Pete Olson

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, countries that were part of the old Soviet Union are now growing democracies, but they face ongoing interference from the new Soviet Union, Russia. The country of Georgia is one such country. Georgia and those nations that were behind the Iron Curtain are now working to improve their democracies. A strong economy allows these countries to grow and stand on their own. That is why Georgia and others seeking real freedom must work harder on the international stage to keep American and Western money flowing. This money goes away if the rule of law is not followed. It is simple: Follow the rule of law; prosperity follows. Don't follow the rule of law; poverty follows. This simple act will make our world more free.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Madam Chair, I rise as the designee of Congressman Ted Poe to speak on behalf of his amendment.

Mr. OLSON. Madam Chair, we have a class of American warships that haven't been built since World War II. They are called battleships. America made 64 battleships. Only seven survived World War II. They are the North Carolina, Alabama, Massachusetts, Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin. But one survived World War II and World War I. This ship is special. It is the Battleship Texas. She is over 104 years old. She was commissioned on March 12 of 1914. She patrolled the Atlantic during the First World War. She is the first American ship with antiaircraft guns. She is the first battleship that had directors and rangekeepers to lock on with their 10 14-inch main batteries. There she is today. She has made history in our Navy. March 1919, Lieutenant Commander Edward McDonnell took a British Sopwith Camel off turret number 3, Naval aviation was born. The wings of gold started on the USS Texas. The skipper of the Texas was so impressed. He noticed those planes could see splashes for the weapons. They could target with aircraft. That meant the Texas would be the first ship ever to launch planes to recover as spy mechanisms during a war. The Texas was at Casco Bay, Maine, on December 7, 1941, the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. In the Atlantic Ocean, on October 23, 1942, as part of Operation Torch, the invasion of French Morocco, the Texas bombed and bombed and bombed the enemy. June 6, 1944, at 5:50 a.m., the Texas roared to life with a constant bombardment of all the weapons--225 14-inch rounds hit the Germans in 34 minutes. June 7, the next day, she is off the cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc where the rangers were in a dogfight for their lives being shot at from above. The Texas launched two Higgins boats, supplied the rangers with more weapons, and brought the wounded home. That may have been a natural fit. And the command of those rangers was a Texan, a proud Texas Aggie, Earl Rudder. On the beaches that day, my colleague, Ted Poe's father, Virgil Poe, heard the Texas roar and saw the flame come out of the big guns. When the war in Europe with Hitler went ashore, the Texas redeployed to the Pacific. On February 16, she pounded the Japanese on Iwo Jima for 3 straight days before the Marine Corps landed. March 1945, 6 straight days of bombing Okinawa cleared the way for the Army and Marines to take that island back. The Texas struck the Naval record as a registered vessel on April 20 of 1948. She was given to my home State, the State of Texas. She is now the flagship of the Texas Navy, Admiral Ted Poe's flagship. Our colleague, Ted, is an admiral of the Texas Navy. She is moored right where Texas won independence, the San Jacinto Monument, right there southwest of Houston, Texas. But sadly, inaction in D.C. and in Texas has done what the German Kaiser, General Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and General Tojo could not do. The Texas is sinking. Rust and time are winning. The Texas still has a heart of a warship. She twice set sail during Hurricane Ike. She and all these battleships deserve to be saved. It is time to heave up and trice up. Vote for this amendment, and save our battleships. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, the heart and soul of Fort Bend County in my hometown of Sugar Land is in great pain today. Herb Appel put on his angel wings and joined our Lord yesterday. We are the most diverse county in America, and the best place to start a family, raise a family, and start a business because of Herb Appel. Herb was a long-time CEO of the Fort Bend Economic Development Corporation. During his tenure, Schlumberger moved their North American headquarters to Sugar Land, Smart Financial Center opened, and Texas Instruments stayed in Fort Bend County, moving from Stafford to Sugar Land. The list goes on and on and on. Herb was called home on a cruise he took with his wife, Emelia, and most of his five kids, sixteen grandkids, and two great grandkids. He was at sea with a sea of love around him. When Herb met God yesterday, God said: Well done, good and faithful servant. God bless Herb Appel.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, Alvin, Texas, is known nationally for two things: 42 inches of rain in 24 hours, our gift from Tropical Storm Claudette; and baseball strikeout king Nolan Ryan, our gift from the gods of baseball. But those gifts are in our past. Our now greatest gift has been going strong since 1976: Joe's Barbeque. Owner Joe Saladino is a walking, Texan-talking American dream. Joe opened with four tables, one barbecue pit, and three employees. He served eight potatoes per day; four at lunch and four at dinner. I was at Joe's a few weeks ago, and man, oh, man, has that world changed. 1,200 Texans eat at Joe's every single day. They enjoy 100 pounds of sausage, 80 briskets, and endless potatoes.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Walden for his comments to remind the American people and the entire world that this American dominance of natural gas has made America's air cleaner for global emissions. As the chairman knows, America has reduced gas emissions 11 percent in the last decade. I told that to people in India this past March and they were stunned. How did you guys do that? Our air is so dirty? What should we do? It is simple: Buy American liquified natural gas. And they are doing that right now. The next speaker is a good friend from Ohio, a man who Mr. Putin fears because he has control of what is called the Utica shale play in Ohio. A man from India, Prime Minister Modi from India, loves Bill Johnson from the great State of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Ohio. I also thank my dear friend for reminding me that Utica is the Marcellus in your district. It also reminded me over and over of the benefits the gentleman has had in Ohio. Rough parts in the country had some bad years, some down times. We have something that Texas called the Eagle Ford shale play that goes down from basically San Antonio to Laredo, a rough part of Texas, not very much growth there. When Zavala happened back home--I was down there about 3 years ago--a man got his first royalty check. He was thrilled. He goes to his bank to deposit, in his Sunday best suit, and says to the guy there: Put this in my account. His banker said: Great, I got it. He puts it in his account. He comes back and says: Okay, that is 100,000--whoa, whoa, whoa--100,000? I thought it was 1,000. His mind could not see the zeros, the periods, and the commas. We changed his world with American ingenuity. The next person up is the former leader of this committee, the chairman, a proud Texas Aggie, and the single most strongest force to get the crude export ban lifted that was installed in 1975, Chairman Joe Barton from Ennis, Texas.

