Scott McInnis

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise at this time to recognize the life of a distinguished public servant, Daniel C. Dalley. Dan spent his life protecting the citizens of Fruita, Colorado. This man was known for his honor and kindness, and is worthy of the recognition of Congress. Born and raised in Fruita, Colorado Dan was an asset to the community even at a young age. During high school Dan worked hard in and out of school, holding a job at Youngs Ranch while attending Frutia Monument High School. After high school Dan went on to college at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado, where he received an associates degree in Criminal Justice. Continuing with his passion for the law, Dan graduated from the Police Academy at Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely, Colorado. After graduation Dan joined the Fruita Police Department as a Reserve Officer in 1992. Dan also served as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Drug Recognition Expert, Sergeant and Detective Sergeant and was then promoted to Acting Chief. The nine years Dan spent on the force were filled with awards and recognition for a job well done. In 1996 Dan received Employee of the year from the Fruita Police Department, and then for two consecutive years, 1997 and 1998, the Mesa County Optimist Club honored Dan with the title of Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. In addition to Dan's commitment to upholding the law, Dan also was very involved in his community. Dan added to his community duties by serving eight years as a volunteer EMT for the Loma Volunteer Fire Department. Being active in his church was also important to Dan, and the Grace Community Church was lucky to count Dan among its members. His commitment to God and Country are admired by all. He will be greatly missed. As his family and friends grieve the loss of Dan Dalley, Mr. Speaker I wanted to take the opportunity to recognize his life. His wife, Cybill, and sons, Alan, Tyler, Dalton and Luke should take pride in the fact that Dan made so many contributions to the State of Colorado. Everyone that knew Dan was in awe of his kindness and service. That, Mr. Speaker, is why Dan is worthy of the praise and thanks of the United States Congress.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment and thank Mr. Homer Luther for his service to the National Park Service. For over a quarter of a century, Homer has dedicated his life to protecting our national parks. For that Mr. Speaker, he deserves the thanks of Congress. Homer is the Director of the Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Mesa Verde National Parks Foundation. On May 16, 2001, he was presented the ``Shoulder-to-Shoulder'' award in recognition of his personal service, commitment and dedication to national park units within the Intermountain Region. Homer started working with the National Park Service during President Nixon's second administration. One of the big issues facing newly appointed Parks Director Ron Walker was the use of snowmobiles in national parks. Ron recruited Homer to join him on a five-day personal research snowmobiling outfit. In the 70's, Homer served his first term. Following two terms on the National Park Foundation Board, Homer decided to form the National Park Foundation Alumni Council, where he still serves as the Chair. He decided to form this council because it was critical not to lose the talents and energies of those whose terms were expiring. A few years ago, the staff at Mesa Verde National Park became aware that a critical parcel of land was going to be sold. Homer was concerned that it would be developed in a way that would harm the areas natural values. ``He challenged other Foundation board members to join him in raising sufficient funds to purchase the tract of land to preserve the gateway experience to the park. Thanks to Mr. Luther's leadership, this land is now protected,'' said Regional Director Karen Wade. Mr. Speaker, for the last 30 years, Homer Luther has helped to keep America's National Parks beautiful and well maintained. His expertise and leadership on this issue has been a real benefit to the Park Service and to everybody who uses the National Parks. I would like to thank him on behalf of Congress for all his hard work and dedication.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to ask Congress to join me in honoring the memory of one of our young soldiers. On May 15, 2001, PFC Bambi D. Chastain passed away at the age of 21. Bambi was an exemplary soldier and a wonderful daughter, sister and friend. She worked hard at her job and took great pride in being a soldier. Although her family and friends will miss her, her memory will live on in those who loved her. Bambi died while on duty in the field training. To her, duty came first. Bambi was born August 22, 1980 in San Diego, California. She attended Central High School, where she graduated in 1999. In August of that same year she joined the United States Army. She attended the Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. After she finished AIT, Bambi was assigned to Charlie Company, 15th Forward Support Battalion, First Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. In March of 2000 she began training for a rotation at the National Training Center as part of the Quick Reaction Force. During her time with AIT she was awarded the MOS 91B10 Combat Medic and was posthumously awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. Bambi moved to Grand Junction to live with Dave and Verna Murphy, which would become her new family. Recently she visited a group of foster kids in California, to offer hope and to let them know if you join the Army you get a whole new family to love and care for you. Mr. Speaker, PFC Bambi Chastain displayed great professionalism and selfless service while serving her country. She put herself second chair to her duty. She is a role model for everyone that knew her. For that Mr. Speaker, she deserves and has earned the thanks and praise of Congress.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely proud to rise today to honor a very special man--World War II Veteran Mike Lucero, a resident of Montrose, Colorado. During his time with the Armed Forces, Mike was stationed in the South Pacific. And what he didn't know is that he and his fellow soldiers were about to change the course of history. Because of what Mike did during World War II, I would like to thank him for his bravery and courage on behalf of Congress. On December 1, 1942, at the age of 19, Mike left the small town of Cuba, New Mexico for the open water of the South Pacific. ``My country needed me. I had to go,'' said Mike. At dawn on June 15, 1944, Coxswain Third Class Lucero maneuvered his landing craft along side the USS Livingston, where members of the 2nd Marine Division boarded his LCVP. They were headed toward Saipan, which is the northernmost of the southern four Islands in the Marianas 3,200 miles northwest of Pearl Harbor and 1,500 miles from Manilla. Over 29,000 Japanese troops waited and guarded the narrow beaches of Saipan. Mike's job was to land Marines on the shore. ``The bullets zipping into the water looked like raindrops hitting a puddle. They were striking on both sides of my boat,'' said the 79-year-old as he recalled the battle. ``They gave us the order to land over a loud speaker and we headed for shore. There were bodies floating in the water.'' Mike delivered 8,000 Marines on Saipan's beach in less than an hour. It was the beginning of one of the bloodiest fights in the Pacific. On the shore looking at all the Americans coming toward him was the man who pulled the trigger on the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. After the battle, almost 29,000 Japanese had been killed. The Marines, the 27th Army Infantry and the Navy were victorious. Mr. Speaker, it is with great appreciation that I ask Congress to recognize and honor Mike Lucero for all that he did for this country in World War II. Mike was just a boy when he was thrust into battle, but his bravery and the bravery of those who fought and died for this country will forever be etched in our minds. Mr. Speaker, I proudly salute Mike for all he has done.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to pay respects to a long time professor at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Roger Peters passed away on May 13, 2001 from a battle with cancer. Family, friends, students and faculty will truly miss one of Ft. Lewis College's best professors. Roger was born on October 29, 1943, in Washington, DC. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1965 with a bachelors degree in political science. After graduation, he volunteered for the Peace Corps and served as a science teacher in Liberia. ``He loved his life. He was a really happy person,'' said Arden Peters, his daughter. ``He taught everyone he knew so much. He was a remarkable friend and the best father.'' For more than a quarter of a century Roger was a psychology professor at Ft. Lewis College. Roger was an enthusiastic teacher who would light his students up with excitement ``Students would be infected with his enthusiasm,'' said Alane Brown, and associate professor of psychology. According to Byron Dare, a friend and fellow professor, Roger was the epitome of a professional and was a multidimensional person with numerous interests. Roger Peters will be missed by everyone that knew him. He made an impact on his family, friends, and his students. Mr. Speaker, I would like Congress to join me honoring Roger for all he has done for students at Fort Lewis College and his family.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to honor a man that has spent much of his life improving the quality of life for others. Mr. Jerry Baxter has spent the last 27 years of his life entertaining the guests at the Bar D Chuckwagon in Durango, Colorado. This year, in the Bar D's 33rd season, Jerry has announced that he will be leaving for a job as a wrangler in Jackson, Wyoming. As he does, I would like to take this opportunity to honor him. Jerry has contributed to the Durango community his entire life. His friends and family would most likely describe Jerry as a bit of a character. When Jerry was only seventeen he managed to make it on to the Paul Harvey show with his comedic tale of an experience he had as a volunteer firefighter. Jerry gained this honor by starting a fire on his way to fight a fire. On his way to the grass fire in Hermosa, Colorado, Jerry forgot to release the emergency brake, causing the brake pads to catch fire and fall off. This in turn ignited a fire at the Aspen Rose Campground, which exceeded the size of the Hermosa fire, requiring more men to extinguish it. Jerry will be fondly remembered by the numerous guests who have been privileged to enjoy his show. Jerry's baritone voice is well loved at the chuckwagon and will be greatly missed. The Bar D originally hired Jerry to work in their kitchen, but he quickly became a well-loved voice on the stage. Jerry speaks highly of the community that has shown him such great support over the years. When Jerry's father passed on, and he was brought to tears during his rendition of ``How Great Thou Art,'' the community reached out to this man that they love. While grateful for his friendship, the Durango community will be sorry to see Jerry leave. Mr. Speaker, the State of Colorado is fortunate to have citizens like Jerry Baxter within one of its communities --someone who is willing to go that extra mile for others. Colleaugues, on behalf of the Western Slope of Colorado, we wish Jerry, his wife LaVerna and his children Justin, Shasta, Kyle and Kolt all the best. The Durango community is fortunate to call Jerry a friend.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a man that has made numerous contributions to his community as well as the United States as a whole. Mr. Sam Caudill served his country in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II, and since has served the community of Aspen, Colorado as a leading architect and historian. For his life of service and adventure, I would now like to take this opportunity to honor him. Sam started his illustrious career on a mission for the Office of Strategic Services to China in 1945 to teach guerilla warfare to Chinese soldiers so that they would be able to defend themselves if the Japanese attacked. Although Sam did not realize it at the time, this type of work was the beginning of what was to become the most extensive and complex intelligence network in the world--the CIA. At the age of 21 Sam volunteered to be a mule packer for the American guerilla fighters. Already fighting the Japanese, he had no idea that he would be presented with the opportunity to help start a new wave of national defense. Upon finishing his duty in the army, Sam returned to Cornell University to complete his education. After receiving his degree Sam returned to Colorado to make his mark on the skyline of Aspen. Following the lead of Frank Lloyd Wright, Sam has always strived to create buildings that grow out of the environment. Sam was awarded for his unique design of Aspen High School, which reflects the rolling hill surrounding the school with its rounded shape. He has been commissioned in numerous places throughout the state of Colorado. When people refer to Sam, he is often called ``the dean of Aspen architecture.'' Sam has also made a significant contribution to preserving wildlife in Colorado. He served on the Colorado Wildlife Commission from 1975 to 1983, and was chairman of the commission in 1978. During this time he has been credited with the law that allows Colorado citizens to apportion part of their tax return to the non-game and endangered species program. He also worked on the state's catch and release trout program. Sam still enjoys the outdoors and trys to hike and fish whenever possible. An interest in local history has spurred Sam's latest contribution to society. For the last twelve years Sam has been interviewing ``old timers'' about their lives logging, mining and wrangling here in Colorado. Sam hopes to compile all these stories and photos he has gathered into a book titled, ``Colorado--the Wild Years.'' His love for the old west and his reputation in the Aspen community suggests that Sam may have been born a century too late. Mr. Speaker, like so many of us, Sam has fallen in love with the natural beauty of Colorado. He has spent his life trying to preserve that magical quality that the untamed mountains of Colorado exude. For this I and the citizens of Colorado are grateful.st

