H. Griffith

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I submit these remarks in honor of Volunteer Fire Chief M.L. ``Pug'' Wells, a devoted public servant to the people of Elliston and Montgomery County, who passed away unexpectedly on March 7, 2012. For nearly 55 years, Pug was a member of the Elliston Fire Department. He led as Chief for 48 of those years. Pug was a founding member of both the department in 1957 and of the New River Valley Swift Water Rescue and Recovery. Never tiring, Pug even found time to assist the Shawsville Rescue Squad. In a recent interview, Pug said his greatest enjoyment came from ``being able to help people.'' His selfless sacrifice is truly admirable. A committed family man, a noble community leader, and a friend of many, Pug will be greatly missed by his colleagues and those he served. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Mary Lee; his four children; his family; and his friends. Well known for his exceptional goodwill and dedication to the Montgomery community, I am honored to pay tribute to this man's many contributions. His legacy and influence will be long remembered in Montgomery County and throughout Southwest Virginia.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Absolutely. I would have to say we do a much better job here. It's almost like I can remember when I was much younger, liberals always said to conservatives, Well, you all act like the United States is the only country in the world, and we have to look at the whole world. Now the liberals are looking at it and saying, Well, the United States is the only country in the world. We have to only look at the United States and we don't look at the big picture. I think, inadvertently, even with good intentions, there are, in fact, greater pollution risks by us not using our energy than there are with us using our energy with the reasonable regulations that have been in place for some time. That being said, let's take a look at how that impacts on jobs. Not only do we get the pollution, but we don't get the jobs. We don't get the money. You talked about living within our means and so forth. Let's take a look at my district. AEP, American Electric Power, is the biggest power provider in my district. There are others. They have estimated, with new regulations, energy costs are going to go up 10 to 15 percent as they spend an additional $6 billion to $8 billion. Ten to 15 percent on hardworking American families is tough, but when you look at the job component, when you look at that job component, that means it's going to cost more in my district to make potato chips. It's going to cost more in my district to work the family farm. It's going to cost more in my district to make furniture. It's going to cost more in my district to make paper products, whiteboard. I just touched on the surface. Every single retail establishment, every single business has to use electricity; but when you raise the cost of manufacturing goods or using electricity to manufacture goods by 10 to 15 percent over the course of the next few years, you're making us less competitive in the world, and we lose more jobs and we have more people who are unemployed and more people who aren't able to go out and buy products, which then means more people lose their jobs because they're not selling those Fords down at the Ford place. They're not selling washing machines and TVs and all of the products that are out there. We lose even more jobs because of the failure to recognize that the regulations are killing our jobs, and our jobs are going elsewhere. I have to say, getting back to what I call the four Ds--drill, dig, discover, and deregulate--I'm not saying we don't look at all of the above. The President was in Florida. He said we only wanted to drill, drill, drill, and he was talking about algae. I'm not one of those people who's going to criticize the President for looking at algae. I think algae actually has a positive future, but it's a positive future that is probably 15 to 50 years away. We need energy now. We need affordable energy now. We need jobs now. To be looking at something, I think it's absolutely right. That's the ``discover'' part of those four Ds. We need to encourage discovery. But one of the ways to encourage discovery is to deregulate and let people make a product without having all kinds of regulations put on top of them. It's interesting how folks want to do all of these things, and then they come up with regulations and they find out that the new start-up companies oftentimes have difficulty creating the new alternative energies because they run into other regulations that prohibit them from going forward. So I think we need to make sure that we look at drill, dig, discovery, looking at those alternatives, finding more ways that we can be efficient and finding new alternative energies. Then let's not regulate our industries out of existence, which is where we're headed at this point. When you do that, we continue to lose jobs, we continue to have a flat economy. The unemployment situation has gotten better, but we're still in the neighborhood of 8 percent. I don't think that's anything to celebrate. I'm glad it's better, but I don't think it's something that