Nick Rahall

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. It's interesting to note that the gentleman from Texas has just spoken about that we should have a straight up-or-down--or, I'm sorry, that we should have amendments, that he's complaining about the closed rule as other Members on that side have. Yet their mantra over the last several months has been, Let's have a straight up-or-down vote; let's have a straight up-or-down vote. I would say that's what we're getting to before this evening is over with. I would note also the lack of hearings to which we've been charged. This energy debate has gone on ad infinitum on numerous pieces of legislation, often bills having nothing to do with energy, during 1- minutes, during Special Orders. Even when the House was not in session, the other side had their energy debate. So I would say there are various parts of this bill that have passed the House before, have been debated on ad infinitum in committees and/ or on this floor. So there is really nothing new in this piece of legislation, and it's a piece of legislation that has been debated over and over. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished chairman of our Education and Labor Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), and also a cosponsor of this legislation.

Mr. RAHALL. I'm sorry?

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I am very honored to yield 1 minute to the distinguished dean of the House and cosponsor of the pending legislation and chairman of our Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Dingell of Michigan.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. I'm glad the gentleman from Alaska has returned to the floor and reclaimed managing on his part. I hope he's been back in the cloakroom speaking to his Governor, Sarah Palin, and urging her to speak with his Presidential nominee, John McCain, in regard to opening up ANWR, since the gentleman is so anxious to open up ANWR. I would note that his Presidential nominee is opposed opening ANWR as well. This legislation, however, increases domestic oil production in Alaska by mandating annual lease sales in the National Petroleum Reserve which has more than 10 billion barrels of oil, more oil than the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to yield 4 minutes to a very distinguished member of our Committee on Natural Resources, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Boren).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield to the lady that leads this body. I certainly commend her for the tremendous efforts that she's made meeting after meeting after meeting to bring us together as a caucus, often at much political sacrifice, including to her own desires. I yield 1 minute to the Speaker.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1433, I call up the bill (H.R. 6899) to advance the national security interests of the United States by reducing its dependency on oil through renewable and clean, alternative fuel technologies while building a bridge to the future through expanded access to Federal oil and natural gas resources, revising the relationship between the oil and gas industry and the consumers who own those resources and deserve a fair return from the development of publicly owned oil and gas, ending tax subsidies for large oil and gas companies, and facilitating energy efficiencies in the building, housing, and transportation sectors, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. RAHALL. 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 H.R. 6899.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. I would note to the gentleman that just spoke, the minority, when they were in power, tried very hard writing bills late at night, so nothing should surprise them as far as the timing of this bill. I yield, Mr. Speaker, 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), a very important champion of this bill and cosponsor of the legislation.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, the American people want us to solve the energy problems facing our country in a bipartisan way. They're looking to the Congress for answers, but they realize that the Congress cannot provide the only answers. No less than T. Boone Pickens has said that we cannot drill our way out of this mess. The plan that we bring to the floor today is a comprehensive energy plan that does do all of the above. It's a compromise between the drill nowhere crowd and the drill everywhere crowd. And let's face it, there are some on the minority side in this body that would drill everywhere and they're not going to settle for anything less, including under the National Mall if they could. They would want to drill every inch of this land, and that is not a responsible way. Our plan provides for reliance upon domestically produced energy sources, all of the above. It requires oil companies to be responsible and transparent in the collection of royalties. It provides for a new ethics code for the people at the Minerals Management Service to operate under so that the American taxpayer can receive a fair return for the disposition of their resources. These are public resources deserving public accountability.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. I thank the distinguished gentleman from New York for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, I rise with all Americans, and indeed with most of the civilized world, in marking the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and in doing so, remember the thousands of innocent Americans who lost their lives that day, and extend the Nation's highest prayers to their families, friends, and loved ones. I thank God for the freedom which Americans enjoy, a freedom for which American lives were lost. Like so many of my colleagues, I attended a dedication ceremony this morning of the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon, where I joined Huntington, West Virginia, residents Dr. Ken and Sharon Ambrose, whose son, Dr. Paul Ambrose, was one of the 184 lives lost in the Pentagon on that American Airlines Flight 77 during that fateful day of September 11, 2001. Indeed, Dr. Paul Ambrose was the first name called this morning when the bells were rung for each of the victims at the Pentagon. The viewing of his memorial, so beautifully etched in the grounds of the Pentagon, will truly bless his memory eternally. This ceremony and countless others around the Nation today continue to remind us that freedom does not come free. Thousands of Americans-- first responders, military service, and Guard members, law enforcement personnel, medical personnel, volunteers--continue this very day to devote themselves day in and day out to protecting the innocent in times of disaster and tragedy, risking their own lives to do so. Over the last 7 years, thousands of Americans, both in and out of government, have worked tirelessly to improve the security of our Nation. Much progress has been made, but more work remains to be done. Our number one duties as Members of Congress, of course, are to protect the people of this country and to ensure that such a terrible tragedy never happens again. As we move forward, we all will work hard to continue to keep our homeland secure and to seek out and defeat terrorist organizations around the world. I thank the gentleman again for yielding.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I want to express my appreciation to the distinguished subcommittee chairman, Mr. Grijalva, for bringing this bill forward, and the ranking member, Mr. Bishop. Also I want to thank Mr. Peter Welch for the tremendous leadership he has provided. Certainly I am in support of the legislation. I recognize that much of the debate that has occurred thus far has not really been on the legislation itself, but rather has surrounded the energy issue. As all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle know, we are working toward bringing an energy bill to the floor of the House of Representatives in the very near future. I have heard a lot of finger pointing. We all have been doing that, are guilty of that, for the last several months on this issue. Each side is trying to blame the other for the high price of gas today, ignoring the fact that the price of gas when President Bush took office was $1.47, both houses of Congress were in Republican hands, and the price of gas is where it is today. But that is the past. We must look forward. Now we are all talking about using all of our domestic sources of energy in order to free ourselves from that dangerous reliance upon foreign oil. And certainly I am one of those in the category, if not 99.9 percent of my colleagues, that want to see all of our domestic sources of energy used. I dare say that in the not-too-distant future, when we do address the energy bill, if not in the next several days on the floor of this body, that we will see the most broad-ranging, most comprehensive energy bill come to this floor that we have had in several years. It will be an all-of-the-above. It will be a start toward progressive, comprehensive energy legislation. In that, it will be a pro-drilling bill as well, although it will not be all-drilling. It will not be all my-way-or-the-highway, as some on the other side continually preach, but rather it will be a bill that will show the sacrifices that will be necessary, the compromises that are always necessary in the legislative process if we are going to address the common good of this country. So that is what we are going to see. One important factor of that bill that we have not seen in previous energy bills is accountability and transparency. After all, these are the American people's resources, our public resources we are talking about on the OCS or with Federal leasing on on-shore Federal lands. That means the American people have the right to receive a fair dispensation for the use of their resources, as well as an accountability of royalties and fees collected thereupon. One of the areas in which we will seek to provide much-needed reform and more oversight is in the area of royalty collection and the royalty-in-kind program specifically.

