Rick Larsen

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the temporary measure to extend the authorization of the FAA today, but I do so with great disappointment. We could be on the floor today to enact a longer term FAA reauthorization bill. In the last 2 years, the Subcommittee on Aviation, led by my colleague from New Jersey, Mr. LoBiondo, has held 16 hearings on a variety of topics. We have heard from stakeholders that there is a long list of things that we need to do to stay competitive with our economic rivals and keep our airspace the safest and most efficient in the world: We need to reform aircraft certification so that manufacturers can get the newest, safest equipment to market. We need to set clear rules for unmanned aerial vehicles and accelerate efforts for their safe use. We need to advance NextGen programs to move air traffic faster and more efficiently. Chairman Shuster, Chairman LoBiondo, Ranking Member DeFazio, and I have achieved a bipartisan agreement on most of these major key issues that we need to address. That bill is ready to go. We didn't hear during these hearings that we needed to privatize air traffic control. Now, some people want to privatize air traffic control. I know that they want to do this in good faith. But we don't need to do it, and it is preventing the things that we need to do from getting done. An entire bipartisan bill is being held up because we can't agree yet on the details of what would be a very complex proposal. I fail to understand why at this juncture such a proposal is necessary, particularly when it prevents significant and much-needed reform from taking place. There is no dispute that today we safely operate the most complex and congested airspace in the world. Last year the Government Accountability Office asked 76 aviation stakeholders whether the FAA is capable of operating an efficient air traffic control system. The overwhelming majority, 64 of those, said the FAA is, in fact, capable of doing so. Privatizing the current system is clearly not a pressing need. It is a want. I wish I could say today I am surprised that we find ourselves here today, but many people have been saying for a long time that this was the situation that we would be facing on September 30. In fact, when we held a hearing on air traffic privatization back in March, I predicted we were headed down this road of multiple short-term reauthorizations. The bipartisan portions of the bill that Chairman Shuster, Chairman LoBiondo, Ranking Member DeFazio, and I have agreed to would have immediate benefits all over the country. In my home State of Washington, it would protect and create American jobs through airport construction and aerospace manufacturing; it would improve aviation safety; it would improve the way the aircraft and parts are certified to get newer and safer technology to market; it would build on the safety improvements that this body has made following the tragic Colgan flight 3407 in 2009; it would improve the regulation and the development of unmanned aerial systems, which continue to proliferate in our airspace. We need a strong regulatory system in place to safely grow the unmanned aircraft industry, and until we act, that system cannot be in place. For every day of this extension, travelers and the aerospace industry will not receive the improvements and protections that we have crafted in the bipartisan portions of the bill that we are close to agreeing on. We will continue to fall behind other countries that are making similar improvements. As many lawmakers and aviation stakeholders recall, the last FAA reauthorization bill came after a period of 5 years and 23 short-term extensions. I had hoped we would avoid serial extensions this time around, but today we start down that path. Yes, it is with disappointment that I am here to support a temporary extension and strongly urge all my colleagues to make sure this is the only temporary extension before enactment of a long-term bill. We have a long list of things that we need to do today to improve our airspace. We should focus on those things instead of the things only that we want to do.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 944. I am pleased the House is considering H.R. 944, a bill that I introduced along with Congressman LoBiondo and Congressman Murphy to reauthorize the National Estuary Program through 2020. I want to thank my colleagues for their hard work in pulling this legislation together. Estuaries are critically important to the health of our Nation's environment and our economy. Their waters are a unique mixture of freshwater, drainage from the land, and salty seawater. Estuaries provide vital nesting and feeding areas for many aquatic plants and animals. They also help maintain healthy ocean environments by filtering out sediment and pollutants from rivers and streams before they flow into the ocean. In addition to improving habitat for critical wildlife like salmon, restoring estuaries can have important carbon sequestration effects. For example, a report last year on the Snohomish Estuary in my district found that currently planned and in-progress restoration projects will result in at least 2.55 million tons of CO2 sequestered from the atmosphere over the next 100 years. That is the equivalent of a year's worth of emissions from a half a million automobiles. Over half of the U.S. population lives in coastal areas, including along the shores of estuaries. These areas provided 69 million jobs and contributed $7.9 trillion to the economy recently. These gains come from commercial and recreational fishing, as well as tourism and other forms of regulation recreation. By one estimate, restoring our estuary areas could create more than 30 jobs for every $1 million invested. In the Pacific Northwest and across the country, healthy estuaries like the Puget Sound support fish, birds, and other wildlife, and sustain important economic and recreational activities like trade, fishing, tourism, and many other forms of outdoor recreation. Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest also serve as habitat and spawning areas for salmon, another critical driver for our regional economy. Unfortunately, human activities have led to a decline in the health of estuaries, threatening them in many coastal parts of the country. Population growth in areas abutting estuaries have led to an increase in storm water runoff and sewage discharges, ultimately polluting the waters with toxins. Fortunately, the National Estuary Program, which would be authorized by H.R. 944, is an important part of remedying these problems facing our Nation's estuaries. Since 1987, the program has operated successfully at the EPA in partnership with other State and local entities and has fostered innovative solutions to local water quality programs. Funding from the program helps create solutions to nurture estuaries back to health, like the comprehensive plan we have for the Puget Sound recovery. This bipartisan legislation that we have today will ensure that local organizations across the country, in partnership with the EPA, can protect and restore estuaries for the benefit of future generations. I support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it as well. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, so I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 944. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 336 which directs the General Services Administration, the GSA, on behalf of the Archivist of the U.S., to convey 9 acres of property in Anchorage, Alaska, to the local municipality in exchange for its fair market value. The Archivist and GSA has reported this property as underutilized and that there is no need to keep this property in the Federal real estate inventory. This sale is consistent with the policy supported by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which has directed GSA to help other Federal agencies identify and dispose of unneeded property. As a result, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I want to echo the comments of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry) about en bloc No. 7 and its bipartisan nature. I would encourage Members to support it. With that, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I would ask Members to support this en bloc package, and I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan) for comments on en bloc No. 6.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time I have left?

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I would encourage folks to vote for en bloc 7, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my heartfelt condolences and full support for assistance to the people of Nepal and all of those affected by the devastating earthquake of April 25, 2015, and its aftermath. The massive magnitude-7.8 earthquake, which struck about 77 kilometers northwest of Nepal's capital city, Kathmandu, was the most powerful to hit Nepal in more than 80 years. Almost 5,000 deaths have been accounted for and, as I read this line, it is possible that this number has gone up. The United Nations estimates that the tragedy has affected more than 8 million people and left more than 1.4 million people in need of food assistance. This earthquake has also destroyed many historical and architectural structures important to the culture of Nepal. So I ask my fellow members to join me in mourning with the people of Nepal and all communities in other countries affected by the tragic loss of life. I also want to commend the efforts of first responders, relief agencies, private citizens, Nepal's neighboring countries, and the international community. I want to thank our administration for its quick response to help our friends in Nepal. I urge Congress and our administration to continue our efforts in helping Nepal during this tragic time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5769, the Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014. As a former ranking member of the Coast Guard Subcommittee, I am very pleased that this bill provides the necessary resources to keep the men and women of the Coast Guard on the job. I am also pleased this bill makes needed advancements in our Nation's engagement in the Arctic. Our country faces a steep opportunity curve when it comes to the Arctic. We haven't made the needed investments in that region to protect our environment, our economic interests, and our national security. But as our country gets ready to take over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2015, this bill signals that our country is ready to engage further in Arctic issues. It requires the Coast Guard to come up with a plan for moving our icebreaker fleet forward; it encourages the development of forward operating bases for the Coast Guard in the region; and it improves the ability of the Coast Guard to monitor, patrol, and protect our Nation's Arctic waters. I am hopeful that this bill will finally push the Coast Guard to reactivate the mothballed Polar Sea icebreaker so that it can act as a bridge towards a new icebreaker fleet. In the longer term, funding a new icebreaker fleet will require a whole of government approach. The Coast Guard simply does not have the acquisition budget to build a new icebreaker fleet on its own. The Department of Defense, Coast Guard, and National Science Foundation need to work together to develop a funding strategy for assets they will all use. This bill endorses such a strategy. Finally, I am very pleased that this bill includes $10 million for the Small Shipyard Grant Program, a successful effort that provides infrastructure spending to shipyards in the Pacific Northwest and around the country that creates jobs and supports local economies. With that, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am joined today with my colleagues from Washington State to ask you, at the end of my comments, to ask for a moment of silence because, on October 24, the Marysville, Washington, and Tulalip communities were violently ripped apart by a tragic shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Four students and their assailant have died, and one student was seriously wounded. Now, as the father of two teenage boys, my heart breaks as I consider the families who were given the worst news imaginable as a result of this horrible