Jared Huffman

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to associate myself with the other comments about how much we are going to miss Colonel Cook. We respect him. We admire him. We are amused by him. Let the record show he just called the Sierra Club great. I want that to be noted. And although he has found a way, through this bill, to create an equal value exchange, something tells me that in the exchange of Colonel Cook, because we are losing him, the County of San Bernardino is making out a lot better than this institution. So I wish him well and urge a ``yes'' vote on his good bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 255, introduced by Representative Cook, would authorize an equal value exchange between the U.S. Forest Service and San Bernardino County. This exchange would enable the county to build a resource conservation and recovery facility. This will increase efficiency and safety of timber processing and recycling in that area. In return, the Forest Service would receive an undeveloped inholding in the San Bernardino National Forest. The bill is a perfect example of how, through a collaborative process, we can meet the needs of local stakeholders while continuing to protect our environment and public lands. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate and thank my colleague, Representative Cook, for introducing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 255) to provide for an exchange of lands with San Bernardino County, California, to enhance management of lands within the San Bernardino National Forest, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would just note, that in California, where I authored a very similar ban on the possession, sale, and trade of shark fins, the sky has not fallen, the world has not ended. All of the calamities that my friend just predicted have not taken place, and guess what, there continues to be a sustainable shark fishery for the meat without contributing to the global shark fin trade that is driving the decimation of shark populations around the world. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from The Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan), the author of this bill.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 263) to rename the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge as the Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 182, introduced by Representative Bill Keating from Massachusetts, would reauthorize the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission, which expired under current law in September 2018. This bill would reauthorize and extend it until 2028. Since the national seashore was originally created in 1961, it was actually the first national seashore. It is the second most beautiful national seashore, but it was the first national seashore created. The advisory commission has served as a main forum for consultation and coordination between local communities and the National Park Service. Comprised of representatives from the six towns within the park, Barnstable County, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Secretary of the Interior, this advisory commission gives surrounding communities a voice in the management of the seashore. I thank Representative Keating for his leadership in introducing this important legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 182. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 182) to extend the authorization for the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating), who is honored to represent the second most beautiful national seashore in America.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I respectfully request an ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1446. It is a bill that would require the U.S. Postal Service to continue selling the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp. It would require those continued sales until such time as the remaining stamps are sold. Now, since 2010, these stamps have been sold by the U.S. Postal Service to support international conservation efforts, but the authorization for these sales has expired, leaving 49 million stamps unsold--printed, but unsold. Americans care deeply about wildlife, and by purchasing these stamps, they can support the Multinational Species Conservation Fund, which includes five grant programs that support the conservation of African and Asian elephants, great apes, marine turtles, rhinos and tigers. Between 2011 and 2017, the stamp sales from this program generated $3.9 million, and that money went to conservation projects related to antipoaching, capacity building, community engagement and outreach, habitat restoration, and raising public awareness of wildlife trafficking. Mr. Speaker, 49 million stamps have already been printed. They are sitting and waiting to be sold. This bill doesn't authorize the printing of any new stamps, but it does direct the U.S. Postal Service to continue selling the stamps it has printed until they are exhausted. At a time when so many species are threatened with extinction due to climate change, habitat loss, and exploitation, we must do more to protect wildlife. Mr. Speaker, I do not have another speaker at this point, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, September 30, 2019. Hon. Elijah E. Cummings, Chair, Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives, Washington DC. Dear Chair Cummings: I write to you concerning H.R. 1446 the, ``Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2019.'' I appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this legislation. I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. I acknowledge that your Committee will not formally consider H.R. 1446 and agree that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters contained in the bill that fall within your Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work with you as this measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Raul M. Grijalva, Chair, House Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of West Marin community leader Michael Mery, who passed away on September 28, 2019, at the age of 80, after a lifetime of service. Mr. Mery was raised in Inverness, where his family ran the post office, and he attended local schools through his graduation from Drake High School. As a youth, he spent many days exploring Tomales