Paul Gosar

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Abraham).

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chairman, this amendment attempts to change the requirements for oil and gas leases. I will say it's very entrepreneurial in its disguise. But I want to remind people in regard to how big this aspect is. This is a small, little area. To give you an example, ANWR is the size of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire combined. Energy developed with ANWR is just one-fifth the size of the Dulles Airport. Amazing. If you have ever been there, it is something to be seen. As the Congressional Western Caucus chairman, we actually took that liberty of going up there and being hosted by the gentleman from Alaska. What you are being told and what is being there in aspect isn't the same. So, Madam Chair, I actually join the gentleman from South Carolina and ask for a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota. Chronic wasting disease is 100 percent fatal. We have similar diseases like mad cow disease in cattle and scrapie in sheep. One of the things that we are very concerned with, as the gentlewoman alluded to, is that we have no testing available for hunter populations. Is it communicable to human beings and to other aspects of agriculture? Those are some of the things that we really need to address. As the gentlewoman said, we have now seen it in 25 States, so it is spreading. Once again, being 100 percent fatal, we have to address this because we have whole populations that are at stake. We can put our ingenuity to task here. We can solve this problem, but it is at the forefront. I thank the gentleman from Louisiana. As a veterinarian, as a physician, he understands the dire ramifications of this. I thank the gentlewoman for accepting this. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this because I want to remind everybody this is continental offshore; this is not State-owned property. This is the property of the American public. So, if we are going to extend that aspect, I want the same type of application to lands out in western Arizona and the Western United States. So we have to start looking at this. We have seen opposition, basically, state that they can't coexist: fundamental energy development, exploration, and tourism. But we see that very vibrantly in the Gulf State of Louisiana. We see one of the most vibrant fishing areas. The argument doesn't hold muster in that regard. In regards to that, we need to explore and find out exactly what kind of resources are actually there. It makes a big difference in regards to energy independence because those who spend money for tourism have to have a job, and plentiful energy at affordable prices help American businesses and the American worker. So the same aspects we are trying to extend here for Florida should be extended all the way across the board. But, once again, this is the public's property. It needs to be well invested, and the government has the due diligence in which to do that. We can take into consideration the concerns of the military. We do it time and time again in southwestern Arizona. We have the Goldwater Range, the Yuma Proving Ground, yet we still coexist with the natural resources and environmental protections. I think, within that aspect, I rise in opposition, and I would ask everybody to defeat this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. My colleague, Mr. Mullin, is absolutely correct. When former President Obama directed the EPA, BLM, and other agencies to target industries for greenhouse gas emissions, they went directly for the oil and natural gas first. But this EPA rule targeting methane is completely unnecessary. It is produced as a byproduct of oil and natural gas production, but it is a valuable product in itself that can be sold and is sold. It is something that oil and gas companies routinely capture and sell. They were doing a great job of this even before this rule. It was unnecessary. Even EPA estimates show that the methane emissions have decreased while the production of natural gas and oil have increased over the same period. The free market has provided an incentive to reduce methane release on its own. There is no further need for the EPA to impose this bureaucratic hurdle. It is expensive. The cost is estimated to cost our economy $530 million annually. Amazing. Once again, as Ronald Reagan used to say: Government is not the solution, government is the problem. This is a regulation in search of a problem. Madam Chair, I support the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, we had the same discussion yesterday. Once again, these are offshore leases that are part of the American public's domain, not the State of South Carolina or California or Massachusetts or Florida. I understand that application. But, once again, we also have heard that we want to have responsible renewable energy, so we are actually predisposing no seismic aspect. Well, how do you actually look at moorings in regard to subsurface anchors if you didn't use seismic activity? That is contradicting all the way around the aspect here. Once again, this just shows that we want nothing of the sort: no seismic, no wind, no solar, no oil and gas. That is unbelievable. If this is the kind of attitude that we want going forward, those in Arizona and the Western States that have public lands ought to be getting a lot more say in those applications.