event. Healing is a difficult process, especially as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. Marysville and Tulalip and the surrounding communities have shown their strength, however, and their resilience by celebrating these young people and giving thanks for their lives, although those lives were cut terribly short--the lives of Zoe Galasso, Gia Soriano, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, Andrew Fryberg, and, yes, a celebration of even the life of the shooter, young Jaylen Fryberg. Our thoughts are also with Nate Hatch and his family as he continues to recover. We all want to thank our first responders and the Marysville-Pilchuck High School staff and leadership for their quick action on that sad day. We want to thank the Tulalip leadership for their resiliency and the faith communities throughout the area for opening their buildings and their arms to the grieving population. Everybody involved deserves our thanks and deserves our prayers. For our first responders, you put yourselves at risk to keep our children safe, and I know I speak for our whole community when I thank you for your service and your bravery. I want to commend the strength of the community leaders during this incredibly difficult time. And my colleagues and I want to continue to send thoughts and prayers to students, teachers, and families of the Marysville and Tulalip communities. So, with that, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the House, and we all ask the House, to observe a moment of silence as we remember these young people whose lives ended far too soon.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5266, the reauthorizing of the National Estuary Program. I want to thank Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Bishop on the subcommittee and, of course, my colleague whom I share the Aviation Subcommittee with, Mr. LoBiondo, for their leadership on getting this bill to the floor. Mr. Speaker, estuaries are a critical habitat for salmon, birds, and many other species in the Pacific Northwest, where we know that protecting our natural resources is good for our environment and good for our economy. My district borders on Puget Sound, which is our country's second largest estuary and is a key driver of our economy in Washington State. Trade, fishing, tourism, and outdoor recreation in our region create and sustain thousands of jobs, and all of these activities are dependent on a healthy Puget Sound. I have long supported estuary restoration in the Puget Sound region, including projects like the Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project, which will be the largest tidal marsh restoration project ever completed in Washington State. Estuary restoration can also be a key component for absorbing carbon emissions and increasing resiliency to the effects of climate change. A recent study of the Snohomish Estuary, in my district, found that currently planned and in-construction restoration projects will result in at least 2.55 million tons of CO2 sequestered from the atmosphere over the next 100 years. That is the equivalent of a year's worth of emissions from a half a million automobiles. This bill is important. It is important for all of us. I want to thank my colleague again, Mr. LoBiondo, for his hard work on this legislation. I look forward to continuing our productive bipartisan relationship on this and on many other issues. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5266.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Keith Jefferts, a constituent and friend of mine. Keith Jefferts was characterized by three great passions: salmon, science, and piloting-- both air and sea. Keith was born May 10, 1931 and graduated from Edmonds High in 1949. He went on to earn a B.S. in Physics at the University of Washington. After the University of Washington Keith went on the U.S. Naval flight school, and he eventually received several awards for his military service. He went on to work at Bell Laboratories, where he worked with radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson and helped discover carbon monoxide in the Orion Nebula, work that was eventually recognized with a Nobel Prize. More recently, Keith founded Northwest Marine Technologies, which was an innovator in tracking and tagging young salmon. This technology has proven critical in monitoring and restoring endangered salmon populations. More than a billion tags have been implanted in salmon and other marine species worldwide. The world's fisheries will be beneficiaries of Keith's work for decades to come. I salute Keith Jefferts' life as a Navy fighter pilot, world renowned physicist, inventor, and environmental leader. I extend my sympathies to Keith's wife Sue, his children Katherine, Ingrid, Steven, Erik, Amy and all of his family. Let Keith Jefferts' spirit inspire us all to protect the world's fish populations, but I am certain Keith wouldn't mind if we prioritized the protection of the salmon in the Northwest.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, July 20th marked the 40th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus. Forty years ago thousands of Turkish troops invaded and occupied the northern part of Cyprus. Thousands of Greek Cypriots were forced to flee their homes and many remain missing to this day. Those forced to flee live as refugees within their own country as their former homes remain occupied or sold without notification or consent. Turkey also continues to obstruct the process of determining the fate of the persons missing since the invasion. Reports indicate that their remains were dumped in a mass grave, deemed as a classified military area, and are closed off to families of the missing. Additionally, freedom of worship continues to be severely restricted, access to religious sites blocked, religious sites systematically destroyed and a large number of religious and archaeological objects stolen. The continued occupation of the northern part of Cyprus undermines the unified democratic aspirations of our important ally. Mr. Speaker, today I call for an end to the occupation and division of Cyprus and urge geographic, political, and economic unity. A strong and stable democracy in Cyprus is not only beneficial to its people but to its relationships with its allies around the world. We must work to end the occupation of Cyprus for once and for all. I stand with Cyprus and urge an end to their 40 year occupation.