James Oberstar

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his comments. The chairman has been very diligent on this matter, and I am very appreciative. It has gotten Europe's attention. But we need to carry further and ask the European Union understand we are serious. One option available to the U.S. is to file an Article 84 complaint under the Chicago Convention that would allow disagreements between ICAO member states to go to the ICAO Council for resolution. Would the Chair support such an initiative?

Mr. OBERSTAR. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time. Mr. Chairman, I take this time to engage in a discussion with the chairman about the ruling in Europe by the European Union on U.S. aircraft that are hush-kitted or reengined. Last year, the EU began restricting the use of hushkitted or reengined aircraft in the European community of U.S. aircraft that have been reengined or had a hushkit installed to meet our Stage 3 quiet noise standard. In fact, the U.S. is 2 years ahead of Europe in that matter. Nonetheless, the European restriction would apply only to U.S. aircraft and engines even though they are quieter than many other European aircraft and engines. The U.S. Government objected. The House took strong exception. I introduced legislation which the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Shuster) cosponsored, the gentleman from Tennessee (Chairman Duncan), and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski). We passed this bill on the House floor. It has had the dramatic effect of getting Europe's attention because we would ban the operation of the noisiest aircraft in the fleet, the Concorde. The EU agreed to delay implementation of the regulation. But we still do not have real serious protection for American Airlines who want to sell aircraft principally to Third World countries to operate those aircraft into the European Union. I firmly believe that the European Commission and the European Parliament should act quickly to end this discriminatory practice.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Admiral Donald D. Engen, a truly great American whose life was taken in a tragic plane crash on Tuesday. Our country owes Don Engen a great debt of gratitude for his service to our country in three wars and later as a test pilot, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, administrator of the FAA, and, at his death, Director of the National Air and Space Museum. I believe Don Engen's greatest contribution was to aviation safety. I recall particularly his courageous order prohibiting U.S. and foreign airlines from removing over-wing exits on 747 aircraft, while he was at the witness table, in the midst of a hearing I was conducting on that issue. All air travelers owe Don Engen a great debt of gratitude for his gigantic contribution to aviation safety. He stands as a giant in the field of aviation. I extend to his widow, Mary, my very heartfelt deepest sympathy and love. [From the Washington Post, July 14, 1999] Air & Space Director Engen Dies in Crash--Naval Aviator Also Headed FAA (By Martin Weil and Don Phillips) Donald D. Engen, 75, the director of the National Air and Space Museum who also was a decorated Navy pilot and a former chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, died yesterday in Nevada when the glider plunged to the ground from two miles up, disintegrating as it fell, authorities said. Engen, of Alexandria, and another man were killed near Minden, just east of Lake Tahoe, about 1 p.m. Pacific time in a glider fitted with a small motor, according to the Douglas County sheriff's office. Witnesses told investigators that as the glider began spiraling down, ``major portions of the wings'' and other parts of the aircraft fell off, the sheriff's office said. Engen, a former test pilot and a retired Navy admiral who served in three wars, was killed instantly, along with William S. Ivans, 89, of Incline Village, Nev., who was a holder of many glider flight records, the sheriff's office said. It was not immediately clear who was at the controls. Engen, a World War II dive bomber pilot sank a Japanese cruiser, held the Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy Cross, which is awarded for extraordinary heroism. He took over at Air and Space three years ago, in the wake of a controversy over display of the Enola Gay, the airplane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan. Engan ``labeled himself as part of the fix'' of the museum when he took over, ``and he was,'' said David Umansky, a spokesman for the Smithsonian Institution, of which Air and Space--the world's most visited museum--is part. Engen also was the prime mover behind plans to open an annex to Air and Space at Dulles International Airport. A target opening date in 2003 has been set for the facility, which is to provide vastly increased exhibit space for the museum's aeronautical holdings. ``He has been the guiding light behind the Dulles center,'' Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas said last night. ``It was his big project.'' ``Don has been a wonderful director for the past three years,'' said Smithsonian Secretary Michael Heyman. Calling Engen's death a ``terrible tragedy,'' Jane F. Garvey, administrator of the FAA, said Engen continued to offer ``advice and counsel'' on aviation issues and to show concern about the welfare of those who had worked for him at the agency, she said. ``People just had enormous respect for him, ``Garvey said. Donald Davenport Engen, who was born in Pomona, Calif., on May 24, 1924, had flying and the Navy in his thoughts since boyhood. When he was in the fourth grade, he told his parents that he wished to be a ``naval officer and go to sea'' On Dec. 7, 1941, only a few months after he entered Pasadena Junior College at 17, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and Engen got a strong push toward realizing his early ambition. After the attack, he dropped out of college and enlisted as a seaman second class in a Navy training program, according to a memoir he published in 1997, ``Wings and Warriors: My Life as a Naval Aviator.'' By 1943, he was headed west across the Pacific, where he was based on the carrier USS Lexington and took part in the campaign to liberate the Philippines. He was involved in fierce combat. ``Almost everyone experienced fear from time to time,'' he wrote. But, he said, ``we junior pilots felt invincible, even though our loss rate seemed to indicate otherwise.'' After the war, he gave civilian life a try, enrolling in the Naval Reserve and flying on weekends. That did not satisfy his passion for life in the air, and he reenlisted for active duty. Given a second chance at a Navy career, he said, ``I could have walked on water.'' He made a career as a test pilot, helping to develop many of the safety mechanisms that have become standard for the aviators who were to follow him. A test he made of an ejection seat at a factory in Philadelphia left him with a compressed disc in his spine. He regarded the sacrifice as worthwhile, however, for the seat was credited with helping to save the lives of more than 6,000 pilots. In 1950, after the outbreak of the Korean War, Engen was an officer on board the USS Valley Forge. While flying from its deck, he took part in the first aerial strike over Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. Later, he commanded a squadon and an air wing during the Vietnam War, although he did not see action there. While serving in the Navy, he received a bachelor of science degree from George Washington University in 1968 and also attended the Naval War College. He served as commanding officer of the USS Katmai and the USS America and of the Navy's Carrier Division 4. He was deputy commander in chief of the U.S. naval forces in Europe from 1973 to 1976 and of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet from 1976 to 1978. He advanced through the officer ranks to vice admiral. After retiring from the Navy in 1978, he become general manager of a division of the Piper Aircraft Corp. and in 1982 was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Transportation Safety Board--one of the agencies that is investigating his death. Engen encountered some turbulence during his 1984-87 FAA tenure. Public attention focused on his agency in 1987, in particular, when airline passengers complained about flight delays. He warned early in the summer vacation season that delays would occur, largely because there were not enough airports to handle increased traffic. Speaking not long after the NTSB warned that there had been ``an erosion of safety'' in aviation, Engen called U.S. aviation the world's safest, asserting that criticism of the system was often based on ``emotion and misinformation.'' In a speech at the National Press Club, the soft-spoken admiral said that the holder of his post would never lack for critics looking over his shoulder. ``There is a fine line between constructive oversight and unconstructive meddling,'' he said. Engen said more airports were needed, rather than re- regulation of the airlines, as some critics had proposed. The reasons for his resignation were not made known, but in aviation circles it was said that friction had occurred between him and then-Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Hanford Dole. The FAA is part of the Transportation Department. Of his departure, Engen said only, ``There's never a good time to leave, but the time has come.'' After a long search, he was picked in June 1996 to head Air and Space. Critics had contended that the proposed Enola Gay exhibit depicted the United States as the aggressor during World War II. At the time of his appointment, one of the critics called Engen ``a true aviator,'' and said ``we are all exalted.'' Engen married the former Mary Ann Baker in 1943, and they had four children.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I want to recall for our colleagues in connection with this amendment that on February 11 of this year, the U.S. Forest Service, at the direction of the Secretary of Agriculture, announced an 18-month moratorium on forest road development. That had the immediate effect of putting into deep freeze potential harvest sales of 170 to 260 million board feet of timber on our national forests. That has already been in effect. In my own district, on the Superior National Forest, there were two sales of 3 million board feet and 1.2 million board feet, separate sales, that were immediately affected by that timber moratorium. Overall, in the last decade, we have gone from 12 million board feet harvested on national forests down to 4 billion board feet. That is a 75 percent reduction. Mr. Chairman, we do not need to go any further. We are taking jobs away from people. We have lost over 80,000 jobs in forestry in the last 10 years. In the wake of that, what we have is poorly managed forests. We do not have harvesting of diseased timber, that is overmatured timber that is right on the edge of becoming diseased and going down and being fuel for forest fires. The chairman talked about, I thought very wisely and very appropriately, about downed trees on the forest floor. Well, we have downed trees in northern Minnesota in the wake of the Fourth of July storm, not of the century, of a thousand years, a hundred miles an hour wind recorded through the Superior National Forest and the boundary waters canoe area, and a swath 12 miles wide which leveled 21 million trees. Twenty-one million trees, many of which were saplings at the time of the Civil War, and all of that is now down. Most of it is not touching the ground and the air circulating around it. By this fall among the hardwoods, the poplars, we are going to have stuff ready to explode in a lightning strike. And by this time next year this would be ripe for not a burn but an inferno. Now, we are not going to be harvesting timber in a wilderness area but the areas outside of the wilderness. Yes, big, serious problems. This is a badly mistaken amendment. It strikes at the heart of good management, of good sense, of good utilization of our national forests. We ought not to adopt such an amendment. We ought to, in fact, roll back the 18-month forest road moratorium is what we ought to be doing here. Please, I beg my colleagues in the interest of good common sense forestry management to defeat this amendment.