Collin Peterson

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Prescribed Burn Approval Act of 2016, S. 3395, will help alleviate unintentional disasters when prescribed burns don't go exactly as planned. This is commonsense legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of it. Prescribed burns are an important tool used by the Forest Service to help manage our national forests and grasslands. However, there is the risk of damage to nearby private property when prescribed burns get out of control, which happened, as was described recently, in the upper Midwest. This bill will allow the Forest Service to continue to use prescribed burns while taking practical steps to prevent disasters. S. 3395 prohibits the Forest Service from utilizing prescribed burns in areas of high fire risk, unless the Forest Service coordinates with State governments and local officials. Having local officials and responders aware of activities can help them be prepared and equipped to assist, if necessary. Frankly, this is something I would hope the Forest Service is already doing, but this bill is a good step. It will make sure that it happens in the future. Again, I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a visionary business man from my district, David Johnson. He co-foundered Polaris Industries and designed its first snowmobile. While Mr. Johnson was in the Navy he invested half of his paycheck . . . just $11 after he received a letter from his friend asking for help. When he returned home after his military service Mr. Johnson went to work for the company. The company he helped found reached its first billion-dollar sales year in 1995. It now generates over $4 billion in sales yearly and has a major impact on the local economy. Despite retiring in 1988, Mr Johnson was a regular fixture at the company's Roseau, Minnesota plant, which is in my district. He would check in on the newer models the company was producing and he would also give tours and share stories about company history. Mr. Johnson was a lifelong snowmobile rider. For his 90th birthday, he took a three-day 150 mile ride aboard a Polaris snowmobile from Roseau to his old cabin in the Northwest angle. Mr. Johnson was inducted into the snowmobile Hall of Fame in 1999. Mr. Johnson died in his Roseau MN home after a long illness. He was 93 years old. David Johnson is survived by his wife of 68 years, Eleanor, and their children, Rodney, Mary, Mitchell, and Aaron. All Polaris employees were honorary pallbearers for his funeral service. It was my sincere pleasure to know David Johnson and to work with him. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the life and achievements of David Johnson.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, the City of Moorhead in Minnesota is leading the way in developing innovative community energy programs that provide local investment opportunities, diversifies Minnesota's energy portfolio, and improves our nation's energy independence. Moorhead Public Service is the tip of the spear in those efforts. I congratulate the administrators at Moorhead Public Service for envisioning and building renewable energy projects like Capture the Sun which have brought national recognition to the people of Moorhead. Today, I would like to expand this recognition to the United States Congress. Capture the Sun is a community solar garden located in north Moorhead and administered by Moorhead Public Service. The project provides local energy customers the opportunity to invest in renewable energy by purchasing one or more solar panels. The renewable energy is then delivered to the home or business of the investor, offsetting costlier sources of energy. The $480 per panel investment is paid back through 20 years of more affordable electricity bills. With the Capture the Sun model, customers who may not have been able to afford infrastructure costs associated with building solar panels on their roofs are now able to invest in renewable solar energy. Moorhead Public Service began its first phase of community solar in 2015, and the initial local reaction to community solar was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, the customer demand for solar panels was so strong that Moorhead Public Service decided to expand Capture the Sun to a second phase in 2016. I had the chance to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the second Capture the Sun community solar garden on October 4, 2016. It was impressive to learn that every panel for the second project has already been purchased by local investors. Each .310 kilowatt panel produces an estimated 35 kilowatt hours per month which is enough to power five 60-watt light bulbs for four hours per day for a month. Between the two solar garden projects, 216 panels have been purchased by 160 customers. This means an estimated 7,560 renewable kilowatt hours are produced by the sun to local investors every month. These kilowatt hours save customers money over time and diversify the City of Moorhead's energy portfolio. The model has worked so well that the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) awarded Moorhead Public Service with its prestigious Administrator's Award in recognition of its dedication to service and best business practices. In the award announcement, WAPA stated that Moorhead Public Service proves that a ``utility of any size can forge a powerful partnership with the community by being responsive to its customers' needs.'' As our nation's economy continues to grow, the demand for electricity will grow with it. We depend on innovators like those at Moorhead Public Service who remain proactive in keeping their community's electricity rates affordable, especially in rural America. The energy investment opportunities provided to Moorhead residents will remain a leading example of what can be accomplished for other municipal governments across Minnesota. I am proud to represent the City of Moorhead and the 7th District of Minnesota. I remain inspired by the technological and economical advancements made by leaders in my district. Today, I urge lawmakers to join me in commending Moorhead Public Service's Capture the Sun project.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5883 makes a very narrow fix to help bring the Packers and Stockyards Act to the 21st century. The bill is the result of a thorough review of the act to identify areas for modernization. The committee worked with the industry to provide clarity in the law regarding certain practices related to online transactions in the livestock markets. H.R. 5883 passed the Agriculture Committee by voice vote and has the support of seven major agriculture organizations. Again, this is a very straightforward bill, providing for minor, technical changes to the Packers and Stockyards Act. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 845, the National Forest System Trails Stewardship Act, is a bipartisan bill introduced by Representative Walz, a member of the Agriculture Committee, and Representative Lummis, a former member of the Agriculture Committee. A 2013 GAO Trails Maintenance Report found that the Forest Service has a backlog of more than $314 million in trail maintenance, which would be addressed by this legislation. The bill requires that the Forest Service develop a national strategy to double the amount of maintenance work done by volunteers in the next 5 years, ensuring our constituents can continue to use and enjoy these public spaces. The Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 845 by voice vote, and the bill is supported by a wide range of government, recreation, agriculture, conservation, sportsmen, and equestrian organizations. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz), a cosponsor of the bill.

