Bob Gibbs

Mr. GIBBS

Mr. GIBBS. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2028, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2016. Not only does the underlying bill support funding for critical infrastructure in our country, but also includes several important provisions a majority of the Members in this body are concerned with. Section 105 provides an excellent backstop for ensuring the EPA's controversial waters of United States rule does not go forward in its current state. This rule is nothing more than a Federal power grab for the EPA and it flies in the face of two Supreme Court decisions. The agencies themselves have admitted to Congress, in multiple hearings, that the proposed rule has created confusion and uncertainty. I want to thank the chairman for including this necessary backstop provision that will help stop this rule from wreaking havoc on farmers, businesses, families, and the entire regulated community. This rule could potentially roll back the progress we have made in our Nation's water quality by instituting burdensome permitting costs and unnecessary red tape. Another important provision prohibits the Corps from using funds for open lake placement of dredge material in Lake Erie, unless the material is approved under the State water quality certification program. We all know the benefits of dredging and how vital it is to the Great Lakes system's ecosystem, businesses, recreation, and tourism. We must ensure dredged material is safely repurposed for beneficial use or placed in a confined disposal facility. If dredged sediment is placed in Lake Erie now, research shows increased PCB levels in the fish could cause significant setbacks to the recreational community. In a time where our Great Lakes' water quality is threatened by algae and other contaminants, we must ensure we do not add to the problem. I am also pleased to see my commonsense legislation included in the underlying bill to grant law-abiding gun owners the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights when they are legally camping, hunting, and fishing on Army Corps property. I thank Representative Simpson and Ranking Member Kaptur for recognizing the importance of these provisions and for putting together a bill that sets appropriate levels.

Mr. GIBBS

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill because this is simply a commonsense bill. As you know, the U.S. is now the largest producer of natural gas in the world and has proven gas resources to supply our needs for decades to come. This is an achievement that we have reached despite roadblocks and delays from the executive branch. The latest delay is the Department of Energy's rule from last summer to hold up export terminal applications. This important bill streamlines the review process for LNG exports by requiring a timeline for making a decision and making agencies work together on the review. This is commonsense change, Mr. Speaker. Innovations in the harvesting and production of natural gas have cut energy bills for families across the country. Those are the same innovations that have also made it affordable to ship LNG around the globe. The responsible and safe development of our natural resources through new technologies, such as horizontal drilling, have begun an energy and manufacturing renaissance in America. And who is feeling the benefits? American families and businesses with an affordable and reliable energy supply. But that could all end unless we let the free market work. Let's end the administration's de facto ban on new exports and bring market stability to the global gas market. Let's get the government out of the way, and let's give our American innovators a chance to work. Mr. Speaker, my district, the State of Ohio, and the entire Nation will reap the benefits of more jobs, increased pay, and lower energy costs if we pass this bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 351 and end the self-imposed restrictions on LNG exports.

Mr. GIBBS

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5764.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5764, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2014. The Great Lakes are an important resource for the United States. More than 30 million people live in the Great Lakes region, and the lakes help support over $200 billion a year in economic activity. To help ensure coordination between Federal, State, and private parties in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, a Great Lakes Interagency Task Force of Federal agencies was created in 2004. In 2010, the task force released an action plan as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes. In September of this year, the Federal agencies released an updated Action Plan II, which summarized the actions that the Federal agencies planned to implement during fiscal years 2015 through 2019 using Great Lakes funding. The action plan aims to strategically target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and to accelerate progress toward long-term goals. Congressman Joyce introduced H.R. 5764 to amend the Great Lakes program provisions under section 118 of the Clean Water Act to formally authorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for 5 years and to carry out projects and activities for Great Lakes protection and restoration. Under the initiative, the Environmental Protection Agency is to collaborate with other Federal partners, including the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, to select the best combination of projects and activities for Great Lakes protection and restoration. Specified principles and criteria are to be used in selecting projects and activities, including whether they, one, improve the interagency and interorganizational coordination and collaboration to reduce duplication and streamline efforts; two, provide the ability to timely achieve strategic and measurable environmental outcomes and leverage resources with other Federal and non-Federal partners. The bill authorizes the initiative for fiscal year 2015 through 2019. I encourage all Members to support H.R. 5764. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5764) to authorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and for other purposes.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly).

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize today that we lose some institutional knowledge at the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, specifically the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. Today is the last hurrah on the floor as we lose our longtime staff director, John Anderson, to the outside world. John is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. He joined the Memphis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in early 1970 as a biologist. Later, he moved on to the Savannah District and finally to the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters here in Washington, D.C. John joined the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in 1999 on detail from the Corps, and he never left. In 2005, he was promoted to staff director of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. In John's more than 40 years of service to the Nation, he has in some fashion, either at the Corps level or here in Congress, been part of every single WRDA law since 1990. He is widely respected in the world of transportation and infrastructure policy and is a renowned expert in the Nation's water resources policy. We wish John the best in his departure from Congress. He and his wife, Guiomar, are the proud parents of three boys: John Alexander, Patrick, and Richard Anderson. They are also the proud grandparents of three Anderson grandchildren. It has been a privilege to work with John Anderson in my last 4 years as the chairman of the subcommittee. I wish him well and thank him. Good luck. I also urge support of the bill.