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, on May 18, 2001 Sergeant Christopher Ryan Lair of Parachute, Colorado died before his time. The 22-year-old Marine died in a civilian aircraft near San Diego, California. I stand before Congress to ask that we all pause a moment in honor of Sgt. Lair. Chris was born in Wheatridge, Colorado in 1979. Chris and his family moved to Parachute, where he graduated from Grand Valley High School in 1997. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was stationed at Camp Pendelton, California, where he was Crew Chief in VMLA-169, a Huey/Cobra helicopter squadron. On May 1, 2001, Chris was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. During his enlistment, Chris had been awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal. Flying was his greatest joy. He grew up around airports as his parents owned and operated an avionics shop at Garfield County Airport. He received his pilot's license at the age of 18 and completed his multi-engine certificate in May 2001. He flew every opportunity he had and his goal was to become a commercial pilot after serving in the military. Mr. Speaker, Sgt. Christopher Lair was truly one of our `few good men'. It's a tragedy that he died so young and at something he loved to do. I ask that Congress pause a moment to honor him and thank him for his service to our country.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to honor the memory of one of Western Colorado's leading citizens, Colonel James Neil Hickok. James was an active member of the community and was a member of the ``Great Generation''. He passed away on March 19, 2001 after a long 13-year battle with cancer. Everyone that knew him will truly miss him. Neil was born in October of 1919 in Chicago Illinois. Neil joined the US Army when he was 16. His first assignment was to protect railroads and missionaries in China. After his tour he returned home to graduate from high school. He received degrees in Military Science from the University of Maryland and degrees in Anthropology and Geology from the University of Colorado. James re-entered the Army at the start of World War II and served in the Pacific Theatre. Neil also served in the Korean War and had three tours of duty in Vietnam. Neil was a devoted family man. He loved his wife Carol, his son James and daughters Sharron and Dorothy. He also loved his home, which over looks the south fork of the South Platte River. His family said he had a wonderful sense of humor and genuine care for others. Neil served as the chairman of the Park County Republican Party for many years and helped Lake George get their park, library, community center and emergency medical service. Mr. Speaker, a great friend, father and hero has left us, but his memory will always be with us. I'm asking Congress to pause a moment in remembrance of Col. James Neil Hickok and thank him for all that he has done for his family, community and country.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Del Norte's Kent V. Rominger for his induction into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The 44-year-old Colorado native is one of those lucky few that has had the privilege of traveling into the final frontier. I would like to thank him for all that he has done for the space program and to congratulate him on his introduction into the Hall of Fame. Captain Rominger has served in the U.S. Navy since receiving his commission through the Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate Program in 1979. His Naval service included assignments with the Fighter Squadron Two aboard the USS Ranger and the USS Kitty Hawk and Fighter Squadron Two Hundred Eleven aboard the USS Nimitz. Kent is now a NASA Astronaut and Shuttle Commander. He is the first to have commanded two shuttle dockings with the International Space Station Alpha. He holds the record for the most earth orbits and the most time in space. Kent has traveled into space five times and has logged over 1,500 hours in space. He has piloted the STS-73 in 1995, the STS-80 in 1996 and the STS-85 in 1997 and has served as crew commander twice, on the STS-96 in 1999 and STS-100 this year. His last mission, the STS-100 on the Space Shuttle Endeavour was on April 19. The mission involved installing the Space Stations robotic arm. Mr. Speaker, Captain Kent Rominger is an American Hero. Many kids grow up dreaming that they will one day be an astronaut, Kent is living that dream. I would like Congress to join me in congratulating Kent on his achievements and wish him good luck on future missions to space.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely proud to rise today to honor a very special man--World War II Veteran Harold Emick, a resident of Olathe, Colorado. Harold spent three years in the Army, fighting the Germans in Europe. Because of what Harold saw and what he went through in WWII, I would like to thank him for his bravery and courage on behalf of this Congress. Harold joined the Army in 1943 at the age of 18. In December of 1944 Harold was assigned to the Army's 70th Infantry Division under General Alexander Patch. The 7th Army traveled north through a wintry France. ``They Killed us, we killed them. In the end, we won because we killed more of them,'' Harold said. Harold's first battle was at a farmhouse near Nancy, France. ``It was about 3 o'clock in the morning when the German Panzer tank opened up on our sleeping platoon at point-blank range. There was death and chaos everywhere, and when it was finally over, those of us who had survived had gone from green kids in uniform to soldiers.'' The 70th Infantry Division fought its way through more death and according to Harold, it grew more personal, as the division lost men to snipers, land mines and armed women and children. In May of 1945 after the Germans had surrendered, Harold's unit was sent back to the States to prepare for the possible invasion of Japan. After the war had ended Harold left the military and attended the University of Tennessee where he received his degree in engineering and business. Harold spent 38 years with the Burough Corporation in a number of positions until he retired in 1983. He then moved to the Uncompahgre Plateau about 17 miles outside of Olathe. Harold received the World War II Victory Medal, the American Service Medal, and the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal with bronze stars for the Rhineland, Central Europe and Ardennes campaign. The 70th Infantry Division earned the Presidential Citation with two stars for its valor. Mr. Speaker, it is with great appreciation that I ask Congress to recognize and honor Harold Emick for all that he did for this country in World War II. Harold was just a boy when he was thrust into battle, but his bravery and the bravery of those who fought and died for this country will forever be etched in our minds.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the career of one of Southern Colorado's leading citizens. Kathy Farley resigned from her position as executive director of the Southern Colorado Family Foundation so she can spend more time with her grandchildren and family. The work that Kathy has done over the years helping the community has earned her the thanks of Congress. A Colorado native, Kathy graduated from Denver East High School in 1955. She received a Bachelors of Art in history and education from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1959. Through out her career, Kathy served on many boards including serving as a Pueblo County Commissioner from 1991-1995. She is also a member and past president of the Pueblo Conservancy District as well as the vice-president of the State Board of Parks and Recreation. Kathy is also the co-founder and trustee of distinction of the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. In 1990, Kathy was named the Business Women's Network Women of the Year and in 1985 she was given the Outstanding Woman Award by the Pueblo Girls Club. Kathy and her husband are original donors to the Southern Colorado Family Foundation. The foundation was created for the purpose of helping the citizens of the region create enduring, yet flexible charitable contributions that enhance the quality of life in their communities. ``I am proud to have served as the foundation's first executive director. . .We have a stable foundation. The future is secure.'' Under Kathy's leadership, the foundation raised $825,000 in cash and pledges and will most likely reach its goal of $1 million by mid-year. ``We have worked hard to achieve goals and to support the causes the community believes in.'' Mr. Speaker, Kathy Farley deserves the thanks and praise of Congress for her work both in and for the community. I would like to wish Kathy good luck during her well-deserved retirement. You have earned it Kathy!

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. I will suggest something to the gentleman tomorrow and maybe we can engage as early as tomorrow evening. Unfortunately, this evening, as the gentleman will soon see, I am going to leave the subject of energy completely and talk about a family in Colorado. But aside from that, perhaps we could contact each other tomorrow. I think it would be healthy, Mr. Speaker, for us to have this kind of discussion, because certainly I think some of the statements made on that side are inaccurate. I am sure that the Democrats, especially the liberal Democrats, would find some of my comments inaccurate. But that is not my point for being here this evening. My point here this evening is I want to tell a story. It is a story of great tragedy. It is a tragedy that did not have to happen. It is a tragedy that could have been avoided. It is a tragedy that was brought about in part because of inattentiveness of a governmental agency. It is a tragedy that has ruined a family, maybe not ruined a family, but certainly marred this family's life. Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will pay close attention to the story that I am about to tell this evening. It is about a serial killer. We have all heard about serial killers. We have had a lot of publicity lately about a serial killer. But this is a serial killer that could have easily been brought under control. This is a serial killer that we could have captured, so to speak, very early in the game. But because of the fact that this serial killer who was known to be a serial killer, who was ignored by the system, this serial killer has resulted in many, many deaths. My story again this evening will focus on two of those deaths, two young boys, two young boys who had no idea they were in the midst of a serial killer, two young boys whose lives were snuffed out in a matter of a few seconds. The young boys' families and the young boys' friend's family who were also in the vicinity, how their life has been marred forever because of the fact that attention was not given to the ramifications of a serial killer. In fact, the episode itself was almost by design. What am I talking about? Let me put it up. I would ask my colleagues and I ask, Mr. Speaker, to stick with me for the next 30 minutes or 40 minutes. This is the serial killer. I say to my colleagues I hope each and every one pay attention to this, because this could have ramifications to any of my colleagues' constituents that may be recreating as the boating season begins, that may be recreating on a houseboat. I hope, at the conclusion of my remarks, that one of the first things that my colleagues do when my colleagues return to their districts is that my colleagues speak at town meetings and so on. Take an opportunity to tell your constituents if they have a houseboat, watch out for the serial killer. I am going to tell my colleagues all about the serial killer. This evening, I am going to spend a few minutes telling this story; and, fortunately, by telling this story, the family of these two young men through a lot of soul searching have had enough courage to step forward and allow me to talk about their tragedy. In fact, they had enough courage to come to Capitol Hill last week and to testify in front of committees. As the mother of these two children said, she brought to Washington, D.C. a broken heart. That is what she delivered to Washington, D.C., a broken heart. It takes a lot of gumption for some folks to really come out and tell that. Let us talk a little more about that. I will get into that later on. But let us look at boating and carbon monoxide, the silent serial killer. Let me repeat that, the silent serial killer. Right there, the back of that boat on the swimming platform. This tragedy, by the way, occurred last August. Let us take a look at The Arizona Republic's article. It was published on December 31, 2000. Frankly, it is one of the best news accounts of a story that I read in my professional career. It was by Maureen West and Judd Slivka, I hope that is the correct pronunciation of the author. It is August 2, and the sun is shining on the white paint of the houseboat named the Canyon Explorer. That is the name of the houseboat, the Canyon Explorer. Who wants to go skiing and who wants to go tubing, Ken Dixey, the father asks the nine kids on the 55-foot houseboat. Only two of his sons, Dillon, 11, and Logan, 8, want to go. A pause in the story. There is Dillon. There is Logan. By the way, there is Ken. My colleagues will hear that name during the story. When I refer during the article, I will refer to Ken and his