Tim Holden

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on this bill.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3175) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Miami-Dade County certain federally owned land in Florida, and for other purposes.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I join the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Lucas from Oklahoma, in urging adoption of this resolution and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Childers).

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 95 recognizes the 100th anniversary of the first experimental forest established by the United States Department of Agriculture in Fort Valley, Arizona, and recognizes the importance of these living laboratories. Today there are 77 experimental forests and ranges within the National Forest System. Experimental forests and ranges are valuable and dynamic resources that serve as long-term research sites. As part of the U.S. Forest Services' research and development efforts, these experimental forests and ranges provide valuable data about various climates, forest types, vegetation, soils, ecosystems, glaciers and watersheds and other essential components of our Nation's vast natural terrain. I want to congratulate the United States Forest Service for their outstanding work to establish and maintain this nationwide network of experimental forests and ranges over the past 100 years and encourage my colleagues to support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on this resolution.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 95) recognizing the importance of the Department of Agriculture Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague from Kansas in urging adoption of the resolution.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve balance of my time.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I now recognize the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore) for 4 minutes.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the dean of the House. (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I recognize for 5 minutes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 317. This resolution recognizes the contribution that the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor makes to our Nation's livestock industry. Regional efforts like this encourage businesses to innovate and use best practices developed by the bioscience industry. Livestock is an important value-added industry that brings in millions of dollars of revenue nationwide. Ensuring that producers have access to cutting-edge products and information to improve animal health is essential to the continuing success of the livestock industry. Our entire Nation benefits from having the most competitive livestock industry worldwide. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 317 to recognize the Corridor's outstanding contribution to animal health. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on this resolution.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 317) recognizing the region from Manhattan, Kansas, to Columbia, Missouri, as the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, and for other purposes.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 2008-2009 Steelton-Highspire Steamrollers, from Steelton, PA in my congressional district. They completed an undefeated season with a victory over Clairton High School to become PIAA Single A State football champions. The Steamrollers certainly had a season to remember setting school records in wins, points, and games played. They established the longest winning streak in school history with 25 wins dating back to last year. The Rollers capped off the season by winning their fourth straight District 3 title and their second consecutive PIAA State Single A Championship. The Rollers were led by a group of seniors who will go down in Steelton-Highspire history as the most successful class in the great history of Steamroller football. In 4 years this group compiled a record of 51 wins and 9 losses winning the district title all 4 years and two state championships. The offense was led by senior tailback Jeremiah Young, who ran for 2,812 yards and 30 touchdowns on 283 carries. Mr. Young broke the State's all-time career rushing record and stands seventh all time in the Nation with 9,027 yards. I congratulate Steelton-Highspire High School and Coach Rob Deibler on a season to remember.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the gentleman for his leadership as well as the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) and the ranking member, Mr. Goodlatte, and Chairman Peterson. This is a pretty timely debate, Madam Speaker. I just came from a meeting with Deputy Secretary Conner about this very issue. The deputy secretary said that he would like to be helpful and Secretary Schaeffer would like to be helpful. They're just having difficulty struggling with the legal interpretation of what ``congressional intent'' was. So it's very important that we pass this legislation today by as strong a vote as possible. The deputy secretary promised to go back and look and see if there's a way they can interpret it for what I told him that was my understanding of what congressional intent was. I remember that evening in conference when the gentleman from North Carolina offered an amendment and a discussion came about. It was pretty clear to me, and I think everyone else in the room, that it was the intent of the conference to have this be in the aggregate. We're still having difficulty working with the department, as I mentioned. They just promised me 10 minutes ago to continue to work on it. But I think one way that we can send a clear message is to pass this bill tonight by as overwhelming a vote as we possibly can and send it over to the Senate.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell), the chairman of the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee. (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HOLDEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the farm bill and I rise to congratulate and commend the chairman and ranking member of the committee, and really all the members of the committee and the staff. I think this is a shining example of how this House should work its will. This bill is bipartisan. This bill has been worked together by both sides of the aisle as we traveled around the country and listened to what producers had to say and people concerned about conservation and every title of this bill as we put this together. This bill reflects the diversity that we have in agriculture all across this country. No one can say they got 100 percent of everything they wanted in this bill, but every region of the country has benefited from this legislation. As was spoken about previously in the commodity title, there has been significant reform in the commodity title. Could we have gone further? Maybe we could have, but we would have lost votes in other regions of the country. In the conservation title, there is an additional $4 billion in investment in conservation that will be beneficial all across the country. In my short time here, Mr. Speaker, the one point I would like to make is that throughout this whole day we have been hearing an awful lot of people talking about the need for the Congress to do more for energy independence. This bill reflects that with the energy title.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to control the time on behalf of Mr. Peterson.

Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to recognize the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge), the chairman of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, for 1 minute. (Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. I thank the chairman for yielding to me and I rise in support of the conference report. But I also rise to congratulate and commend our chairman and ranking member for a job well done. This is a bipartisan product. This committee, we very seldom have partisan disagreements, but we have regional differences, and this bill reflects those regional differences. It also reflects that all of us had to give, all of us had to compromise. Every title of this bill is a compromise that all of us worked together so that we can accomplish. In title I, we were able to maintain the safety net at the same time to have reform written into this law. Title II on conservation, an increase of $4 billion of investment in conservation programs. Everyone is talking about the price of energy in this country, and for the first time in an ag bill we have a significant investment in energy. We have a loan guarantee program for cellulosic ethanol that's going to allow us to begin to wean ourselves off dependency on foreign energy. And the nutrition title in this bill is over a $10 billion increase in investment in nutrition programs in the Department of Agriculture. This is a good bipartisan agreement, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. HOLDEN

Mr. HOLDEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, it appears that my friend from Michigan's motion is to instruct the House to recede to the Senate's definition of renewable biomass. The House conferees have receded to the Senate on their definition of renewable biomass. That definition of renewable biomass that is included in the farm bill applies only to farm bill programs. This definition does not apply to H.R. 6. The farm bill conferees report does not amend H.R. 6, that despite the fact that several members of the Agriculture Committee, including myself, are supporting efforts to amend the shortcomings we see in that bill. And I say to my friend from Michigan that I am going to have to oppose this motion to instruct at this time. And I agree with your position on this. But yet you know there are multijurisdictional concerns that have to be addressed with the Energy and Commerce Committee. And we are trying to work through all of these. The farm bill conference is all but done. Over the last few weeks, I have been saying we need to dot our I's and cross our T's. The I's are dotted and we are crossing our T's. So even though I agree that the argument that my friend is making on the problems of H.R. 6 are correct and on target, we cannot do it on this farm bill. The hour is too late. So I would oppose my good friend's amendment at this time. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLDEN. Again, the argument that my friend makes is credible. But at this time, we just cannot accept it. The conference is all but over. And I would oppose my friend's motion. I yield back the balance of my time.