Mr. GIBBS. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. GIBBS. Reclaiming my time, I would also be remiss not to say a few words about my good friend, Mr. Bishop from Long Island, New York. It has been a privilege having you serve as my ranking member on the subcommittee for the last 4 years. I wish you well in your endeavors in the future.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBS

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1378) to designate the United States courthouse located at 333 West Broadway in San Diego, California, as the ``James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse'', as amended.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1378, as amended.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1378 designates the United States Federal Judicial Center located at 333 West Broadway in San Diego, California, as the John Rhoades Federal Judicial Center. The bill also designates the United States Courthouse in San Diego, California, as the James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse. John S. Rhoades, Sr., was a United States Federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California for 22 years. Before Judge Rhoades began practicing law, he served in the United States Navy during World War II. Early in his career, he practiced law for the city of San Diego, California, as a prosecuting attorney and as deputy city attorney. Judge Rhoades was nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 to serve as a Federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, where he served until his death in 2007. Judith N. Keep was nominated as a judge to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter and served for 24 years. She was the first female Federal judge in her district. She later became its first female chief judge, serving in that capacity from 1991 to 1998. She continued to serve until her death in 2004. James M. Carter was nominated by President Harry S. Truman as a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California and served for 17 years, including 2 years as chief judge. In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Carter to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where he served until his death in 1979. All three of these judges demonstrated their dedication to the Nation and the law. It is fitting to honor their work by naming the judicial center and courthouse after them. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I too urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBS

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2759) to release the City of St. Clair, Missouri, from all restrictions, conditions, and limitations on the use, encumbrance, conveyance, and closure of the St. Clair Regional Airport.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 2759.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 2759 releases the city of St. Clair, Missouri, from all restrictions, conditions, and limitations on the use, encumbrance, conveyance, and closure of the St. Clair Regional Airport. The bill will require the city to pay fair market value for the airport property to the Missouri Department of Transportation, repay the unamortized value of Federal grants to the Missouri Department of Transportation, and transfer any remaining revenue to the Missouri Department of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer).

Mr. GIBBS

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 90th birthday of former Representative, Ralph Regula. Ralph Strauss Regula was born in Beach City, Ohio, on December 3, 1924. Prior to his election to Congress, Mr. Regula served in the United States Navy, worked as a school teacher and principal in Stark County schools, served on the Ohio State Board of Education and was a member in both the Ohio State House and State Senate. In 1973, Mr. Regula was elected to Congress and served 18 consecutive terms, until his retirement in 2009. During his tenure in Congress, Mr. Regula served as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, where he worked across party lines to improve educational opportunities, workforce training programs and healthcare. He was a passionate advocate for research and the advancement of science. Congressman Regula billed himself a ``regular'' guy. He was the son of a dairy farmer and part of a high school graduating class of only 25, where he developed a strong work ethic and love of community. Ralph loved serving here because he cared about people and helping improve their quality of life. In this House he was a pragmatic leader willing to find solutions to tough problems. I have personally known Ralph for over three decades and have many fond memories meeting with him both here and in Ohio as my Congressman. Like many others I have learned so much from Congressman Regula over the years. To that I say, Thank you! Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the great life and career of Mr. Ralph Regula, wishing him a very happy 90th birthday.

Mr. GIBBS

Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 90th birthday of former Representative Ralph Regula. Ralph Straus Regula was born in Beach City, Ohio, on December 3, 1924. Prior to his election to Congress, Mr. Regula served in the United States Navy; worked as a schoolteacher and a principal in Stark County schools; and served in the Ohio State House, Senate, and on the Ohio State Board of Education. In 1973, Mr. Regula was elected to Congress and served 18 consecutive terms, until his retirement in 2009. During his tenure in Congress, Mr. Regula served as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, where he worked across party lines to improve educational opportunities, workforce training programs, and health care. He was a passionate advocate for research and the advancement of science. Congressman Regula billed himself a ``regular'' guy. He was the son of a dairy farmer and part of a high school graduating class of only 25, where he developed a strong work ethic and love of community. Ralph loved serving here because he cared about people and helping improve the quality of their lives. In this House, he was a pragmatic leader willing to find solutions to tough problems. I have personally known Ralph for over three decades and have many fond memories meeting with him both here and back in Ohio as my Congressman. Like many others, I have learned so much from Congressman Ralph Regula over the years. To that, I say thank you. Today I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the great life and career of Mr. Ralph Regula, wishing him a very happy 90th birthday.