Nick Rahall

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, only to respond to the latter point that the gentleman has just made, the original 1971 language only dealt with BLM lands, so that is why we are not considering all these other areas to which the gentleman referred. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 5 minutes. Mr. Chairman, in response to several arguments that have been brought up about BLM's management of these lands and the cost of the program, I would respond that if there is a cost problem with the management of wild horses and burros, it is one, as I said in my opening remarks, of the BLM's own making. Each year the Bureau of Land Management rounds up more animals than can be adopted. The excess animals are then sent to holding facilities, where their numbers increase year after year. That drives up the cost of the program. If the BLM wants to save more money, then as I've said, it needs only to get its round-ups and its adoptions in sync. There are ways other than the sale and slaughter of wild horses to save money. For example, a 2004 USGS study found that in the wild, use of contraceptive measures alone would save $7.7 million. So I don't think we should blame the wild horses and the burros for BLM's mismanagement of the program. And as far as the map the gentleman from Utah presented about where these lands exist, that's true, they exist out West. But it's also true that the title to these lands is in the holding of every American taxpayer, as they are the lands of the public, and our names are on that deed for these lands. I would note also, in conclusion, that on a similar amendment to last year's Interior appropriation bill, in which language was written to prohibit any such funds, the amendment did pass the House of Representatives by a vote of 249-159, and on this side of the aisle, the majority today, there were only 19 noes on that particular amendment to the Interior appropriation bill. So I would urge my colleagues to vote ``aye,'' again, to help us protect an icon of the American West, and to provide for the humane consideration and treatment of these wild horses and burros.

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

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Price of Georgia amendment. The gentleman is attempting to put PAYGO requirements on a bill that neither authorizes nor contains any spending. I repeat that. The gentleman is attempting to put PAYGO provisions on a bill that neither authorizes nor contains any spending. H.R. 249 merely returns the law the way it existed for 33 years prior to changes made in the law by an appropriations writer in 2004. Both the CBO and the Budget Committee have determined that there are no PAYGO implications with H.R. 249. What the gentleman from Georgia is proposing to do is an unnecessary, unwise addition to the legislation. He has attempted it many times before. It has been rejected by the Homeland Security many times before. Those times include identical amendments to H.R. 569 and H.R. 700 which were considered by the House in March, and in both cases the House rejected the Price amendments, the first time by a vote of 166- 260, and the second time by a vote of 176-256. So again, I repeat, there should be no PAYGO requirements because it neither authorizes nor contains any spending. I would urge the House to reject this unwise and unnecessary amendment.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues in the words of mourning and celebration of the life of our late colleague, Juanita Millender-McDonald. She was a leader on many issues as we have heard stated already. And foremost among those in my opinion was her leadership and her vision as the first African American female chairman of a major committee here on Capitol Hill. She had a plan for how this City on a Hill would operate in a more smooth and efficient manner. And while she may not be with us to see that vision carried out, it is my hope that we will carry it out in memory of her. So to her husband and to her children and to her grandchildren, I hope that her memories will serve as a source of inner strength, inspiration, courage and love for the rest of their lives. Mr. Speaker, on another subject, if I might, over the last few weeks, a series of anti-coal advertisements sponsored by a group called the Clean Sky Coalition have been running in prominent publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and other publications that we in this body come to rely upon each day and view each day. These ads feature photos of people whose faces are smeared with coal dust and the headline reads, ``Face It, Coal Is Filthy.'' Indeed, there have been bumper sticker handouts on the streets of Washington, DC, stating that same phrase. But the real filthy secret here is that the people depicted in these ads are not our Nation's coal miners but they are Hollywood models, and the ads are not being financed by environmental groups as one might be led to believe by the title of Clean Sky Coalition but, rather, these ads are primarily being financed by elements of the natural gas industry, including Chesapeake Energy Corporation headquartered in Oklahoma City. These ads are despicable and so is this so-called Clean Sky Coalition. The sponsors are not being truthful and they would have you to believe that it is merely environmental groups leading this campaign. The filthy secret is that this ad campaign is about market share. It's about profits. It's about one segment of the energy industry trying to bamboozle the general public and policymakers to sell more of its product. And the filthy secret is that these ads completely ignore the tremendous progress being made to burn coal cleanly and ignore the national security interests of this country. The only truth here is that these ads are an insult, an absolute insult to the hardworking men and women who go beneath this Nation's bowels each and every day to produce the energy that provides for this Nation's electricity.