Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes. Today, Mr. Speaker, we are voting once again to grant special treatment--and I stress ``special treatment''--to TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline. It is the 10th time since Republicans took control of the House. American families face many pressing problems, and they want us to use this new Congress to work together to solve them. Unfortunately, we will begin this new year with a bill crafted solely to help the Canadian tar sands industry. The administration issued a statement in opposition to this legislation and indicated that the President will veto the bill. I heard my Republican colleagues talk about the action or inaction, whatever it was, by the Nebraska Supreme Court today; but I would stress that the White House press office still says in a statement that regardless of the Nebraska ruling today, the House bill still conflicts with longstanding executive branch procedures regarding the authority of the President and prevents the thorough consideration of complex issues that could bear on U.S. national interests, and if presented to the President he will veto the bill. So the bill will still be vetoed by the President, which is another indication why we are wasting our time today. Mr. Speaker, oil prices are at their lowest level in more than 5 years. Gas prices are now below $2 a gallon. Domestic U.S. oil production is skyrocketing. Tar sands are among the dirtiest and most carbon-intensive of all fossil fuels. Approving the Keystone XL pipeline will create a dependence on tar sands crude, reversing the carbon pollution reductions we have been working so hard to accomplish. According to some experts, building the Keystone XL pipeline will triple production of the tar sands, and that is totally inconsistent with any future scenario for avoiding catastrophic climate change. We don't need this oil. Approving and constructing this pipeline won't lower gas prices for Americans. In some areas, it may even raise prices. This pipeline is a terrible deal for the United States. We get all of the risk while the oil companies will reap all of the rewards. I was at the Rules Committee the other night and all I kept hearing was how wonderful Canada is, how we have to help Canadian companies. This is all about Canada. Frankly, I don't know why we are so worried about a Canadian corporation. It wasn't clear during the Rules Committee hearing, based on the conversations and debate we had with the Republican side, that this pipeline would even ever be built. And yet here we are rushing to basically say to the President: We don't care what you or the State Department or the Department of the Interior says what is in the national interest; we are just going to do this because of some Canadian interest. Mr. Speaker, this is a new year and a new Congress. We have new Members who will vote on this bill without the benefit of any hearings or markups or floor amendments, without the benefit of learning how our changing energy picture alters the need for this pipeline, and without considering whether our time might be better spent on efforts to promote other cleaner energy sources. We need sound energy policy in these challenging times. As the ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, I am anxious to begin working with all of my colleagues on pragmatic energy policy; but we need a balanced energy policy, one that takes into account current circumstances, one that takes into account our need to combat climate change, and one that works with the President rather than against the President to actually deliver legislation that the President can sign rather than veto. This legislation doesn't meet any of these criteria, so I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush), the ranking member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Keystone XL pipeline moves us in exactly the wrong direction: enabling production of the dirtiest crude oil on the planet to expand and increasing our carbon pollution for decades to come. We still have a lot of work to do to cut our carbon pollution and avoid catastrophic carbon change. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere just hit 400 parts per million for the first time in human history. Although this administration is making great progress, we are far from achieving our pollution reduction goals, and the need to act is more urgent than ever. I would urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' The President is going to veto this legislation. It is just a political exercise at this point. Again, it bothers me that I hear so much from the other side about trying to help this Canadian company. We should be concerned about the United States. We should be concerned about the world and the environment that results from climate change and the continued production of greenhouse gases. My concern and the concern of the President is that this is simply not legislation that has been proven to be, so far, in the national interest. The President is just asking for more time to make that determination. Vote ``no,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. I thank my colleague from Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I was happy to see not the last speaker but the previous Republican speaker--I think he was the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Byrne)--actually say that he wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act because that is what this is all about. I guess I could take some happiness in the fact that we are not having an outright repeal of the Affordable Care Act on the floor today, but I know that this effort is really about repealing the bill. It is a piece-by-piece approach, where the Republicans want to basically tear down what--in my opinion, and when I go home my constituents say--is an excellent program. More and more people are signing up for the Affordable Care Act. More and more people are getting insurance at an affordable price with subsidies and the expansion of Medicaid. The Republicans know that they can't repeal it outright, so now, they are trying to do it piece by piece. There is no kidding ourselves as to what this bill will do. It is going to increase the deficit, adding $53 billion to our debt. It is going to increase the number of uninsured. It will shift more people onto public programs, and it will cause workers who are currently receiving employer-sponsored health coverage to lose that coverage. My Republican colleagues claim this bill is necessary to protect jobs, but the fact of the matter is that the Affordable Care Act has strengthened the job market. Our economy and workforce are stronger now than before the law was passed. Basically, what is happening here is if you are a large employer with more than 50 full-time workers--in other words, 96 percent of employers are unaffected by the law--for those 4 percent of larger employers who have the means, the law says they need to do right by their full-time workers and offer them health insurance. The Republicans don't think businesses owe their employees anything at all. They think that bigger businesses should have the right to deny their workers health insurance. Even though the ACA says that that is what they should do--give them health insurance--they say, ``No, they shouldn't have to do that.'' The bill the Republicans have presented today would say that big businesses could deny health coverage to someone working 39 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. That is not a part-time worker. Their employers should provide them with health coverage. That is all that we are asking. Giving big businesses a green light to drop coverage for their workers is not the way to move the country forward. Workers have the right to decent health care, and businesses should help them get it. That is the fair thing. That is the right thing. This bill simply takes us in the wrong direction. I keep hearing from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle as to how terrible the Affordable Care Act is. The fact of the matter is it is working and it is working for working people.