you go out and go, woo hoo, we've solved our problems. I believe that we have not solved our problems at this point. We're working on it, and that's good. The economy in this country, because of our hardworking Americans, because they're innovative and because they work harder than anybody else, is not going to just roll over and die, but at the same time it could be doing so much better, and we need to maintain that we are the number one economic power in the world. The way to do that is to keep our jobs by keeping our energy and our energy sources and our energy costs at a reasonable level so that we can, in fact, compete with the low-wage countries of the world. We don't want the low wages, but to do so, to make sure that we can still compete, we have to keep our energy affordable.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. You said that Wall Street backed it, but I can guarantee you, Main Street didn't back it. Main Street had problems with it. I feel personal about this because as a young lawyer right out of law school, I took some risks. I had to go to the bank. The bank that I had been dealing with wouldn't work with me on buying a building. But one of my community banks stepped up to the plate, and they said, do you know what? We know that as long as you're alive, you'll pay this loan. Even if business isn't good, we count on you because we have known you since you were a kid, and we know exactly that you're going to be there, and you're going to do things. Without that money, I daresay that I wouldn't have had a successful law practice for 28 years. A lot of times people don't think of lawyers as businessmen, but if you're a sole practitioner like I was for many, many years, you've got to make the payroll, you've got to pay your loans, and you've got to do the things that you have got to do. Well, guess what's happening? That loan wouldn't have been made to me today. Another young man in a situation like I was in who wanted to go out and practice on his own and make his way in his hometown wouldn't be allowed to do that under the current regulatory scheme--and that's that job plus the jobs of all the people who I had working for me in that office as I went forward with my practice. So you're absolutely right in what you say. Further, I have to get back to your Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act. I have said for some time I wish I had introduced the bill. But I have said for some time that if we would put a freeze on new regulations and say to the American entrepreneur, the business people out there if you invest in the United States now, we will give you a window where you don't have to worry about any new regulations, we would turn this economy around like that, and we would see that unemployment rate not just drop by point one or point two, but we would see it drop down to your 6 percent that you've put in there, and I think we would even see it drop below that 6 percent if people knew that they could count on having, not no regulation, but reasonable regulations, and not have to worry about new regulations during this time of economic stress.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. And they know, and we talk about the money issue. You talked about that, and you're absolutely right. They know that if we create a regulatory environment that's conducive to creation of jobs--not no regulations, but conducive to creating jobs--that we end up with more jobs. If you end up with more jobs, you have more taxpayers. If you have more taxpayers, you have more taxes. And guess what. Just like in our households, if you have more money coming in, it's a whole lot easier to pay your bills going out. And so when we talk about living within our means, we can live within our means at a higher level if we just have the ability for the American entrepreneurial spirit and the American entrepreneur to go out and take the normal risks that are associated with any business enterprise and create the jobs, the jobs that over the last centuries we, as Americans, have worked hard to create, and in a mere 200 years created the greatest economic system, the greatest economic country ever seen on this planet. I have to say, it comes back, and you talked about Dodd-Frank and banks, community banks in particular, and I come from a very rural district compared to a lot of the others, and the community banks are the heart and soul of those communities; and yet they are afraid to lend money to people they know are going to stay there and fight to keep those jobs and to fight for their communities, but they are hesitant to lend the money because they don't know what the regulatory scheme is going to be. Not only do you have the entrepreneur who doesn't know, but the banker doesn't know, so he doesn't know if he can lend money even to that entrepreneur.