading the Colorado tourism industry facts, it starts with saying that tourism equals jobs and revenue for Colorado. It is a vital piece of our economy. Tourism is one of the largest industries in Colorado in terms of jobs, employing 144,000 people in the tourism sector. Overall, these employees earn $4.1 billion annually, contributing to State revenue through income taxes. And, in fact, it is a little known fact that, without the taxes that are paid by tourists who visit from out of country, out of State to Colorado, the average Colorado family would have to pay an additional $407 a year in taxes to make up for the money that would be lost if we didn't have those tourism dollars being spent in Colorado. It has been a tremendous success. When it comes to Brand USA, a quick look at the work that Brand USA has done in Colorado, partnering with Colorado to market the State to international visitors--marketing activities include both traditional media from TV display out of homes, social media, and more--but also our work in Colorado when it comes to craft beer being featured as part of Brand USA's 2014 Great American Road Trip, talking about the work we are doing in Colorado, thousands of people being employed in a new and growing industry. Colorado was featured in Brand USA's 2014 inspirational visitors' guide, over 16 international audiences exposed because of Brand USA's international visitors' guide, which will generate over 30 million impressions through Brand USA. The list goes on and on, the work that we do. I think it is also important to highlight the work Colorado has done with Brand USA's Discover America Pavilion at international trade shows around the world, like the Japanese Association of Travel Agents, work that we can do to highlight the opportunities to come to the United States, to create opportunities, perhaps a tourist the first time but a business partner the next time. I think it is a number of jobs that we can create. Again, I thank the chairman for his work on this legislation, the bipartisan support for the legislation, and urge its passage today with the support of the House of Representatives.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Again, I would like to thank the chairman of the subcommittee for his leadership. He is another Western lawmaker who has done tremendous good for our Western States when it comes to water conservation delivery efforts. Mr. Chairman, I would urge the support of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the amendment which allocates $3 million for water conservation and delivery. The funding for this amendment is taken directly from the underlying bill's $56 million appropriation to the Bureau of Reclamation for water projects. The amendment directs $3 million of this sum specifically for water conservation and delivery projects. The Bureau of Reclamation water conservation delivery fund provides critical assistance to Western areas of the country. In the arid West, water is our life. These projects improve water supply quality, address water shortage issues, improve conservation measures, and stabilize water supplies. These are projects like the Arkansas Valley Conduit, with over 100 miles of pipelines serving dozen of communities with clean, abundant, and affordable water. In the Western United States, water is an economic driver. In order to attract more economic growth, either in business or agriculture, every industry in the West is dependent upon an ample and safe water supply. This amendment will allow the Bureau of Reclamation more flexibility to continue with these types of projects while simultaneously improving public health and improving the environment. Also, these projects are critically important during drought years so that water is appropriately allocated for both municipal and agriculture uses. The water conservation and delivery line in the Bureau's budget has been previously used for the California Central Valley Project, Washington State's Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project, the Arkansas Valley Conduit in Colorado, and the Lewiston Orchard Project in the chairman's home State of Idaho. I urge support of the amendment, and I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton), the coauthor of this amendment, and I thank him for leadership on issues relating to water in the State of Colorado.

