George Radanovich

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I too have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3682) to redesignate the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia as the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis).

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2978, introduced by our colleague Dennis Rehberg of Montana, allows two Fort Peck Indian Reservation Tribes to lease water to nearby nonIndian communities. In northeastern Montana, water supplies are very scarce. For this reason Congress authorized a rural water supply protection for the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and some of its neighbors a few years ago. As the project is now under construction, water users realize that the underlying law needs to be clarified in order to ensure a water transfer. This bill makes this commonsense clarification on the Federal level. The State Water Commission has already approved the conveyance, and I urge my colleagues to support this noncontroversial bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2978) to allow the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights recognized under the Fort Peck-Montana Compact for the purpose of meeting the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Incorporated, and for other purposes.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I would like to introduce into the Record a letter from Chairman Goodlatte of Virginia. The Committee on Agriculture also received jurisdiction on this bill. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC, May 15, 2006. Hon. Richard Pombo, Chairman, Committee on Resources, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for notifying the Committee on Agriculture with regards to your intention to move H.R. 586, a bill entitled as the ``Right-to Ride Livestock on Federal Lands Act of 2005'', under suspension of the rules. As you are aware, the Committee on Agriculture received an additional referral of this legislation on those provisions of H.R. 586 that fall within this Committee's jurisdiction. However, after conferring with Chairman Gutknecht of the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry, I will be glad to waive further consideration of this measure so as to allow its timely consideration by the entire House of Representatives. This action is not intended to waive this Committee's jurisdiction over this matter for all purposes, and in the event a conference with the Senate is requested in this matter, I would ask you to support the Committee on Agriculture's request to be represented. Thank you very much for your courtesy in this matter and I look forward to continued cooperation between our Committees as we deal with these issues in the future. Sincerely, Bob Goodlatte, Chairman.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 586) to preserve the use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on public lands, including wilderness areas, national monuments, and other specifically designated areas, administered by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Forest Service where there is a historical tradition of such use, and for other purposes.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am the author of H.R. 586, which is identical to the legislation that passed the House of Representatives in the 108th Congress. This bill would preserve the use and access of pack and saddle stock animals on our public lands where there is a historic traditional use. Perhaps no other activity is more synonymous with the exploration of our vast open lands than that of the use of pack and saddle stock. Who could forget those images of President Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir on horseback at what was to become the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Parks? While some may claim that this bill singles out pack and saddle use and affords it greater consideration than other forms of recreation or commercial use, I would argue that the pack and saddle use has played a fair and greater historic role on our public lands, particularly in our western States than simply recreation. What may be perceived by some today as recreation was once a vital part of everyday living throughout our Nation's history. In addition, this bill in no way diminishes the Secretary of the Interior's ability to implement emergency closures or permanent reductions in the use and access of these pack and stock animals after complying with the full public review process required under the National Environmental Policy Act. H.R. 586 codifies our commitment to access and to preserving one of the most fundamental and truly historic ways to experience our public lands. I urge its adoption. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This legislation, which was introduced by the distinguished chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, would extend the authorization of appropriations for the Coastal Barrier Resources Act until September 30, 2010. This law, first enacted in 1982, governs the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System, which is made up of coastal barrier units delineated on maps adopted by Congress. Today this system is comprised of 856 units and more than 3 million acres of fastland and associated aquatic habitat. In addition to allowing the Fish and Wildlife Service to continue to administer this vital program, the bill authorizes the digital mapping of the entire coastal barrier system. After more than 20 years of using outdated and many times inaccurate paper maps, it is time we provided this agency with the money to utilize modern technology. According to the Department of the Interior, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act has saved the taxpayers in excess of $1.2 billion. Inclusion of this property within the Coastal Barrier Resources System does not prevent private development of the land, and the Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for advising landowners whether their coastal property is within the boundaries of the system. Due to the nature of the existing maps, Congress has approved several technical corrections to the bills that have restored Federal flood insurance to taxpayers who were unfairly penalized by mapping errors. I compliment Senator James Inhofe for moving this program into the 21st century. I urge adoption of S. 1869. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation to extend the Secretary of the Interior's authority to approve grants for the conservation of neotropical migratory birds. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Account was established in 2000 and has been widely popular. In fact, the Fish and Wildlife Service, which administers the program, has received 690 grant requests to assist neotropical migratory birds. To date, the service has approved 146 conservation projects in 30 different countries. These projects have cost the Federal Government about $13.8 million, but they have generated almost $65 million in private matching funds. This is a remarkable achievement. This bill would reauthorize the act for 4 years, expand the definition of the Caribbean to include Puerto Rico and all the U.S. Virgin Islands, reduce the matching fund requirement, allow conservation projects to be funded in Canada, and increase the authorization levels from $5 million to $6.5 million in fiscal year 2010. I urge an ``aye'' vote on H.R. 518. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1165) to provide for the expansion of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, Hawaii.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 11th Annual Excellence in Business Award honorees for making outstanding contributions to the central San Joaquin Valley. The recipients of the 11th Annual Excellence in Business Award are as follows: Agriculture--Kevin and Diane Herman, The Specialty Crop Co. Charitable/Nonprofit--Peter Carey, Self-Help Enterprises. Financial/Banking/Insurance--County Bank. Health Care--Family Health Care Network. Manufacturing--ADCO Manufacturing. Professional Services--Diane Anderson, Agricultural & Priority Pollutants Laboratory Inc. Real Estate/Construction--Dirk Poeschel, Dirk Poeschel Land Development Services. Retail/Wholesale--The Charles McMurray Company. Small Business--Nelson's ACE Hardware. Hall of Fame--Jack Stone, Stone Land Co. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate each of the Excellence in Business Award honorees for their leadership and numerous contributions to the community. I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing each recipient many more years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4204, introduced by our distinguished colleague, John Doolittle, directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer ownership of the American River Pump Station Project to the Placer County Water Agency in northern California. To facilitate construction of the Auburn Dam nearly 40 years ago, the Federal Government removed a locally owned pump station located at the dam site. The dam was never built, and now the Federal Government is building a permanent pump station to replace the one it removed years earlier. Under an agreement, the Federal Government must transfer the pump station to the local water users once construction is complete. Before transfer can take place, congressional authorization is needed, and this legislation achieves that objective. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 1382 will expedite the approval process for relocating a casino owned by the Puyallup Indian tribe of Washington State. This business is affected by the planned expansion of the Port of Tacoma. On November 16, 2004 the Port of Tacoma, State of Washington, the tribe and the cities of Fife and Tacoma signed an agreement to pursue a major expansion of terminal facilities at that time Port of Tacoma. The agreement allows the tribe to move its Emerald Queen Casino, which is impacted by the construction of the new Port of Tacoma terminal facility, to a new location within the boundaries of the tribe's reservation. The agreement will create nearly 4,000 jobs for the local area and increase the cargo capacity of the Port of Tacoma, already the seventh busiest waterborne freight gateway in the United States. S. 1382 has the full support of the Washington State delegation, and I look forward to the support of this House. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1382) to require the Secretary of the Interior to accept the conveyance of certain land, to be held in trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Indian tribe.

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

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

Mr. RADANOVICH

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

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize posthumously Mrs. Judith Poor of Mariposa, CA, for her remarkable life and tireless dedication to her community and family. Her community gathered to celebrate her life on Sunday, April 23rd, in Mariposa. A native of Texas, Judy was well-known in her community for her tremendous generosity and an unmistakable southern charm that was both delightful and genuine. Judy believed that her family was her top priority. As a wife, mother and grandmother, Judy led by example, showing that dedication to the family unit though participation in many family centered activities was an all-important foundation of the Poor Family. Holding Texas close to her heart, Judy remained a devout Dallas Cowboys fan and enjoyed spending time with her husband, Rod, watching modified stock car races. In addition, she served as the circulation manager for her local newspaper for 8 years. Judy Poor is survived by her husband, Rod; children and their families, Larry and Tisha Cullens, Diana Poor, Marty Poor, Christy Nicholson, Megan and Mandy Cullens, Larry Cullens III, Jennifer Poor, Travis and Randa Poor, Carina Stephens; siblings, Ava Jane Fisher, Jan Cromeans and David Hodnett. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor posthumously the life of Mrs. Judith Poor of Mariposa, CA. I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life of Judy Poor.