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Thank you, Congressman Griffin, I do. I agreed with what you had to say and wholeheartedly support your concepts and where we need to be moving this country. Let me say to each and every one of you that the American worker is second to none in this world. When you look at our workers, they are the most innovative workers in the world, and they are the hardest workers in the world. Statistics, different reports continue to show us this point. We will never compete with the Chinese and other countries on wages; nor do we want to. But our advantage, Congressman Griffin, is that we have the ability to use our energy resources in a way that we can create jobs, and we can fight for American jobs by having affordable energy. That's our trump card. For some reason, those in the administration want to tie our hands behind our backs and not allow our businesses to use our trump card to keep jobs in the United States and bring jobs back, and that is that we have great energy resources in this country. The President was recently in Florida, and he mockingly described the Republican plan on energy and getting gas prices down. He said step one is drill, step two is drill, step three is drill. The President is just wrong. We have a true all-of-the-above policy. I like to describe it this way: it is drill. That's step one. Step two, dig. Step three, discover. Step four, deregulate. Let me explain a little bit. Drill is easy. We have vast untapped resources in oil, and we have huge resources in natural gas. If we're allowed to drill for natural gas and for oil, we can turn around a lot of the things that are happening in this country. Let's talk about gas prices because that affects jobs. Listen, some of this has to do with looking at the world market. If we signaled immediately that we were ready to start using our resources, the prices would come down because those people who are speculating that oil is not going to be available in the future and the not-so-distant future, but also even 2 or 3 years from now, would realize that the giant in the world of energy was finally awaked from its slumber and ready to go on the march for jobs. So I think it is important that we look at drilling. I don't think we should be mocking it. Dig. Obviously we have a lot of coal resources in this country. My district has a lot of coal. It also has natural gas. We are number one in the world in coal resources. Everybody else in the world is using the coal. We are the ones who refuse to use it. As I said before, we have our hands tied behind our backs. Ladies and gentlemen, I've got to tell you something. We need to have reasonable regulations, but we've got to untie our hands and be ready to use our coal. The Chinese are now buying our coal to use our coal to make the products, the goods that we used to make in this country. Guess what, a lot of times folks say we don't want to use coal because it has pollution and it creates problems; but a NASA study has shown us that if we have the Chinese using our coal to make the products we used to make, they get the money for those products, their people have the jobs. And guess what happens to the pollutants in the air? It takes roughly 10 days to get from the middle of the Gobi Desert to the eastern shore of my beloved Virginia. Just 10 days. We know that a significant portion of the mercury in our air is coming from foreign sources. Not our plants, but foreign sources.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. I thank you so much. I stuck around just because I wanted to hear more about your Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act. I think that is a great concept. I look forward to reading it. It is the way and the direction that we ought to be going, because I'm willing to bet that those regulations that have been approved are probably, if you looked at the inches of the regulations, it might only be one reg, but I would be willing to bet that this administration beats the Bush administration on inches of regulation by a mile. That being said, I have to also say that I go out and talk to not only the Rotary Clubs and other civic organizations, but I like talking to high school students, because what we do here in Washington will be a far greater impact on their lives than what we do on our own lives. It's our children. You indicated you have young children. I have an 11-year-old, a 6- year-old, and a 4-year-old, and I'm concerned about them. But the high school students get it. When I start talking about the regulations and I talk about what would you do if you were a factory that was faced with having to pay big fines because you couldn't comply--couldn't comply, not didn't want to--couldn't physically and timewise comply with an EPA regulation, what happens to those jobs? You know what they say? I don't have to teach them this. They already know it. Those jobs go somewhere else, usually to China.