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

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rex Davis, from Lamar, Colorado. Mr. Davis owns a 298 acre irrigated farm in southern Colorado and has participated in the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program since 2007. Throughout the years Mr. Davis has introduced efficient and sustainable practices to improve his irrigation management which will make his farm operation viable for years to come. His conservation practices have included gated pipeline, water control structure, irrigation system sprinkler, irrigation reservoir, pest management and nutrient management. In addition to his farm operations, Mr. Davis raises Black Angus cattle, is a member of the Lamar Elks and is currently working on his second passion by training for his private pilot's license. I am pleased to recognize Rex Davis as the 2013 Prowers County Conservationist of the Year.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield the remaining time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just add that the National Association of Manufacturers, on April 9--which claims to be the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 States--supports H.R. 6, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act. So the largest organization of manufacturers supports H.R. 6, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act. Mr. Chairman, I would also point out the risks if we do not have an outlet for American energy production. The result of shut-in wells and less production, indeed, will lead to increased prices for consumers, but the fact is that DOE studies have already stated that exporting natural gas has been shown to lead to net benefits to the U.S. economy, adding billions of dollars to our GDP, adding tens of thousands of jobs to our Nation's workforce, and removing people from the unemployment rolls. This is something this Congress ought to adopt today, a way to move forward on energy security, and a way to move forward on jobs that are ready to put people to work. Let's pass this bill today. I oppose the gentleman's amendment for the simple fact that it is unworkable and rewrites the law without adequate discussion and debate amongst this body. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, the Holt amendment is a virtual rewrite of the entire Natural Gas Act that has been drafted without the benefit of the full debate of this Chamber or committee in regular order of this process. The amendment would reverse the rebuttable presumption that proposed exports are consistent with the public interest. The amendment would also require the Department of Energy to undertake a new rulemaking and issue new regulations to determine whether an export of natural gas from the U.S. to a foreign country is in the public interest. The moratorium on processing applications resulting from the Holt amendment could last years. The DOE has already spent more than 3 years--3 years--establishing the process for reviewing the public interest. The DOE's public interest analysis is already well informed by numerous economic and environmental studies; and in prior decisions, DOE has looked at a number of factors, including economic impacts, international considerations, U.S. energy security, and environmental considerations, already among other things. To conduct its reviews, DOE looks to the record of evidence developed in the application proceeding. Applicants and intervenors are free to raise new issues or concerns relevant to the public interest that may not have been addressed in prior cases. Even though the DOE has repeatedly rejected the same reoccurring arguments lodged by the same Washington, D.C.-based special interest groups, they are delaying decisions on new export applications. The Department of Energy has continually stated that the public interest generally favors authorizing proposals to export natural gas that have been shown to lead to net benefits on the U.S. economy, and I believe the Holt amendment would disrupt the process that DOE has developed and result in even further delays. Mr. Chairman, with that, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I would just point out that here is an article that states that: ``Centrica buys U.S. LNG in 20-year deal as U.K. output wanes.'' Selling U.S. LNG to Europe, Italy is close to 20- year LNG deal with Cheniere; another article, ``Cheniere and Endesa sign 20-year LNG sale and purchase agreement.'' Mr. Chairman, I urge the adoption of the amendment to H.R. 6. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I would just add again that there is no eminent domain authority for an LNG facility. That is what H.R. 6 is addressing, the export permits for LNG facilities. There is no eminent domain authority for an LNG facility. Mr. Chairman, I urge opposition to the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I thank you again for the opportunity to debate H.R. 6, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act. It is something that, in this Congress, we don't do that often, a bill to address both job creation here at home and also to provide our trading partners and our allies with energy security abroad. The amendment before the desk right now is a manager's amendment, brought to this Chamber in a bipartisan fashion with the gentleman from Texas, Representative Gene Green, who has been gracious and patient in this effort to work through this process to make sure that we have as broad-based support as possible for this legislation. It recognizes that, despite some of the concerns our side has with the recent DOE changes to their process, including the expanding scope of DOE's public interest analysis to include elements unrelated to DOE's primary authorities, it is still vitally important to send as strong a message as possible to our allies that the U.S. is prepared to answer their call and enter the market as a major exporting nation. It is equally important that we send a message that we are bringing certainty to the applicants and the jobs currently waiting in limbo at DOE, and that DOE will, indeed, be held accountable to do its job once FERC finishes their facility review and the NEPA process. Again, this legislation has the potential to lift 45,000 people off of the unemployment rolls. Daniel Yergin testified before the Energy and Commerce Committee that we could move from 1.7 million jobs in this country to 3 million jobs in this country in energy by 2020. And H.R. 6 and this amendment help advance that job creation. But because DOE's recent changes did not put a final deadline for the Department to act on applications, this amendment requires that the Department must issue a decision on pending applications within 30 days after FERC completes the NEPA review for the project. We are doing this because some of these applications have been languishing for more than 2 years, and it is time to insert accountability back into the process, especially when DOE's own analysis concludes: Increasing natural gas exports are net positive to our economy. This issue is too important to domestic job creation and to increasing the United States' role in international energy diplomacy to continue to squander and delay our opportunities. This amendment also addresses many of the concerns that those on the other side have voiced with previous versions of this legislation, including completing full environmental reviews and maintaining DOE's role in the public interest test. I hope this will help H.R. 6 garner even broader support. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) and, again, thank him for his support.

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

Mr. GARDNER. I thank Ranking Member Waxman for his support of the amendment but would remind him that an Ambassador from Hungary, ambassador-at-large for energy security, said it is simply not true that lifting the natural gas export ban today would not have an immediate effect in Europe. It would immediately change the business calculus of infrastructure investment and send an extremely important message of strategic reassurance to the region, which currently feels more threatened than at any time since the cold war. Passage of this bill would send an immediate signal to our allies and our enemies that the United States is serious about energy security and aiding our friends most in need of energy security. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Chairman, I have spent a great deal of my time, both here in this Chamber and actually working in the State legislature as well, to protect people's property rights, particularly private property rights. In the State legislature, I remember the decision coming down from the Supreme Court, making sure that we could do everything we could to prevent any abuse of eminent domain. But it is that State legislative experience that taught me that the legal process of eminent domain is largely a State and local issue which should have no bearing on the Department of Energy's public interest determination--again, this is about the public interest determination--for the export of LNG to non-free trade countries. By law, the Secretary of Energy plays no part in approving the construction of LNG export facilities or the pipelines connecting the gas to the facility. By law, the Secretary of Energy plays no part in the pipeline or construction of the facilities. This bill only addresses the Department of Energy's process, and this amendment would expand the role of DOE into an area where the DOE is not currently involved and has no expertise. The purpose of H.R. 6 is to expedite liquefied natural gas export applications which have been stuck in limbo awaiting a decision for far too long--in some cases, for more than 2 years. This amendment would unfairly put new requirements on these already pending applications, and I believe we should oppose the amendment because it is something, again, that is left to the States and local determination factors. With that, I would ask for a ``no'' vote. I reserve the balance of my time.