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

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the bill we are considering today, S. 764, recognizes consumers' demand to know more about their food by directing USDA to create a national, mandatory genetically engineered food labeling program. My colleagues may remember that almost a year ago, this Chamber passed legislation to establish a voluntary labeling program. I still believe a voluntary label is best, but, frankly, if we are going to address this issue--and, as the chairman said, we are out of time--we need to work with the Senate. This is the compromise that was reached and, in my opinion, is probably the only alternative that is available at this point. Science tells us that foods and ingredients from genetically engineered crops are safe to eat. This technology allows farmers to protect natural resources and provide an abundant food supply. Unfortunately, there is a lot of public confusion about these issues, but labeling products is really more about marketing than any safety concerns that people have. This legislation is needed to avoid a situation where 50 States set up 50 different labels, which would only create confusion for consumers, farmers, and food companies. News reports indicate that Vermont's labeling law, which went into effect July 1, has already led to the loss of some 3,000 products from store shelves. This legislation would rectify this problem while addressing the law's shortcoming. For example, the Vermont law exempts processed food products containing meat from labeling. So cheese pizza would be labeled, but pepperoni pizza would not. That doesn't make any sense. S. 764 closes this loophole, requiring an additional 25,000 food products to meet new labeling requirements. I am also pleased that USDA will be responsible for implementing and enforcing this program. They have the expertise to do this. They have shown this with the labeling that they did for the successful National Organic Program. I would also like to note that S. 764 received strong bipartisan support in the Senate and more than 1,000 farm and food organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, Grocery Manufacturers Association, and Organic Trade Association, and others are calling for passage. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I believe this is a good compromise. It is another example of what the Agriculture Committee has consistently done so well. No one gets everything they want, but at the end of the day, I believe this is a bill that will provide the transparency consumers crave while at the same time allow continued innovation in food production. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree).

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the esteemed ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader).

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard).

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, is the gentleman from Texas ready to close?