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, February 23, Virginia and our Nation lost a true hero. Sergeant T.J. Conrad was killed in action in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan in the rioting there. Sergeant Conrad, just 22 years old, was a husband, a father, a son, and a brother. Outgoing, determined, and a man of true grit, Sergeant Conrad truly personified the Army's old slogan, ``Be All You Can Be.'' Born in Newport News and raised in Roanoke County, Sergeant Conrad grew up attending Masons Cove Elementary School, Northside Middle School, and Northside High School. In high school, he was an outstanding wrestler. In his senior year, he helped lead his team to the Blue Ridge District titles for both the regular season and the tournament. Today, I wish to extend my prayers and our prayers and condolences to Sergeant Conrad's wife, Holly; his infant son, Bentley; his parents, his relatives, and his friends. His father has stated that he will always be remembered for his great sense of humor, his infectious smile, his kind heart, and his desire to brighten anyone's day. On behalf of a grateful Nation, we grieve the loss of our warrior brother, but we honor Sergeant Conrad for his courage, his sacrifice, and his selfless commitment to duty, honor, and country. He gave his all in service for the sake of our safety, our freedom, and our liberty.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I, along with Mr. Goodlatte, would like to honor Clyde W. Bowling, a devoted public servant to the people of Bluefield and Tazewell County, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Mr. Bowling was born on February 26, 1912. His family moved to Graham, now known as Bluefield, where he graduated from Graham High School in 1931. From 1933 to 1934, Mr. Bowling served as a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps, working at the Beltsville, Maryland, research center and in various forestry projects. Mr. Bowling is a proud veteran of World War II. During the War, he served with the Combat Engineers, 99th Division, and the 743rd Railroad Battalion building railroads in Germany and Belgium. His willingness to serve extended to the Tazewell County and Bluefield communities as well. Mr. Bowling served as the leader of Boy Scout Troop 144 for over 30 years. During this time he received several awards, including the Silver Beaver Award for distinguished service to young people. He was the Treasurer of the Town of Bluefield in 1962, a member of the Tazewell County Soil and Water Conservation Board in the 1960s, and held a position as a member of the Cumberland Plateau Planning District for 13 years. He worked closely with the Tazewell County Transportation Safety Commission for 40 years to increase highway safety and support improvements. He was actively involved with American Legion Post #122, the Masonic Lodge #122, the Graham High School Athletic Booster Club, the Bluefield Business and Professional Association, and was a charter member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9696. Mr. Bowling is also a longtime member of Virginia Avenue United Methodist Church. Through hard work and dedication, Mr. Bowling established the Mountain Dominion Resource Conservation and Development Area, RC & D. He served as chairman of this organization as well as the New River- Highlands RC & D. In addition, he served in all offices of the State Association of RC & D Councils, as second vice president of the Southeast Association of RC & D Councils, and was named to the Virginia State Association of RC & D Hall of Fame. He was also a member of Earth Team. Currently, Mr. Bowling resides in the Virginia Veterans Care Center next to the V.A. Hospital in Salem, VA. He is the oldest veteran in the Center. Mr. Bowling's contributions to the community are to be commended. He has impacted many lives throughout his 100 years. As a member of America's greatest generation, the young people of today have much to learn from his service and dedication. We are honored to pay tribute to this great man and this very special birthday. Happy Birthday, Mr. Bowling. Thank you for all that you have done for Southwest Virginia.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I submit these remarks in memory of Thora Jervey, a beloved matriarch of the Radford community in Southwest Virginia. Mrs. Jervey left us on January 31, 2012. Born in 1929, Thora spent much of her childhood in southern California. She graduated from Whittier College in 1951 and married her husband, Ed, the same year. Thora and Ed moved to Radford, VA, in 1961, where she quickly became an active member of the community. Thora founded ``The Lamplighters'' and led the campaign for a new library in Radford. Thora was also responsible for founding the Radford Clothing Bank in 1982. It now serves hundreds of needy individuals each year. She taught at Dublin Elementary School for 26 years, impacting countless students. Thora volunteered throughout the community, including helping to start Radford Elf Shelf, Books for Babies, the Radford-Fairlawn Daily Bread program, and a nationally recognized newspaper recycling effort. Thora was also an active member of the Radford Women's Club and Grove United Methodist Church. Despite being confined to a wheelchair for many years, she never let her disability get in the way. Until the time of her death, Thora continued as a member of the Radford Clothing Bank board and wrote a column for the Radford News Journal. Thora was an avid bridge player and loved to travel. Along with her husband Ed, Thora visited every continent, including Antarctica. Thora is survived by her husband of 60 years, Ed; three sons, David, Warren, and Tom; daughter-in-law, Jeanne Phillips Jervey; and three grandchildren, Katie, Brett, and Peyton. Those who knew her well are heard to talk of her generosity, kindness, and determination, which have made the City of Radford a better place to live. I am honored to pay tribute to this great woman's many contributions. Her legacy and influence will be long remembered in the Radford community.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I submit these remarks in memory of Chancellor David J. Prior, a devoted educator and gifted leader from Southwest Virginia. Chancellor Prior left us suddenly on February 2, 2012. At the time of his passing, Chancellor Prior was serving as the seventh chancellor of the University of Virginia's College at Wise. Chancellor Prior was born in Anniston, Ala. on December 13, 1943. He earned a number of degrees, including an A.B. in biology from Olivet College in Michigan, a master's in animal physiology and biochemistry from Central Michigan University, and a Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the University of Virginia in 1972. He was also a post-doctoral fellow in neurobiology at Princeton University from 1972 to 1973. He began his career in education at the University of Kentucky in 1973, where he eventually held dual full professorships in biological sciences and physiology and biophysics. In 1987, Chancellor Prior became chairman of the Department of Biology at Northern Arizona University and was later named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1992. He also served as dean of the graduate school of Northern Michigan University and as a provost in the University of Wisconsin system. He came to the College at Wise in 2005, and was inaugurated on April 11, 2006, as its seventh chancellor. Chancellor Prior was also a prolific researcher having been published numerous times. He is survived by his wife, Merry Lu; daughter, Andrea and her husband, Tom Martin; and son, Christopher and his wife, Sarah. During his time at the College at Wise, Chancellor Prior worked tirelessly to focus on the importance of education throughout Southwest Virginia. He also encouraged economic development in the region by promoting the College and a STEM initiative to encourage students to enter the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. While chancellor, he oversaw the construction of the Convocation Center and several buildings on campus, conducted a successful fundraising campaign, and increased student enrollment. He enjoyed interacting with students and impacted countless lives through his work as an educator and administrator. Chancellor Prior was a dreamer who allowed the College to achieve beyond what it could have imagined. The growth and successes of the University of Virginia's College at Wise in recent years will long serve as a reminder of his legacy. I am honored to pay tribute to this great man's many contributions. Chancellor Prior will be missed, but never forgotten.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Thank you very much. I appreciate these few minutes to speak. You know, I have been sitting here listening to everybody speak, and very, very good points have been made by so many of the speakers. And it does come down to a couple, simple things. It was a tough decision for the President, not because he didn't have the ability to make that decision, and not because he didn't have the ability and the materials to make that decision. As you know, in our hearing last week Congressman Lee Terry brought in stacks and stacks of studies that have been done on this pipeline. But I think of it in terms of my daughter, Abby, who's a sixth-grader back home. Abby doesn't like to do her homework. She would much rather be talking to her friends or watching TV. President Obama apparently doesn't like to do his homework either. He would much rather be speaking to friends that tell him how great he is or being on TV. The bottom line is the same: I have to tell Abby from time to time, Abby, go do your homework. Read your materials. The American people need to tell President Obama on Keystone pipeline, why can't you read the materials? It's all there for you. Quit making speeches about jobs and take action after you have done your homework. Do it and do it now, and bring us the jobs you keep talking about. Get off the telephone, get off the speaking circuit, and put your nose to the grindstone and get the job done.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I submit these remarks in memory of Dorothy ``Dot'' Hall Fowler Sheffey, a devoted wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and community leader from Southwest Virginia. Dot left us on January 9, 2012. Born on September 6, 1926, Dot was an active member of the Pulaski County community. Dot lived by the philosophy, ``You get out of anything what you put into it.'' This philosophy was evident through her service in a number of local groups and the awards she received. In 1984, she was named Pulaski County Woman of the year. She also received the Gerry Atkinson Community Service Award. Dot was involved with local Girl Scout and Cub Scout groups, the PTA, Band Boosters, the Fairlawn Fire Department, and was a longtime member of the Pulaski County Republican Women. She served as a member of the Radford University Advisory Board on Vocational Education, the Advisory Committee for Marketing Curriculum at New River Community College, the American Cancer Society, and the American Red Cross Board. Dot was also an election officer in Pulaski County and an active member of Mountain View United Methodist Church. Dot leaves behind her husband, Donald; daughter and son-in-law, Alice Fowler and Butch Buford; son and daughter-in-law, Dennis James and Eva Fowler; brother, Calvin Dexter Hall; sister, Ester Soper; sister-in- law, Thelma Hall; stepdaughters and their spouses, Rhonda and Phil Moser, and Sandra Kay and Brandon Clabes; stepson, Donald Keith Sheffey; as well as four grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and four step-grandchildren. Dot impacted the lives of many through her work in Pulaski County. She never wanted to be in the spotlight. Instead, she pushed others to become leaders in the community and was content to stay in the background. She had a positive attitude and was always there with words of encouragement or advice. I had the honor of knowing Dot for many years. I am honored to pay tribute to this great woman's many contributions. Her legacy and influence will be long remembered in Pulaski County and throughout Southwest Virginia.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I think that if Thomas Jefferson had just dropped back into this body, he would think he was Alice in Wonderland because when he wrote the wonderful ``Jefferson Manual of Parliamentary Procedure,'' he made it very clear that we had two bodies in this government, the Senate and the House; and each was to act independently one from the other in order to come up with what was right for the American people. We are now told today that we are supposed to except a compromise that the Senators compromised on and then left town to go home to celebrate their holiday. Ladies and gentlemen, I don't think that's appropriate. I think we should do what the system called for when our Founding Fathers put it together, that is, they do their business, we do our business, and we do what we think is right. We are trying to do what we think is right here today. This resolution includes many parts. One of those parts that I think is extremely important is the Boiler MACT part. It had 41 Democrat votes in this House. It has 13 Democrat cosponsors in the Senate. It is a very bipartisan and popular measure, and I hope we adopt the resolution.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Thank you, And I appreciate that. I'm not sure about phenom, but I'm very appreciative to be on the Energy and Commerce Committee. We have a lot of issues in my district. For those of you who are watching this who aren't familiar with my district, I represent southwest Virginia. It is a big energy-producing region of the State of Virginia. And in Virginia, we understand that we should use our own resources to create jobs. So I come here today for jobs to be created in the United States--not in Virginia directly, but in another part of this great Nation, because the issues are often the same. And for some reason, this administration is standing in the way of the creation of jobs in the energy industry. In Virginia, we have asked repeatedly to be able to drill off our coast in order to find oil and natural gas. We want to use our resources to create jobs. We started asking for this in Virginia back in 2004. At that time we had Democrat Governors, and they blocked our efforts to send this to the Federal Government. Later, having a change of heart, one of the Governors decided, as they were on their way out the door, that they would send the request forward. But to this date the President has not realized that we can create jobs. But our jobs, unlike the jobs in Nebraska and other parts of the United States affected by Keystone, they would be several years down the road. What we have here is the Nation's best shovel-ready project. In reality, it's ready to go. And while it's not American oil, it's Canadian oil. And one would have to believe that the Canadians don't care about their environment to be opposed to this pipeline. One would have to believe that the President of the United States would prefer to see the oil from Canada going to China. One would have to believe that the President of the United States would prefer for us to buy oil from other nations, like Venezuela and some of the Arab nations that don't care for us one iota, than to do this pipeline. One would have to believe that, for some reason, we want to be dependent, and this President wants us to be dependent on other nations who don't care for us, who don't appreciate our democratic, republican form of government, and who don't understand that jobs and the economy are a driving concern, something that we must pay attention to and that we must do it now. And here we have thousands of jobs, thousands of jobs. We've heard the number 20,000. Those are direct jobs. You can multiply that number out beyond and beyond. And they're being stopped. And if are you an energy producer and you see something that makes as much sense as the Keystone pipeline being stopped dead in its tracks because the President doesn't want to make a decision until next year, and maybe the next year after that, you have to believe that it's not worth investing here in the United States for energy concerns. I had