Paul Gosar

Mr. GOSAR

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

Mr. GOSAR. I yield to the gentleman from Michigan.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. I can't believe, Mr. Chairman, what I just heard. I just can't believe it. I hope that veterans who are watching C-SPAN today are listening carefully, listening very carefully about this amendment. The three divisions which it oversees, the veterans were left out, and we just want to make sure that our veterans are included in any study that CFPB would go forward with. That is sad. That is sad. When we talk about the Veterans Administration being so pristine, when we look at their healthcare system, it is 50 percent worse than it was a year ago. Many of the veterans that I have in rural Arizona are struggling to find anybody that will even hear from them. What a sad shame. What an absolute shame. So I actually would ask my colleagues to vote for this amendment. It is pretty straightforward. I think America gets it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer a commonsense amendment to H.R. 1737. This simple amendment ensures that any costs or potential impacts to any and all veteran-owned businesses are considered and included in the study required by this bill for any future auto financing guidance that may be put forth by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The three main categories that the SBA utilizes for set-aside government contracts are women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned businesses. The base bill requires a report that would include any cost or impacts associated with new guidance for minority-owned businesses and women-owned businesses. I think we should all agree that it only makes common sense, then, to also consider any costs or implications for our Nation's heroes and veteran-owned businesses that may arise from any future guidance being considered. Our servicemen and -women already face tough challenges finding work when they return from service. In recent years, veterans' unemployment numbers have been some of the highest in the country and, at times, have been in double digits. Earlier this year, post-9/11 veterans faced unemployment numbers north of 7.2 percent. We shouldn't let any potential future guidance from an already rogue agency created under Dodd-Frank exacerbate employment hurdles for our Nation's veterans. One week ago today, we celebrated Veterans Day and the patriotic service that so many men and women have given to this great Nation. We have asked these heroes to risk their lives for this country, and many of our veterans have answered that call time and time again, including multiple tours overseas. Most veterans return from service seeking not only to reintegrate and establish normal lives, but to continue serving their country by contributing to the workforce, finding jobs, and even creating jobs for others by starting small businesses. My amendment is a simple measure and will help ensure veteran-owned businesses are not harmed by any future auto financing guidance put forth by CFPB. Chairman Hensarling supports this amendment. I thank the chairman for his support and also for bringing forth this commonsense bill that rejects this misguided guidance. I also applaud the chairman and committee for everything they do to advocate for small businesses and job creators throughout the country. I ask that all my colleagues support our veterans and the businesses they own by voting in favor of my commonsense amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, once again, I ask all Members to vote for this. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Arizona makes my exact point. The discovery in the case of the State of Arizona v. TO prohibited the discovery of those minutes and tribal minutes in meetings from being allowed in the court. That is why the court said they had to find on behalf of TO, but they knew something was wrong. As cited earlier in my testimony, the Supreme Court ruled once again that Congress--and only Congress--has the jurisdiction over tribal treaties and tribal entities when they claim sovereign immunity. Once again, for 2014, the gentleman from Arizona mis-cites that. Last but not least, jobs have been utilized here, but they should not be utilized by criminal extortion and in violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. This has consequences far beyond that, not just for Arizona but across the country. When we passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, we expected good faith and to follow the proceedings and to not enhance criminal activity. Obviously, just by my citations in the record, it shows that there was a conspired, extortive extent to which the TO conspired to violate the compact that the voters of Arizona expected to be honored exactly.

