Martin Heinrich

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. You know, I think this whole issue of research and development is absolutely critical, because we have fallen behind the entire world in things that we were at the very front edge of just a few years ago. We can do so much better. And when you look around at the American innovation in New York, in New Mexico, in Virginia and Colorado, there is no more innovative people in the world than the American entrepreneur. You know, I was lucky to have the majority leader visit my district last year, so I took him out to Sandia National Labs, one of the places involved in basic research and development, that is rebuilding our energy economy and pushing us forward to the leadership position in the world that we deserve. One of the things that we looked at Sandia National Labs was actually a process where they take solar energy and a carbon dioxide feedstock, what is currently a problem, it is pollution, it is warming our planet, and utilize that to make liquid fuels, high-density energy fuels that can then be used as an energy storage medium, just like the advanced batteries you were talking about. There are people doing research today on a much more efficient method of hydrolysis that would then utilize hydrogen as the output, basically do in the energy field what trees do every day, take sunlight and then store that as energy in a way that you can use. Take sunlight, and then store that as energy in a way that you can use. And if any country in the world should be leading these efforts, it's the United States. And it's time for us to take back our rightful position, leading the world on the future of clean jobs. But we can only do that through changes in policy. If we sit back and watch as the battery research moves to Korea and Japan and other places, we will be buying the advanced vehicles from those countries. And instead, we need to be supporting the advance battery research that's being done in places like New York. In my own home district we were doing research on batteries at Sandia National Laboratories to make sure that we do a better job increasing the density and the safety of these things. So, this is a huge opportunity for us. As you said, it's a job creator. And the cost, the opportunity cost of not acting, really hits us in the West, I think, probably more than anyplace except for maybe where you have a coast line. We are reliant for our economy on water, on the water that falls as snow pack, just like it does in your district in Colorado, Congressman Polis, and that water flows down hills and it runs our farms and it runs our factories. It keeps our rivers alive. And yet we have seen a dramatic decrease in the amount of snow pack that actually reaches places like Albuquerque because it's evaporating earlier, you know, temperatures are rising. The Tehemas Mountains in New Mexico have seen something like a seven-plus degree Fahrenheit swing in temperatures over time. That's impacting forest fires. It's less water for all of us to use for economic activity. And so the cost of not doing anything, of not implementing this bill, which is basically an Apollo project for energy independence and jobs in this country, is so much greater than the cost of acting.

Mr. HEINRICH. I believe that doesn't happen on the floor of the House of Representatives very often.

Mr. HEINRICH. I couldn't agree more. I have to say, as someone who got my degree in mechanical engineering back in the mid-nineties, I actually participated in a solar car team, just a group of college students that got together in the early nineties, built a carbon fiber lightweight solar-powered vehicle that we raced across the United States against teams from Stanford and Michigan and other colleges around the country. I always thought to myself, if we could do that in 1993, 15 years ago, a bunch of college students who didn't even have our degrees yet, then think of the potential that we have today with the technology and the real support of policymakers like yourself. I think the opportunities for science and for business are absolutely endless.

Mr. HEINRICH. I believe that's absolutely the case. In fact, what we've seen is even in the midst of this recession, the good news on our horizon has been these quality high-tech jobs in the renewable energy sector.

