Nick Rahall

Mr. RAHALL

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

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the road leading us here today has been a long one and it has contained a few twists and turns along the way. As my colleagues are well aware, a series of procedural hurdles in both the House and the Senate has delayed enactment of this legislation. It would truly be a shame, however, to allow those difficulties to overshadow just how important this bill is. The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 is landmark legislation. It combines measures that will strengthen the National Park System, restore our national forests, preserve our Wild and Scenic Rivers, protect our sacred battlefields, and restore balance to the management of our public lands. After nearly a decade during which our parks were taken for granted and our rangelands were scarred by a spider web of roads and well pads--after nearly a decade during which responsible stewardship was abandoned--this omnibus package represents a new dawn. A new dawn for America's heritage and America's values. It will preserve pristine wilderness, such as in my home State of West Virginia, protect our national monuments and conservation areas, conserve our free-flowing rivers, establish new park units, guarantee abundant clean water for thousands of families, and more. At a time when so much of the news is bad, when so much about our future seems uncertain, enactment of this public lands bill will serve as a reminder that our Nation is truly blessed; and that, no matter what happens, if we pass those blessings on to our children, our Nation will survive and endure. One advantage of having considered this package before is that we have heard all the arguments. We have heard all the arguments against it, and we know that they have been proven wrong. For example, we were told that this package costs a great deal of money. The Congressional Budget Office has made it clear; it does not. We were told that this is a big Federal land grab; but Members now understand that this package contains no condemnation nor taking of land of any kind. We were told this package contained a provision that would put children in jail for collecting fossils. We know now that only large commercial companies who take public resources and sell them for private profit will be penalized. The truth is, this package of bills will make small but meaningful improvements in the quality of life for millions of Americans across our great country. The arguments made by opponents are petty by comparison. That is why an overwhelming and bipartisan majority of 77 members of the other body and 282 Members of this House have already voted for this bill. We have all heard the saying: That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Attempts to kill this important package have failed, making our commitment to getting it enacted that much stronger. The road leading us here has indeed had some twists and turns, but today we arrive at the end. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 146 and, finally, send this bill to the President for his signature. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I am forced to yield myself 30 seconds to respond to the total inaccuracies just stated by the gentleman. First of all, the fossil collection measure in this bill applies only to public lands, no private lands whatsoever. And if the gentleman had heard my opening statement or even seen what the Senate passed, he would recognize--that the other body passed--he would recognize that the casual collector of fossils is exempt from this legislation. It only applies to those who are in the professional collection of fossils on public lands once again. In regard to the locking away of land from oil and gas developments, what you are going to keep hearing throughout today from the other side is that old mantra ``drill, baby, drill'' that we are hearing over and over and again, and they just don't get it anymore. I am glad to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. RAHALL. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).

Mr. RAHALL. I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 280, I move to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 146) to establish a battlefield acquisition grant program for the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendments thereto, and I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire) who has helped us craft some language in the bill that is supported by the National Rifle Association.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I am very honored to yield 1 minute to a new member of our committee who is from the State of New Mexico (Mr. Heinrich).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu), who has been very helpful to us as well on this legislation.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Washington for recognizing the scientific contributions made by Aquarius, and I thank them for supporting the provisions in the underlying legislation that will promote the development of future innovations in undersea research technologies.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I certainly understand what the gentleman from Washington is referencing. I said last year during debate on this floor to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that I certainly understand the need to develop comprehensive preventive legislation that is aimed at truly getting at the root causes of these forest fires. I would repeat to the gentleman from Washington, my respected ranking member, that if he introduces such legislation--any member introduces such legislation--we will certainly bring it forth before our committee and give it due consideration and certainly try to work on it as well as we have on this legislation to bring it to the floor of the House. Mr. Chairman, I'm going to recap very quickly since we are closing general debate at this point. For much of the last decade, the wildlands fire season has been expanding due to factors such as climate change and drought. Unfortunately, future trends appear to indicate that this increase will only continue. Within the Forest Service, wildlands fire activity now accounts for nearly half of their budget. The Forest Service spent over $1 billion fighting wildland fires last year. The skyrocketing cost of fighting fires has led to the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to rob Peter to pay Paul and borrow funds from other agency accounts. There were cuts to fire preparedness, State fire assistance, cooperative fire assistance, and hazardous fuel treatments in Forest Service budgets. The FLAME Act will allow the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to respond to dangerous fires while also accomplishing other important parts of their mission. The act will relieve the drain on the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior budgets to ensure that funding is not swept away from vital fire prevention activities. I conclude by urging adoption of the pending measure.

