Grace Napolitano

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues, U.S. Representatives, Judy Chu and Adam Schiff, to congratulate the City of Hope on the 100th anniversary of their first patient served and to thank Dr. Michael Friedman for his 10 years as Chief Executive Officer. City of Hope started from humble beginnings in the San Gabriel Valley. Founded by a group of volunteers to treat tuberculosis patients in two large army tents on a 10-acre lot in Duarte, California in 1913, City of Hope has since grown to become a world-class health care facility that includes more than 100 buildings and is still growing. Today, City of Hope is a leader in medical discovery. As one of 41 comprehensive cancer research centers in the United States, City of Hope has been credited with developing over 200 patents with 3 of the top-selling cancer drugs on the market being based on discoveries from their laboratories. This institution is also a pioneer in the field of bone marrow transplantation with over 11,000 bone-marrow transplants performed since the institution's creation. Under the leadership of Dr. Michael Friedman as Chief Executive Officer, City of Hope has entrenched itself as a scientific and medical institution of national renown. Throughout his 10 years as CEO, Dr. Friedman has maintained and expanded one of the largest and most successful cancer research and treatment institutions in the country. On Saturday, January 11th I have the honor of attending a gala on the 100th anniversary of City of Hope's first patient to recognize Dr. Friedman, his successor Ronald W. Stone, and Chairman of City of Hope's Board of Directors Norm Payson. Mr. Speaker, Representatives Chu, Schiff and I ask all Members to join us in celebrating the centennial anniversary of City Hope's first patient and recognizing Dr. Michael Friedman for his service.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3080, and I thank the chairmen and the ranking members on both the committee and subcommittee. I especially thank the chairmen and ranking members for supporting provisions requested that will help the State of California. Section 131 requires the Army Corps of Engineers to review and report on improving water supply options at Corps dams in arid regions such as California. Section 135 allows the Corps to use Federal funds to prevent and manage aquatic invasive species on Corps projects, including quagga mussels, shore crab, and foreign algae, not only a major California problem but a problem for many rivers and dams. They are very costly. This section will allow the Corps to assist our local agencies in combating invasive species. Section 125 requires the Corps to reissue regulations regarding levee vegetation and incorporate regional characteristics and levee performance. Some of the water agencies are complaining that the Corps may be a little heavyhanded, not looking at good science when requiring removal of trees and bushes from our levees, and it would require the Corps to work with local agencies to solve the problem in a regionally appropriate and scientifically proven way. Section 106 and 109 provide more flexibility for local agencies to sponsor Corps projects. That means accept funding. Section 201 allows for expanded use of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. We are asking for an ``aye'' vote on this bill.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is very simple. On page 25, after line 12, it adds a new section. Section 10, the savings clause, would require that there be no adverse impacts on water quantity and water quality in the development of this project. This year, over half of our Nation is experiencing moderate to severe drought. As of last week, 75 percent of the State of Arizona is in moderate to severe drought. The lifeblood of any nation, of any country, is water. We must do everything we can to protect this precious resource. The mining activities of Resolution Copper, a joint subsidiary of Australian BHP Billiton and of Anglo Australian Rio Tinto Group, would require an enormous amount of water, estimated to be more than 20,000 to 40,000 acre-feet per year. In fact, the Forest Service testified that understanding the impact of this mine on the water supplies of local communities is still ``outstanding.'' On average, 1 acre-foot of water is enough water for a family of four for a year. Resolution Copper's water could be equivalent to at least 20,000 households' water supply for a year. They also erroneously suggest that their own water demands could be solved by the use of Central Arizona Project water, called the CAP. However, as with most of the West, demand often exceeds supply, and the bulk of the Central Arizona Project water is already dedicated and committed to other uses and users in Arizona. This includes for use in future Arizona Indian water rights settlements. The proposed mining operation would also require significant excavation thousands of feet below the surface. H.R. 687 does not require an environmental review, does not include consideration of mitigation measures to the mining project before the land exchange is completed. And I repeat: it does not require an environmental review, consideration of mitigation measures of the mining project before the land exchange is completed. The mining company is also not required to submit a plan of operations until 3 years--3 years--after the land exchange is codified. Absent the NEPA process, the impacts to water would not be known prior to the land exchange. Neighboring communities have already seen an impact to their water resources from other mining activities. Chairman Rambler of the San Carlos Apache tribe testified in March of this year, right here in Washington, D.C., that a neighboring community's water supply had been significantly depleted since Resolution Copper began pumping groundwater to de-water parts of the Magma Mine. H.R. 687's permitting of the mine at Oak Flat brings up similar concerns for the tribe. We should not be considering this legislation now since we do not know the impacts to water resources for area tribes. At the very least, we should ensure that we do not violate existing laws to protect water quantity and water quality. That is what my amendment does. It protects water quality and water quantity. My amendment seeks to protect our most precious resource, water. And I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Chairman, I might add that the town near the mine, Superior, opposes this bill, and I believe the mayor was recently recalled because he also opposed it. We have businesses and other entities supporting it. But the residents in the nearby areas, especially tribal areas, are opposed to it for a majority of reasons, which have been brought up before, but also, especially because they are in drought conditions, and they are not assured that their water will be protected or that they will be able to have enough water for their own needs. So I request that this amendment be included. I include in the Record the current Drought Monitor dated September 24, including the areas which indicate the current drought conditions. I do not have any further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. I do urge my colleagues to support this legislation. It is critical to help Texas preserve such a national treasure that all of us have seen in the movies and heard about and read about. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gallego).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, how much time is left?

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the sponsor of this piece of legislation, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lloyd Doggett).