wife, Bambi. By the way, they are from Parker, Colorado. Dillon was 11 years old. Logan is 8. Let us go back to the article. Who wants to go skiing and who wants to go tubing, Ken Dixey asks the nine children on the 55-foot houseboat, only two of his sons, Dillon, 11, and Logan, 8, want to go. Anybody else want to ski? But there are no other takers. So Ken and Bambi Dixey of Parker, Colorado take their two youngest out alone on the fifth day of their annual houseboat vacation, with so many other people around, a total of nine children and four adults, there has not been much time to spend with one particular person. The Dixeys have been coming out to Lake Powell for 15 years with their friends, Mark and Polly Tingey of Fort Collins, Colorado. At first, the couple went alone, but then as their children grew out of diapers and into swim trunks, they took them along. At first, the children lived in life jackets on board the boat, but as they got older, all of the children turned into excellent swimmers as if born to water. Logan, in fact, wanted to be a Navy SEAL. In 1994, Ken Dixey and Mark Tingey secretly bought a share of a privately owned houseboat as a present to their wives. The boat was named the Canyon Explorer, and it was a 55-foot Stardust Cruiser. Every year, they reserved the first week of August on that boat for the past 12 years, they had taken the same route on the lake: leave Bullfrog Marina in Utah, putter along to Iceberg Canyon, spend a night there, and then move on to Neskahi Wash, which stands off an isolated still inlet that is perfect for skiing. The inlet has a natural diving board too, a rock shelf that is natural for kids to catapult themselves off it. They nicknamed the place Jump Rock, and it became a tradition to visit there. Even after Logan hit the water the wrong way the year before, Logan banged himself up but he kept jumping anyway. Another tradition was the first day safety lecture that the fathers gave their children: no running or playing tag on the boat, always swim with a buddy, the buddy system. With the children getting older and more independent, Mark added something to his safety lesson this year. If we ever lost anyone, he told the kids, it would change our lives forever. So the father says to his two sons, as well as to the other children on the boat, if we ever lost any one of you, it would change our lives forever. So pay attention to these safety rules. It is now 5 days later after the first day, August 2, a good day, and the safety lecture seems to be far away. Beneath the blazing sun, Logan masters the art of slaloming and skiing on one ski. He had tried it a few times before, but something had always gone wrong. On this day, something finally clicks, he nails it. Logan, remember, the rock jumper, is fearless. When one of his friends could not haul in a fish, he jumped in and tackled it, hooks and all. He loses one of his front teeth on this day. It is a baby tooth, and his mother, Bambi, promises that she will hide it that night for the Tooth Fairy. Although Logan is an adventurer, Dillon has persistence, refusing to let go of the tow bar cutting back and forth through the ski boat's wake. He sings as he skis, and he talks to the rocks as he zips by. Let go, his father yells playfully, but 11-year-old Dillon does not listen. It is too much fun skimming along the lake. Though he suffers from an occasional migraine headache, Dillon is confident. He is a little league pitcher at the top of his game. The last time out before this trip, he actually pitched a no-hitter. He is going to be a baseball star, he says. Then he is going on to become an actor. I have got plans he tells everyone. Nobody doubts him. Logan, always a cuddler, sits on his dad's lap, while Ken drives the boat. When Bambi's attention is elsewhere, Ken lets Logan, 8, steer the boat and shows him how to work the clutch on the boat. Logan is the aggressive and outgoing one who would crack jokes with the adults at a party. While the other kids goofed around with Nintendo downstairs, Dillon is the sweet kid, the boy who told the girl who had just gotten glasses that she looked nice when she did not want to go into her classroom. When they make it back to the Canyon Explorer, Logan is fired up and tells the other kids about his skiing accomplishments and about the tooth fairy's impending visit. The parents start the grill for dinner. Normally it is chicken and burgers, but tonight it is steak. After dinner, the adults wash dishes while the kids play on the boat. The kids are itching to go in the water for a swim. It is a nightly tradition. The adults turn the houseboat's generator on to power the television and run the air conditioner. Temperatures are falling, but it is still in the 80-degree area. Outside it is getting darker. The moon is a milky silver in the sky. Someone flips the back lights on, illuminating the water. It is shortly before 9 o'clock in the evening. A thunderhead is gathering strength on the horizon, dark against the darkening sky. The adults walk to the front of the houseboat to get candy bars out of the freezer. With this crowd, we need all the energy we can get, they joke; and they hear splashes from the back of the boat. Dillon sticks his head out of the houseboat cabin and looks at the adults. His mother looks back at Dillon. Dillon cocks his head, mugs for her, and then walks away. About 5 minutes later, the serial killer strikes. It is Connor, the Dixie's 14-year-old son, running up the side of the houseboat screaming something about Dillon and Logan, something about Dillon flopping in the water. Everyone thought he was joking around, and then he was gone. All the kids now are screaming. Ken and Mark run to the stern of the boat. The children are back there pointing at the water. Dillon and Logan went down. They have not come back up. Up front, Bambi has a flash of a thought. Dillon's migraine headaches. It must be something else, something worse. Epilepsy? But Logan is missing, too. Both of them are missing. They were swimming, and they ducked beneath the boat, surfacing in the cavity beneath the swim deck, precisely where the serial killer laid in wait. That is where the generator vents its odorless, colorless carbon monoxide gas. It is hot, the children hear Dillon say. Moments later, moments later, Dillon's body appears 15 feet off the side of the houseboat, twitching, the children said. Then Dillon disappears. At the same time, the Tingeys' 13-year-old son Mark, Jr., is on his knees on the graded swim platform. He sees Logan bumping his head against the platform. Tingey reaches under it. He tries to grab the 8- year-old, but Logan sinks and he sinks too quickly for Mark, Jr., to grab him. Ken and the elder Tingey, Mark, dive into the water. Tingey looks beneath the water, but it is too silty. He grabs a pair of swim goggles and looks again. Nothing. An accomplished SCUBA diver, Ken Dixey, the father, dives towards where the children last saw Dillon's bubbles, but he cannot reach the lake bed. He manages to make it to the bottom closer to the water's edge, but he runs out of air, and he has to surface. On a good day, the father can dive free-dive to 40 feet. For some reason, he cannot do that today. He comes up for air, and he ducks down again. They turn out the lights, and they turn off the generator, thinking that the boys' disappearance might have something to do with fumes. But there is no light at all, and quickly the lights and the generator go back on. About 15 minutes after the first scream, Tingey and Dixey bump into each other alongside the ship's side. In 20 years, in 20 years of knowing Dixey, Tingey has not seen a thing that this man cannot do. But his face, his face now says it all. They are gone. ``I will never see my boys alive again.'' Bambi is up front trying to raise someone, anyone on the ship's VHF radio. But she cannot raise anybody. She keeps trying. The two men make a plan. Ken, Ken will dive deep to reach the boys. Tingey will swim to the rear where they were last seen beneath the swim deck, a place that the kids discovered a few days earlier while untangling a rope. Tingey swims to the houseboat's stern and slips under the swim deck, but there are no children under the swim deck. He begins to feel light- headed and sick. Something clicks in his head. I am in danger. Something else. The fumes, it had something to do with what happened to the boys. Tingey struggles out from beneath the platform. Cole, the Dixeys' 16- year-old son pushes him to the swim deck where he and others congregate, shouting the missing boys names: Logan. Dillon. Logan. Logan. Dillon. Dillon. It is 15 minutes until Tingey feels normal again. As soon as he does, he grabs his cell phone, and he gets in his ski boat to race out of the canyon where the signal can register on the local cell phone. He dials 911. It is now 10:20 in the evening Utah time, a little more than an hour after both of these young boys disappeared. Ken, the father, is still diving. He is bumping into rocks. He is grabbing anything under water that has form, anything that could be one of his sons. Bambi is swimming around the sides of the boat to see if the children have somehow gotten stuck. When the boys' parents finally get out of the water, they begin walking along the water's edge crying, looking to see if their boys have washed up onshore. It is a gruesome vigil made worse by the night that was still darkening. On the boat, the children are on their knees, the rest of the children are on their knees; and they are praying, and they are crying. Out on the lake Tingey is calling Bambi's best friend in Parker. ``You need to come out here now,'' he says. ``You need to help the Dixeys get back home when this is all over.'' Ken, worried about Tingey since his experience on the swim platform, comes out in a ski boat to check on his friend. The phone call is done. The two men head back to the houseboat, each in their own boat. Now, why did I this evening go through this story with all of my colleagues? Why relate such a horrific incident to my colleagues here? Why did I go into the detail about the father and the mother yelling for Logan, yelling for Dillon? Why did I talk about these two young people? The reason is simple. This thing is a serial killer right here. Do my colleagues know what, how many more Logans and how many more Dillons are going to be out there in one of these boats? We are just starting the boating season this year. How many more of these tragedies are going to occur? If we do our job, if the Coast Guard does its job, if parents do their job now, the parents that have found out from us, if we can all team together, and that is exactly what the Dixeys have asked us to do and the Tingeys have coordinated an effort to do, we think we can save a lot of lives. Do my colleagues know something, that life might be one's own child. It might be one's life. Listen to me carefully about the defect on this boat. Listen to me carefully about what happens on fumes on houseboats. This could have been avoided. The whole reason I am talking about Logan tonight, the whole reason that I am talking about Dillon tonight is because these deaths, these two young men, one of them wanted to be an actor, the other was well thought of, both expert swimmers. These deaths could have been avoided, and these families want to avoid any other deaths. Is it just restricted to these two young men? We do not think so. We know on Lake Powell alone that there are at least nine other confirmed deaths that we know of in the past, they were classified as drowning deaths or swimming accidents. It is this tragedy, it is this tragedy last summer that brought to the attention of several interested people, hey, something is out there. There is a serial killer out there. What a coincidence, a tragic coincidence that two young boys, brothers, died within seconds of each other. Something on that boat, something on that boat led to those deaths. That is when the investigation really got some momentum. Now, let me tell my colleagues that, years ago, 1995, there was a letter written to the Coast Guard by an expert in this field saying, Coast Guard, be aware, there is a silent killer in existence on houseboats throughout this country, not just Lake Powell. Let me tell my colleagues here, we are not just talking about a lake in the West. These houseboats are distributed nationwide. They sent a letter to the Coast Guard. They said there is a silent killer out there. We have got the proof. There is no question about the defect on the boat. There is a defect on these houseboats. They are not being repaired by the houseboat manufacturers. We have got to educate the public. There was a letter written to this, basically to this problem. Unfortunately, it got filed away. The Coast Guard ignored the letter. It was 5 years ago, well, well, well before the deaths of these two young men. Now, that said about the Coast Guard. Let me tell my colleagues that the Coast Guard now, under its currents admiral, under the vice admiral and the people in the Coast Guard, are completely cooperative. They have been, I think what one would classify as a good partner. They are becoming tenacious, not only in their educational campaign so that we do not have another death like Dillon and like Logan. They are also tenacious in the recall effort that we have tried to put together. We have got quite an effort back here in Capitol Hill to try and make sure that we never again have to experience what some of my colleagues here on the floor, what some of us experienced last week when we listened to the tragedy of the Dixey family. Hopefully, there will not be another family like the Dixey family as a result of one of these silent killers on the houseboat. Let us take a look at a little more detail exactly why this houseboat is a silent killer, why it is a serial killer. First of all, carbon monoxide. Let us talk. Now we all know about carbon monoxide. We are around carbon monoxide all the time. If one walks down the sidewalk, and a car goes by here in