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend from Texas. I want to thank my dear friend for also saying the name of George Mitchell. As you know, George Mitchell revolutionized our energy with hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling of the Barnett shale play by Fort Worth. It took Mr. Mitchell 35 or 36 wells to drill before the first one came back viable. That money was private sector money, not money from D.C. The private sector made this revolution possible. I thank the gentleman for reminding us about what happened. By the way, people think the gentleman's car may be there, the Corvette convertible, in the background. It looks like a 1959, maybe a 1963. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon), a good friend and also a doctor

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson), my cohost, to follow up the comments of Dr. Bucshon as we transition to going overseas.

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan), from the home of William Barret Travis, the commander of the Alamo.

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, since I have known the gentleman, he has been a champion for American energy independence. Drill, baby, drill. Frack, baby, frack. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee.

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, this was not coordinated. We came together with pictures of the Independence. But my friend knows this better than I do. How many people turn out--those are ordinary people--to watch a tanker come into port? Why are they coming out to watch that tanker? It is because they know that tanker is their freedom from Mr. Putin and Russia. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton).

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Colorado for his comments. The gentleman is always welcome here. I thank my friend for pointing out the fact that, we think oil and gas in America, we think the coasts: the Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast, Atlantic Coast. But my friend enlightened us. It is not just the coasts. It is the heart and soul of America, the interior, States like Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota. All these States have shale plays. All these States are booming now with American energy production. I would like to close with a couple comments and maybe take a tour of the world as it stands today. We started exporting our natural gas less than 2 years ago. Right now, 29 countries have received American liquified natural gas. Those countries are Argentina, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, China, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, and the UK. American energy has touched the entire world. They are feeling our dominance in a very healthy and great way. We are giving them their freedom. Liquid American freedom is on the market right now. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this House Energy and Commerce Special Order is to talk about America's energy dominance, especially with natural gas. This conversation is very important today because the World Gas Conference happens in this town, Washington, D.C., next week. What a difference a decade makes. When I joined Texas Senator Phil Gramm's office in 1998, one ugly word described American oil and natural gas. That word was peak. Experts, here and around the world, said America had peaked in our production of oil and natural gas. Every year, we would buy more oil and gas from foreign sources, and we had to buy oil from some companies that didn't like us very much and hurt us by taking oil away. No one cared about a group called OPEC until they stopped the flow of oil that they had and that we needed. OPEC was led by Arab nations who were upset that we resupplied our best ally ever, Israel, when they were invaded by their neighbors. It happened in 1973. It happened again in 1979. Gas prices doubled overnight. In 1979, I had just gotten my driver's license. My job was to take our family cars and fill them with gas that had gotten down to a quarter of a gallon in the tank. I got in line for 45 minutes or maybe as long as an hour. We could only purchase 20 gallons of gasoline. We could only buy that gasoline on days per your license plate. If the last number was odd, buy gas on an odd day. Even, even day. Heck, a guy on a lawn mower was behind me getting gas one day. That is how bad it was just one decade ago. But thanks to the American private sector and our ingenuity, hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling, America has a whole new world order for energy. We have global energy dominance, and that is what we are here to talk about today, that special happening right now in America. Right now, our country, America, is the number one producer of oil and gas in the entire world. Our natural gas increasingly powers our homes and our businesses, making our air cleaner and our economy stronger, especially on the Gulf Coast, where I am from. OPEC knows their days of controlling the market and punishing people for bad actions they perceive are over. They have right now, as we speak, flooded the market with oil to try to keep prices low and stop America's newfound energy dominance. They have tried and they have failed. We had more oil and gas than they had. We have that gas, and now we are letting the free market take over, and we have a lot more who can tap that in a moment's notice. And this doesn't just mean affordable power and gasoline at home. It also means American jobs. One study last year said over 800,000 jobs in the gas and oil industry came to our country for this renaissance. This renaissance, this dominance, has allowed us to export natural gas and oil for the first time since 1975. Over 40 years not on the market. We are going from basically zero exports of natural gas to 10 billion cubic feet per day in exports. It wasn't long ago we were building terminals to import natural gas, and now we are reversing them to export natural gas. That is what American energy dominance looks like. And as we say in Texas, there is a new sheriff in the global natural gas market, and that sheriff's name is Uncle Sam. And these huge exports of natural gas are helping America export liquid freedom to friends we want to help, and hurt those who use energy as a weapon to control other countries. For too long, a former KGB spy and Russia's de facto dictator, Vladimir Putin, has controlled nations that escaped the Iron Curtain when the Berlin Wall fell in 1991. Nations like Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and Ukraine were still beholden to what Ted Poe calls the Napoleon of Siberia, Mr. Putin. If they did not do what Mr. Putin wanted, they lost all power. Summers were scorching; winters were bitter cold. Comply or punish. You are not free. America, right now, is taking these weapons away from Mr. Putin. Cheap natural gas takes away the hooks of tyranny. This is important