Bay and the area that would become the Point Reyes National Seashore. The experiences left him with a lifelong love for the region's natural beauty and rural character. Mr. Mery was a deeply rooted advocate for his beloved West Marin community and lived in Point Reyes Station at the time of his passing. He was instrumental in the creation of the West Marin Fund and a key figure in the creation of the fund's community grants and Giving Through Youth programs. The community grants program has disbursed nearly $3 million to local nonprofits thanks in large part to Michael's vision and leadership. The Giving Through Youth program was a particular passion of his; the program teaches local students how to research organizations for grant opportunities. Michael's activism served to sustain and nurture the agricultural community he called home for most of his life. He worked variously as a carpenter and as an organizer with the International Development Exchange, and ably brought his life experiences to bear as a devoted advocate for economic and social justice. He helped launch the West Marin Clinic and the Tomales Bay Watershed Council, among other organizations dedicated to the health and well-being of West Marin's residents and natural wonders. Mr. Mery's passing leaves some very big shoes to fill, but thanks to his commitment to youth empowerment, a new generation of West Marin youth have come to the fore to bring his community message into the 21st Century. Michael is survived by Connie, his wife of 35 years, his sister Megan, and numerous stepchildren, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Madam Speaker, the depth of Mr. Mery's service to his community has left a positive legacy across Marin County. He will be profoundly missed. It is therefore appropriate that we pay tribute to him today and honor his memory.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I regret that due to a crisis of ongoing power outages and wildfires in California's 2nd District, I was unable to cast the following votes. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call 585, YEA on Roll Call 586, YEA on Roll Call 587, YEA on Roll Call 588, YEA on Roll Call 589, YEA on Roll Call 590, YEA on Roll Call 591, and YEA on Roll Call 592.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the long- awaited return of the remainder of Tuluwat to the Wiyot Tribe. This transfer of land from the City of Eureka is an exceptional gesture that recognizes the sacredness of the island to the tribe, which considers it the center of the universe. Also known as Indian Island, the 280-acre island was home to the Wiyot people, which held its annual World Renewal Ceremony there for many hundreds of years. In the winter of 1860, white settlers coordinated attacks on Wiyot women, children, and elders while the men were away. As many as 250 unarmed Wiyot people were massacred. Indian Island was later diked and drained and a boatyard and lumber mills were built there, leaving behind a toxic legacy. In 2000, the Wiyot Tribe purchased a 1.5-acre parcel of the island. Four years later, the City of Eureka transferred 67 acres to the tribe. In 2014, the Wiyot Tribe restored the World Renewal Ceremony to that part of the island. In December 2018, the Eureka City Council voted to repatriate the rest of its land on Tuluwat to the Wiyot Tribe. The Wiyot Tribe has worked for years to clean up toxins on the island, as well as to protect shell middens and other important sites and resources from erosion. The Wiyot Tribe will continue to use the site for ceremonies, including at the Etpidolh Village site, and work to remove invasive Spartina densiflora on the island's wetlands. Madam Speaker, the repatriation of Tuluwat from the City of Eureka to the Wiyot Tribe has profound importance to the Wiyot people, whose ancestors suffered greatly during the early white settlement of the region. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing this historic agreement that continues to try to heal the harms of the past.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Consolidated Tribal Health Project, Inc. on the 35th anniversary of their founding. Formed in 1984 through a Title V compact with the Indian Health Service, Consolidated Tribal Health has served the health needs of the American Indian and Alaska Native populations in Mendocino County for three and a half decades. Consolidated Tribal Health purchased its current location in 1998 in Redwood Valley after many years renting office space in nearby Ukiah, and then constructed an additional clinic building and Wellness Center in order to better serve its expanded population. Today, the clinic serves over 3,000 patients, a majority of whom are American Indian and Alaska Native people. Consolidated Tribal Health Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit ambulatory community health clinic governed by a consortium of eight federally recognized tribes, including the Cahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria, Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California, Guidiville Rancheria of California, Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, Pinoleville Pomo Nation, Potter Valley Tribe, Redwood Valley or Little River Band of Pomo Indians of the Redwood Valley Rancheria California, and Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California. The organization is committed to providing excellent medical, dental, and behavioral health care to the people it serves, and counts among its many accolades the 2018 National Dental GPRA Award for Best Overall Performance. Madam Speaker, Consolidated Tribal Health Project has for the past 35 years been a tireless advocate for tribal healthcare in Mendocino County, meeting the needs of indigenous Americans by honoring traditional Native American values and maintaining the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing of the community it serves. Therefore, please join me in recognizing this vital organization and wishing them success for many more years to come.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I regret that I had a conflict that caused me to miss the following vote. I would have voted ``aye'' on roll call vote 555.