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson). Madam Chair, this amendment also makes a mockery of our laws that govern the permitting process for mining operations and is a complete violation of basic fairness. Specifically, this amendment supersedes the Democrats' supposed flagship environmental regulatory law, NEPA--unbelievable. Currently, the Army Corps of Engineers is doing exactly what Congress intended it to do under NEPA with regard to the proposed Pebble Mine project. It is analyzing the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of the proposed mine. A wonderful adage is good process builds good policy, builds good politics. We ought to embrace that. And if we really want to put our nose in other places, maybe what we ought to do, as I challenge my good friend from California, is, instead of focusing on this project, to look at his State in his own district. Maybe he ought to be focusing on the illegal marijuana farms in his district that are using pesticides and polluting local waters and damaging national forests and our plants. This is something that is pertinent to Alaska, to the Member from Alaska. The Tribes have been consulted. It is just that the one Tribe that he is talking about, no process followed. But the people closest to this that are most involved have been for this mine. They want good process, and I oppose the amendment.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer Congressman Luetkemeyer's amendment to ensure the United Nations climate change organizations are no longer used as an international slush fund for ineffective climate change research and projects. Unfortunately, many of the United Nations climate change organizations operate with little oversight or accountability, while being financed, in part, by the American taxpayer. Unelected bureaucrats and foreign leaders across the globe should not have greater control over U.S. policy than our citizens and elected officials, especially when we are paying for it. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCC, and the Green Climate Fund, GCF, have been surrounded in controversy since their inception. The IPCC, which is broadly represented as the top authority on climate matters, was under fire when emails were publicly released from a university in England that showed that leading global scientists-- that 95 percent, they are always quoting--intentionally manipulated climate data and suppressed legitimate arguments in peer-reviewed journals. Further, while the IPCC supposedly issues assessments based upon so- called independent surveys of published research, some of the most influential conclusions summarized in its report have neither been based upon truly independent research nor properly vetted through accepted peer-reviewed processes. The United Nations Green Climate Fund, which, unfortunately, received $1 billion in taxpayer funding thanks to the Obama administration, has not approved a new project since 2017, causing the executive director of the fund to resign. According to the Green Climate Fund former co-chair, 30 percent--yes, 30 percent--of the funds pledged are never going to materialize. Despite its stated goal of supporting developing countries to pursue renewable energy sources, the Green Climate Fund's pledges that do materialize are going to wealthy nations with little to no effect on emissions. Let me give a couple of examples. One project to install a solar plant in Kazakhstan directly benefited Chinese construction companies instead of investing in Kazakhstan's companies. Directly investing in one of our economic rivals, China, is definitely the best use of taxpayer funds. Worse yet, the fund proposed a $9.8 million investment in the wealthy kingdom of Bahrain's oil sector. How is this pursuing renewables in developing countries? Many former and current members of the United Nations climate change organizations acknowledge they have made little to no progress and don't see the organization being successful in the future. This amendment is not about climate change, but about the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Our constituents should not have to foot the bill for organizations that have no track record of success and have a proven history of funding corruption and bad science to advance a radical climate change agenda. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, once again, we hear the same lame excuse over and over again, that doing the same thing over and over, we are going to get a different result. Well, that doesn't work anymore. Trust is a series of promises kept. Why don't we set by example? And that is exactly what we are proposing here. The United States, by our technology, by our innovation, has shown the way in regards to combating climate change. That is exactly the way that we ought to handle it, not by some failed multinational bureaucracy that uses the United States as a slush fund. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, once again, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity. Once again, we have seen the ineptness of the United Nations in regard to this. We have seen the misuse of money to developed nations like China and India, and we allow them to continue to pollute when we set the example. I like the idea of setting the example for everybody else to follow. We are the innovators. We are the leaders. We ought to establish that. I ask everybody to vote for this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is straightforward. It would prevent any funds in this bill from being used for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is responsible for some of the worst multinational agreements we have signed onto. These agreements are technically implausible and have unrealistic emission goals in order to appease environmental extremists. This includes the flawed Paris Agreement, for example. Americans for Tax Reform estimates the Paris Agreement will cost the U.S. an estimated 6.5 million jobs by 2040 and reduce our GDP by over $2.5 trillion. NERA Consulting estimates those numbers are even higher and that the Paris Agreement will cost the U.S. an estimated 31.6 million jobs by 2040 and reduce the GDP by over $3 trillion. In June of 2017, President Trump announced he will withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, stating: ``The Paris Climate Accord is the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers. . . . and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories, and vastly diminished economic production.'' The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change