Mr. GOSAR. I thank the chairman. Mr. Speaker, for several years, I have been actively involved in a troubling, off-reservation gaming issue in my home State of Arizona regarding the Tohono O'odham Nation. TO has been attempting to open a Las Vegas-style casino--more than 60 miles from its ancestral lands and reservation in Tucson and in another tribe's former reservation in the Phoenix metropolitan area--for the sole purpose of gaming. This comes after TO and 16 other Arizona tribes adopted a compact, approved by Arizona voters, which expressly promised there would be no additional casinos or gaming in the Phoenix metropolitan area until 2027. TO alone spent $1.8 million in urging Arizona voters to rely on this limitation. In exchange for this promise, the voters granted the tribes a statewide monopoly on gaming, and other tribes gave up significant rights. Shockingly, a few months after Arizona voters approved Proposition 202, TO finalized a multiyear effort to violate this compact and used a shell organization to purchase land in Glendale for a casino. TO's dismissal of their promise to build no additional casinos in Phoenix is not something that Congress can ignore when the result will be so harmful to what has been a national model. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call attention to critical evidence obtained from the litigation discovery in the State of Arizona v. Tohono O'odham Nation. Here are a few of the important quotations from tribal council meeting transcripts and minutes that were included in the underlying discovery: 5-18-01: VDI, a TO chartered and owned corporation, included in their meeting notes a description of a presentation delivered by Mark Curry, TO's lead negotiator in the gaming compact negotiations. The notes reflect ``107th Avenue-Stadium,'' ``gaming compact--unsure what will happen,'' ``put in a shell company--need to keep it quiet, especially when negotiations of compact are at stake.'' 6-26-01: VDI meeting with TO's San Lucy District Council. ``We are also looking at another project . . . based on discussions we had and continue to have about a casino on the west end of Phoenix, and part of that discussion that we've had was that--we didn't want to publicize that because of the confidentiality in terms of that issue . . . and that's how we're holding it--as confidential--because we don't want, you know, people to know we are seriously considering this, because, if you do, I'm sure that there's going to be a lot of resistance from, you know, the general public.'' 8-22-02: VDI meeting transcript discussing the West Phoenix casino project and whether Governor Hull's successor would also oppose additional Phoenix area casinos. The meeting transcript states: ``Max: Because, if that's going to be the position of the State, that they don't want any more casinos around the Phoenix area, then they're going to fight it, whoever the new Governor is, if he's going to go along--he or she go along with Jane Hull regarding taking a position. ``Jim: Which is why we really want to wait until the initiative passes before it gets out.'' 2-23-03: VDI meeting transcript discussing potential political problems with the proposal: ``Male voice: I just hope that . . . in terms of the political-- that's going be to coming--that some of the metro tribes over there don't come back and jump on us, too . . . ``Male voice: Might Gila River and Salt River indicate that it's a violation of Proposition 202--metropolitan area? ``Male voice: Well, that's what I said in terms of political impact, is that even--even those metro tribes, particularly those three that are right there, might--might say something.'' Shamefully, TO has falsely been claiming a victory in court. Let's be clear. TO won nothing in court. In fact, the U.S. District Court stated there was evidence that TO made false promises, but, unfortunately, TO's sovereign immunity barred the court from ruling on this case. In other words, the court ruled that the tribe cannot be sued in court because ``it can't be sued in court.'' Any ruling could not consider anything claimed under sovereignty by the tribe, i.e., the tribal minutes, notations in meetings. That is the fundamental reason that H.R. 308, the Keep the Promise Act, is necessary. Only Congress has the authority to hold TO accountable for their shameful, deceitful, and criminal actions. This was confirmed again by the Supreme Court in 2014 in the case of Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, when the Court stated that only Congress can act when a tribe raises sovereign immunity. TO acted immorally and covertly against its fellow tribes, the State, and the general public. We can't let TO get away with these horrific actions that violate a voter-approved compact and that could upend tribal gaming compacts throughout the Nation. Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 308.