Mr. HEINRICH. I want to thank my friend from Colorado. Madam Speaker, we formed the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition in the 111th Congress because we believe in America's promise to become the global leader in energy and environmental strategies of the 21st century. Leadership and innovation is the hallmark of American success. In 1961 when President John F. Kennedy said that our country would lead the world by landing an American on the Moon, within 8 years his goal was achieved with the Apollo project. Today that same innovation is present in our emerging clean energy economy. Madam Speaker, the opportunity for America to create thousands of clean energy jobs that will build our 21st century economy cannot be understated. Evidence of that clean energy job growth, a key component of our local economic recovery, is already visible on the ground in communities like New Mexico's First Congressional District, which I represent. Part of this clean energy cluster growth is a result of the vast natural resources that New Mexico has to share. We are second in the Nation in solar energy capacity and 12th in the Nation for wind energy production potential, but we also have invested heavily in our human capital. One example of this success is the work being done in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories, which has been at the center of multiple renewable energy advancements across our country, including the creation of a high-performing biofuel that can be used in military aircraft. With Sandia's help, thousands of jobs in new energy fields have been created in our community by companies like Advent Solar and EMCORE, which makes concentrated solar photovoltaics. Just a month ago I participated in the grand opening of a $100 million Schott Solar manufacturing plant in Albuquerque, which is on track to eventually employ 1,400 people. On the west side of the First Congressional District, Solar Array Ventures is building a factory that will employ 1,000 people; and in the rural east side of our congressional district, hundreds of people have been at work with good- paying jobs on the near complete 100-megawatt High Lonesome Mesa wind project. Madam Speaker, these jobs are part of a thriving clean energy cluster that is leading our community towards economic recovery. I'm proud to report that Albuquerque's clean energy job growth recently earned us a second-place national ranking in Kiplinger's 2009 list. Albuquerque was recognized for leading the Nation in key job growth areas of tomorrow. The potential to create these kinds of clean energy jobs across our Nation cannot be denied, and I am proud that the 111th Congress has already started investing in our clean energy future. In the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we invested more than $60 billion to help jump-start the clean energy jobs of tomorrow. These investments include building transmission lines to carry solar and wind to communities in need, improving battery technology, training a new clean energy workforce, and increasing energy efficiency to help our country use less energy while we strengthen our economy. I'm proud to have sponsored the Clean Energy Promotion Act, a bill that will expedite the review of wind and solar energy projects on our public Bureau of Land Management lands. I also cosponsored the national renewable energy standard legislation that is included in the current legislation to increase our country's generation of energy from renewable sources. Madam Speaker, in New Mexico's First Congressional District and across the country, we are at a crossroads. We can either cede leadership and clean energy innovation to nations like Germany, which has the highest solar generation of any country in the world even though it only has the same average solar exposure as the State of Alaska; or we can jump-start the American clean energy industry, spurred by the same spirit of innovation that put us on the Moon, to put Americans to work in clean energy careers, building solar panels and wind turbines. Let's choose the path of innovation, the path that has led to American success throughout our history. Now is the time to take bold action on our energy policy.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Speaker, we are at a tipping point in our country's energy policy debate. Today, Americans are realizing the potential jobs that are at stake in our country's energy policy. In New Mexico's First Congressional District, Schott Solar is on track to employ 1,400 people in Albuquerque; Solar Array Ventures, another 1,000 people; hundreds have already helped build the 100- megawatt High Lonesome Mesa wind energy project; and Sandia National Laboratories continues to partner with multiple clean energy startups. These clean energy jobs earned Albuquerque a second-place ranking in Kiplinger magazine's 2009 listing of cities leading the country in key job growth areas, the kinds of jobs that are leading America toward economic recovery. Mr. Speaker, to realize the promise of a clean energy economy, to leave a healthy environment to our children, and to end our dangerous dependency on foreign oil, I urge Congress to take bold, decisive action on America's energy policy.