has also become a mechanism for executive overreach. For example, when President Obama signed us up in the Paris Agreement, he did not consult Congress in any way. This was a direct assault on Congress' constitutional duty to approve any treaty signed on to by the United States. Fortunately, there is an alternative. Mr. Chairman, the best way to improve our environment and ensure our economic prosperity is to allow energy innovations in this country, not by sending millions of dollars to some transnational organization. We have new innovations being implemented in our energy sector as we speak, every day. From carbon sequestration coal plants in Texas, to the shale revolution in the Midwest, to solar facilities in my home State of Arizona, locally driven solutions are creating thousands of jobs and benefiting our environment. It is a simple concept. The people who depend upon our energy resources to provide security for their families and communities understand those resources best. States and municipalities are best suited to deal with local issues than are the distant out-of-touch Washington and U.N. bureaucrats. The facts are clear: The U.S. has had one of the largest absolute decreases in carbon emissions of any country in the world. From 2005 to 2017, the U.S. cut 862 million tons of carbon, a 14 percent decline. Over the same period, global emissions increased by 26 percent. China increased its emissions by 4 billion tons, and India increased its carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 billion tons, a 70 percent increase. America's energy renaissance is the backbone of our economy. It is a story of freedom, prosperity, and opportunity. The story of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is a much different one, one that is characterized by a one-size-fits-all policy that gives special preferences to some of the world's worst polluters, like China and India. This isn't a partisan issue. This is about doing what is right for America and protecting freedom and opportunity for our children and grandchildren. I urge all Members on both sides of the aisle to support my amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, once again, throwing money into the wind when it has no accountability is foolhardy. We have seen these over and over. Good process builds good policy is good politics. We want to see outcomes, and what we are not seeing from this is outcomes. Mr. Chair, I ask everybody to join in. This isn't about climate change. This is about accountability. We need to see results, not just throwing money to the wind. Mr. Chair, I ask everybody to vote for this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise as the designee of the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer), and I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chair, I want to applaud the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), but I also want to highlight that there is a further issue that we need to address. Not only is there a pipeline problem, but there is a floodplain problem that needs to have some jurisdiction and some changes and involvement. We have become the victims in regard to when floods run. We see our infrastructure on this side of that international border being destroyed. Mr. Chair, this is a golden opportunity to highlight an opportunity that is a joint venture between the two countries that we can actually see some camaraderie to actually facilitate change. Mr. Chair, I applaud the gentleman for bringing this up, and I look forward to seeing us remedy this continuing problem.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 3056, an emergency supplemental to provide critically needed funding for the humanitarian crisis at the border, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor World War II Veteran John O'Conner as he celebrates his 100th Birthday. John O'Conner of Payson, Arizona epitomizes a life dedicated to serving others and defending our country. John was born on June 11, 1919 in Branford, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. During this time, he met and married his wife of 54 years, Velma. After such a joyous and momentous occasion, his country called for him to serve as socialism spread throughout Europe. Without hesitation, John answered his country's call, took his new bride to live with his mother and joined millions of the Greatest Generation to fight for the survival of mankind. The year of 1940 marked the beginning of John's five-year service in the European Theatre. He served in the artillery division of the United States Army Air Corps. By the grace of God, John survived the war and helped save the world from the rise of socialism. After the war, he went on to author the first instruction manual for the nuclear submarine, the very same nuclear submarine invented by the ``Father of the Nuclear Navy,'' Admiral Hyman Rickover. John and Velma went on to raise three wonderful children, John, Patricia and Kathleen. John moved to Payson in 1969. When we look at John's life and what he has accomplished, it's clear to see why he is loved by so many. He and so many like him put their lives on hold and placed themselves in a situation that none of us could possibly fathom. All of this, in defense of our country. We can never repay John's service to our country. May he have a blessed birthday and may many learn from his example of service and patriotism. Happy Birthday, John.