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the City of Fort Bragg, California on the 130th anniversary of its incorporation. One of only four cities in Mendocino County, it is the largest coastal city on California's North Coast between San Francisco and Eureka. Prior to its incorporation as a city on August 5, 1889, the area now known as Fort Bragg was inhabited by Native Americans of the Pomo tribes for more than 10,000 years. It was first encountered by a Bureau of Indian Affairs exploration party in 1855, which led to the establishment of the Mendocino Indian Reservation and Fort Bragg military post in 1857. The military post and reservation were abandoned by 1865, after the majority of the indigenous population was forced to relocate to the Round Valley Reservation in inland Mendocino County. Fort Bragg's first Mayor, C.R. Johnson, was president of the Fort Bragg Redwood Company. Much of the City's infrastructure was laid out and developed by the timber industry, particularly the Union Lumber Company which formed through the consolidation of smaller companies and established Fort Bragg as a company town. Additionally, Noyo Harbor was a thriving commercial fishing port as well as the only source of outside goods until the California Western Railroad was developed in 1905, creating reliable rail transportation between Fort Bragg and San Francisco. Today, Fort Bragg has transitioned from timber extraction and commercial fishing to an economy oriented toward tourism and services. With a population of approximately 8,000, it is the largest city on the North Coast and serves as a retail and service hub for more than 20,000 residents as well as hundreds of thousands of visitors who come each year to experience the scenic coastline and temperate climate. Fort Bragg is governed by a City Council comprised of 5 members and has a thriving and diverse population that is dedicated to making the City a warm, inviting, and family-friendly place to live and work. Madam Speaker, the City of Fort Bragg continues to be a special place with a thriving local economy and inviting atmosphere. Despite the challenges inherent in transitioning into a tourism-focused economy, the City has succeeded in carrying on the values and traditions that epitomize this unique coastal community. Please join me in congratulating the City of Fort Bragg on the occasion of its 130th anniversary, and in wishing it and its residents many more years of vibrance and prosperity.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of David Demant, who has the honor of being named Humboldt County Citizen of the Year for 2019. Mr. Demant's contributions to the local community are exemplary. Mr. Demant has been engaged in civic issues since childhood. He joined the newly formed Environmental Club at his middle school in 1969, and wrote his first opinion letter to his Congressman in 7th grade. His activism grew into adulthood when he joined the Friends of the Eel River and became an active union member. Mr. Demant has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and a teaching credential from Humboldt State University. He was named Outstanding Music Educator of the Year in 2005 from the California Music Educator Association, North Coast Section, and he has taught music to North Coast residents ranging from preschool to community college. He has spent over three decades working and educating students in both public and private schools. He served as president of the Eureka Teachers Association, and he played a pivotal role in the annual Labor Day Picnic over many years. Mr. Demant is active in community organizations including the Humboldt and Del Norte County Central Labor Council, organizes local marches, and still finds time to sing to Humboldt County residents in care homes each week. Mr. Demant has dedicated his life to public service and community improvement. Madam Speaker, please join me in expressing deep appreciation for David Demant's commitment to bettering his community and congratulating him on his service to the North Coast.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, due to scheduling conflict, I missed votes. Had I been present, on Vote 539, I would have voted ``no,'' and on Vote 540, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, from the Representative of the northernmost district on the coast of California, I really do want to thank my friend from southern California for yielding to me. San Diego and Orange Counties are so well-served by his intelligent, principled leadership, and especially on this issue, this existential crisis that we are trying to confront of global climate change. The gentleman's leadership on this issue has certainly been noted. Madam Speaker, our leader, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did a very unusual thing in reaching out and choosing a freshman Member of Congress, and it is because of Mr. Levin's background and clarity on these issues that she put him on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, where I am proud to serve with him. So I thank the gentleman so much for that leadership. And, Madam Speaker, he is doing more than that. He is putting great bills into the hopper. He is leading this debate this evening. So we are well served with Mr. Levin's leadership in southern California. Now, one of the previous speakers mentioned that we are gathered here on the eve of this global climate strike tomorrow. Tens of thousands of students all over the United States, 800 different sites, are working in harmony with 156 other countries where young people are doing the same thing worldwide. This is a week of action. These are high school kids, and even younger in some cases. They understand what is at stake here. The part of their message that I think we really need to hear is that we don't have time. There is an extreme urgency to confront this crisis, and they understand that the longer we wait, the harder it is going to be to preserve a livable future for their generation. Of course, if we wait too long, it is game over. They are scared, and they ought to be scared. We all ought to be scared about the fact that we are running out of time to address this crisis. Yesterday, I had a chance to sit down with a few of these young leaders. I am super grateful that four of those that Chairman Grijalva and I met with for a couple of hours were from Sonoma County in my district. So I want to thank Olivia, Kate, Christian, and Jonah. They were from the National Children's Campaign and also Schools for Climate Action. They came all the way to Washington, D.C., to make sure