a fellow came up to me recently back home. He said, Morgan, I want to tell you something. He showed me the article he'd found. He said, I've always invested in American energy. That's where I've always put my money. He said, But right now the situation is so uncertain--and this was before we knew the President was going to delay this very reasonable project, the Keystone pipeline. He said, I'm now investing in southern Africa with a consortium that has, I believe it was Australians, South Africans, and Brazilians working on a project in Mozambique. He said, I didn't want to do it, but I don't know what choice I have when you look at what is coming out of the administration, when they don't want us to invest in American energy. So, ladies and gentlemen, I have to tell you, I came here today--this does not directly affect my district, but it does affect my country, and I care deeply about my country. Our country needs jobs. We need affordable energy. Keystone pipeline helps us both have jobs and affordable energy. And that is why it's important for every person in the United States to understand that we must have the Keystone pipeline; and the sooner we start, the sooner those jobs occur, and the sooner we get more oil supply that's not from our adversaries in the world, the people who would like to see the United States torn down, but from our friend Canada, who understands that together we can build a more prosperous North America. Ladies and gentlemen, with that, I would like to thank the gentleman from Nebraska for yielding.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I hear my colleagues speaking about what will pass. Let me tell you that the Boiler MACT provisions of this bill would pass the Senate if only they were allowed to get a vote. Forty-one members of the Democrat Party voted for Boiler MACT in this House; 12 Members of the Senate of the Democrat Party are co- patrons of similar language in the Senate. The Boiler MACT provisions of this bill help hospitals deal with their increasing costs. It helps universities. It does help business, but it helps businesses large and small. The bill requires reasonable regulations, and it requires reasonable time in which to comply with those regulations. Currently, they're only allowed 3 years plus possibly a 4th if allowed by the EPA administrator. The bill will allow 5 years plus reasonable time. And when you're trying to change the way you've been doing things, sometimes you need a little more time to get things done than 3 years. It was interesting in committee, the EPA came in and was talking to us about projects they were trying to get done and money they'd left on the table. They couldn't get their projects done in 3 years. How do they expect American businesses to do so and provide jobs?

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I submit these remarks in memory of Officer Deriek Wayne Crouse, a loving father and husband and dedicated law enforcement officer. Officer Crouse was killed in the line of duty on Thursday, December 8, 2011. My deepest sympathies are with the family of Officer Crouse, the Virginia Tech Police Department, and the entire Hokie Nation. A 4-year veteran of the Virginia Tech Police Department, Officer Crouse was devoted to serving and protecting the students at Virginia Tech. This tragic event is a stark reminder of the many dangers law enforcement personnel face on a daily basis. He joined the Virginia Tech Police Department on October 27, 2007, and served in the patrol division. Officer Crouse received his law enforcement certification on February 12, 2008, from the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy. He was trained as a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer, General Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Defensive Tactics instructor and most recently completed training for Advance Law Enforcement Rapid Response and Mechanical and Ballistic Instructor. Since February 2011, Officer Crouse was a member of the Virginia Tech Police Emergency Response Team. In 2008, he also received an award for his commitment to the department's Driving Under the Influence efforts. Before joining the Virginia Tech Police Department, Officer Crouse worked at the New River Valley Jail and the Montgomery County Sheriffs Department. He was a proud veteran of the United States Army. Officer Crouse, formerly of Galax, resided in Christiansburg, VA. He is survived by his wife, Tina Akers Crouse; son, Dustin Crouse; stepchildren, Logan and Hayden Schack, and Tyler and Peyton Robinette; parents, Tony Crouse and Bonita Arnold; and brothers, Darris Upchurch and Kevin Crouse. I am honored to pay tribute to this great man. Officer Crouse will be long remembered throughout the Virginia Tech and law enforcement communities. My continued prayers are with his family as they grieve this tragic loss. Southwest Virginia has truly lost one of its finest.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. I ask everyone here and across the Nation to pray for those individuals at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, who are currently dealing with the shootings that took place there today and the two people who, regrettably, have passed away.