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Clean Energy Promotion Act. This bill will help create thousands of clean energy jobs across America and help end our dependence on foreign oil. Today some 200 solar energy projects, 25 wind energy projects and 200 wind energy production test sites are on hold because the Bureau of Land Management doesn't have the resources to evaluate their applications. Madam Speaker, bureaucratic bottlenecks should not stand in the way of thousands of clean energy jobs. My bill will help eliminate these bottlenecks by creating a dedicated funding stream so that the BLM can remove the current backlog in applications and facilitate future projects. This is a long-term, commonsense investment in America's energy leadership. Not only will we jump-start clean energy job creation today, we'll also be laying the foundation for America's clean energy prosperity tomorrow. I urge your support.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill bestowing a collective Congressional Gold Medal to our soldiers involved in the World War II battles of Bataan, Corregidor, and Luzon. This bill is particularly important to my State because nearly 2,000 New Mexican soldiers were captured as prisoners of war and subjected to the Bataan Death March of 1942. More New Mexico families per capita were directly affected by this than any other State. American POWs were forced to endure a tortuous 65-mile, 5-day march in tropical heat, without food or water, followed by 3 years of brutal imprisonment. In the end, one-third of Bataan's 12,000 defenders never returned home. We must never forget the courage that these veterans demonstrated before any more of our heroes of Bataan, Corregidor, or Luzon pass on. I urge my colleagues to honor them with the Congressional Gold Medal that they have more than earned.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. I rise today to introduce the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act, or the HEARTH Act. Homeownership is a fundamental element to the American dream, yet Native American homeownership rates are half that of the general population, and too often the Federal Government has been the stumbling block. Purchasing a home is no easy process for any of us; but for many Native American families trying to buy a house on tribal land, they must also get lease approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the land that the house sits on. This process can take between 6 months and 2 years, resulting in an intolerable delay for finalizing a home sale. This bill would eliminate this requirement and allow tribal governments to approve trust land leases directly, giving more Native American families the chance to own their own home. I urge your support.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to introduce the Veterans Communication Improvement Act. This bill will provide for a smoother transition for servicemembers moving to veteran status, and it will help facilitate the communication between all veterans and veterans' services. Currently, when a servicemember concludes his service to our country, he fills out a form known as the DD-214. This form is essentially a compilation of a member's time in the military. It includes awards and medals and other pertinent service information such as promotions, combat service or service overseas. The DD-214 also contains information needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment, and membership in veterans' organizations, which makes it one of the most important documents in the military. As to be expected, the DD-214 contains the current physical address and phone number of the veteran, but there is no place on the form for a veteran to include his or her e-mail as the best way to be contacted. Far too often, however, when servicemembers return home from active duty or if a veteran has simply moved to a new home, they lose contact with the Department of Veterans Affairs. This bill will enable one more avenue of communication, an e-mail address, to be included on each servicemember's DD-214 form. For many veterans, particularly for our youngest veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a personal e-mail address is the most common and efficient way to communicate with them. In utilizing modern e-mail technology, this legislation will make great strides in expediting the delivery of benefits that our country's veterans unquestionably deserve. These brave Americans and their families have made immeasurable sacrifices to our Nation's well-being. I am honored to sponsor this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. I would yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. HEINRICH. I would close by saying that in New Mexico and across this country we have an enormous problem with obesity. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Thank you to Chairman Miller and Representative Chandler for championing this legislation. Mr. Chair, this amendment that I offer today provides a downpayment on our children's health and education. The bill itself is a forward- thinking investment in our children that will create clean energy jobs and turn our schools into high-performing, energy-efficient learning environments. My amendment would strengthen this long-term investment by including the installation of environmentally friendly physical education facilities, recreational structures, and equipment for our children. Modernized schools using the most state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly building methods and materials will put our children in the best position to compete in a 21st century economy. Research shows that recreational structures are critical to our children's educational environment. Many studies show that a child's ability to spend time in physical activity contributes significantly to their development, creativity and, most importantly, their ability to focus on academics when back in the classroom. By exerting energy outside the classroom, students have better attention spans inside the