Washington, D.C. or Denver, Colorado, or San Francisco, or Miami or New York, or wherever one wants to go, there is lots of cars; and we have carbon monoxide. But we have been raised to believe that carbon monoxide is not dangerous in an open area. Carbon monoxide. All of us knows, it is deadly if one starts a car in the garage and one runs the engine, the carbon monoxide accumulates in the garage. There is nowhere for it to go. It is fatal. We know that. We know that if one sticks a hose on the exhaust and one starts to breathe it, within a few seconds, one is going to be dead. We know that. What this tragic incident of the Dixeys brought to light is that this silent killer can kill in the open. That is exactly what happened here. Let us go over it, because part of my effort this evening is to educate all of us so that we can go back to our constituents and tell our constituents what to look out for, to help in this educational effort that the Dixeys and the Tingeys have really spearheaded. That is their purpose in coming back and sharing this horrible, horrible tragedy with us, because they want to educate other people about how to avoid that serial killer that found them early that evening. Be aware of these kind of symptoms. Carbon monoxide, it is colorless. It is an odorless gas. Now, we have heard that. One does not know it is around. It has no color to it. It has no odor to it. One does not know that one is inhaling carbon monoxide gas. Incomplete combustion of carbon chemicals, it is the leading cause of poisonings in our country. If one looks across our country, that is the number one cause of poisonings. As I said, it is a silent killer. Here is what is important, symptom progression. First of all, one starts to get dizzy. One gets a headache. One becomes nauseous, disoriented. One can have convulsions, one will have convulsions, coma and death. Of course the order and the length of how long this goes is totally dependent on the quantity that one takes into one's body. Now, for any of my colleagues that have a houseboat or have any of their constituents who have a houseboat, please, please, please pay attention to me now for the next few moments. Let me show my colleagues where the serial killer rests. Let me show my colleagues what results in almost instantaneous death if one is within the reach of that serial killer. Here it is. This is the back of a houseboat. Any of my colleagues that have been on a houseboat will recognize this is the back of the houseboat. This is the canvas that goes around. Right in this area is where one's TV is, one's living quarters, and so on. This is the swimming platform. One can see the houseboat, by design, has a step down right here. One steps from this deck on to this small deck. That is the swimming platform. Here you can see they have a slide that actually goes right off. This area right here, this entire area, is designed to be a swim platform. That is where you do the swimming. They do not want you swimming in the front of the houseboat. They did not design the houseboat for you to swim on the side of it, they designed it right here. So you swim right there. There is the ladder. That is the swim ladder right there. Guess what is happening? Some of these houseboats, including the houseboat, the Canyon Explorer that the Dixeys and the Tingeys were on, unbeknownst to them, had the generator which turns the lights and the air-conditioning on, not a big engine, small motor, not the motor that drives the boat, but a generator that provides electricity and power within the living quarters, it has its exhaust exit right in here and right over here. Now, let me show my colleagues what happens to it. Again, take a close look at this. This is the back. Here is our problem. This is where the arms of the silent killer are. There is where they are going to reach out, anywhere within either side of this ladder. Here is what begins to happen. You go inside the houseboat. Now, here is the glass sliding door. You go in the houseboat, turn on the generator in there, here is the swimming platform and the swim ladder right here, and so you turn on your generator, and this is what begins to happen with the exhaust. Now, remember, when you just take a look at the exhaust, you see mere exhaust. You do not see the carbon monoxide. You can see the exhaust, you just do not see the content of the carbon monoxide. You see more smoke coming out of a car that has not been tuned up down here on Main Street. So here, when they start it up, there is a little tiny exit valve right here, right on this side, and there is a small one right over here. And what begins to happen is the exhaust goes out into an open area. Again, this case brought to our attention that you can get carbon monoxide poisoning in an open area. That has not been our assumption. It has all changed as a result of those tragic deaths. What begins to happen is that gas does not come out into the open. Because of the chamber that is created right underneath the swim deck, where logically you would swim, frankly I would swim under there, it begins to turn in circles and it begins to circulate within that cavity. It is not exiting the cavity with any kind of velocity. It is locked into that cavity right there. When you jump in the water, as you go down the ladder, you are within inches. Your face is within inches of that silent killer. Let us take a look at what the measurements are. We had some scientists that went in on this. We had some people that went in and did the expert work on this. Take a very careful look at what happens. This is carbon monoxide. The only important thing we need to remember here is its parts per million. It just gives us some kind of measurement so that we can get an idea of what is going on underneath this deck. So the numbers are parts per million, and I am just going to give you an idea of the intensity that is building up in this deck. Let us look. Okay, 35 parts per million. Thirty-five is the maximum exposure allowed by the EPA in outside air for a 1-hour period of time. So our Federal regulations, through the EPA, say that the maximum exposure that we will allow to be polluted for a 1-hour period of time is 35. Thirty-five is also the maximum exposure allowed by OSHA in the workplace over an 8-hour period of time. So over an 8-hour period of time, when OSHA comes in and inspects a workplace, it is a violation if they find an amount or a concentration over 35. At 200 parts per million, you begin to feel some symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. One, you begin to have a mild headache, you begin to feel fatigue, you have nausea, dizziness, and you become confused. That is at 200. At 400, you begin to have a serious headache. Now, remember, 35 is what EPA said really ought to be the maximum over an hour. At 400, you begin to get a serious headache. Other symptoms intensify within a 1- to 2-hour period of time; 2\1/2\ to 3\1/ 2\ hours at 400 and you collapse in danger of death. So doubling that, at 800, we are doubling that, at 800 dizziness, nausea, convulsions. Within 45 minutes, you are dead. In 2 hours, at 800, you are dead in 2 hours. Now, let us begin to take a look: 1,200. 1,200. Remember, 35 is the maximum EPA wants out there over an hour period. Now, 1,200 exposure considered to be immediately dangerous to life and health. If you have a measurement of 1,200 parts per million of carbon monoxide, death is impending. The danger is immediate. You are in an emergency situation. Let us go on from that emergency situation. We have measured in the back of boats, and I am not talking about below the swim deck, I am talking about this area right here. Up here, in this area right here on a houseboat. If that generation is going, we have measured carbon monoxide, not locked underneath, but carbon monoxide on these decks in this category right here, in excess of 1,200; the amount measured in open air near the rear end of several boats that were examined. So several of the boats they found a level, not in the water, not next to the generator, in an open arena, exposure considered to be immediately dangerous to life and health. Let us go on. If you go to 3,200 parts per million, 3,200 parts per million, you will be dead in 30 minutes. If you go to 6,400 parts per million, you will be dead in 10 to 15 minutes. That is at 6,400. Now, look at 10,000. In 6,400, you are dead in 10 to 15 minutes. Boom, it is over. Ten thousand, the amount that was measured in open air on or near the swim platform of several boats. So at 6,400, 6,400, around there, if you are exposed to that, you are dead in 10 minutes. What they found out in this area right here, this area right here, are measurements of 10,000. Ten thousand. Remember, it is has always been the assumption that if the carbon monoxide gets out, it dilutes so quickly that it is not harmful to humans. Ten thousand was the measurement in the back of the boat. At 12,000, it is immediate death. Death is immediate at 12,000. Seven thousand to 30,000. Remember, 12,000 is immediate. Thirty thousand is the amount measured on houseboats on Lake Powell under the swim platform. Thirty thousand is the measurement underneath this swim platform if your generator exhaust comes out underneath it. And several houseboats on Lake Powell today and several houseboats on lakes throughout this country have a measurement of 30,000, and 10,000 is instant death. You want to know what happened to the Dixeys' sons? That is exactly what happened to the Dixeys' sons. You want to know a death that was avoidable? They knew that was in existence. You think these houseboat manufacturers repaired those boats? They did not repair them. They knew about them. They knew there was a problem. The Coast Guard knew there was a problem. You wonder about how the Dixeys felt when they knew about this? I mean, what gives? Do we know we have a silent killer; do we know we have a serial killer? Now, again I want to come back and tell you that the Coast Guard is now tenacious. We all wish they would have done it 5 years ago. But I will tell you, it bothers me with the manufacturers of these boats. What do you think when you put an exhaust out underneath a swim platform? That is exactly where this exhaust comes out. You can see here on this picture, I hope, colleagues, you can see on this picture the haze in there. That is where it exits. What kind of rocket scientist would tell you that on a swim platform that might be where the people do their swimming. Of course it is where they do their swimming. That is where you must have an expectation that people will be in that water; that people will be within inches of that exhaust. You need to know something? There are lots of people today, in fact, there may be some today as I am now speaking to my colleagues, there may be some out there today who have children now currently swimming off the back of their boat. It is boating season. I hope not. Because if it is happening, we stand to have another horrible, horrible tragedy like the Dixey family went through. We are trying to do everything we can with this. First of all, the Arizona Republic, to their credit, they have done an excellent job in trying to get that story out. Of course, Arizona is a big boating State. 48 Hours is going to do a story on it. USA Today has done a story on it. New York Times has done a story. All the Denver Press, the Colorado Press, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel has done excellent stories, Associated Press is getting that story out, and local TV news is getting it out. We are starting to get word out where that serial killer is located. Because if we know where it is located, and we educate the public where this serial killer hides out, we can avoid the kind of tragedies that we saw with the Dixey family. It is our obligation to try and be as tenacious as we can be, to be as determined as we can be to get the message out. When you get on a houseboat this summer, you should say this to your constituents; when you get on a houseboat this summer, for God sakes, take a look at the back by the swim platform. Where does that generator exhaust come out? And if you are renting a boat, you should insist it have a carbon monoxide detector inside the boat. And if the carbon monoxide detector goes off, pay attention to it. I went down to Lake Powell not long ago, and I was talking to the maintenance guy down there on rental boats. They have carbon monoxide detectors on those houseboats at Lake Powell that are rented by the concessionaire. And by the way, they have revented, or they do not vent on the back on those houseboats that are rented. But I asked him, I said, well, what do you find about these carbon monoxide detectors? The guy said most of the time these detectors come back disconnected because the people who have rented the boat think the thing is malfunctioning because it is going off. Do not do that. You have just invited the serial killer into your bedroom if you think that carbon monoxide detail detector is not working. Now, why? Why am I so intense this evening? And why do I continue to reiterate the tragedy that the Dixey and the Tingey family suffered at Lake Powell in August of last year? Am I against the houseboat manufacturers, as some might suggest? Of course not. I love being out on Lake Powell. Water sports generally are very safe if you are responsible, as the Dixey family was. They lectured their kids. They sat all these kids down, gave them a safety lecture before they did that. When they were young, they were in life jackets. As they grew older, they took swimming lessons, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Responsible safety lessons are necessary. But what is sad about this situation, and the reason that I get so worked up about it, is no matter how many swimming lessons the Dixeys would have given these two young men, no matter how much, no matter how much time Ken, or no matter how much time Bambi spent with these two boys on swimming lessons, no matter how many safety lectures they would have given