Mr. GOSAR

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

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Chair, I rise today to offer a commonsense amendment to this transportation bill. My amendment is simple. If the intent of the Federal Permitting Improvement Council section of this bill is to actually improve the Federal permitting process, then the EPA, which is not a principal permitting or reviewing agency, should not be allowed an outsized vote to obstruct the expedited process for covered projects created by this legislation. The bill establishes a new council for the purpose of streamlining the Federal permitting process for projects of national importance. As currently constructed, the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, is given far too big a voice in this process--an EPA that is known for being the primary obstructionist for every significant infrastructure and economic development project in the United States. It is important to note that nothing in my amendment prevents the EPA from being invited to be a participating or cooperating agent and providing information throughout this process to the council. The council established by this bill will be composed of a minimum of 16 members, and it takes a vote by the majority of the members of the council in order for a covered project to be entitled to an expedited review. Currently, the bill allows the EPA too much influence in this process. This is wrong and will under mine goals of the rest of the council. In a memo regarding the Federal permitting process, the EPA itself stated: ``It is important to recognize the EPA is rarely, if ever, the principal permit or reviewing agency.'' It goes on further: ``EPA's role is most often one of providing input to processes managed by others. . . . In addition, where projects do require permits issued under Federal environmental laws, permitting decisions are typically made by States under delegated or authorized programs. EPA is not responsible for the day-to-day administration of delegated or authorized permitting programs.'' By the EPA's own admission, the agency is never the primary reviewing entity. It defies common sense that EPA would have a vote when other agencies and States that actually manage the permitting process don't. Intentional actions and shear incompetence from the EPA continue to impose Federal permitting delays and kill jobs throughout the country. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the EPA coordinated with special interest groups to veto a mine project in Alaska. Media reports have also documented ``close coordination between the EPA and environmental groups in drafting the controversial Clean Power Plan, which would mark the demise of coal-fired plants in the United States.'' My amendment is endorsed by Eagle Forum, Americans for Limited Government, Concerned Citizens for America, the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Arizona Small Business Association, the Bullhead Chamber of Commerce, the Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce, the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association, the New Mexico Federal Lands Council, and the Town of Fredonia. If the intent of this bill is to improve the Federal permitting process, then the EPA, which is not a principal permitting or reviewing agency, should not be allowed an outsized vote for critical projects that already have investments of $200 million or more. I fully support the intent of the council created by the bill and the committee's work in that regard. I believe the process utilized could create tens of thousands of jobs and significantly benefit our economy. Let's not let the EPA screw it up. I urge my colleagues to stand with job creators, ranchers, local chambers of commerce, small businesses, transportation officials, and countless other organizations and individuals throughout this country that are tired of the EPA's obstructionism, and support my amendment. You are either with them or you are with the EPA. Vote ``yes'' on my amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I would ask my colleagues to vote for this amendment in the fact that transparency doesn't hurt anybody. We need to look back at the process, and that should be for everybody--for the taxpayer, for the construction companies, for the States in which this is occurring. Transparency will show it all and leave nothing behind. It is great to implement this at the start of the process, not later on in the implementation. That is where common sense beleaguers me. Mr. Chairman, I ask everybody to vote for this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer a commonsense amendment to this transportation bill. This simple amendment requires the Federal Government to start keeping track of costs and time required for an environmental review undertaken for transportation projects in the new online database established by this bill. Last year GAO released a comprehensive audit of NEPA and found that there is currently no system in place for the Federal Government to track such information. It defies common sense that the Federal Government has no idea how long environmental reviews take or how much these reviews actually cost taxpayers and job creators. While scant information on this matter is available, GAO was able to identify that, within the Department of Energy, the average cost paid for a NEPA review was $6.6 million and that, shockingly, some environmental reviews cost nearly $90 million. In addition to the GAO report, a new report issued by the National Association of Environmental Professionals released just last week found that: It took agencies an average of 1,709 days to get from a notice of intent, the first step in preparing an EIS, to publication of a final EIS. That is 4 days longer