classroom. Physical activity is an increasingly important issue in my home State of New Mexico, where 22 percent of New Mexico children between the ages of 2 and 5 and 23 percent of high school students are overweight. Parent and teacher organizations across the country recognize the link between recreational opportunities, education, and their students' health. But often, due to budget constraints, parents find themselves having to fundraise for this kind of permanent physical education and recreation equipment and facilities on their own. How many of my colleagues here today have had to bake rice crispy treats for a bake sale or even pass the hat at a PTA meeting to raise the money for fitness activities for their own kids? Why do we do this? Because we want our kids to play soccer and basketball; we want them to play on swings and run on the track; and we want our kids to learn how to play fair and how to win and lose with grace and dignity. We do this because we want our kids to be healthy and happy and successful. With my amendment today, this will be easier to achieve for our children. We also know the impact that recreational opportunities have on reducing classroom discipline problems, increasing teacher job satisfaction, and increasing students' engagement in learning. Permanent physical educational and recreational structures not only add to children's education, but also contribute greatly to their surrounding communities. For many neighborhoods, school playgrounds are the only nearby recreational areas where children are able to engage in physical activity. My amendment would allow this grant money to fund the installation of permanent recreational structures for schools and physical educational programs that are made from post-consumer waste materials. This funding would be utilized to upgrade and install recreational equipment, such as surfaces used for track, basketball, tennis, soccer, and general physical educational activities. Many American companies have achieved the creation of permanent recreational equipment using recycled plastics and rubber rather than wood and metal. In New Mexico, companies install structures today that transform tens of thousands of recycled milk containers into highly durable plastic lumber. This is just one example of the kind of clean energy jobs that would result from this amendment. Mr. Chair, I strongly believe that this amendment is good for our schools and good for our economy and, most importantly, good for our children. I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Thank you, Chairman Rahall, for championing this legislation. I support the FLAME Act because it's critical to protecting the public safety of New Mexico's First Congressional District. The forest fire season has begun earlier than ever in various areas of the Cibola National Forest in my congressional district, and specifically in the Mountainair Ranger District, where last year we saw the Trigo fire burn 14,000 acres over a period of a month. As you can imagine, being prepared for this year's fire season is a top priority for us. The focus of this legislation is clearly the creation of a Catastrophic Wildfire Fund. But the bill also calls for a cohesive wildland fire management strategy. The amendment that I'm offering simply ensures that this strategy includes an assessment of the impacts of climate change on the frequency and severity of wildland fires. Such an assessment is critical to our understanding of how the dynamics of fire seasons are dramatically affected due to changes in weather and temperature. Our forests are already experiencing climate change as we speak. I can see the effect on the forest when I hike through the Sandia Wilderness in my district. One of the primary consequences of these changes is the substantial increase in the forests' vulnerability to fire. To put it simply, snow pack in our mountains is melting earlier in the season and at a much faster rate, resulting in dryer conditions earlier in the fire season on. This requires land managers to be prepared for fires much earlier than they have before, placing even more demands on the firefighters who make up our first line of defense. In addition, warmer temperatures earlier in the year have allowed for more generations of insects like bark beetles to reproduce each summer. We've had serious bark beetle outbreaks in our Pinon and Ponderosa forests--and the damage that they do to trees contributes to significant deadwood on the forest floor, creating even more fuel for wildland fires. Firefighters tell us that the conditions resulting from the bark beetle's impact create a different kind of fire--one that is more intense, more persistent, and more resistant to the tools that they have used to against them in the past. This is why we must understand these trends resulting from our changing climate and the impact that they have on forest fire behavior. Moreover, forest fires have a compounding effect on climate change. Catastrophic forest fires release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the carbon cycle can naturally process, which exacerbates the warming cycle and makes forests more vulnerable to fire. Recognizing these changing conditions and being prepared to address them is essential to the safety of our firefighters and the communities that they risk their lives to protect. I strongly believe that my amendment will help every community threatened by wildfire to be better prepared for the fires that we will face in coming years. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment made in order under the rule.

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall).