even for countries that don't buy our gas because our gas is making the market a true market with competition and lower prices. That market puts a lid on bad actors and what they can charge. But sadly, this explosion, this dominance, caught the previous administration by surprise and we were way behind the curve in getting our natural gas on the global market. Good news: The Energy and Commerce Committee stepped up in this Congress to make sure we get these exports going and these projects approved quickly. We made sure they are safe, great for our environment, with minimal impacts, and we take all of the local concerns into account. But red tape and these silly delays hurt us. We have stopped that and have got a free market going in so many important ways. In this Congress, the 115th Congress, we are using this new opportunity to expand our Nation's energy dominance with natural gas. This means, for the whole world, cheaper, cleaner power, the jobs that come with that, and it brings American jobs back home from overseas. Right now, America is exporting freedom to friends and allies and taking away a monopoly from bad actors. Get ready, world. Uncle Sam is coming to your neighborhood, your hometown. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Officers Christopher Pickering, Michael Seiss and Jose Gonzales of the Katy Independent School District for receiving the Chief's Meritorious Citation Award. Tragically, suicide is a growing problem with our youth today. Thankfully, we have heroes among us who choose to be in the right place at the right time. Officers Pickering, Seiss and Gonzales were credited with helping save the lives of two students who were thinking of committing suicide. On January 8, Officer Pickering was dispatched to a home amid reports of a possible suicide attempt by a Katy ISD student. This student was helped by Pickering's crisis intervention training and after building a friendship with the officer, agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation. The student later told the Katy ISD Police Department that Officer Pickering's actions and concern that day kept him from taking his life. Officers Seiss and Gonzales were dispatched to Cinco Ranch High School on March 7 after hearing reports of another possible suicide. They acted promptly and showed the true heart of heroes. The quick actions of these two officers helped save the student's life. Katy ISD Police Chief Robert Jinks proudly claimed that these three men revealed their bravery, character, and heroism for their community. For their dedication to the well-being of the Katy ISD, we thank them for their service and heroism. On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations again to Officers Christopher Pickering, Michael Seiss and Jose Gonzales of the Katy ISD Police Department for receiving the Chief's Meritorious Citation Award. I thank them for their commitment to our students. Their passion and heart for the Katy ISD community is priceless.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jaime Wilson of Katy, TX for receiving the Citizenship Education Teachers of the Year Award from the Katy VFW Post 9182. Jaime, a history teacher at Seven Lakes High School received the award from the Katy VFW for incorporating and advocating for veterans into her classroom. Ms. Wilson has continually asked veterans to speak to her students about their experiences in times of conflict. She was presented the Citizenship Education Teachers of the Year Award by Vietnam war veteran Stephen Brady, of the Katy VFW Post. Jaime began teaching at Seven Lakes in 2007 and met Brady at the Katy Rice Harvest Festival. Since then, she has welcomed Brady and other veterans into her classroom to help Katy ISD students better understand the Vietnam war and issues affecting our nation's veterans. She has also advocated for more veteran guest speakers at Cinco Ranch and Tompkins High Schools. On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations again to Jaime Wilson for receiving The Citizenship Education Teachers of the Year Award. Her efforts to champion veterans and educate the youth of TX-22 is crucial to our growth and character as a society. I thank you, Ms. Wilson.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ashley Bratcher of Stafford, TX for being named the 2017-18 Stafford Municipal School District Teacher of the Year. Ms. Bratcher has a passion for education and was chosen by her peers to be the 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year. She has taught math and science at Stafford Elementary School for the past six years and is known for her commitment to education, with the goal of making a life- changing difference each day. Her excellence is evident in Stafford Elementary School's position in the Top 1 percent of Texas Elementary Schools. Ashley is a Fort Bend County native and graduated from Hightower High School and Texas A&M University, before receiving her master's degree in education from Concordia University. She is a tremendous educator who fights for her students in the classroom on a daily basis. On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations again to Ashley Bratcher for being named the 2017-18 Stafford MSD Teacher of the Year. I thank her for her commitment to our children and excellence in the classroom.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mario Valdez, Jeff Peterson, Joyce Thomas, Tamra Oliver, Nancy Beran, Amanda Peterson, Brenda Wandling, Bessie Neal, Leslie McDowell, Bridgett Bullard, Cindy Haley, Alma Cruz, Cheryl Brimhall, James Nagai, Gloria Daniels, Lisa McKey, Tambra Burns, Pamela Berdou and Lisa Rose for their 20 years of service and dedication to the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (CISD). Each of these wonderful Lamar CISD employees have worked for the school district for twenty years. They were recently recognized by the school district for their dedication to our children and our schools. Their tenure and commitment to educational excellence is a true asset for our students and our region. On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations again to these exceptional employees for 20 years with Lamar CISD. I thank them for their commitment to education and to our kids.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sandra Guyton, Adrianna Zamora and Gay Clark for their 30 years of service and dedication to the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (CISD). Sandra, Adrianna and Gay have each worked for the school district for thirty years. They were recently recognized by Lamar CISD for their dedication to our children and our schools. Their tenure and commitment to educational excellence is a true asset for our students and our region. On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations again to Sandra Guyton, Adrianna Zamora and Gay Clark on 30 years with Lamar CISD. I thank them for their commitment to education and to our kids.