Mr. RAHALL. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 100th birthday of the great City of Princeton, West Virginia. In West Virginia, transportation industries and coal mining have played an integral role in the economic development of the region. The City of Princeton is no exception. As early as the nineteenth century, emerging transportation technology, the railroad, and a Nation demanding West Virginia's coal helped form booming new industry in the Princeton area. Much of the coal produced was sent west to the Great Lakes region or east to Baltimore, New York City and New England, heating our great Nation and providing steam power to the U.S. Navy. What was once a small railroad-side village in beautiful Mercer County is now a thriving city with a population of 6,300. Between 25,000 and 28,000 pass through each day, bringing business and goods to a city with a history as rich and varied as the state itself. Many notable actors and sports team owners at one point called Princeton home. Kevin Sizemore, of the television show Prison Break, and Sam Eliot, who was in We Were Soldiers both hailed from our hallowed hills. And Ken Kendrick, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Rod Thorn, President and Manager of the New Jersey Nets called West Virginia home in their childhoods. February 20th marked the 100th birthday of the City of Princeton. I invite you all to join me in celebrating this great City! Happy birthday Princeton!

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. If the gentleman will yield, I have four speakers, and it is my intention to conclude the debate.

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

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington, Mr. Brian Baird.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, in a speech given in the fall of 1964, as the War in Vietnam intensified, President Lyndon Johnson quoted Scripture from the Book of Matthew which says that the floods came, but the house did not fall because it was founded upon rock. President Johnson then said the following, ``The house of America is founded upon our land, and if we keep that whole, then the storm can rage, but the house will stand forever. Once again we find ourselves as a Nation seeking shelter from the storm; the storm of two wars, the storm of economic collapse. But like President Johnson, we remain convinced that no matter what adversity we may be facing, if we are faithful stewards of our land, our house will stand forever. The legislation before us today, S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, will keep America's land whole. The bill contains more than 160 individual measures, including new wilderness designations, new wild and scenic rivers, new hiking trails, heritage areas, water projects, and historic preservation initiatives. Taken as a whole, this omnibus bill is the most important piece of conservation legislation we will consider this year and perhaps this Congress. Some have argued, and will argue today, no doubt, that the challenges we face mean that we should not spend time considering environmental legislation. They dismiss the package before us as ``feel good'' legislation. Well, I think the American people could use some feel good legislation right now. They could use legislation that protects our pristine public lands, the clear running streams and rivers, the wide open spaces, and the unique history that make this Nation great. When the headlines read that banks are failing and companies are folding, they could use some headlines announcing that our national parks are still beautiful, our national battlefields are still sacred, and our rivers are still wild and scenic. When the headlines read that America's status as an economic superpower is in doubt, they could use some headlines announcing that our status as a conservation superpower has never been stronger. The package before us is exactly what the American people want, and it is exactly what our public lands need. In my own case, I'm enormously proud of the fact that included in this package is the Wild Monongahela Act, which will designate more than 37 acres of wilderness in my home State of West Virginia. It should be noted that we are amending S. 22 today to insert language making it absolutely clear that this bill will not affect existing State authority to regulate hunting, fishing, and trapping on the lands in this package. The amendment also makes clear that nothing in S. 22 will affect these activities. My colleagues should know that this provision was negotiated with the National Rifle Association and has the NRA's full support. Opponents of this bill fail to grasp the deep and abiding love the American people have for their land. They fail to understand the power of our wide-open spaces and magnificent vistas, the power of those magnificent vistas to inspire our generation and renew our spirit. It's that kind of inspiration and that kind of renewal that are always valuable, but when times are tough, they are priceless. We should approve S. 22 today, not in spite of the challenges we face but because of them. These storms will pass and the house of America will be standing because we have kept our land whole. I urge passage of S. 22. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California, Mr. Mike Thompson.

Mr. RAHALL. I am mindful and remain committed to progress in implementing and funding the December 19, 2000, Trinity River restoration record of decision. Restoring the fishery resources of the Trinity River is important for the Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe, commercial and recreational fishing families along the coasts of California and Oregon. I agree to work with the gentleman from California in this regard.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, unlike the omnibus lands packages of the past by Republican Congresses that were jammed down our throats at the last minute, this bill has been around for well over a year in our committee. To have the bill described as being jammed down their throats at this point, the gentleman from Utah has been in quite a few battles with this bill, so he must know a lot about it. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California, the distinguished chairman of our Education and Labor Committee, Mr. George Miller.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a very valued new member of our committee, Mr. Martin Heinrich, the gentleman from New Mexico. (Mr. HEINRICH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I think previous colloquies or language at least put into this debate by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) made it very clear that it is not the intent of the sponsors of this legislation to see innocent civilians collecting fossils on public lands go to jail. That's not the intent, and it's been made very clear both in the legislation and already in this debate thus far. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent to the distinguished gentleman of our Energy and Minerals Subcommittee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa). (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California, our subcommittee Chair of our Water and Power Subcommittee, Mrs. Grace Napolitano.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Tom Perriello.

Mr. RAHALL. To respond to the gentleman, over 70 bills in this omnibus land package were considered by our Committee on Natural Resources and passed out of the House of Representatives. Some 20 more were reviewed by our committee during the last session of Congress when the gentleman from Washington was on a leave of absence from our committee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Arizona, the subcommittee Chair of our National Parks Subcommittee, a gentleman who has been very instrumental in crafting this legislation and does so much for our national parks, Mr. Grijalva.