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I stand with the gentleman on this issue. I stand with the trappers of my district, the young men who have earned their way through college for years trapping responsibly and reliably. I think this is a very misguided amendment, and I stand with the gentleman.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, President John F. Kennedy said of the arts, a nation without the arts has nothing to look backward to with pride nor look forward to with hope. In the Middle Ages it was the archdukes, the doges, the princes, who selected out of their treasures the arts to be supported; who set the tone, who set the quality, and decided what was art. We do not have doges or princes or kings in our pluralistic society today, but we do have the public trust, a public that understands that it is the arts, that it is the neighborhood theaters, that it is the small community concerts that express the conscience of a Nation, the spirit of a people. These small amounts of public funds that have stimulated neighborhood theater, that have encouraged social commentary, that have lifted the spirit of a people have come out of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. To say that the arts and this small amount of funding are a luxury is to misunderstand the spirit of a Nation. I think it is unreasonable to propose such a petty amount of cut in a program that has such a broad social appeal and that serves to lift the spirit of a people, a community, such as Moose Lake in my district, which put on a marvelous performance, written locally, produced locally, with local participants, about the ethnic history of that area, about the devastating fire at the turn of the century that destroyed communities but which were rebuilt, and the story was told through this neighborhood community theater. These are the kinds of things that the National Endowment for the Arts can and does and should continue to support. The small amount, as portrayed, of cut is big for those small communities. We should be generous enough to support the arts through the public means, through the public support that we offer the National Endowment for the Humanities. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Robert Silvestri, the esteemed Chief of Police in Chisholm, MN. Chief Silvestri recently announced his retirement after serving 33 years in the Chisholm Police Department. My hometown of Chisholm will miss the inspired dedication and commitment he brought to the police department. Chief Silvestri began his law enforcement career by training at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in 1966. Following his training, Robert Silvestri became a patrol officer for the Chisholm Police Department. Eventually, his dedication to the police force led to his promotion as desk lieutenant, and then administrative assistant. Each of those positions gave Robert Silvestri a better understanding of and appreciation for all aspects of law enforcement. Because of his experience and knowledge of law enforcement, Robert Silvestri was hired as chief of police in 1983. He held this position until his recent retirement from the Chisholm Police Department. Throughout his service at the Chisholm Police Department, Robert Silvestri believed strongly in the law enforcement community and his colleagues. Even through adversity, Chief Silvestri maintained a level head and respect for his fellow law enforcement officers. His open door made his co-workers feel at ease, and he learned to adapt his management and law enforcement skills to changing laws and societal behavior. Furthermore, I commend Robert's wife and the Silvestri family for supporting him through the years. Police Chief Robert Silvestri maintained the public safety and tranquility in Chisholm for 33 years. I know my colleagues join me in congratulating Robert Silvestri for his many years of service and dedication to the Chisholm Police Department and the entire Iron Range community.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I join my colleagues who have previously spoken about the amendment in offering our praise to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula), chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior, for the consideration that he has given in providing the funding for payment in lieu of taxes. It is reassuring and comforting to know that the committee has time and again kept faith with county governments across this country in recognizing the obligation of the Federal government to those areas of this Nation from whom land has been taken and put in public trust. I understand the very difficult balancing act that the chairman has had to engage in. I was an original author with our former colleague, the gentleman from Colorado, Frank Evans, 25 years ago of this language. We started out with a provision that would have provided full tax equivalency, a great idea, great goal. I see the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula) smiling about that, and I think he was, in principle, agreeing with us.

Mr. OBERSTAR. No, we did not object then. A lot of things we do not object to legislating on appropriations bills, I would say to the gentleman from Ohio. But we realized that that was not going to work when it turned out that one county with 1,500 people was going to get $4.5 million under this bill. So we agreed to limitations. But we also thought that successive governments, successive administrations would agree to increase the funding to keep pace with inflation. That has not happened in 20 years. What we are doing here is helping the committee with a reallocation of priorities within its jurisdiction. We are in no way criticizing or increasing the total dollar amount but saying this should represent an adjustment of priorities within the committee's jurisdiction. One simple down-home example, as the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) has already cited, Cook County, Minnesota, 900,000 acres, 9 percent is in private ownership. Nine percent of the land has to support 100 percent of the demands and 91 percent of the rest of the property. Three thousand six hundred people have to support all of that territory. In the summer, there are 15,000 tourists that come into that area. Those tourism dollars do not pay for the cost of ambulances. They do not pay for the cost of emergency helicopters to go into the remote areas to rescue people who have been injured in canoe trips. They are not paying right now for the disaster that has swept through this area that I described earlier this afternoon with the July 4th storm that blew down 250,000 acres of trees, 6 million cords of wood on the ground now. This is going to be devastating for Cook County. But they need this little bit of increase in funding to be able to meet the requirements of serving the public. They do not do it just in the summer months. They do not do it just now and then. Every day of the year that county government has to, with only 9 percent of the land, provide 100 percent of the cost, and we have not given them the resources. They cannot develop those public lands. So this little bit of payment helps make the adjustment. The investment that the county has made, I have looked at these funds over the years, Mr. Chairman, they invested in capital equipment. They invested in capital improvements, in facilities that served the public. They are not using this money to cover the operating costs of the county, in the case of Cook County, nor in the case of Lake County or Saint Louis County. They are making permanent capital improvements to better serve the public. That is where these dollars go.

Mr. OBERSTAR. I am happy to yield to the gentleman from Vermont.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) and the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Regula) for their understanding.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, but, ultimately, there is going to be a huge cost. We do not know what the extent of it is. I raise the issue now to appeal to the leadership of the subcommittee that, by the time we get to conference, I am hoping my colleagues in the Senate will have the assessment, perhaps offer supplemental appropriations there to cover the cost for the Forest Service who are hiring people with money they do not have to serve time that is available now. The resort community has lost a quarter of a million dollars business in the first 5 days. They do not have 100 feet of hiking trails opened for their visitors. The winter season is coming. We will not have cross country trails. We will not have snowmobile trails in the area outside the Boundary Waters unless the salvage work can begin promptly. So, at the appropriate time, I appeal to the mercy and understanding of our colleagues to provide the additional funding. It will be in the few millions. It will not be in the billions or so that we have for Mount St. Helens, but it will be in the several millions.

Mr. OBERSTAR. I am happy to yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Regula).

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) for yielding me this time. I know how precious it is during general debate; and I greatly appreciate it because there is a very important message that I want to share with my colleagues, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula), chairman of the subcommittee, as well as the gentleman from Washington. While the rest of America was heeding John Adams's appeal to celebrate the birth of our Nation with fireworks, Mother Nature went on a rampage of her own with fireworks of a different kind in the Boundary Waters Canoe area of Minnesota in my district. Over the 4th of July with a storm packing 100-mile-an-hour winds that leveled 340,000 acres of the Boundary Waters Canoe area, the Nation's largest water-based wilderness, 250,000 acres of lands, 21 million trees estimated down, 6 million cords, which is equal to the total wood supply, the total cut, for 2 years for the whole State of Minnesota. We have an enormous fuel supply on the ground. Trees that began growing years before the Civil War were ripped out, flattened. Chain saws, 24-inch bar chain saws on either side of the tree cannot cut through them. But the Forest Service did absolutely heroic service. I want to pay tribute to the Forest Service personnel who worked 18-hour days over several days to inspect 1,300 camp sites and rescue some 20 injured campers and free hundreds of others. There were 3,000 in the wilderness at the time. I flew over the area on Sunday and observed a scene that perhaps the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) only can fully appreciate. It is like the aftermath of the Mount St. Helens' disaster where trees were just flattened, blasted. They are piled, in many cases, one on top of each other, 20 feet high. The line supervisor for the electric co-op said he walked a half mile in from the roadway to one of the sites to begin work on power restoration and never stepped on land the entire way, just walked on downed trees. The Forest Service had been absolutely superb. The three rural electric co-ops have been magnificent. They have had their teams out there working 15- and 18-hour days, 35 hours the first few days. There will be benefits for those areas outside the Boundary Waters. But inside the Boundary Waters, there are a number of Forest Service supply facilities. There is one that I have known about in the Kekekabic Trail. It has always been hidden from view. It now looks like the Little House on the Prairie. One cannot imagine the destruction until one sees it oneself. The reason I raise this issue here is that there is no FEMA support for the Forest Service, no Federal agency benefits when a disaster declaration is made, which it will be made, I am confident, by the President. There is a disaster fund for the Department of Agriculture that may be available to bail out the Forest Service.

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, just in conclusion, for all those who, and most of us do, support holding land in public trust for the use of all of our citizens, the common heritage of all Americans, these forest lands and park lands and wilderness lands, think of those who live on the perimeter whose lifestyles and livelihoods depend on that land held in public trust for all Americans and realize that, were they given the opportunity, they could have made some investments. The payment in lieu of taxes helps replace the lost dollars. Support this amendment.

Mr. OBERSTAR. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to State Representative Willard Munger of Duluth, Minnesota, who died Sunday at the age of 88 after a valiant fight with cancer. On Sunday, the State of Minnesota and the City of Duluth lost a great friend in Willard Munger. The environment lost a valuable ally and tireless advocate. He was a man who worked for forty years as a defender of the environment. Willard, who was born in 1911 in a log cabin, credited his grandfather, Lyman Munger, with instilling his love of nature. Lyman Munger, a Minnesota farmer and conservationist, told Willard when he was a young boy that he could save Minnesota's wilderness from destruction if he became a politician. And so he did. He first ran for the state legislature in 1934, and although he lost, he did not give up. In 1954, he won a House seat representing West Duluth. Willard Munger was a thoughtful, devoted, and dedicated public servant--the consummate legislator. He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 42 years, longer than anyone in my home state's history. He was also the oldest sitting legislator in Minnesota's history. Some legislators get amendments passed, a few get bills passed, but only a very small number of public servants leave a legacy. Willard Munger leaves a lasting legacy of cleaner air and water--a heritage that will benefit future generations. In Minnesota, Willard Munger's name is synonymous with environmental protection. Because of his relentless efforts, future generations will enjoy cleaner lakes and rivers and less pollution in the air. As Chairman of the House Environmental and Natural Resources Committee, he was a tireless advocate of numerous environmental causes, including energy conservation, alternative energy sources and preserving wetlands. Perhaps most importantly, he created Minnesota's Environmental Trust Fund, which funds projects for environmental protection and outdoor recreation. His forty-year career is a monument for the protection of Minnesota's waters, woodlands and air quality, and we all owe him a deep debt of gratitude. Willard has been recognized in the past for his environmental efforts by having the Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Trail and the animal care center at the Lake Superior Zoo named in his honor. Today, we remember Willard Munger as a true pioneer in Minnesota politics and for his enduring commitment to protecting the environment for future generations.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to World War I veteran and Fond du Lac Reservation tribe member Gus LeMieux. Not only is Gus LeMieux the oldest (at 100 years) Fond du Lac Reservation tribe member, but he is also the oldest serving World War I veteran in Douglas County, WI. Gus joined the U.S. Navy in 1916 and served on the U.S.S. Rhode Island and the U.S.S. Massachusetts, as well as on an oil tanker. He also served in the U.S. military on a submarine tender during World War I. Now the oldest Fond du Lac Reservation tribe member, Gus is well- known in the community. He is admired not only for his standing as an Elder, but also because of his kindness and gentleness. A hard worker, Gus is well-liked and greatly respected. Gus is a pillar of the community, both as a veteran in the Armed Forces and as a tribe member. I know my colleagues join me in thanking Gus LeMieux for serving the Fond du Lac Reservation and the United States during the past century.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to former Chisholm High School bank conductor, Jerry Snyder. Jerry Snyder was borne in Duluth and graduated from Duluth East High School. As a child, Jerry learned to play the piano and went on to learn how to play the tuba, baritone horn, and trombone. He graduated from the University of Minnesota--Duluth. A few years later began his career as a conductor at Chisholm High School. Jerry began his conducting career 30 years ago when he became the band conductor in Chisholm. In addition to directing the Chisholm High School Band, he also conducted two area church choirs, St. Joseph's Catholic Church and St. Leo's Catholic Church. Jerry has continued his personal interest in and enthusiasm for music through the years. He is a member of band called ``Four of a Kind,'' which consists of three other former music teachers. Although he is now retired, Jerry plans to continue playing in this band, and also conducting the Hibbing City Band during the summers. Jerry Snyder made a valuable contribution to the city of Chisholm for his enthusiasm toward music and his dedication to teaching. I know he passed along that enthusiasm for music to his students. I know my colleagues join me in congratulating Jerry Snyder for his many years of service to the students and entire community of Chisholm, MN.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an esteemed educator, Daniel Molesky of Hibbing, Minnesota. After serving 35 years as an educator and school administrator in the State of Minnesota, Daniel Molesky recently announced his retirement. He received advanced degrees in math, physics, engineering, education curriculum, and school administration. After completing his education, Mr. Molesky was promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army before beginning his teaching career. Mr. Molesky's ability to engage his students in the classroom eventually led to his promotion to principal in the Hibbing School District. As principal of Washington Elementary School, and later Jefferson Elementary School, Mr. Molesky interacted daily with more than 300 students, teachers, staff members, and parents. He always created a family environment in his school. Furthermore, Mr. Molesky was active in the Hibbing School District Safety Patrol and numerous education and community organizations. As our nation experiences great technological innovation and success in the global market, the value of an education takes on even greater importance. Daniel Molesky of Hibbing, Minnesota has exhibited the characteristics we seek in our educators, school administrators, and community activists. I know my colleagues join me in congratulating Daniel Molesky for his 35 years of service to students, teachers and the entire Hibbing community.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing legislation, the Binational Great Lakes-Seaway Enhancement Act of 1999, to improve the competitiveness of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system and restore its vitality. This coming Sunday will mark the 40th anniversary of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system is a vital transportation corridor for the United States. The Seaway connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean and makes it possible to ship manufactured products from our industrial Midwest and grains from the Upper Plains directly to overseas markets. Benefits of efficient operations of this transportation route are not limited to the Great Lakes region but extend throughout the United States. Congress recognized the broader impacts and, accordingly, designated the Great Lakes as America's fourth sea coast in 1970. The Great Lakes region, and international markets, recognized the system's potential, as evidenced by the sharp rise in vessel and cargo traffic through the Seaway immediately after its opening in 1959. Unfortunately, that potential was never fulfilled. The upward trend in cargo traffic peaked around 1977-79. It then went into a long decline precipitated in part by a nationwide economic recession that hit the manufacturing sector particularly hard, and prolonged in part because of capacity constraints imposed by the Seaway. Locks on the Seaway and the Great Lakes were built as long ago as 1895. New locks constructed for the Seaway between the mid- and late- 1950s, as authorized by Congress in 1954, were built to the same size as those completed in 1932. Locks and connecting channels were limited to 27 feet of draft. Because vessel size had grown over time, Seaway facilities were too small on its opening day to serve the commercial fleet then in existence. Today, they are capable of accommodating no more than 30% of the world's commercial fleet. An undersized Seaway that denies large, specialized, and efficient vessels access to the system will prevent U.S. products, especially those from the Great Lakes region, from competing effectively in the global economy. In addition to declining traffic, inadequate investment in Seaway infrastructure caused the mix of cargoes shipped through the system to be transformed from one that was diverse to one composed largely of low-value commodities. Although the trend of cargo tonnage through the system turned up once again in 1993, current cargo mix consists of essentially steel coming to the Great Lakes region from abroad, grains going overseas, and iron ore and coal moving from one port to another within the region. Since the last 1980's industrial manufacturing in the United States has recovered through investment in technology and corporate restructuring. Industrial production is flourishing once more in the Great Lakes region; Midwest economies are booming. Yet, only a small volume of high-value finished goods is shipped through the system. The Great Lakes region, therefore, is unable to fully participate in this resurgence of economic strength due to limitations in the Seaway's capacity. For more than 2 years, I have been working closely with interested parties in the Great Lakes maritime transportation community and the infrastructure investment finance sector in the United States and Canada to develop a proposal to allow the Seaway to reach its full potential, to guarantee the future viability of the Seaway, and to continue the economic development of the Great Lakes region. The bill I am introducing today, the Binational Great Lakes-Seaway Enhancement Act of 1999, developed in concert with the Honorable Joe Comuzzi, a dear friend of mine and a member of the Canadian Parliament whose district (Riding) is adjacent to mine, would establish the foundation, create the conditions, and provide the resources to permit the system to achieve its full potential. The bill would authorize the creation of a binational authority to operate and maintain the Seaway. It would also provide for the establishment of a non-federal credit facility to offer financial and other assistance to the Seaway and Great Lakes maritime communities for transportation-related capital investments. Specifically, the legislation would establish a binational governmental St. Lawrence Seaway Corporation by combining the existing, separate U.S. and Canadian agencies that operate each country's Seaway facilities. It would require the Corporation's top management to run the Seaway in a business-like manner. It would transfer Seaway employees and the operating authority of Seaway assets to the Corporation. It would provide labor protection for current U.S. Seaway employees, whether or not they transfer to the Corporation. It would offer incentives for employment and pay based on job performance. It would set forth a process for the Corporation to become financially self-sufficient. At the same time, it would provide the United States with ample oversight authority over the Corporation. Through merger of the two national Seaway agencies into a single binational authority, we could eliminate duplication and streamline operations. Improved efficiency would reduce government's cost of operating the Seaway. Moreover, a unified Seaway agency would reduce regulatory burden and help cut the sailing time of ships through the system. This latter efficiency improvement would positively affect the bottom line of Seaway users. All of these efficiencies would make the system a more competitive and viable transportation route for international commerce. The Great Lakes and the Seaway should be considered as an integrated system in maritime transportation. Improvements to the Seaway infrastructure alone would not be sufficient to deal with the efficiency and competitiveness problems facing the Great Lakes-Seaway system. On the contrary, improvements to the Seaway could stress the capacity of ports on the Great Lakes. A comprehensive approach is necessary to address the system's investment needs. My legislation, therefore, would provide for the establishment of a Great Lakes Development Bank. It would outline in broad terms the structure of Bank membership. To ensure no taxpayer liability, this legislation would prohibit the United States and the St. Lawrence Seaway Corporation from becoming members of the Bank. It would specify eligible projects for financial and other assistance from the Bank. It would define the forms of such assistance. It would require recipients of Bank assistance, states or provinces in which such recipients are located, contractors for projects financed with Bank assistance, and localities in which such contractors are located to become Bank members to broaden the Bank's membership base. It would establish an initial capitalization level for the Bank, and would provide as U.S. contributions $100 million in direct loan and up to $500 million in loan commitments that could be drawn upon to meet the Bank's credit obligations. It would set interest on U.S. loans to the Bank at rates equal to the current average yield on outstanding Treasury debts of similar maturity plus administrative costs to preclude taxpayer subsidy to the Bank. It would allow the United States to call loans to the Bank if the Bank is not complying with the objectives of this legislation and would provide specific limitations on United States' liability to protect our interests. Mr. Speaker, my legislation is intended to make the Great Lakes- Seaway system a more efficient, competitive, and viable transportation route. Such a system will enable our manufacturers to bring their goods to the world market at reduced cost, making their products more competitive in the global economy. This is a sensible bill; it is a good-government bill. We should all support it. I will be sending out a Dear Colleague letter seeking co-sponsors for the bill. I hope Members will offer their support and join me in moving this legislation forward. This proposal should be enacted this year.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, I rise in defense of the hunter- sportsman-working men and women of my district whose voices I want to be heard, voices of responsible firearms owners. Your constituents at the Iron Range Labor Assembly urge you to oppose restrictions on gun sales and ownership rights as passed by the Senate. Many union families enjoy outdoor sports and the right to possess firearms. We are concerned about the safety in our schools, but the proposed legislation will not solve this problem. Tom Pender, President. Jim, I'm a hunter and a fisherman all my life. It provides me a connection with my boys, my brother, and my dad. It is one of the few occasions we get together for quality time. But in recent years there is a concerted effort to condemn those of us who hunt and enjoy other legitimate uses of guns. There are those who would make gun use a vice and brand those of us who own guns as crazy or extremists. I want real study and real action to prevent future Littletons, not contrived knee-jerk reaction from Congress. Leo LaLonde, Aurora, Minnesota. Real action is at Lincoln Park Elementary School in Duluth. Open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., where parents, teachers, students, community groups work together at muffin morning homework planning, 'success for all,' first grade preparedness, youth collaborative, family nights for parent and child, family building programs. Juvenile delinquency has been virtually eliminated and school performance elevated. That is getting real. Let us pass the Dingell amendment.

Mr. OBERSTAR

Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?