them, if they would have been 5 feet away from these young boys, and by the way, they were not much further away than that, nothing could have saved those boys. Why? Because the killer that got them, that carbon monoxide under the swim platform where people expect people to swim was instant death. That is exactly what happened. That is why I get worked up about it. Is it avoidable? You bet. One, you can vent this carbon monoxide straight up. What does it mean? It means it is going to cost a little money. Last week in our committee hearing, we had a committee hearing, the Dixey family and the Tingey family were willing to come to Washington and spill all of their sadness. The mother brought a broken heart. The father in his testimony in front of our committee last week said, ``As a father, I feel I have an inherent responsibility. Probably the ultimate charge, an inherent responsibility, to protect my family. As my boys were drowning, I know that they thought and they expected that I would rescue them.'' Well, Mr. Dixey, you never had a chance. You and Bambi could have done everything possible, but because of the fact you did not know about that serial killer lurking underneath the swim platform of your houseboat, you had no chance. Frankly for a couple like that, Mr. Speaker, for a couple like that to have these guilty feelings about what they could have done, there is nothing they could do. But somebody could have done something about it. First of all, the Coast Guard back in 1995; and again, they are doing something about it now. The boat manufacturers, and I should add now that the boat manufacturers, now that we have a recall, I went to the Coast Guard and I said, ``Put a recall.'' The Coast Guard said, ``We are not sure we can.'' They do their research, and they can put a recall. Now we have cooperation from the boat manufacturers, but that cooperation did not start until we had a recall. We did not get cooperation 5 years ago. Some of these boat manufacturers I think knew what was happening. It should have been fixed. And if it would have been fixed, we would have two young men in our presence today. They would be alive, Dillon and Logan, and Bambi and Ken, they would not be in this kind of situation. So colleagues, what do I want the message to be to you tonight? Try and educate. Have town meetings if you have an opportunity. We have a Memorial Day break coming up. We know on Memorial Day a lot of people go to the water. This is an opportunity for you, too. I want to do it. This is an opportunity for you to tell the story that I am relaying to you tonight, for you to tell the Dixey story and relate as the Dixeys have prayed ever since they lost their two wonderful children, as they have prayed as someone might, for you to go out and tell their story so no other family suffers as the Dixey family has. That is if you have a houseboat, for gosh sake's, be aware of the danger of carbon monoxide. If you have got a houseboat, when you go to rent a houseboat, or if you are going to use a houseboat and it has carbon monoxide, it has generators, this is not the engines that drive the propellers, this is the generator that keeps the lights on inside the cabin. If you rent a houseboat this weekend, Mr. Speaker, take a look at the back. If the generator exhaust comes out the back, tell the owner of that houseboat, number one, you are not going to rent it. And number two, he should not rent it to anybody. Tell him he has a silent serial killer on his hands, and his responsibility is to put a lock and key on that boat and until that boat is refitted, not let anybody touch it. If you do not, some of our constituents are going to suffer the same horrible tragedy which creates a nightmare every night of the Dixeys' life. I am asking for my colleagues to help this evening. Mr. Speaker, this evening I was ready to talk about the budget. I wanted to talk about energy. I wanted to rebut the previous comments that were made obviously attacking President Bush I think unfairly. But sometimes there is a priority. My priority tonight was to put aside the discussion on the budget, to put aside the discussion on our energy problem, to try and relay a message about how deadly and how dangerous these houseboats are, and how important it is for us, Mr. Speaker, and how important it is for everyone that we come in contact with when we go out on our Memorial Day break, to know exactly what the danger of these houseboats are. It is very, very important. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, let me just thank specifically the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), the gentleman called a hearing on boating safety, and to thank my colleagues that have given us the time and their energy to get this message out. I do want to issue a deep appreciation to the families and so on who are willing to help us get this message out. I wish Mr. Speaker and all of my colleagues a safe Memorial Day weekend.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), my colleague, I look forward not today but perhaps on the floor here where we can engage in a debate. In fact, I would savor the opportunity to engage in a debate with the gentleman. Unfortunately, this evening I am not going to be able to rebut the comments that the gentleman has made. Obviously, there is strong disagreement and maybe next week or some week we can make an arrangement where the gentleman and I could show up here on special orders and both sides can yield a little and have a discussion. I would look forward to that. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment and say thank you to a resident of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. For 45 years, Jean Hull has volunteered her time with the hospital auxiliary. Throughout these 45 years, Jean has been a warm, friendly face for not only visitors but hospital employees as well. Jean started out volunteering at the information desk in 1956 when the Valley View Hospital Auxiliary was formed. ``She has lent her support for literally the entire existence of Valley View,'' said Gary Brewer, the Hospital Administrator. ``Her gentle, competent and positive presence is valued by the hospital, and by our patients and families.'' Jean now volunteers every Thursday in the gift shop, where she is known as a very persuasive seller. Jean also helps with fund- raisers. Other groups have benefited from Jean's willingness to volunteer her time. Jean was part of the Parent-Teacher Association. She is an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Glenwood Springs, and for the past 28 years, she has been a member of the P.E.O., which raises money to help young women finish their education. ``It's a tremendous way for someone just moving into Glenwood to become acquainted. It's a wonderful way of doing something worthwhile. You feel like you're doing something for the community.'' During the month of May, Valley View Hospital named Jean ``Volunteer of the Year''. ``I was just overwhelmed, and very flattered of course,'' Jean said. ``Many volunteers have many more hours than I do.'' Mr. Speaker, I hope that you and Congress will join me in congratulating Jean on her award and thank her for all she has done for the community of Glenwood Springs.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, a most respected member of Western Colorado passed away on May 12, 2001. Lyndon V. ``Lindy'' Granat was a pioneer in Western Colorado, and I would like Congress to pause a moment and recognize Lindy for his years of work and dedication to the community. Everyone who knew him will sorely miss him. Lindy was born in Eagle Bend, Minnesota, and in 1920 at the age of seven he moved to Palisade, Colorado in 1920 with his family. He graduated from Palisade High School in 1930 and three years later he met his future wife, Violet Wolverton. He and Violet married in 1935. Lindy was a peach rancher until his retirement in 1978. According to his family, ``Lindy had a lifelong love of Palisade, calling it `God's Country' and Palisade is richer efforts.'' Lindy spent a lifetime booster the town, fighting for every cause. During his life he belonged to countless organizations like the Peach Board of Control and the United Fruit Growers Association where he served on the board of directors. He was a lifetime member of the NRA and the Western Colorado Horticulture Society. Lindy is best known for helping to build the Palisade Watershed along with George Nesbitt, Ray Denison, and Bob Flockhart. As a result, Lindy was often the unofficial tour guide. In 1995 the Town of Palisade named the Granat Reservoir in his honor because of his intimate knowledge of the watershed's development. The Palisade Watershed is how the town receives its water from the Grand Mesa. ``He was a true gentle giant because his heart overflowed with love-- love for his family, friends and his town. He was loyal, the kind of man you could count on, no matter what the need,'' said the Palisade Tribune. Mr. Speaker, Lyndon V. ``Lindy'' Granat deserves the thanks and praise of Congress for all of his work for the Town of Palisade throughout his life. The memory of Lindy will last forever with wife and his sons Gary and Roger, his daughter Ruth and his grandchildren.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to honor one of the bright young minds of western Colorado. Central High School junior Ryan Patterson, amazed people for the second year in a row at a science fair for creating a compact device capable of digitally translating sign language onto a small electronic readout. Ryan is no stranger at science fairs. He was the winner of last years science fair and went on to win first place and nearly $10,000 at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Detroit. In total, Ryan has won numerous science awards, $192,000 in scholarships, $15,750 in cash, two lap-tops, and two trips to Stockholm, Sweden, for the Nobel Prize ceremonies. Seventeen year-old Ryan recently won the top award in the International Science Fair in San Jose, California. The device that brought young Ryan all this fame is a glove that translates American Sign Language into digital information that can be read on a portable screen. The device will assist those with speaking disabilities communicate anywhere without a translator. Ryan came up with this while in a Burger King. ``I was in Burger King when I saw some people ordering their food in sign language with someone else translating for them,'' ``So I thought something like this would help them become more independent by being able to communicate easier.'' ``For me, it's been an incredible journey,'' said John McConnell, a retired physicist. ``I'm 70 years old and he's one of the greatest joys of my life.'' Tests for the device were promising enough that Ryan plans on seeking a patent and he hopes to manufacture it. Mr. Speaker, Ryan has a bright future ahead of him, and I would like to congratulate him on behalf of Congress and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Ryan's family, classmates, and Western Colorado can be proud of Ryan for his accomplishments.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's time this evening. I say to the gentleman from South Dakota, it is kind of fun, because when we speak about conservation, there are lots of neat things. I told my staff over the weekend, I said, why do you not all put your heads together over the weekend, each one of us, including myself, let us come up with 10 separate items of what we can suggest to our constituents of ways we can conserve and make them as painless as possible. For example, as I mentioned earlier, most car manuals, the engineers that design the cars, build the cars and test the cars, in most car owners' manuals, you will find you should change the oil in your car every five or 6,000 miles. Yet, if you pick up your newspaper and advertising, you will see the quick lube outfits and so on market you and convince the American public that you need to change your oil every 3,000 miles. You do not have to change it every 3,000 miles. Follow the owners' manual. That is painless. Not only is it painless, you can put money in your pocket. So I just did this to reiterate the emphasis of the gentleman from South Dakota on what the President has said about conservation. Conservation can begin to close that gap that we have right here in the blue that the gentleman spoke of. If we continue to allow this to go without additional supply and without conservation, our dependency on foreign oil, of course, increases. So I will wrap it up with that. Again, I appreciate the gentleman's time. Mr. Speaker, I intended to come to the House floor this evening. Last week, I had, really, the privilege to meet two wonderful and very, very brave families. Ken and Bambi Dixie from Parker, Colorado. Ken and Bambi lost their two youngest sons tragically as a result of a poisoning last year, as a result of carbon monoxide coming out of the back end of a houseboat, as a result of a defect that could have been avoided, should have been avoided, should have never existed in the first place. Their friend Mark Tingee and his wife, Polly, were also on the boat at this time that this horrific tragedy took place. Now, why are they courageous? A lot of us in this country have suffered tragedy. I do not know a lot of people that have suffered tragedy as the Dixies suffered. But, nonetheless, the courageousness of this couple was that they were willing to come out and relive this tragedy over and over again last week here on Capitol Hill with testimony in hopes of saving some lives this summer so that, when people are recreating out there in the lake, they are not poisoned as a result of houseboat usage, on improper venting on carbon monoxide. So tomorrow evening, Mr. Speaker, I hope to have an opportunity to address my colleagues and go in some detail. I hope they listen because the message we need to take back to our constituents about the possibility of this defect, the existence of it, and the tragic results of it is very important. Thank