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I submit these remarks in memory of Dr. Charles Grindstaff, a great man, devoted educator, and public servant from Southwest Virginia. Dr. Grindstaff left us on December 2, 2011. Born on September 3, 1947, in Bluefield, W. Va., Dr. Grindstaff was raised in the small town of Bishop, Va. He later earned degrees from Tazewell High School, East Tennessee State University, Radford University, and NOVA University. After God and family, Dr. Grindstaff's passion was education. Since 1969, Dr. Grindstaff--often known simply as ``Dr. G''--served students as a teacher, administrator, and professor in Tazewell County Public Schools, Horry County, SC Schools, and at Concord University in Athens, W. Va. For over 15 years, Dr. Grindstaff also served the Town of Tazewell as a councilman and as mayor until the time of his death. He was an avid sportsman, enjoyed performing in local theatre, and sharing his musical talents. Dr. Grindstaff leaves behind his wife Suzanne, daughters Heather and Christina, and his son Andy, as well as three grandchildren. Dr. Grindstaff, through both his work in the classroom and local government, impacted countless lives. He was also my District Director Michelle Bostic Jenkins' principal at Jewell Ridge Elementary and taught with her mother for several years. After a flood on the Clinch River destroyed many of their belongings, Dr. Grindstaff was there willing to help. He was well known for his exceptional goodwill and dedication to the Tazewell community. I am honored to pay tribute to this great man's many contributions. His legacy and influence will be long remembered in Tazewell and throughout Southwest Virginia. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Ladies and gentlemen of the House, I rise today, as we approach Veterans Day, to honor Corporal Joshua ``J.B.'' Kerns. Corporal Kerns, from Ararat, Virginia, in Patrick County, served in the United States Marine Corps in the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 3rd Platoon. And one day in Afghanistan he, unfortunately, was hit with an IED explosion. This brave young man lost both legs and one arm. One of the volunteers who worked with him as he recovered, Bert Caswell, working with Wounded Warriors, wrote a poem on his behalf, which I will put into the Record, but I would like to read just a small piece of it. It's entitled ``What I've Learned.'' ``And yet, you're only 21. But from you, Joshua, so much more I've learned, more than all my years under the sun! And that as long as we have such sons like you, and such families too, then our Nation will stand, yes, that old Red, White and Blue. And in our future, there's even more to learn from you!'' Thank you, Joshua ``J.B.'' Kerns, and all of our soldiers who serve our Nation. What I've Learned (By Bert Caswell)

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 816 I intended to vote ``yea.'' However, my return to the Chamber from a funeral that I was attending was delayed by an unexpected traffic problem.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Ladies and gentlemen of the House, I rise today with concern, concern about an incident that occurred at the United States penitentiary in Lee County, Virginia, in the Ninth District. This incident occurred Friday night, and the only good news is no one was killed. Aaron Delph, an officer there, was assaulted by an inmate who was carrying a shiv. He was able, in the conflict, to kick off a phone which sent out a silent alarm. He was responded to. That alarm was responded to by Shawn Jones, who was also injured in the assault. Both of these men behaved properly and acted bravely. What did they have to defend themselves with? Nothing, absolutely nothing, because our regulations and rules do not allow them to have pepper spray or a telescoping wand, baton, to defend themselves with. H.R. 1175, introduced by Congressman Cardoza, would at least get us a pilot project which would allow us to take care of this program. I ask that we pass this.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. I yield to the gentlelady from Maryland.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Madam Chair, H.R. 2250 will reduce regulatory burdens for job creators and extend the timeframe for the EPA to issue its rules for boilers and incinerators. Considering that EPA is currently pursuing an aggressive regulatory regime in these areas, and doing so within its existing budget, additional funding should not be needed to provide the regulatory relief provided in this bill. While the CBO's rules may require it to score legislation in a vacuum, in the real world there is no reason taxpayers should be forced to hand over more money when asking an agency merely to do its job. Any cost of commonsense regulations in this area, as our legislation proposes, can certainly be covered by the agency's existing budget-- that has increased greatly over the last several years. And that budget is funding its current regulatory efforts. No new funding is authorized by the legislation, so Madam Chair, I do not believe any new funding is necessary. Accordingly, I would urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. I move to strike the last word.