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

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of the FLAME Act, an absolutely critical strategy for fighting the catastrophic forest fires that face communities across the western United States, particularly in communities in New Mexico that I have seen impacted directly by these fires in recent years. In New Mexico's First Congressional District, both the Sandia and Mountainair Ranger Districts of the Cibola National Forest tower over the valley where most of my residents live. Both are afflicted with severe drought conditions that have contributed to a dangerous tinderbox effect in these forests. As a result of climate change, the Mountainair Ranger District has gone into fire restrictions earlier than ever before. Still, much of the funding to fight these fires has been reappropriated on an ad hoc basis from Federal land agency budgets. For those agencies, that has often meant cutting funding for employees, for scientific research, and education--the very kinds of things that help prevent forest fires in the first place. The FLAME Act will create a critical Federal fund specifically to fight catastrophic wildfires, keep our communities safe, and ensure the safety of our firefighters who risk their lives to protect us every fire season. I would urge all my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Speaker, I certainly stand in strong support of this legislation because of its importance to the New Mexico families that I represent. The Rio Grande has been the lifeblood of our community in New Mexico for thousands of years, and for the Pueblo of Sandia, this bill will certainly make possible much needed investments in their water infrastructure and vital agricultural irrigation systems. Further south along the Rio Grande, this bill will clarify ownership of Tingley Beach in Albuquerque, a historical gathering spot that has been revitalized into a popular zoo, a biopark, an aquarium, and numerous fishing ponds open to the public. From east to west, this bill will reauthorize the Route 66 Corridor program, which is essential to preserving the historical character and vibrancy of our beloved Central Avenue in Albuquerque. These improvements, along with protecting the incredible piece of New Mexico that is the Sabinoso Wilderness, will protect critical resources for New Mexican families. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of making 2009 the Year of the Military Family. It is an honor to support this measure and to express my heartfelt appreciation, and that of our entire congressional district, for the families of our men and women who serve in the military. For so many New Mexican families, military service has been in our blood for generations. Our state has often had the highest rate of military volunteerism in the country and the 1st congressional district is home to countless veterans, not to mention the large number of proud service members stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base. Yet we know all too well that with each individual who generously gives their service to their country through our military, there is a significant impact on those closest to them. Each time a service member leaves home, they leave behind caring husbands and wives, loving sons and daughters, worried parents and whole communities that remain concerned for their safety. There is no question that these affected families are also serving our country--by courageously enduring long separations from loved ones and the demands of deployments abroad. So today, I proudly honor the commitment, sacrifice, courage and steadfast support that have been provided by our country's military families, allowing our service members to serve and I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Speaker, as a New Mexican, I rise today in strong support of this public lands package. This bill represents years of work by local citizens, sportsmen, and conservationists from around the Nation. I know this firsthand. For years before I was elected to this body, I worked with sportsmen and conservationists to add the Sabinoso Wilderness to the National Wilderness Preservation System. It was 3 years ago this month that then-Congressman and now Senator Tom Udall, myself and the staff of the New Mexico BLM office spent a long day exploring this beautiful and rugged area on horseback. The Sabinoso is a stunning piece of New Mexico, characterized by high mesas, deep canyons and abundant wildlife. In New Mexico alone, this package will designate the Sabinoso Wilderness, protect one of the most unique and beautiful cave systems in the world and protect an area rich with dinosaur tracks. In addition, it authorizes critical investments in water infrastructure and efficiency for the pueblos of the Rio Grande Valley.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of Staff Sergeant Daniel Tallouzi of New Mexico's First Congressional District. Staff Sergeant Tallouzi was a vibrant young Son of Albuquerque and a graduate of Valley High School. He loved to make his family laugh and followed in the honorable footsteps of his three uncles and older brother, Christopher, to serve in the United States military. Daniel Tallouzi served in the rank of staff sergeant at the young age of 22 until his post at Camp Taji in Baghdad was hit by a mortar explosion in September of 2006. Staff Sergeant Tallouzi suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of that attack, and sadly, he succumbed to that injury this past Saturday. My heart goes out to Staff Sergeant Tallouzi's mother Mary, a single parent who left her job to spend every waking minute at her son's side during his rehabilitation. Staff Sergeant Tallouzi's death is a tragic reminder that we must do all we can to provide our veterans returning from combat with the very best treatment, counseling and care. Ms. Tallouzi, on behalf of the people of Daniel's congressional district, I express my heartfelt condolence to you for the loss of your son and my deepest gratitude for his sacrifice to our country. Thank you.