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 885, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Boundary Expansion Act 2013. Being a born-and- raised Texan, this is a very dear to my heart issue. I do want to thank Congressman Lloyd Doggett and the entire bipartisan San Antonio delegation for pushing this very important piece of legislation forward. This is the third time the House has considered legislation to expand the San Antonio Missions. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm. Currently, there are 137 acres of land managed by the National Park Service that are not part of the existing San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Expanding the boundaries of the park will ensure that these cultural and archaeological resources are protected. Mr. Doggett has been involved with this legislation since the proposal first came before us several years ago--I'm not sure when. Though I know that he would have preferred a broader bill that included a study of the additional potential park areas, I thoroughly appreciate his efforts to work with our Republican colleagues to obtain a bill that they can support. It's a very unique place, and I can appreciate Mr. Doggett's commitment to getting this legislation approved, and I look forward to working with him on this. Again, this is a very important bill for Texans, and I urge your support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. I yield back the balance of my time, sir.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. No, sir, not on this bill.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1206 would allow the Secretary of the Interior to continue the sale of electronic duck stamps and also expands the program to include all of our 50 States. The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly known and called the ``duck stamp,'' must be purchased and carried by all waterfowl hunters 16 years and older when hunting migratory waterfowl on both public and private land. Ninety-eight cents of every dollar generated by the sales of these stamps go to purchase or lease wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge system, which benefits waterfowl. In some rural areas, purchasing the duck stamp can be very difficult. Often, hunters have to wait a significant amount of time to receive their official duck stamp, so utilizing the system of electronic duck stamp producing would eliminate the wait by issuing an electronic stamp with a unique identifying number to serve as a proof of purchase. Hunters can hunt and use the electronic stamp for 45 days until the actual duck stamp arrives via the postal service. This is a worthwhile piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 126 directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, as well as local and State authorities, to provide for the management of the wild horses in and around the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge. The agreement will increase the cap on the herd size and specify that the privately funded Corolla Wild Horse Fund will cover the cost of managing the herd. This refuge was established in 1984 to preserve and protect the native coastal barrier ecosystem. The refuge provides habitat for the migrating wild fowl and for the endangered species, such as piping plover and sea turtles. It is unusual to protect a nonnative species such as these horses in a wildlife refuge. Extra effort and resources are needed to ensure that the herd does not impair the ecosystem for the native animals and plants. H.R. 126 is an imperfect solution, though a solution, to a very difficult problem. We must continue working with Fish and Wildlife Service and with the local community to achieve balance between the needs of the refuge and these wild horses. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, May is Mental Health Month--has been and will continue to be. It is an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage others to get help and to recognize the symptoms and warning signs of mental health issues. There is a lot of stigma. We must accept it as an illness. We've got to reduce that stigma. We must expand mental health services and give it the parity needed because it does not know boundaries. It affects everybody in every segment of our communities. It is all right. It's okay to ask for help and learn to recognize the symptoms and to learn about the service providers in your area. We must expand more mental health services to our community. We need it for the military, because one in five suffer from major depression or PTSD. Youth--suicide, the third leading cause of death; second for college students. School-based mental health services are greatly needed for early intervention. Minority communities--Native Americans highest ethnicity for suicide. Mental health services must be provided in languages also. Thank you to the mental health professionals, the 500,000 licensed certified professional counselors that work for us and throughout the United States. Thank you, President Obama, first U.S. President to declare May Mental Health Month.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time. I really appreciate the information from my colleagues on the other side. It is only for 2 years, which is time enough to be able to have the Corps and the individual participants be able to come to some agreement. The fact that there is, according to my colleague, no fishing, I think it's only in certain areas, which would be at the lip of the dam and below the dam where the spill is where there is danger of boats getting swamped, and so it is something that we need to look forward and see what happens. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume to say it'd be nice to know why the Army Corps has not really been effective in getting back to the parties that have asked for information and working with them; and it would be very much interesting to know whether or not it's because of sequestration or budget or whatever, but we might delve into it later. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee, Congressman Cooper.

Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The pending measure was introduced in the Senate on May 16 of this year, 2013, and passed the very same day. While the bill is apparently a Senate-revised version of the legislation introduced in February of 2013, no committee hearings or markups were held on either bill. Since 1996, the Army Corps of Engineers has been required to establish restricted areas for hazardous waters upstream and downstream of all Corps dams. As written, S. 982 would revise the current agency policy and would also prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from establishing any restricted areas in hazardous waters at dams and other structures in the Cumberland River basin for a period of 2 years, and also require them to remove any physical barriers that already exist to prevent access to the hazardous areas. If after the 2-year moratorium, the Corps decided to implement new restricted areas around these dams and other structures, it would continue to be prohibited from erecting any physical barriers to prevent people from entering hazardous areas. Mr. Speaker, I have serious concerns over this legislation because it does pose risks for public safety and national security. Currently, the Corps restricts access to certain areas above and below the dams of the Cumberland River basin in order to keep people from being sucked into the spill waste or from having their boats swamped or sunk by unplanned releases from the hydropower units, which are very much un-timed. The reason they do this is very simple: to prevent people from drowning and to restrict access to Federal dams that would be targets for terrorism or destruction. Without full-time law enforcement patrols, areas above and below dams are not constantly monitored, and the Corps has not been able to alert and rescue people who get into trouble. They have to base it on people who are in boats nearby to help effect a rescue. Fourteen people drowned in the last few years, and there have been 20 near misses where there is no Corps staff to help. In fact, according to a report by WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee, there have been three fatalities in the hazardous waters immediately downstream of those dams on the Cumberland River. The waters are so hazardous at these locations that wearing a life jacket is ineffective. And I repeat: ineffective. To legislatively preclude a Federal agency from protecting public health and national security seems a very unwise course of action, and I have significant concerns about the precedent that would be set by this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.