than the previous record set in 2013 and up from fewer than 1,200 days in 2000. The report found that it takes the National Highway Administration 6\1/2\ years to complete an environmental study, 6\1/2\ years before we can start work on construction projects. But the Federal Government can't even verify or dispute that number because they don't even track that information. These unnecessary delays would make Buzz Lightyear from ``Toy Story'' blush. His time mantra, ``to infinity and beyond,'' is inappropriate for NEPA. NEPA studies should not be allowed to linger in perpetuity. Contractors and folks in the construction industry are sitting on the sidelines losing time and money. Some have reported waiting as long as 10 years on environmental studies before beginning work. The current system fails to provide certainty, and the current bureaucracy associated with this process is killing jobs. While the Federal Government doesn't seem to care to track this information, these reports confirm what exasperated contractors and frustrated taxpayers have known for years: the average time it takes to conduct an environmental review is growing. Each year more than a month is added to the average time it takes to complete these studies. My amendment will increase transparency for this process by requiring the Federal Government to start keeping track of the time, cost, and number of environmental studies conducted for transportation projects. This amendment is a responsible, commonsense step that a government accountable to the people should take to show proper stewardship of the public's dollar, time, and resources. If you support government accountability and transparency, you should support this amendment. I thank the chair and the ranking member for their tireless efforts to find a long-term transportation solution. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1937, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act. This commonsense legislation will streamline the permitting process and allow for better coordination amongst the relevant State and Federal agencies in order to foster economic growth, create jobs, and ensure a robust domestic supply of strategic and critical minerals. People have been digging in Arizona for precious metals for centuries. In the 1850s, nearly one in every four people in Arizona was a miner. Without a doubt, mining fueled the growth that makes Arizona the State it is today. In fact, it is part of the five Cs that built Arizona with copper. Today, the Arizona mining industry is alive. Minerals such as copper, coal, gold, uranium, lime, and potash are still mined throughout my district, but not at the levels they used to be. These projects employ hundreds of my constituents with high-paying jobs, jobs that pay over $50,000 to $60,000 a year, plus benefits. In rural Arizona, these types of jobs are few and far between. As I meet with companies that do business throughout my State, the message is clear: we could do better. The length, complexity, and uncertainty of the permitting process is stymieing development and discouraging investors from committing to U.S. mining. The folks on the ground tell me that because of regulatory excessive overreach by the Federal Government and the cumbersome permitting process, that it can take as long as 10 years. It is becoming a bad business decision to even attempt to get a new U.S. mine off the ground, despite a bountiful supply of domestic resources. We must correct this problem and prevent more American jobs from leaving America. Rare earth and other critical minerals have been discovered throughout rural Arizona, have been the main economic driver and provider of jobs for communities that otherwise probably wouldn't make it at all. The critical minerals produced in these areas are resources our country badly needs to meet the demand for production of everyday items like cell phones, computers, batteries, and cars. Let's lessen our dependency on importing critical minerals from countries like China and restore some sanity to our permitting and regulatory process so we can get American miners back to work. Imagine our slogan, ``Made in the USA with materials mined in the USA.'' Now, that is what this bill is all about. I applaud Mr. Amodei for his leadership on this critical issue and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1937.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my sincere congratulations to the Republic of China which recently celebrated its National Day and the anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, referred to as the ``Double Tenth'' for October 10th. Taiwan is a close ally and dear friend of the United States. We share critical and common values, values that include liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and equality, and over time, we have developed our friendship into trade agreements, tourism, national security agreements, and cultural and educational exchanges. Let me say today, from the halls of Washington, D.C., that the friendship between the United States and Taiwan is enduring and deep. Our bonds will continue to grow stronger and the world will be a better place because of it.