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing by request the Administration's National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007. This bill would authorize the Secretary of Commerce to establish and implement a regulatory system for offshore aquaculture in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone. I commend Secretary Carlos Gutierrez for his leadership, and initiating the debate on aquaculture. While I do not agree with many provisions in this legislation, I think it is important for Congress to take a serious look at marine aquaculture and see if it is possible to establish a program that makes economic and environmental sense. At the moment, there are no aquaculture projects in U.S. Federal waters, but there are successful farming operations onshore. In my state, West Virginians are successfully raising arctic char, a fish tasting similar to salmon. The Department of Commerce believes aquaculture has the potential to meet our growing demand for seafood. The United States imports more than 80 percent of its seafood, and half of our imports are fish farmed. With a successful aquaculture program in place, the United States could reduce its $8 billion trade deficit in seafood, according to the recent report from the Marine Aquaculture Task Force. Additionally, aquaculture could help alleviate the overushing and exploitation of fisheries world wide. The aquaculture industry claims the United States is technologically and economically ready to venture into offshore waters to farm fish. Done responsibly, with strict environmental standards, offshore aquaculture has the potential to address the growing demand for seafood, provide jobs, relieve pressure on some of our wild fish stocks, and perhaps even help to replenish some depleted fish stocks. Again, I commend Secretary Gutierrez for his leadership and look forward to working with him to ensure that offshore aquaculture production occurs in a manner that is both economically and environmentally sustainable. As we have heard from both national ocean commissions, the oceans are in trouble. We must be very careful that offshore aquaculture does not further jeopardize the health of our oceans in any way.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, this week, with the support of the American Legion and West Virginia veteran John Peters, I am again introducing two bills that will honor those who have served our country so bravely in times of conflict. Both pieces of legislation will achieve this by extending benefits to veterans who have served in harms way, though not in a time of declared war. Throughout the history of the United States, our country has seen the personal courage and sacrifice by millions of Americans who have served in various wars and conflicts protecting our freedoms and our way of life. Madam Speaker, we have honored many of these fine men and women, but not all. Our current law only awards full pension benefits to those who have served in a designated ``period of war'' and excludes those who have fought valiantly in other parts of the world. Tom Hayes of American Legion Post 93 in Kenova, West Virginia recently acknowledged this mockery of our benefits system in an article from the Huntington Herald Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia dated April 11, 2007. In this article, Mr. Hayes stated ``On Oct. 23, 1983, 241 of our finest died in Beirut, Lebanon. By the time the hostility ended on Feb. 8, 1984, 270 Americans had died. Some 20,000 Americans fought on or around Grenada between Oct. 23 and Nov. 21, 1983. Nineteen were killed and 116 were wounded. In Panama, 23 were killed in action and 322 wounded between Dec. 20, 1989 and Jan. 31, 1990. Public Law 101-478 expanded eligibility for membership in the American Legion to Veterans of Lebanon, Grenada, and Panama.'' In addition, Mr. Hayes wrote, ``Subsequent to Jan. 31, 1955, the Vietnam and Gulf War periods (Aug. 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975, and Aug. 2, 1990, to present) have made Korean Veterans eligible for disability pension, leaving approximately half who served between those periods not eligible along with veterans of Lebanon, Grenada, and Panama who answered the call to fight and who may now need financial help and are not eligible for a penny from the VA.'' My legislation will end this injustice. My first bill will extend eligibility for veterans' pension benefits to those who served in the areas of the Korean Peninsula, Lebanon, Grenada, and other areas of armed conflict, where their service involved hostile fire or aggression. The second piece of legislation will extend benefits to veterans who have received the expeditionary medal, which is earned by those with whom the Joint Chiefs of Staff have determined were engaged where hostile action by foreign armed forces was imminent. The United States has sent service personnel to all corners of the globe and in every capacity they have made us proud. Unfortunately, when they return we do not always treat their honor with the respect that it deserves. We don't fund veterans' healthcare adequately and continue to let our veterans get caught in a never-ending bureaucracy denying them access to basic medical care. I am proud that this Congress has passed substantial Veterans benefits legislation in the past month and I hope that it is signs of more to come. Madam Speaker, I will end with this, we put these men and women in harm's way because we trusted them and their ability, and they ought to be able to trust our ability. These pieces of legislation would align the sacrifice made with the compensation awarded. I say that these veterans deserve the same benefits afforded their brothers and sisters in arms who participated in declared wars and especially those that are civilian employees and eligible for the same benefits. I urge the Congress to pass this legislation in a swift manner so that we may begin to respect and honor all of our veterans who have served.