that the country heard their story. That story, of course, involves the terrible firestorm of October 2017 that the folks in the North Bay had to live through. These young people had their lives uprooted and impacted in profound ways, and it helped sharpen their climate activism. They brought that story to a very important, urgent conversation that Chairman Grijalva and I were part of yesterday. More and more people like them are living the very real impacts that climate change is having right now. This is not some abstract thing in the future. It is happening now, and it is going to get worse as we go forward, especially if we don't act. So this message of urgency, clearly the public understands it. Congressman Levin and I were just in the Cloakroom, and MSNBC showed a brand-new poll that shows that 65 percent, I believe, of the American people understand this is a crisis. It is not just an important issue. It is a crisis. The public gets it. The rest of the world gets it. In fact, on Monday, the nations of the world will gather in New York to map out the next steps on climate action. They will be building on the Paris climate agreement. They will be working together to figure out how we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent over the next decade. But if the American people get it and all of these young people all over the world get it, it is fair to ask: Where is American leadership right now? Where is this administration right now? Unfortunately, Mr. Levin alluded to the worst of it: this fight over California's clean car authority. They are trying to take us backward in the wrong direction. We just don't have time for that if we are serious about this crisis. Mr. Levin talked about the fact that our authority under the Clean Air Act goes back to 1967. I think it was a Governor named Ronald Reagan, actually, who got us started on this critical authority. It has been so successful. California has used it to protect clean air over 50 times. Madam Speaker, I would ask Congressman Levin if he knows how many of those times, the 50 times that we have used that Clean Air Act authority, how many of those were revoked? Zero. It has never been revoked. It has always been upheld, and it has been wildly successful in helping California improve air quality, reduce smog, and improve public health. We have added jobs and the economy has continued to grow. We have been able to do all this in a way that helped stimulate the auto industry, to innovate, and to bring new and very desirable models of vehicles to market that wouldn't be there if it weren't for California's leadership on clean car standards, and, of course, more than a dozen other States that have followed suit and joined us as clean car States. What President Trump is trying to do is absolutely unprecedented in American history and it is legally dubious. He is wrong on the law and he is wrong on the policy. It is the most serious assault on State authority and on public health that you could imagine. And yet, with this administration, hey, it is just another day in the Trump White House, unfortunately. This House, of course, the people's House, gets it. We have already started to take action. We are working to block the Trump administration's worst climate rollbacks. Just last week, a bipartisan majority of this House voted to approve my bill to protect the Arctic refuge from this crazy ``drill everywhere'' mandate that they put into the Republican tax scam in 2017. We also passed bills to protect the Pacific, Atlantic, and Florida Gulf Coasts from these plans to do more offshore drilling. These are important steps in the fight to confront the climate crisis. And, of course, there was H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, which would block President Trump's attempt to take us out of the Paris climate agreement. Let's keep working together in the people's House. Let's keep working with this energized, motivated, incredibly passionate new generation of leaders that we are seeing all over the country and all over the world. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Levin for his leadership.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, as I said, this amendment is a delay tactic to ensure that the current administration will lock in a lease sale before protections can go into place or before they are finally run out of office. It does not require consultation with the Gwich'in people, many of whom are here today. These are the folks who consider the coastal plains sacred. They have relied on the Porcupine caribou since time immemorial for their cultural, spiritual, and physical sustenance, as well as food security. There was no demand for Tribal consultation prior to this little provision being slipped in to the tax giveaway in the previous Congress. What we are hearing today is a very selective interest in consultation that would place the entire process in the hands of a Department of the Interior whose only interest is serving the interests of big oil. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment and ``yes'' on the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, this amendment, I am sorry to say, is another delay tactic in order to buy this administration more time to jam through a lease sale. We know that former Assistant Secretary Joe Balash said earlier this year that the leased sale will happen in 2019 and that the administration is running over all opposition in order to make that happen, ignoring concerns of wildlife biologists about impacts from seismic testing and oil development itself. Now, I said ``former Assistant Secretary'' when I referred to Mr. Balash, because he left the Department of the Interior. Just days ago, he was a top official--remember--pushing for drilling in the Arctic Refuge, and he left to take a job with an oil company that stands to profit from the Trump administration's oil giveaway bonanza. You can't make this stuff up, folks. Anyone who thought Teapot Dome was the high watermark of corruption at the Department of the Interior I hope is paying attention to the incredible craven levels of corruption that we are seeing today. These are the folks who this amendment would entrust with the authority to call the shots on whether drilling should proceed. Unfortunately, this is not a serious proposal. I urge my colleagues to oppose it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition.