Butch Otter

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1131 the Idaho Land Enhancement Act. This legislation directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to exchange land with the State of Idaho, including key parcels in the Boise Foothills and North Idaho. Protecting the Boise Foothills from unchecked development has long been a priority for residents of Boise, Idaho. In May 2001 the citizens of Boise, in one of the highest voter turnouts in city history, elected to tax themselves in order to provide funding to secure permanent public open space in the Boise Foothills. The land exchange before you today is a key component of that effort. The exchange concept was developed between the Idaho Department of Lands, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service with the assistance of the City of Boise. It uses both Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service acreage to balance an exchange with Idaho State Endowment lands on an equal-value basis. Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and Idaho Department of Lands staff have identified parcels that help reduce threats to federal forests and grasslands identified by the Chief of the Forest Service while conveying land to the State of Idaho that help the State's endowment fund beneficiaries. I introduced identical legislation H.R. 2718, and I appreciate all of the assistance we got from the House Resources Committee in moving this bill through the process. This land exchange is an agreement on which everyone wins. The state of Idaho gets more timberland; the schools get more timber revenue; the people of the Boise area get more open space; and the state and federal agencies involved get a higher level of management efficiency. I would appreciate your support of this small but important piece of legislation.

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge the immediate passage of the Senate bill.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 176, the Reynolds Creek Hydroelectric Licensing Extension Act, which authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time specified in the project license to begin construction of the Reynolds Creek hydroelectric project for three 2-year periods, a total of 6 years. The Reynolds Creek project is a five megawatt project on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. This bill has passed the Senate by unanimous consent. Passage of this bill today will send it to the President's desk and allow further development of clean, renewable hydroelectric power. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 176) to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Alaska.

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

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut for the information that he has given us; and I appreciate his personal perspective on the continuation of the licenses for these dams and the construction. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge the immediate passage of H.R. 971.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his consideration. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons).

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 971, a bill to provide license extensions of time to begin construction of three hydroelectric projects in Connecticut: the 440 kilowatt Hale project, the 373 kilowatt Collinsville Upper and the 1.1 megawatt Collinsville Lower projects. The bill extends the start time period for construction until May 30, 2007, for all three projects, and also authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time and the start date by two additional 2-year periods. These renewable hydroelectric projects will provide a boost to the local economy, remove river debris and enhance fishery resources by constructing fish ladders. They also provide a valuable new resource of hydroelectric energy in the New England area. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 971) to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of certain hydroelectric projects in Connecticut, and for other purposes.

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I also yield back the balance of my time, and I urge the immediate passage of H.R. 4417.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 4417, the Tygart Dam Project Hydroelectric License Extension Bill, extends the time in the hydroelectric license to start construction on the project until December 31, 2007. This is another project that has experienced delays. In this case, unfavorable market conditions delayed the start of the project. Today, those conditions have been resolved and the project is ready to begin. The project will be built at an existing dam, thus minimizing impacts. It is anticipated that the project will provide a substantial economic boost to the city of Grafton, West Virginia, as well as valuable hydroelectric power, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4417) to provide for the reinstatement of a license for a certain Federal Energy Regulatory project.

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I urge the immediate passage of S. 244.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 244, the Swift Creek Hydroelectric License Extension Bill, authorizing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the time specified in the project license to begin construction of the Swift Creek Hydroelectric Project for three 2-year periods, a total of 6 years. The Swift Creek Project is a 1.5 megawatt project in Wyoming. This bill has passed the Senate with unanimous consent, and passage of the bill today will send this bill directly to the President's desk and allow the further development of clean renewable hydroelectric power. I urge my colleagues to support S. 244. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on the Senate bill now under consideration.

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 244) to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Wyoming.

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I urge the immediate passage of 4377.

Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4377, the Arrowrock Project Hydroelectric License Extension Bill, which extends the time in the hydroelectric license to begin construction of a 15-megawatt project by 3 years from the date of passage of this bill. The facility will be built at the existing Arrowrock Dam on the Boise River in Idaho and has been designated to minimize impacts there. Over the past decade, this project has been delayed by a number of factors not necessarily within the control of the project developer, including delays related to the bull trout being declared threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We have now solved that problem and we have been assured that the project is ready to go once the license is extended. This project has bipartisan support. It will further develop the hydroelectric facilities at existing dams, something we promoted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, so I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material.

Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4377) to extend the time required for construction of a hydroelectric project, and for other purposes.

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the contributions and character of former Idaho State Senator Claire Wetherell, an Idaho woman who is the very embodiment of civic virtue, community involvement and--most of all--class. A municipal park named in her honor on Monday, September 18, 2006, is a testament to the admiration and affection that the people of her hometown of Mountain Home, ID, hold for Senator Wetherell. Earlier this year, she was presented with both the key to the city of Mountain Home and a lifetime achievement award from the Elmore Medical Center Auxiliary, which she served as its first president in 1955. Senator Wetherell also led the bond issue campaign that resulted in construction of the original Elmore Memorial Hospital. In addition, she put her experience as a U.S. Navy nurse during World War II to work as one of the first nurses at the new hospital. It was my great privilege to serve with Senator Wetherell for 10 of my 14 years as Idaho's lieutenant governor and presiding officer of the Idaho Senate. Her 12 years in the Idaho Senate, and her 8 years on the Mountain Home City Council, showed that no public official could have a better friend than Claire Wetherell, or a more determined political adversary. It didn't matter whether you were a Democrat or a Republican; if she liked you she would go out of her way to extend the hand of compromise and conciliation. Yet there was almost nothing an opponent could do that she wasn't fully prepared to challenge. Senator Wetherell served the public interest with a passion for justice and equal rights, and she applied the same standards to herself. She would make her case with great intensity, but also would be the first to admit when she was mistaken. She was quick to pursue the truth, and just as quick to acknowledge those rare occasions when that pursuit went astray. Senator Claire Wetherell deserves the congratulations of Congress, and a grateful Nation's thanks for her lifetime of contributions to the people of Mountain Home and all the people of Idaho.

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing to the actions of Kenneth and Linda Steigers of Juliaetta, Idaho. Nine years before the Steigers purchased a section of land in Clearwater County, Idaho, a flood tore through the area. It destroyed many large cottonwood trees and other vegetation in a riparian zone of Lolo Creek which runs through their property. Eventually, grass grew back near the banks of the creek, which attracted grazing cattle. At that time the Bureau of Land Management raised concerns that the cattle may be adversely affecting the water quality of the creek and the salmon spawning beds in the area. The Steigers, through support from the Conservation Reserve Program, CRP, have worked diligently to rectify the problem. They used program funding to build a fence around the riparian area and also developed a spring at the top of a nearby slope to provide an alternate drinking area for the cattle. With the cattle no longer grazing in the area, cottonwood trees and shrubs are growing in the area again. The salmon habitat has improved and elk, deer, geese, ducks, blue herons, and other small water birds have become abundant. For their actions as CRP participants the Steigers will be presented with the Conservation Reserve Program Outstanding American Conservationist Award by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns at the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, September 13, 2006. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating the actions of Kenneth and Linda Steigers. It is accomplishments like this that make our world a more beautiful and enjoyable place to live.

Mr. OTTER

Mr. OTTER. Mr. Chairman, the House of Representatives is voting today on an amendment to the Horse Protection Act that actually would irresponsibly endanger the welfare of the very animal that it purports to help. I oppose H.R. 503, which is driven by raw emotion and misinformation rather than by the facts. By eliminating the option of humane slaughter of the horses, the bill provides no directive as to what will happen to the 90,000 unwanted horses annually processed in our slaughter facilities. It increases the probability of unwanted horses becoming the victims of neglect, starvation, or abandonment. It criminalizes a legitimate and legal U.S. industry. It eliminates hundreds of U.S. jobs. It mandates costs estimated at $3 billion to $4 billion on private citizens. And it creates far more problems than it actually solves. It limits horse owners' choices for disposing of their animals, and it infringes on the owners' private property rights. Private property rights have long been held dear by the families and the land owners in the west, and for good reason. Their farms and ranches have been their livelihood and part of their national heritage since the frontier was closed and the west was settled. Not many months ago, many of my colleagues, most of those who are on the opposition side of this bill, on a bipartisan basis, rose in indignation at the Kelo v. New London, Connecticut, the City of New London, Connecticut decision, because it was taking private property rights. I have stood many times with many of those folks who are now proponents of this bill to protect intellectual private property rights. I see no difference. And like it or not, a horse is private property. They are not humans. They must be treated humanely and cared for appropriately. However, when a horse is no longer wanted or cannot be cared for, Congress should not be in the business of deciding how the animals can or cannot be disposed of. We fight for the protection of personal property rights and intellectual property rights, everything from dirt to ideas, Mr. Chairman. This is no different. I strongly encourage Members to oppose this misguided effort and continue preserving a strong tradition of private personal property rights in the United States. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).