goodness we had somebody as brave as the Dixie family and as brave as the Tingee family to come forward. So I am going to speak on that tomorrow night. I want to spend the balance of my time talking about the death tax. When I take a look at our tax system in this country, I am not sure one can find a tax that is more punitive, that is more unjustified than what is called the death tax. Now, the death tax is imposed upon the assets or the property that an individual has accumulated during their lifetime. Now, this is property upon which taxes have already been paid. This is not property where, for some reason or another, taxes were evaded or taxes were avoided. This is property in which taxes have already been paid. In other words, the due tax owed to the government has been paid. The tax bill, zero, until the moment of your death. Upon the moment of your death, the government comes into you, to your property, to your future generations, and as a punitive measure takes your property or takes a good share of your property if you qualify for the death tax. Now, the death tax came about theoretically to help finance World War I. But where you really see the fundamental origins of the death tax is when this country was moving towards kind of a socialistic angle, and they were angry at the Carnegies and they were angry at J. P. Morgan and they were angry at the Rockefellers. They said we should go and redistribute wealth. That is what really started this ball rolling. But now what has happened is a country, which is the greatest country in the history of the world, our country, now our country is one of the leading countries in the world, discourages small family farms or family businesses from going from one generation to the next generation. Now, why do I say small? Because it was with some interest I noticed that the father of Bill Gates, Mr. Gates we will call him, it is not Bill Gates, I am not sure he agrees with his father, but Bill Gates, Sr., very, very wealthy man spoke about how important it was to keep the death tax in place. Do my colleagues know where he spoke from? He was speaking from the foundation offices. What does that mean? Well, the foundation was created to help avoid these death taxes. So the wealthy, some of the wealthiest people in this country have already pretty well protected themselves against this punitive measure. It is the small. It is the small kid on the block. It is the farmer or the rancher or the contractor who has a bulldozer, a dump truck and a backhoe; and, all of a sudden, one day, they are doing business, and because of some tragedy, he loses his life or she loses her life. The next day, the next generation is being taxed, so that they cannot continue the business. The wealthy families in this country, and I have no objection to wealth, I think that is one of the great incentives that has made this country a superpower, but the fact is the wealthiest people of this country have prepared for the death tax. They have teams of lawyers and they have done estate planning, but there are a lot of families who have not had either the resources or the knowledge of the tax law to be able to help protect the next generation. I was asked a question not long ago when I was down in Durango, Colorado, and they said, you know, in this country, nobody should have the right to inherit. Well, I guess if there is not a will, there should be a right to inherit, it should not go to the government. However, although you may not have the right to inherit, you certainly ought to have the right to bequeath, to give this property to people of your choosing, and most of the time, all of us would like to give that property to our children. I will tell you about my personal experience. A goal of my wife and myself, our dream in life is to give something to our children. Not just give it to them, they are going to work hard, and they have worked hard. In fact, I graduated two of them from college last week. I have the other in college. I am pretty proud of them, as my colleagues are of their children. But during our life, we hope to give them some kind of a little start like my parents helped me. They gave me a lot of love, and that is what we are giving to ours. My father and mother had six children. My mother and father worked very hard in their careers and they were able to provide a college education to their children, and then we were on our own. All of us want to do that. And why should a death tax step in; why should the government come in and destroy the opportunity for one generation to help the next generation? I thought I would just read a couple of examples here. Years ago, Tim Luckey's great grandfather started a farm in Tennessee. When his grandfather and then his father inherited the farm, both of them paid inheritance tax. Someday Tim hopes to inherit the farm, and when he does, he will have to pay the tax again. Notice I say ``again.'' If party A owns a farm and dies, and party B inherits the farm, then party B pays those taxes. But if party B all of a sudden dies, say a year later in some kind of accident, the property now is inherited by C, and the property is taxed once again. There are multiple layers of tax on that property. And I am not talking about like Mr. Gates and some of his cronies that signed that letter. We are not talking about the super wealthy. We are talking about a lot of people in this country today, farmers and ranchers and small business people. They have paid their taxes and they are going to be punished as a result of this death tax. But we are about to eliminate it. That is the good news, both Democrats and Republicans, not the liberal wing of the Democratic party. I did not say all the Democrats. I understand that. But the conservative Democrats and the Republicans have all joined together. We are in the process of beginning the repealing of the death tax, and that is part of that tax package that is going to go to the President by Memorial Day. Brad Efford owns a lumber yard in Columbia, Missouri. He pays $36,000 a year just for a life insurance policy so his children can inherit the yard unincumbered. What is interesting is the untold number of businesses, as this article goes on, the untold number of businesses that prior to an owner's death are sold precisely to avoid the death tax. By selling before death, a small business owner may avoid the death tax in exchange for paying a capital gains tax at the rate of 20 percent. That is important to know. What we are saying is if you have the business upon your death, we are going to grab it, or force you to sell it. Or if you like to, you go ahead and go out and sell your lumber yard, or we are going to force you to go out and sell that small contracting business you have. When I was in Durango, Colorado, speaking to this group, where the question, do you have a right to inherit came up, another couple, who were interior decorators, and they were pretty proud of the business they had built up, it was a wife-and-husband team, they had put together apparently a fairly lucrative interior decorating business in this small town of Durango. What the couple did not realize is that if either one of them were killed in an accident, and the business went to the remaining spouse, or if both of them were killed, let us say both were killed, as happens in this country or throughout the world, if both of them were killed, that interior decorating business they worked so hard, if they had a couple of children beginning to learn the business, that business would evaporate because of the need to pay those taxes. Let me read a couple other letters. I am very sensitive about what is happening to our open spaces in the State of Colorado, up in our mountains. Here is another letter. ``The fate of 1,810 acres of ranch land featuring stunning views and prime elk habitat north of Carbondale will be determined at auction. The ranch now belongs to the son and daughter of the owner. The estate taxes are basically forcing this sale. They were just raising cows on it, but with the value of the land as it now is, we can't afford to raise cows. We have to sell the land just to pay the death taxes.'' Let me go on. This is from Anthony Allen. Mr. Allen writes: ``Mr. McInnis, I am writing to encourage you to keep the repeal of the `Death Tax' on the front burner. As an owner of a family business, it is extremely important that upon our death, the business will be able to be passed to our daughter and our son, both of whom work in the business, without the threat of having to liquidate to pay inheritance taxes on assets that have already been taxed once. Of all the taxes we pay, this tax is truly double taxation.'' It is punishment. ``I am aware that several wealthy people, i.e. William Gates, Sr., George Scoros, have come out against the repeal of the death tax. This is one of the most self-serving demonstrations I have ever seen. They have theirs in trusts, foundation, offshore accounts and will pay no taxes,'' or limited taxes. ``Whatever their political motivations are, they certainly don't represent or speak for the vast majority of business owners or farmers in this country.'' Now I have heard some people say, well, look, only the top 2 percent are going to pay this tax. But look what it does to a community, and I could give hundreds of examples. Go into a community like the community in my district, when we had a person who was the largest employer, the largest contributor to his local church, the largest owner of real estate, the largest bank accounts in town, and they hit that family with the death tax. Do my colleagues think that money that went to the government stayed in that small community in Colorado, where previously it had helped the church and the bank and the people with jobs and the real estate market, et cetera, et cetera? No, that money is transferred. The bulk of it goes straight to Washington, D.C. for redistribution somewhere in the country. And I would bet money that not one single penny goes back to that community. So no one should be bamboozled on this top 2 percent. Take a look at what it does to families. John Happy writes this letter. John, thanks for writing. ``Dear Scott: I wish there were some way I could help get this death tax eliminated. It is the most discriminatory and socialistic tax imaginable. I can't, for the life of me, understand how this tax was ever passed in our system to begin with. How can anybody advocate taxing somebody twice? I don't care,'' and this is his quote. This is what John says. ``I don't care if it's a millionaire or a pauper, it is not the government's money. The taxes have already been paid.'' It is not the government's money. The taxes have been paid. ``Why should a family working for 45 years and paying taxes on time every year be forced into this position? Sincerely, John.'' Marshall Frasier writes me a letter. ``Dear Scott: I was encouraged by the President's fight on the death tax and the repeal of that. We've operated a family partnership since the 1930s. My parents died about 5 years apart in the 1980s and the estate tax on each of their one-fifth interest,'' listen to this, ``the estate tax on each one-fifth interest was three to four times more than the original cost of the ranch.'' Three to four times more than the family member paid to get their share of the ranch. ``Eliminating the death tax and reducing tax rates will go a long ways towards helping retain open space, providing jobs, and allowing one generation's business to go on to the next generation.'' You know, this is a great country we live in, but the United States of America should have the policy of encouraging family business to go from one generation to the next generation. The United States of America is about to adopt a policy to repeal the death tax so that one family can have their dreams alive so that upon their death, no pun intended, that upon their death, the next generation can carry on for maybe the next generation. It is fundamentally important for the foundation of our country that we encourage family activities, family businesses to go from one generation to the next. Let me go on to another one. This is a college student who writes me this letter, Nathan Steelman. ``Dear Mr. McInnis: I am a college student at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, which is in your district. My parents and grandparents are involved in a typical family farm, a farm that has been in the same family for 125 years. ``My grandpa is 76 years old, and he is in the last years of his life. My parents have been discussing the situation for the past several months. My parents worry about this death tax. They worry about how are they going to keep the farm running once grandpa passes away. The eventual loss of grandpa will trigger this tax upon my family. My parents hope they can pay the tax without selling part of the family operation that they have worked so hard in maintaining over the years. The outcome doesn't look very good. ``Farmers and ranchers are having a tough enough time keeping family operations running the way it is. Statistics show that 70 percent of all family businesses do not survive a second generation, and 87 percent don't survive the third. My family, Mr. McInnis, has worked very hard to keep the family farm running this long. We feel as if we are being penalized for the death of a family member. From what I understand, the opposition is concerned about what many of the individuals who are affected by the death tax are those with very wealthy businesses. Statistics show, however, that more than half of all the people who pay death taxes had estates worth less than $1 million. My family falls in that category. It just doesn't seem fair to me, Mr. McInnis. ``Mr. McInnis, my family's farm is not located within your district, but when I moved to Pueblo, I felt like I needed to express concerns to somebody. This death tax should be abolished.'' Chris Anderson, another young man. ``I'm 24 years old. I currently run a small mail order business. I'm not a constituent