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Diana Martinez, Tracy Madrigal, Becky Guntle, Sandra Leal, Carole Serna, Juan Nava, Kimberly Reyhons, Lorenso Longoria and Pamela Clayton for their 25 years of service and dedication to the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (CISD). Diana, Tracy, Becky, Sandra, Carole, Juan, Kimberly, Lorenso and Pamela have each worked for the school district for twenty five years. They were recently recognized by Lamar CISD for their dedication to our children and our schools. Their tenure and commitment to educational excellence is a true asset for our students and our region. On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations again to these exceptional employees for 25 years with Lamar CISD. I thank them for their commitment to education and to our kids

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ken Walla for his 35 years of service and dedication to the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (CISD). Ken has worked for the school district for thirty five years. He was recently recognized by Lamar CISD for his dedication to our children and our schools. His tenure and commitment to educational excellence is a true asset for our students and our region. On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations again to Ken Walla on 35 years with Lamar CISD. I thank him for his commitment to education and to our kids

Mr. OLSON

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. OLSON. Mr. Chairman, as you know, the greater Houston area, my home, was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. That was 10 months ago. We are still working to recover, and Texas is not alone. Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were impacted by a shattering hurricane season. And we can't just focus on the last storm season. The 2018 hurricane season started on June 1. Tropical Storm Alberto hit the Florida Panhandle on May 25, 6 days before hurricane season. NOAA says that there is a 75 percent chance this Atlantic hurricane season will be near or above normal. That is why we must act now to prevent damage from huge floods like Harvey. Congress worked in a bipartisan manner to pass the Bipartisan Budget Act to provide critical Army Corps funds to rebuild our communities and prepare for the next storm. Even though that money has been allocated, the work has not begun. While that is partly due to red tape at the Corps, once work begins, we need to move that process quickly. My amendment is simple. It says that the Army Corps needs to expedite previously authorized projects in the declared disaster areas of Texas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These projects will provide critical help for communities that are still recovering and mitigate future flooding and damage. Mr. Chairman, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green).