Mr. RAHALL. Thank you. And I say we will provide that additional oversight, because the Interior Department's own Inspector General, Mr. Devaney, is today coming out with a report of his investigation of the royalty-in-kind program in which he says we have also discovered a culture of substance abuse and promiscuity in the RIK program, both within the program, including the supervisor, who engaged in illegal drug use, had sexual relations with subordinates, and is in consort with industry. Internally, several staff admitted to illegal drug use as well as elicit sexual encounters, and it goes on and on about what has been happening with this oversight program. We will strengthen this program and make the reforms necessary.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. I thank the distinguished chairman.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for yielding. I want to thank you for the very accommodating and congenial manner in which you have accommodated the interests and the jurisdiction of the House of Natural Resources Committee on this issue. I would like to ask the distinguished chairman, the gentleman from Michigan, a question about the provision of the bill that requires the FDA, to the extent feasible, to enter into contracts with States for the inspection of tobacco retailers within their borders. It is my understanding that this contracting provision applies to Indian tribes in the same way as the provision applies to States. I would yield to the distinguished chairman to clarify.

Mr. RAHALL

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

Mr. RAHALL. I would say to the gentleman from New Mexico, again, we realize this is a lengthy process, leasing and permitting and getting into actual production. But again, a lot of the regulatory framework that's in place is in place for a darn good reason, to protect the public, to protect their health, to protect their safety, and to protect our environment, regulatory framework of which I happen to be proud to have supported over the years and I think should be there for that public protection. I'd be glad to yield the gentleman from Illinois 1 minute.

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

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

Mr. RAHALL. Of course I was being facetious in case you didn't understand my southern drawl. But in regard to the issue of litigation lawsuits, lawsuits, lawsuits to which you refer, if I might respond. In regard to the NPRA, the National Petroleum Reserve, ConocoPhillips currently holds 183 leases up there making them one of the largest leaseholders. As of July 16, 2008, I believe that's yesterday, ConocoPhillips has told my staff, ``There are no lawsuits, litigation, on any ConocoPhillips leases in the NPRA nor have there been.'' According to several other sources, there are no lawsuits pending to stop lease sales, exploration, or development of the NPRA, the National Petroleum Reserve.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, could you give us the time remaining on both sides.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from New Hampshire, Carol Shea-Porter.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I would remind the gentleman from New Mexico, when he brings up all these bureaucratic delays and environmental lawsuits and that big long chart of his, I was here when we passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, when I believe that side of the aisle was in control, as well as their party in control of the White House. I thought one of the purposes of EPAC, as passed by the Republican Congress, was to speed up this whole mess. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I am reminded by my colleague from Mississippi, Mr. Gene Taylor, and in thinking back over history, when this moratoria was first passed by a Democratic Congress in the early eighties, there was one Ronald Reagan that occupied the White House and signed it into law. My colleagues are attacking Ronald Reagan, His Holiness? I am rather shocked. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).