of yours, I reside in New Jersey. However, I listened with great interest as you spoke on the death tax not long ago. In all likelihood, I will not face the problems you are outlining, at least not in the near future. I am not in line to inherit a business. My families have no wealth. However, I'm soon to be married, and I look forward to having a family, and perhaps one day my children will want to follow in my footsteps. I hope and pray they will not face the additional grief caused by this death tax. ``A 55 percent tax is at best a huge burden on a family business and the loved ones of the deceased. At worst, it can be the death blow that ruins what could otherwise have been a future for another generation. ``This letter is not a plea for your help. I just want you to know that although I'm not a victim of this tax, I appreciate the effort against it. I firmly believe, and have always believed, that success in family is firmly rooted in our country. I spent a few years working for a small family business, not just myself, but several workers depended on the income they derived from that business. So it's more than just the owners, it's also the people that work for these businesses. Hope your constituents recognize how important this is to repeal the death tax.'' Well, Chris Anderson, I have got good news for you. Chris, we are about to do it. The President's tax plan has by now passed the Senate. It will come to the House tomorrow, and we will put some conferees together. This marks a special moment for those of us who care about a future generation and those of us planning for our own family future. We are about to see the death knell of that unfair and punitive death tax. It is about time. It is about time that this country finally recognized what a rotten policy it was to put a tax in that taxed you upon your death, that prevented in many cases small farms and small businesses from going from one generation to the next, that sent out a terrible message, a message that suggests that the transfer of wealth is what creates capital, instead of the innovation of products. I am pleased to be a part, and I congratulate those Democrats that have joined us. Mr. Speaker, by the way, I want the gentleman to know that by Memorial Day all of us on this floor will have an opportunity to once and for all repeal the death tax. I urge every one of my colleagues to vote to get rid of that death tax. If you do not, I hope that you have a good reason why you decided that this country should continue to tax somebody upon death. Mr. Speaker, my time is about up. Let me conclude with three quick remarks: One, I am pleased we are getting rid of the death tax. Number two, to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), partisan, highly emotionally charged statements of special interests, et cetera, et cetera, are not going to help California. We have to come together as a team to help California, and we are willing to do it as long as you are willing to pitch in. If California wants to pitch in, we ought to help them out of this situation. Finally, colleagues, I hope tomorrow you have time to sit and listen to my remarks about the Dixie family and the terrible tragedy that they went through; but the bravery and the courageousness that they, along with the Tingee family, have been able to show as an example so that hopefully this tragedy will not be repeated this summer as that tragedy unfolded last summer for the Dixie family.

Mr. McINNIS. I am happy to yield to the gentleman from South Dakota.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's comments. Just to reiterate a couple of things, it is the first energy policy we have had in 9 years. Why? Because we need to plan for the future of this country, and we need to have some type of blueprint. We need to put things up on the table for discussion, not for obstruction policy or strategy, but for discussion. That is exactly what this energy plan does. I should say that the remarks, first of all, I want people to know that, as we talk about this side of the aisle, the Democrats, obviously I am a Republican, the Democrats, we have a lot of Democrats who are working very constructively to help us put this plan together. We have a lot of Democrats that want to work with us. But what we have heard this evening is the liberal side of that party. All we heard was a partisan attack. Now, I realize that they are not going to join our efforts, which, by the way, is a bipartisan effort, both Republicans an Democrats, to put an energy policy into place. But at least they should refrain or at least adjust the tone of their attacks that frankly cannot be substantiated. I mean, we heard comments tonight, I heard that this plan calls for the complete, mind you, complete destruction of the Arctic National Wildlife in Alaska, that it wipes out all types of conservation, wipes out all efforts at conservation. I mean, these kind of exaggerations do not get us anywhere. What does get us somewhere, frankly, are the Democrats and the Republicans, and there are a lot of them who are doing it as we speak, are sitting down with this administration, coming up with a policy to plan for our future. One other point I would make, and then we probably ought to move on to the death tax. But the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune) brought up the dependency of this country on foreign supply of energy. I mean, if one wants to put our environment at risk, and, by the way, I am very sensitive about that, as my colleague knows, my district is a beautiful district as is his; but if one wants to put an environment at risk, if one wants to put the future generations of this country at risk, one continues on the policy of increasing our dependency on foreign oil. Maybe the gentleman would like to comment on that. But I am telling my colleagues, his point, that is the most dangerous thing we have got out there. This thing in California is going to work itself out. Our situation, we actually have lots of electrical supply coming on for 49 of the 50 States here in the next year and a half. This is going to work out. But the kind of the iceberg under the water is this continued inching up and dependence on dependency on foreign sources for our energy needs.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments just made by the gentleman from California. I cannot believe the comments that I heard in the last 30 minutes from the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman). I have great respect for the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone). He and I have shared this floor many nights on special orders. I have never heard the kind of comments that I heard this evening from my colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey. Let me quote exactly what he said. Referring to the President of the United States, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) said, ``The only reason that the crisis exists is because,'' referring to the President, ``he is getting special- interest money.'' If the gentleman from New Jersey is suggesting, and I am not sure, I do not think he is, I think this is way below the gentleman from New Jersey; the gentleman from New Jersey is, in my opinion, a man of great integrity; but if he is suggesting that the President of the United States has accepted bribes from an oil company, he has an inherent responsibility, in fact, he has a fiduciary responsibility, to tomorrow morning go immediately to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and to the U.S. Attorney's Office and present the evidence that he has against the President of the United States for bribery. Short of that, he should never, ever make those kind of remarks on this House floor, at least in my presence. There was no justification whatsoever, and I second the gentleman's remarks. This floor is an exercise of freedom of speech. This floor, Mr. Speaker, is for us to debate among each other. I know that tempers get short once in a while. I know we all believe intensely in our positions. But before Members allege what is considered to be a high crime, to me almost equal to crime of treason, and that is acceptance of a bribe, Members darned well better have their evidence before they do that to a colleague or to a President of the United States. That evidence, in my opinion, is not in existence. Let me conclude those comments by telling Members once again, I do not think that is what the gentleman from New Jersey intended. It is what he said. I do not think that is what he intended, because, as I said earlier, in my opinion, the gentleman from New Jersey, while I rarely agree with him, I consider him a gentleman. I consider him professionally to be a man of integrity. But his comments this evening were out of order. Now let us talk about the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman). Of course, the gentleman makes these remarks because he is unrebutted for an hour. The gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), all of us, we know on my side of the party we have some very partisan politicians. On the Democratic side of the party, the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) is among the most partisan politicians in these Chambers. Now, there is nothing wrong with that. But I ask Members not to come to these Chamber floors and pretend, or we should be very clear so we do not pretend exactly where a person's position is politically. The key here is to plan for the future of California. The key is not to spend one's entire time up here trying to insinuate that the President, and let me give a few quotes from the gentleman, that they want to eliminate conservation. I defy the gentleman from California to show me one Congressman, Republican or Democrat, show me one Congressman who wants to eliminate conservation. Just show me one, I say to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman). There is not anybody on this House floor, there has never been anybody on this House floor, and I doubt that there is ever going to be anybody on this House floor that wants to eliminate conservation. That is the kind of exaggeration that creates the partisan battles, or certainly does not move us forward in a positive direction to plan for California's future. Now let us talk about the accusations that somehow President Bush is responsible, because after all, he has been in office 120 days or something, a little over 100 days, that somehow he is responsible for the problem in California. I say to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), he sounded like a defense attorney this evening: Blame everybody; make sure the gentleman's client is protected and without blame, but blame everybody else. We are not going to get anywhere around here doing that. Let me point out, there are 50 States in this union. There is one State suffering rolling blackouts, one State. It is California. There is one State in the last 10 years that has refused to allow electrical generation plants to be built in their State. That is California. There is one State in the Union out of those 50 States that has refused to have natural gas transmission lines. It is California. There is one State that allowed deregulation, allowed the price caps to come off electrical generation companies. It is California. Now they are beginning to reap some of what they sowed. I heard comments, and let me find it here, that we have been told, apparently by the administration, we have been told to do everything possible to make California suffer. I say to the gentleman from California, I do not know one person on this floor, Democrat or Republican, that really, truly wants California to suffer. I know a lot of Congressmen like myself that would like the leadership, the Governor of California, to quit blaming everybody else and to help pull himself up by his bootstraps. But I do not think anybody in here has said California ought to suffer. We want California to learn from its lessons, and frankly, we are all learning from the mistakes California made with deregulation. We are all learning from that. There would have been other States that would have deregulated, but they did first, and there are some problems with it. What we wanted to do with California is help, but you cannot help shift all the blame to Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., California, should not be the solution for your problems. In California, you need to lift yourself up. You need a governor who is willing to say, all right, we will put in generation facilities. All right, we are going to have to pay the price, even though it is expensive. We are going to have to pay the price to allow electrical generation plants to go in there. Let me tell my colleagues I have been to California. I think it is a beautiful State, by the way. I like California, but I have been to your airport and I have been to your hotels. You do not hesitate to raise the price for tourists to pay for your stadiums down there and for your recreational facilities. I have gone to your airport and they add some kind of tax. I feel like I am getting gouged. Let us take a look at what we are trying to accomplish here. What we want to do is help plan for California's future, but have the direction come from your governor of that State. The governor of your State's time would frankly be much better spent, instead of this blame game, getting down to brass tacks and figuring out how to get a gas transmission line into that State, how to build some electrical transmission lines in that State, how to build electrical generation facilities in that State. It would be a very serious mistake for any of my colleagues on this floor, it would be a very mistake for us to really want California to suffer. It would be a serious mistake for anybody on this floor to turn their back on California. It would be a serious mistake not to look into the allegations that perhaps somebody intentionally violated the law by withholding a supply. But with that said, it would also be a serious mistake not to allow