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Giles F. Giovinazzi, Democratic Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Aviation for the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. As Ranking Democrat of the Subcommittee, I had the pleasure of working with Giles on many issues that came before the Subcommittee. His hard work and wise counsel over the past 12 years has been invaluable, and I look forward to continuing to work with him as he embarks on a new endeavor. Giles began his career on Capitol Hill serving as Legislative Counsel for Congressman James McGovern from 1999 to 2002. Since that time, Giles has served on the Subcommittee in various positions including Counsel, Senior Counsel and Staff Director, since 2009. Giles is a true public servant and his dedication to the country extends beyond the halls of Congress. Giles is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve where he has served since 2004. His understanding of complex technical and legal aviation issues, policy and politics, has been an asset to the Committee for over a decade. Giles has been instrumental in drafting significant pieces of legislation including The Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010. Last month, Giles was appointed federal transportation liaison at the California Department of Transportation and the California High-Speed Rail Authority. His expertise and counsel will be truly missed. I join my colleagues on the Transportation Committee in wishing Giles, his wife Jolynn, and daughter, Kathryn Maribel, all the best.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. I want to thank the ranking member and the leadership of the subcommittee, Mr. Chairman. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I would like to engage in a colloquy of the subcommittee leadership. First off, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for agreeing to work with me on an issue that is very important to former servicemembers. After a decade at war, many women servicemembers, for instance, are at risk for reproductive and urinary tract problems. This risk results from deployment conditions and a lack of predeployment women's health information. In addition, the nature of the current conflict and increasing use of improvised explosive devices have left servicemembers with blast injuries that include spinal cord injury and trauma to the reproductive and urinary tracts. The result is a severe impact to these servicemembers and their ability to create and raise a family upon their return from the battlefield. According to the Department of Defense, between 2003 and 2011, nearly 2,000 women and men suffered these life-changing battle injuries during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Disabled veterans have already paid much too high a price in service to our country. They should not have to pay a higher cost when they come home to try to start a family. The Department of Veterans Affairs cannot provide the care that they need. While the Department of Defense and TRICARE are already able to provide the necessary treatment to servicemembers with these injuries, the VA services are not able to meet the complex needs of severely injured veterans. I hope I can continue to call up on the able leadership of the subcommittee to help resolve this issue as we move forward on this bill and move it to conference. With that, I yield to the ranking member.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the full committee, the ranking member of the full committee, and the ranking member of the subcommittee for helping to bring S. 404 to the floor, the Green Mountain Lookout Heritage Protection Act. The lookout symbolizes a unique and vanishing part of the Pacific Northwest's heritage, and this bill symbolizes Congress' solidarity with a hard-hit part of our State. The Green Mountain Lookout is one of few surviving fire lookouts in the West. It is one of only six such lookouts within a wilderness area. It was an early warning station during World War II to alert citizens to possible aerial invasion. The communities in nearby Darrington and Oso are recovering from last month's tragic landslide that has taken the lives of dozens of people and shut the communities off from much of the outside world. First responders, FEMA, and other Federal agencies have been extraordinary in their efforts to help with recovery. Passing this bill invests in a longer-term economic recovery of the region. Many of the people in these communities rely on outdoor recreation and the tourism that it brings for their livelihoods. Part of that economy is based on access to its historic and beautiful location, like Green Mountain Lookout. Keeping the lookout in place means Darrington has one more reason to tell people from across this country that Darrington is open for business. With the summer recreation season coming up, protecting Green Mountain Lookout sends a message from Congress to these communities as well that we are with you. For 12 years, I represented these communities in Congress and for 3 years before that on the local county council. I introduced legislation identical to this bill in June 2012 right after an ill-advised court decision suggested that Green Mountain Lookout should be taken down. I was pleased that Senators Murray and Cantwell followed that with the introduction of companion legislation in December of 2012. In February 2013, Congresswoman DelBene reintroduced this bill, along with our Senate colleagues. I appreciate my colleagues' willingness to protect the lookout, and I appreciate the support of Chairman Hastings, Ranking Member DeFazio, and others to put this bill on the President's desk. By protecting the lookout, we will protect the economic livelihoods of many of those who have struggled after last month's tragic landslide. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and to vote for S. 404.