Doc Hastings

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I urge the adoption of H.R. 2606, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2606) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the construction and operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in the Gateway National Recreation Area, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I'm pleased that this legislation is moving forward. I know this has been something that has been worked on by my friend and colleague from Washington for some time, and I'm glad we have finally gotten this far. And hopefully now that it's a clean bill that really deals with the safety of the Quileute Tribe, which is the important part and that's the reason for the bill, I hope it can move very fast through this House and obviously through the Senate. With that, I urge adoption of H.R. 1162, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I advise my friend I have no more requests for speakers if he is prepared to yield back.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1162) to provide the Quileute Indian Tribe Tsunami and Flood Protection, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in 2007, the State of North Carolina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the County of Currituck, and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund completed a Wild Horse Management Plan for the colonial Spanish Mustangs that live on the 7,544 acres of public and private lands in coastal North Carolina. This plan expires in April, and the Fish and Wildlife Service has indicated that they will not sign the 2012 plan. H.R. 306, authored by my friend and classmate Congressman Walter Jones from North Carolina, requires the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a new agreement within 180 days of enactment. It will also stabilize the number of horses to no more than 130, allow the introduction of a small number of Shackleford Banks horses to improve genetic diversity, and will ensure that the Corolla Wild Horse Fund will continue to pay for the costs of caring for and managing these horses. Mr. Speaker, these horses are living symbols of our colonial history. H.R. 306 ensures that they will survive in the future at no cost to our taxpayers. I want to thank my friend from North Carolina for his leadership on this matter, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 306) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement to provide for management of the free-roaming wild horses in and around the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, as amended.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I urge the passage of this important piece of legislation for North Carolina, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, Yucca Mountain is the repository for our nation's high level defense nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel under current law. This conference report does not change that fact. Regardless of the politically-based preferences of the Obama Administration, the Senate Majority Leader or the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, terminating Yucca Mountain would require Congress to amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Mr. Speaker, if it in fact were the position of Congress to support termination of Yucca Mountain, surely we would have acted to amend the law. Congress has not amended the Nuclear Waste Policy Act--or even considered terminating Yucca Mountain. Decades were spent studying potential locations for a national repository--and Yucca Mountain was determined to be the best solution. Congress designated Yucca Mountain in 1987 as the national repository and has voted to reaffirm that decision several times. There is no science-based or safety-based reason to abandon Yucca Mountain. Those who work on nuclear waste issues will undoubtedly note that this bill no longer contains explicit language adopted by the House that prohibits the use of funds to close Yucca Mountain. Explicit language like this, though, is not required as it continues to be illegal for the Department of Energy to terminate the project--and thus illegal for the Department to spend federal dollars for that purpose. The Department of Energy has funding leftover from previous years should it choose to comply with the law and continue the Yucca Mountain licensing process regardless of this bill. Mr. Speaker, the fact that the final bill clarifies that the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission cannot terminate any project without a majority vote of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should not be overlooked. Over a year ago, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board rejected the Department of Energy's motion to withdraw the Yucca license application. That ruling should have been finalized after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted sustain it with two-to-two tie vote with one Commissioner abstaining. The Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission refused to release the results of their vote on the matter for almost a year. Instead, the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has acted unilaterally to shut down the ongoing review of the Yucca Mountain application. This unprecedented, bureaucratic and orchestrated stall tactic has been questioned by Congress and former and current members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Unfortunately, in congressional hearings just this week we learned that this abuse of power is the rule--not the exception--when it comes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman. It extends well beyond the policy and safety issue of Yucca Mountain and instead, absent serious changes, it appears to be putting the entire mission of the NRC at risk. Mr. Speaker, I'm hopeful that Congress will continue vigorous oversight over the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and continue to take all actions possible to ensure that the federal government keeps its existing legal obligation to move forward with Yucca Mountain.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 278) to provide for the exchange of certain land located in the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. S. 278 will exchange approximately 5 acres of land between the Forest Service and the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District in Colorado. The District has operated two fire stations on Forest Service land since 1967 but has been unable to install septic services or make other improvements to the fire stations since it does not own the land. This bill would correct this issue by conveying the lands to the District in exchange for an inholding it currently owns within the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, at no cost to the Federal Government. The Committee on Natural Resources has already favorably reported the House version of this bill, H.R. 643, and if we pass this bill, the bill will go to the President's desk. With that, I urge adoption of the measure and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I just note to my friend from Colorado, he said that the bill passed the House last year and the Senate didn't act on it. I think it's very good strategy on his part to take the Senate bill. Now we, of course, have to perfect it, but we'll send it back and maybe this will be easier for them to act. I certainly hope so. With that, I urge passage of the bill. I advise my friend that I am prepared to yield back if he yields back.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I again urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2719) to ensure public access to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain in the Hanford Reach National Monument for educational, recreational, historical, scientific, cultural, and other purposes.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 443) to provide for the conveyance of certain property from the United States to the Maniilaq Association located in Kotzebue, Alaska, as amended.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 443 is sponsored by our colleague from Alaska (Mr. Young). The legislation directs the Indian Health Service to transfer three parcels of Federal land in Alaska to the Maniilaq Association. The association is a nonprofit entity that runs Federal Indian health services for Native people in northwest Alaska. The parcels of land subject to this legislation, which total about 15 acres, are currently the site of the existing Native health facility and of proposed long-term care facilities and employee housing. The subject lands have already been conveyed by the Secretary to the association through a quit claim deed. The Federal Indian health laws, however, under these laws, transferring a land through the use of a quit claim deed could present some obstacles for the future use of the land by the association. H.R. 443 addresses this problem by directing the Secretary to convey the property through the use of a warranty deed. This method provides clean title to the land. The administration testified in support of the land transfer, and we have heard no other objection to this bill. The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The chairman of that committee, Mr. Upton, has kindly forgone action on the bill in the interest of expediting its consideration on the House floor. I thank him for his cooperation and at this point would like to include in the Record an exchange of letters between our committees regarding this bill. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC, December 7, 2011. Hon. Doc Hastings, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Hastings: I am writing concerning H.R. 443, to provide for the conveyance of certain property from the United States to the Maniilaq Association located in Kotzebue, Alaska, which was ordered reported out of your Committee on October 5, 2011. I wanted to notify you that the Committee on Energy and Commerce will forgo action on H.R. 443 so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor for consideration. This is being done with the understanding that the Committee on Energy and Commerce is not waiving any of its jurisdiction, and the Committee will not in any way be prejudiced with respect to the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar legislation. I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 443, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during consideration of the bill on the House floor. Sincerely, Fred Upton, Chairman.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).