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my support of this commonsense legislation. This bill empowers Native Americans to invest in their communities, their people, and their resources as they see fit without the heavy hand of Washington bureaucracy trying to insert itself between them and their own land. Under current policy, potential resource development on tribal lands face many obstacles that projects on private or State lands do not. Before entering into a lease agreement with energy developers on their own land, a tribe must first attempt to navigate the long, slow, and duplicative process of the Department of Interior's approval. This process can be fraught with litigation and delays that chase away potential investments and crush otherwise viable projects. The Native American Energy Act streamlines many of the duplicative Federal regulatory hurdles that prevent tribes or individuals from profitably developing energy resources on their land. This will provide tribes with greater control over how they best develop their own natural resources and allow them to do so in ways that will best benefit their communities, not a D.C. bureaucrat's ideology. Because of the commonsense and empowering reforms it contains, this bill has widespread support from the Indian tribes. It is odd that the only groups on record in opposition to this bill are the Obama administration and some Democratic members of the Natural Resources Committee. Why does the administration continue to insist that bureaucrats from their comfy leather chairs and marble offices in Washington, D.C., know more about how to manage Indian land than the tribes themselves? If Congress is actually serious about supporting tribal efforts to generate high-paying jobs and improving the everyday standard of living in American Indian communities, this bill is a real, concrete way to empower them to do so. I commend the chairman and the committee for their work on this bill. I strongly urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer a commonsense amendment that will protect American jobs and our economy by prohibiting Federal agencies from being forced to follow job-killing and unlawful draft guidance that sneakily seeks to implement Federal policies that pave the way for cap-and-trade-like mandates. Congress and the American people have repeatedly rejected cap-and- trade proposals pushed by this President and his Big Government allies. Knowing he can't lawfully enact a carbon dioxide tax plan, President Obama has chosen to circumvent Congress and is now seeking to address climate change by playing loose and getting creative with the Clean Air Act as well as through an unlawful guidance issued in December 2014. The underlying bill already prohibits Federal agencies from utilizing the social cost of carbon valuation. Furthermore, the social cost of carbon valuation was rejected four times by this very body last Congress. My simple, clarifying amendment adds to the Obama administration's revised draft guidance for greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change that were issued by the White House in December 2014 to the definition for social cost of carbon in the bill. This straightforward amendment is common sense, as this deeply flawed guidance instructs agencies to include a controversial measurement of the social cost of carbon into their analyses and is the Obama administration's latest tool for attempting to implement this terrible new model that has consistently been rejected by the House. Roger Martella, a self-described lifelong environmentalist and career environmental lawyer, testified at the May 2015 House Natural Resources Committee hearing on the revised guidance and the flaws associated with the social cost of carbon model, stating: The `` `social cost of carbon' estimates suffer from a number of significant flaws that should exclude them from the NEPA process. ``First, projected costs of carbon emissions can be manipulated by changing key parameters such as timeframes, discount rates, and other values that have no relation to a given project undergoing review. As a result, applying social cost of carbon estimates can be used to promote pre-determined policy preferences rather than provide for a fair and objective evaluation of a specific proposed federal action. ``Second, OMB and the other federal agencies developed the draft Social Cost of Carbon estimates without any known peer review or opportunity for public comment during the development process. This process is antithetical to NEPA's central premise that informed agency decision making must be based on transparency and open dialogue with the public. ``Third, OMB's draft Social Cost of Carbon estimates are based primarily on global rather than domestic costs and benefits. This is particularly problematic for NEPA reviews because the Courts have established that agencies cannot consider transnational impacts in NEPA reviews. ``Fourth, there is still considerable uncertainty in many of the assumptions and data elements used to create the draft Social Cost of Carbon estimates, such as the damage functions and modeled time horizons. In light of the lack of transparency in the OMB's process, these concerns over accuracy are particularly problematic.'' Mr. Martella's testimony was spot on. Congress, not Washington bureaucrats at the behest of the President, should dictate our country's climate change policy. These sweeping new changes that are seeking to be implemented by the White House did not go through the normal regulatory process, and there was no public comment. Furthermore, the Obama administration has refused to answer pivotal questions about this guidance and even failed to send a witness to a May 2015 hearing on this matter. While the Obama administration acknowledged the draft guidance is not legally enforceable, you best believe that Federal agencies that received the 31-page revised guidance will treat this document like it was signed into law by the President. Unfortunately, this administration just doesn't get it and continues to try to circumvent Congress to impose an extremist agenda that is not based on the best available science. Worse yet, the model utilized to predict the social cost of carbon can easily be manipulated to arrive at any desired outcome. The House has rejected the social cost of carbon numerous times. I ask all those to join me once again in rejecting this flawed proposal and protecting jobs right here in America. I commend the chairman and the committee for their efforts on this legislation and for recognizing that the NEPA process is in desperate need of reform. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GOSAR. I yield myself the balance of my time. The Earth's climate has been changing since the beginning of time, and that is something that we can all agree on. MIT researchers recently reported that there was a massive extinction some 252 million years ago that coincided with a massive buildup of carbon dioxide. While the cause of the massive buildup is unknown, it is safe to say that man did not exist and he still can't explain it. You can take all the carbon-producing applications, whether it be oil, coal, or volcanic action, and they still can't get the models to predict. So we are leading the blind with the blind. I ask for all Members to vote for this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Uzeyir Hajibeyli Memorial Day, celebrated on September 18, 2015. Uzeyir Hajibeyli was born in the City of Agjabadi in Azerbaijan on September 18, 1885. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani classical music, as well as the founder of the first opera, Leyli and Majnun (1908), and first operetta The Cloth Peddler (1913) in the Muslim world. Arshin Mal Alan (The Cloth Peddler), is a romantic and musical comedy that delves into a young couple's struggle to live a modern lifestyle in the presence of restricting customs through pure love and women's rights. In 1945, a cinematic version of the operetta was filmed in Azerbaijan and became an instant box office sensation. It remains today an important cultural touchstone across Eurasia, having been widely distributed in 86 languages and shown in 136 countries. Uzeyir Hajibeyli was influential in both cultural and historical contexts. Hajibeyli was responsible for a new genre of music which evolved from the culmination of traditional Azerbaijani music and European classical opera. He is recognized as a leader in fighting illiteracy throughout the nation. As not only a musician but as a teacher and journalist, he inspired a new cultural movement throughout the nation that transcended the country's borders. Further, Hajibeyli is responsible for composing the first national anthem of Azerbaijan. Uzeyir Hajibeyli played an active role in the creation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic founded in 1918. As today marks the 130th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli's birth, I am honored to recognize him today for his valuable contributions towards the world of music and to Azerbaijan.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the silver anniversary and 25 years of dedicated service of the Prescott Area Wildland Urban Interface Commission (PAWUIC). In 1989, Ed Hollenshead and Coy Jemmett of the Prescott National along with Prescott Fire Department's Ron Prince and Darrell Willis originally conceived the idea of an organization where community leaders were involved in combating issues in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). These conversations evolved into a task force known as the Interagency Fire and Emergency Management Group. A year later, The Prescott Area Wildland Urban Interface Commission was officially formed on September 7, 1990 when a memorandum of understanding was signed by PAWUIC, the City of Prescott, Yavapai County, Central Yavapai Fire District, Arizona State Land Deptarment and the Prescott National Forest. In 2001, Prescott was selected as one of seven communities in the United States to participate in the National Fire Protection Association's Firewise Communities program. This distinction resulted from Prescott having a strong, citizen-led commission on WUI issues. Today, there are approximately 30 Firewise certified communities in and around Prescott protecting more than 12,000 properties and representing more than half of all Firewise communities in the State of Arizona. I am proud to honor the Prescott Area Wildland Urban Interface Commission for their valuable contributions towards preventing dangerous wildfires and combating other wildland urban interface issues. At a time in our nation's history when catastrophic wildfires are devastating the West and have burned nearly 9 million acres this year alone, we must embrace commonsense and worthwhile efforts that encourage active forest management. As a native Arizonan, I am personally thankful for the hard work and dedication that this commission has set forth by empowering so many citizen volunteers.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of Western Water and American Food Security Act. The Obama administration has exacerbated drought conditions in the West by putting the demands of extremist special interest groups ahead of hard-working American families. For example, Federal regulations and environmental lawsuits have allowed for hundreds of billions of gallons of water to be diverted into the San Francisco Bay in order to protect a 3-inch fish. This has had a dramatic impact, killing thousands of jobs, harming our food supply, and leading to unemployement levels as high as 40 percent in some communities. H.R. 2898 is a balanced approach for combating drought conditions in the West. The bill protects private water rights and prohibits Federal takings. This legislation streamlines the Federal permitting process and will increase water storage capacity. American families are hurting in the West and need some relief. H.R. 2898 will help ensure a reliable water supply for our citizens and our Nation's ag producers. I urge adoption of this commonsense bill.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be withdrawn as a cosponsor of H.R. 2722.

Mr. GOSAR

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