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Again, this isn't a perfect bill. I think the chairman and I would prefer the House bill, but this is a bill that was able to pass the Senate. It will get us past this crisis situation that was developed because of the Vermont law going into effect. It is something that we think is workable and gives the USDA the authority to not only develop this system but also, for the first time, actually determine what this means. Because that is one of the big issues, that as you talk to 10 different people about what a GMO is, you get 10 different answers. So what is going to happen here is we are going to have a situation where we will define what this means. That is a big step forward. I encourage my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, one hundred years ago, Congress recognized the need for a permanent means to support our nation's rural communities and agricultural producers and established the Farm Credit System. Cooperatively owned and operated, the Farm Credit System was designed to be responsive to the needs of its borrowers while being able to adapt to changes in rural communities and agriculture. Today, credit in rural America remains an important issue. The Farm Credit System maintains a vital presence in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico. In my home state of Minnesota, Farm Credit serves more than 24,000 borrower-customers by making available $6.9 billion in loans. Credit is one of the most important tools available for farmers and ranchers. It is a vital piece of the farm safety net during times of low commodity prices and an important resource to the next generation of farmers and ranchers looking to get started. Farm credit also supports rural economic development, helping to fund important infrastructure improvements, provide reliable energy to rural communities, and connect rural Americans through modern telecommunications. The impact of the Farm Credit System is felt across the country, and I congratulate them on this milestone.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to stand before you and offer my heartiest congratulations to the professional musicians and leadership of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM). This year, the union which represents more than 80,000 professional musicians will convene and celebrate its 100th Annual International Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 20, 2016. Many members of Congress maintain a close personal relationship with the professional musicians of this storied organization many of whom live and work in your respective districts. I know you like I wish them another 100 years addressing the complex issues that drive the American music industry. For more than 119 years, the AFM has represented the interests of musicians working in America's major and regional symphony orchestras like the Washington National Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and many others. The organization also represents jazz, country and pop greats such as Winton Marsalis, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, and Willie Nelson to name a few. AFM musicians for decades have performed the sounds movie goers around the world have been privileged to hear in such epic American films as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sponge Bob Movie, the Wolf of Wall Street, and Trumbo to name a few. These incredibly talented American musicians have performed under the batons of such distinguished American internationally recognized composers and AFM members as John Williams, Clint Eastwood, Lennie Niehaus, and others. The AFM also has a unique set of accomplishments on Capitol Hill, successfully representing musicians in the areas of performance rights, copyright, intellectual property, federal appropriations, immigration reform, Department of Transportation regulatory reform, Department of the Interior regulatory reform, as well as work in the area of tax reform. Mr. Speaker, no other national instrumental music organization has the tenure and reach of the American Federation of Musicians having affected legislation and regulations that have helped more than one million professional musicians, students and amateur professionals create uniquely American music. The AFM's longevity is so storied that the United States Department of Labor recognizes it as one of a few American labor organizations that has existed for more than 100 years and proudly displays a plaque in honor of that accomplishment in the corridors of the Department of Labor. As a performing musician myself, I understand the nature of the music business and recognize that the work of the AFM has benefited more than its own members but has been a driving force in the advancement of America music recognized the world over as some of the most progressive and entertaining domestic product in great demand around the globe. So, I ask members of congress to join with me in celebrating a unique American institution comprised of some of the best musicians recognized across the globe. Our hats are off to those who make American music great.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the Ribble, Lummis, Benishek, and Peterson amendment. Managing gray wolves continues to be a huge problem in my state of Minnesota. In spite of the overwhelming evidence by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the gray wolf population in the Western Great Lakes States has not only recovered, but thrived in the past few years, a single judge in Washington, D.C. unilaterally decided that gray wolves somehow need federal protection. In 2014, Minnesota had nearly 2,500 gray wolves, by far the highest number in any state besides Alaska. This has put the farmers and ranchers in my district in a very difficult situation. They are now forced to choose between following the law or protecting their livestock and livelihoods. Our amendment simply reinstates Fish and Wildlife's original decision to delist gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes States from Endangered Species Act protections and allows the agency to relist gray wolves if science supports it. I believe this amendment is scientific and fair. This is a real problem that needs immediate solution. The states--not the federal government--are best equipped to manage gray wolf populations and provide assistance when problem wolves harass my constituent's livelihoods. I urge Members to support this amendment.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the Ribble-Schrader- Rouzer-Peterson amendment that would give states the option of allowing more productive trucks on the road if they are equipped with a sixth- axle. In rural America, this amendment will mean that farmers will be able to get their harvest to market more efficiently, with fewer trips on the road. Fewer trips back and forth from the field saves fuel and saves time, which is especially important when farmers are racing the clock during the busy harvest season. Unlike other businesses, farmers can't just pass along the cost of transporting their crops to market. Staying competitive means that we need to take advantage of safe transportation options, like the one that would be allowed by the amendment we are considering today. This amendment has the support of a broad coalition of agriculture organizations including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, the National Milk Producers Federation and the American Soybean Association to name a few. This amendment, as part of a long-term reauthorization bill, is a necessary step towards modernizing our transportation system, and I urge my colleague to vote in support of this commonsense amendment. Again, Madam Chair, I strongly support the amendment.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman. I support removing restrictions on the export of crude oil from the United States. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 702. Current export laws are outdated, as we have heard. Since these laws were last visited nearly 40 years ago, U.S. oil production has increased significantly and the United States is now the largest producer of oil and gas. Studies have shown that lifting the current ban on crude oil exports would create jobs, many in the rural areas. We in our part of the world have seen the benefits that domestic drilling can provide by looking at our neighboring State of North Dakota. We need to do everything we can to support the use and production of domestic energy. H.R. 702 is an important part of that. Following this bill's approval, I hope all Members of Congress will continue to support an all-of-the-above domestic energy production strategy by considering the national security and the economic development benefits of not just oil production, but of biofuel production and related products. Mr. Chairman, I strongly support H.R. 702.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2051. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Mandatory Price Reporting Act, the National Forest Foundation Act, and the U.S. Grain Standards Act. This bill continues the tradition of bipartisan, bicameral work done by the Agriculture Committees. Important livestock price reporting programs will be continued under the bill's mandatory price reporting provisions. Producers rely on access to transparent, accurate, and timely market information, and H.R. 2051 will provide that certainty. The National Forest Foundation Act is the type of public-private collaboration we should all be able to support, giving private groups and stakeholders a chance to help in the stewardship and management of our national forests and grasslands. H.R. 2051 will ensure that this partnership can continue. Finally, the U.S. Grain Standards Reauthorization Act will allow the Federal Grain Inspection Service to continue official weighing and inspection services. Both grain buyers and sellers rely on a gold standard quality assurance, backed by the Federal Government, when conducting business. Again, this is good, commonsense legislation, a bipartisan bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PETERSON

Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise to support H.R. 1599. This bill establishes a voluntary nationwide USDA-administered certification program for labeling genetically engineered food products, and we believe that this is a reasonable, workable solution that balances consumer demand to know more about their food with what we know about the safety of the foods that we produce. I didn't sign on to this bill initially because I thought we needed to make some changes, which were eventually made and made the bill supportable, from my perspective. This is a very important point. The bill ensures that every new genetically engineered plant destined to enter the market has to go through an FDA safety review. This change means that foods from genetically engineered plants will only be able to enter the marketplace after this happens, and that is a change from the current situation. H.R. 1599 prevents the unworkable scenario of a State-by-State, county- by-county, or even city-by-city labeling law. This patchwork of laws would only create confusion for consumers, farmers, and food companies and would also drive up consumer grocery bills. I acknowledge that consumers want to know what they are eating, and in my opinion, H.R. 1599 provides them with that information. Before we can do anything in this area, we have to define what this means, and if you talk to five different people about what genetically engineered or genetically modified means, you are going to get five different answers. One of the things that will happen with this bill if it becomes law is that the USDA will go through a process, talking to all the stakeholders, and come up with a definition of what this means, which I think is one of the most important things because, right now, I think there is a real disconnect between the science on this issue and the consumers. What this bill does is allows companies like companies in my district to go and work with the Secretary to create a non-GMO label, nongenetically engineered label.