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a constituent of mine that has made an outstanding impact for the community of Lake Havasu. Jim Salscheider of Lake Havasu has been selected as Lake Havasu's Citizen of the Year and will have the distinct honor of serving as the grand marshal of the London Bridge Days Parade. Jim has been a tireless advocate for the community and for the environmental causes of Lake Havasu. His leadership was instrumental in forging an ongoing friendship and partnership with the Chemehuevi Tribe, in improving marketing and promotion for the hundreds of local businesses that depend on the marine industry, and developing a relationship with local, regional, state and national governmental entities. Jim has developed an educational campaign about invasive species in Lake Havasu and highlighted unfair practices that quarantined watercraft at the California ports of entry. Furthermore, Jim opened lines of communication with the United States government when U.S. Fish and Wildlife dropped no wake buoys into some of the best skiing water on Lake Havasu on May 20, 2015. It was because of his tireless dedication to the community at large that myself, Senator John McCain, Senator Jeff Flake and other federal officials heard about the arbitrary action that U.S. Fish and Wildlife had taken. My office became immediately involved and helped facilitate a local public meeting with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, where more than 1,000 concerned residents voiced their vehement disapproval of this action. Thanks to Jim's vigilance, this action was reversed on June 16, 2016. Jim's leadership truly drives home the point that the beauty of Lake Havasu is not just in the serene landscape, but rather the community that encompasses it. Our 40th President of the United States Ronald Reagan summed it up best when he said that, ``The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.'' Jim's leadership perfectly embodies these words and is proof to everyone that sometimes all that is necessary is the voice of one principled individual. Thank Jim Salscheider for his leadership and dedication to the people of Lake Havasu. Congratulations.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a grandchild of legal immigrants to this country. We are debating whether or not to grant the greatest gift our Nation has to offer, permanent residency and citizenship. We must get our priorities straight. While we are here in the middle of a humanitarian crisis on the southern border, Democratic leadership is choosing to bring amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants to a vote. By choosing to ignore our current immigration laws, Democrats are effectively inviting the mass migration of illegal immigrants across our border States, including Arizona. If enacted, this would be the largest amnesty in U.S. history. It would do nothing to enforce our laws but, instead, reward lawbreakers. This legislation grants smugglers and gang members with green cards and a path to citizenship. It will simply serve to incentivize more migrants to come to the United States illegally. Congress should work with the administration in stopping the surge of illegal immigration, not incentivizing more caravans. My constituents have recently and repeatedly made it clear that Arizona's Fourth Congressional District does not support amnesty. This bill does not promise the American Dream but, rather, the perpetration of a crisis. This crisis is doing real harm to Arizona and all of America. I encourage my colleagues not to vote for H.R. 6, which would only serve to enable the humanitarian crisis on our southern border and does nothing to close loopholes or even enforce existing law. I find this legislation to be a disgrace. The American people deserve better. It is time this Congress started putting American citizens first. It came as a closed rule. That shows you that it is bad process and bad policy. As former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis is quoted: ``In a government of laws, existence of the government will be imperiled if it fails to observe the law scrupulously. . . . If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.'' Do I need to say anything else? I ask my colleagues to reject this legislation and vote ``no.''

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I rise not against this bill, but I have concerns about a provision capping the veterans' training benefits. This severely undermines the important goal of helping our Nation's veterans enter a field where they are desperately needed. H.R. 1947 does have needed improvements for structural veteran flight training benefits. This includes an accelerated payment provision to provide greater flexibility and a more efficient funding mechanism to help veterans complete their flight training. The bill also provides coverage for obtaining a private pilot's license when it is incorporated into the requirements of a professional flight training program. Additionally, this action provides flexibility to public schools, allowing them to contract for flight training, which, in turn, makes aviation training more available to interested veterans. There is improved fiscal responsibility by the government, and there is strong support for tightening the existing regulations of the Department of Veterans Affairs to curb abuses by a minority of flight schools affiliated with collegian degree programs. However, the bill caps payments for flight training programs, which unfairly impacts the ability of veterans to pursue well-paying jobs in the civilian aviation sector. Capping funds available for flight training degree programs virtually guarantees that veterans seeking to use their GI Bill benefits to enter the aviation industry will have insufficient funds to achieve their goals. They will either abandon their pursuit or be burdened with significant personal debt through either expenditure of personal funds or taking on severe student loans. This will harm veterans and limit their employment opportunities in the aviation industry. It is unfair and discriminatory to single out these funding caps for veterans seeking employment in aviation. These caps deprive them of the ability to pursue collegian flight training, a common path to a career as a commercial pilot. I hope this provision can be addressed prior to finding its way to the President. These jobs in aviation are in high demand, and our veterans are some of the most deserving and most needed.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.