some electrical generation to be built in that State of California. It would also be a serious mistake for us to say that we do not need to look for more supplies. I wanted to bring a chart up here. This is growth in the U.S. energy consumption and it is outpacing production. This is what happened to California years ago, drip by drip by drip. California under its leadership, these are not the people, these are the people's elected representatives, continued to oppose, while demand went up, supply was stagnated in part because of the fact they will not allow additional supply sources to come on board. The result is exactly what is happening, and, frankly, we have to take a serious look at it across the country. We are all going to benefit from California's ills in that we will learn what not to do. I do not think a State should deregulate their electrical business. I think it is a mistake. I have been opposed to deregulation. Here is our problem: This is the energy production. At this career's growth's rate, that green line, that is our energy production. It is flat. This is our energy consumption. This is the gap. This is the projected shortfall. Now contrary to what the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) said I do not know one Member of Congress in here who is opposed to conservation. But the reality of it is conservation cannot fill that entire gap. Look where we are. Conservation can make a big hit there. Mr. Speaker, I gave a speech on this floor last week suggesting everything from checking the direction that your ceiling fans are turning to only changing your vehicle oil in your engine every 6,000 miles instead of every 3,000 miles. But the fact is, conservation helps, and it is important. It makes common sense. It is good practice for future planning in this country. Conservation ought to be adopted on a permanent basis, but we also have to face the reality that even with conservation, you still have a gap in there. We have to produce more. You say well, it is these big oil companies. And I cannot tell my colleagues how many times I heard the gentlemen say big oil company, big oil company. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) said it. The gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) said it. The gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) said it. I will bet my colleagues that all three of them this evening right now as I am speaking are probably driving home in a car. I doubt they walked. When they get home, I will bet you they turned the lights on in their house. If it is hot, I bet they have the air conditioning on. If it is cold, I bet they have the heater on. My guess is that my three colleagues are going to also take a shower. My guess is it is not going to be with cold water, they probably will have warm water, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. We get into this problem of exaggeration when you keep talking about big oil and special interests money. We want to help plan for the future of this country. We do not want to leave California abandoned out there. California, by the way, I say to colleagues is, I think, it is the third or seventh, I think it is the third strongest economy in the world, what is bad for California frankly in a lot of cases is bad for the other 49 States, but by gosh, California has to help pull the wagon. They cannot ride the wagon all the time. They have to help pull the wagon, and what I mean by that is, you cannot continue, California, to depend on your neighbors for electrical generation, for natural gas transmission, for electrical transmission. I am not asking you to carry an unfair burden, California. I say to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) I am not asking the gentleman to carry something unfairly. I am just saying, by gosh, if you want to sit by the campfire at night, you ought to help gather the firewood. Instead of sitting by the campfire and saying well, keep the fire warm but by the way let us not use as much firewood, well, then maybe you ought to move away from the campfire instead of enjoying the comforts of the campfire to continue. I say to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), if you want to enjoy the comforts of the campfire, by gosh, you can help gather some wood and you can throw a log on once in a while. I do not think we need a bonfire out there. I think we can have a campfire. I was surprised by the partisan remarks that were made this evening. And by the way, on the tax bill that passed out, judging from the remarks of the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), this is a Republican bulldozer going through the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Speaker, that tax plan is going to be passed on a bipartisan basis. Many of your colleagues, I say to the gentleman are going to vote for this tax bill, and they ought to vote for this tax bill. Many of your colleagues in the United States Senate, my guess would be, will be voting for this tax bill. This is a bipartisan vote we will be taking this week. Why? Because it needs a bipartisan solution. What about the energy problem? That needs a bipartisan solution. Let me point out, that the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) was talking about how somehow the President was responsible for the shortage of supply and power that may occur up in the Northwest. He spoke, first of all, of the Western States. I can tell the gentleman from Washington I am from a Western State. As the gentleman knows, I represent the mountains of the State of Colorado. So the gentleman does not speak for the entire Western United States, but your problem in Washington State is not Washington, D.C., although Washington, D.C. is a problem for a lot of things. Your problem in Washington State is something the President does not have a lot of control over, and that is rainfall. Take a look. In fact, I have a poster here to give the gentleman an idea. The gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) speaks about the Pacific Northwest, the second worst drought on record. That is not the doings of President George W. Bush. The gentleman or the gentlewoman that made that, if you have direct contact with them, you are doing pretty good. This is the second worst drought on record, and that is why the mighty Columbia River is way down. That is where your power shortage is coming from. It is not because Washington State refused to put in transmission lines like California. It is not because Washington State refused to build generation facilities like California. Washington State, in fact, was prudent, and Washington State did not deregulate their electrical generation. So for Washington State, it is an act of nature that is creating some problems. By the way, I think these problems are nationwide frankly, and the other 49 States, we actually are going to be fine with electrical supply here in the next year or so. We have a lot of facilities that are going on online. My point, before I move on to the death tax, that I am saying to my colleagues is nobody on this floor really wants to abandon California. Sure, we all get upset with California. It is like as I said earlier, if you are going out camping and you set up a campfire and you have one member of your camping team that is not bringing any wood to the fire but continues to sit around and enjoy the fire, does not help cook breakfast but continues to eat breakfast, does not help wash dishes but continues to use the dishes, yes, you get upset with them. But does that mean that you abandon them somewhere in the mountains? Of course, you do not. You try and sit down with them and say, look, you are not doing your fair share. We need to plan for your future and our future. That is what we are saying to California. We want to plan with you, but, by gosh, you have to do a little self help. And one of the best things you can do for self help is get your governor off the airwaves and tell the governor in the State of California to sit in the office, put some pencil in paper and let us have some conservation. By the way, California does exercise good conservation. But there are some other things we can do. Let us get the governor from California to approach us on a nonpartisan basis and come up with some solutions. Mr. Speaker, it appears that my colleague from South Dakota would like to speak on this topic before I move on to the death tax. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Thune).

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, in July of 1976 a 900 acre wild fire ripped through the Battlement Creek area of Western Colorado. During the blaze, four brave forest service firefighters from different parts of the country were killed while trying to knock out one of the deadliest forest fires in recent memory. On July 21st of 2001, these four men will be honored at the opening of a memorial to be dedicated in their memory. I ask that Congress take a moment to honor these four men for giving their lives in the line of duty. The four-day blaze which claimed the lives of three hotshot firefighters and one pilot was started by lightning, and took nearly 300 fire fighters to squelch the blaze. Fifty-nine year old Donald A. Goodman was born in Okangan, Washington and raised in McCall, Idaho. While he was in high school, he learned how to fly from Clare Hartnett. After he turned 23, Donald was drafted into the Army. While in the Army he served in the ski troops 10th Mountain Division, A CO 87th , E CO 87th. Donald saw action in the Aleutians on Kiska and later in Italy. After he was discharged, Donald went to work for Johnson's Flying Service in Missoula, Montana prior to starting his own company. Donald owned 2 converted B-26 Bombers which he flew for the US Forest Service. On the Morning of July 16, 1976, Donald was on a slurry run when his B-26 struck a high mountain cliff near the fire as it was starting its sweep into the fire to drop a load of retardant. Donald was protecting Federal BLM lands at the time of his death. Mr. Speaker, four men gave their lives protecting Federal land during the Battlement Creek fire in July of 1976. Donald A. Goodman and his crew will be honored by the citizens of the Battlement Creek area for their courage and bravery. I would ask that Congress honor them and thank them for their work. Don's family should be proud of what he accomplished in his life and what he did for the people of Battlement Creek.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, in July of 1976 a 900 acre wild fire ripped through the Battlement Creek area of Western Colorado. During the blaze, four brave forest service firefighters from different parts of the country were killed while trying to knock out one of the deadliest forest fires in recent memory. On July 21st of 2001, these four men will be honored at the opening of a memorial to be dedicated in their memory. I ask that Congress take a moment to honor these four men for giving their lives in the line of duty. The four-day blaze which claimed the lives of three hotshot firefighters and one pilot was started by lightning, and took nearly 300 fire fighters to douse the blaze. Twenty-five year old Scott L. Nelson was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Scott was a rookie firefighter on the Mormon Hotshots. He completed his basic training during May of 1976. During the summer of 1976, Scott got an assignment with the Mormon Lake Hotshots out of the Coconino National Forest in Arizona On the Morning of July 17, 1976, the crew was assigned to build a section of fire line to protect Federal lands belonging to the BLM. The hotshots were working on a section of fire line on the upper east side of the fire. With out warning, the fire took off and overran Scott and two other crewmembers. The fourth member of the crew survived. Mr. Speaker, four men gave their lives protecting Federal land during the Battlement Creek fire in July of 1976. Scott L. Nelson and his crew will be honored by the citizens of the Battlement Creek area for their courage and bravery. I would ask that Congress honor them and thank them for their work. Scott's family should be proud of what he accomplished in his life and what he did for the people of Battlement Creek.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, in July of 1976 a 900 acre wild fire ripped through the Battlement Creek area of Western Colorado. During the blaze, four brave forest service firefighters from different parts of the country were killed while trying to knock out one of the deadliest forest fires in recent memory. On July 21st of 2001, these four men will be honored at the opening of a memorial to be dedicated in their memory. I ask that Congress take a moment to honor these four men for giving their lives in the line of duty. The four-day blaze which claimed the lives of three hotshot firefighters and one pilot was started by lightning, and took nearly 300 fire fighters to douse the blaze. Twenty-three year old Stephen Fury, Jr. was born in Boise, Idaho where he graduated from Boise High School in 1971. He then went on to receive his English degree from the University of Idaho. During the summer of 1976, Stephen got an assignment with the Mormon Lake Hotshots out of the Coconino National Forest in Arizona. On the morning of July 17, 1976, the crew was assigned to build a section of fire line to protect Federal lands belonging to the BLM. The hotshots were working on a section of fire line on the upper east side of the fire. With out warning, the fire took off and overran Stephen and two other crewmembers. The fourth member of the crew survived. Mr. Speaker, four men gave their lives protecting Federal land during the Battlement Creek fire in July of 1976. Stephen Fury and his crew will be honored by the citizens of the Battlement Creek area for their courage and bravery. I would ask that Congress honor them and thank them for their work. Stephen's family should be proud of what he accomplished in his life and what he did for the people of Battlement Creek.