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in commemoration of the life of Mr. Leonard R. Sendelsky. Mr. Sendelsky, a longtime resident of the Colonia section of Woodbridge, New Jersey, passed away on December 6, 2014 after a life filled with numerous professional and personal accomplishments. Mr. Sendelsky was a fixture of the building industry. His commitment to high quality and standards set him apart as a leader and advocate in the industry. He earned several honors and accolades, including the New Jersey Builders Golden Hammer Award and the New Jersey Builders Association inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. Not only was Mr. Sendelsky a prominent representative of the building industry, he was also an active member of the community and the Hungarian Reformed Church of Carteret. His work with the Thomas Edison Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Raritan Bay YMCA and the Middlesex County College Foundation exemplify his commitment to service and support of the community. Born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Mr. Sendelsky lived in Colonia for over 50 years with his wife Judy. He and Judy were married for 60 years and together had two sons, Leonard Drew and Guy Sean. Mr. Sendelsky is remembered by his loving family, including his wife and sons, daughter-in-law Susan, granddaughter Christine Marie, sisters Joan Maher and Jean Muni, as well as many other relatives and friends. Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in honoring Leonard Sendelsky for his dedication to his family and community and his immeasurable contributions to the building industry.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, it's an honor today to rise and celebrate the accomplishments of two of my friends, and two of the most distinguished leaders to have ever served in the House of Representatives: Henry Waxman and George Miller. Their names have become synonymous with statesmanship and a deep commitment to public service. These two giants leave behind legislative records that are unmatched in scope and length. When Henry Waxman served as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee--I had the good fortune of working closely with him on so many of the issues we care about. Whether it was expanding access to affordable healthcare, or ensuring that our environment is protected, Henry was at the forefront of so much important progress. His leadership on the Affordable Care Act and his championing of Medicare and Medicaid improvements will be remembered as some of his greatest accomplishments in this body. While he has certainly been a friend to us, he has also been a friend to so many who he has never met: the elderly, the infirmed, and those most vulnerable to whom he has dedicated his career. Few people in this country have done more for America's children than George Miller. With a special focus on children from underserved and low-income communities, George fought tirelessly to fight economic inequalities and to expand opportunities for young people who otherwise would not have had them. From fighting for a stronger k-12 education law to ensuring that people can live on a meaningful minimum wage, George Miller has dedicated his career to giving voice to the American worker. Both of these leaders are proud sons of California, and throughout their careers they have truly lived up to the term ``Representative.'' I look forward to seeing how they will continue to use their talents, knowledge and passions to better serve our nation in the years ahead. Thank you for all of your leadership; it has been an honor to serve with you.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, it's an honor to rise tonight and speak on behalf of my friend and colleague--the Dean of the House of Representatives--John Dingell. A proud son of Michigan, John Dingell has dedicated his life to helping those on society's margins and improving quality of life for all Americans. While he is the longest serving member of the House, he is also one of the most accomplished members in its history. It would be impossible to list all of John Dingell's accomplishments in the time we're allotted tonight. But make no mistake--John Dingell has played a role in every major legislative victory over the last sixty years. Throughout his time in Congress, he has been a champion for the American worker, for a clean environment, for health care, for civil rights, for consumers. When I arrived in the House, I received a seat on the Public Works and Transportation Committee as my freshman assignment. However, I soon realized that my interests and principles were outside the scope of that particular committee. One day, I passed 2123 Rayburn and sat down to watch a hearing of the Energy and Commerce Committee For the first time, I saw firsthand our Committee at work. And, for the first time, I saw John Dingell in action. He filled the whole room. You couldn't miss him. That day changed everything. What I quickly realized was that the Energy and Commerce Committee had the ability to make improvements in the lives of everyday Americans. And John Dingell was leading the way. I have had the privilege to learn so much from John ever since I started on the Energy and Commerce Committee. A quarter century later, I am still humbled by the work that we do in 2123--now known fondly, and rightly so, as the John Dingell Room. And I can only hope to one day live up to the example set by a titan like John Dingell. A few weeks ago, our new colleague, Debbie Dingell, said that she could never fill the shoes of John Dingell--and I feel the same way. When people think of the Energy and Commerce Committee, they cannot help but think of John Dingell. It is my own hope, that as I step into the committee's leadership I will be able to accomplish a small fraction of what John had achieved. His commitment, charisma and charm were the hallmarks of his leadership when he sat at the committee's helm. More importantly, he will be remembered for all he accomplished on behalf of the American people. Though the 114th Congress will be difficult for so many of us, who have served by your side, we are all so thrilled that your wife Debbie will take up the mantle. For those of us who have known her we know that there is no one more able and ready to carry on your legacy--the people of Michigan's 12th will continue to be well served. While you may be retiring, we know that you aren't going away. I know that for so many of us who have called you a mentor and a friend we will still be able to call on your sage advice and wisdom. Congratulations on your many accomplishments and service in this great body. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside you.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I don't know if he knows, but we are going to be honoring him tomorrow night.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), who himself has been the ranking member of two committees.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to our Democratic whip, Mr. Hoyer.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. PALLONE. I thank the gentlewoman. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), our Democratic leader.