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of the growing sentiment about the war in Iraq felt by not only the youth of my district, but by the youth of the Nation as well. Recently, a senior Civics Class from Boone County in my district wrote to me expressing their concerns for the war and the effects this war has had on the homefront. These students represent a generation that will have to deal with the direct consequences of the actions we take today. I'd like to read to you a portion of that letter. Our primary concern is the war in Iraq. We are in favor of fighting terrorism, but America went into Iraq under false pretenses. We now know that Iraq had nothing to do with the attack on 9/11. We believe that the reason we went to Iraq is to gain a stronghold on the oil fields. We are trading blood for oil. We have a strong feeling that American should have never invaded Iraq because our presence there is breeding more terrorism around the world. We are giving terrorists a common foe to retaliate against. We are incubating more hatred from other terrorists and now giving them a reason to unite. I not only share the students' concerns about the war in Iraq, but I also share their concerns about the effect our involvement in the region has had here at home. The men and women of our military have gone above and beyond the call when it comes to serving their country in Iraq, but more is still being asked of them. While many of our troops are serving their third tour of duty, the President continues to move forward with his plan to send more troops into the region. These students also point out that as this added strain on our military families continues, the strain on our domestic budget grows every day. They go on to write, ``Another of our concerns is the way our economy is being affected by the war. Just think of what $2.9 trillion dollars could have done for this Nation. Oil companies are making an annual profit of $39.5 billion dollars while many people in this Nation suffer in poverty. They are suffering because in today's society one cannot support a family on the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. The money spent on the Iraq war has put a tremendous amount of pressure on the recipients of Social Security. Many older Americans have to choose between medication and food because they cannot afford both. Add to this the fact that thousand of Americans still do not have any health insurance.'' I believe that no American should have to be burdened with such consequences. We must find a way to balance the cost of this war with the cost that families are continuing to pay here at home. I applaud these young men for speaking up. They represent the voice of the majority of Americans who want us out of Iraq, and I want them to know that concerns have been heard. Rest assured, I will continue to do all that I can to make sure that their voices never go silent and that we continue to strive for the best course of action in Iraq and for our Nation here at home.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Huntington Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) located in Huntington, West Virginia. I am so proud to report that the Huntington VAMC was named the ``Best Performing Facility'' for 2006. This is a well deserved honor for the dedicated employees of the Huntington VAMC who work so hard to ensure that our Nation's veterans receive the quality they deserve. This honor is even greater considering this is not the first time the Huntington VAMC has been singled out for its high quality care. Just two years ago, this center received similar recognition from the VA. It is wonderful to know that the veterans who call West Virginia home have such a topnotch medical facility to provide care. As we all recognize, our veterans are our heroes and these heroes deserve only the best care available. It is important that we remember our veterans have given so much to the future of our country and have asked for so little in return. Our veterans, as our soldiers today, remain foremost in the thoughts and prayers of all West Virginians. I am honored that the Huntington VAMC is in my district. I hope that this entire body will take a minute to congratulate the hard-working men and women of the Huntington VAMC and to honor the sacrifices that our brave service-members have made and continue to make.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a great public servant to the State of West Virginia. After 45 years of federal service, R. Byron Davis recently retired and while he will surely be missed, he leaves behind a legacy of work that will benefit the State of West Virginia for years to corne. Beginning his career in the 1960s, serving as a civil engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District and later the U.S. EDA, Byron went on to become the Chief of Engineering Service for the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Huntington. He has spent the last 20 years as the Economic Development Representative for the State of West Virginia with the EDA. During that time, Byron has traveled to all 55 counties in the State, meeting with most County Commissions, conducting meetings with city officials, economic development authorities and public service districts. Through his hard work, many new projects have been funded and many long-term jobs have been created. In my District, Byron was instrumental in providing us the support to establish multi-use industrial buildings and incubators to Marshall University, Beckley, Hinton and Huntington. He was also instrumental in helping fund industrial park projects in Wayne, Mercer, Raleigh, Fayette, Logan, Summers, Monroe, Greenbrier and Mingo counties. Most recently, he was instrumental in helping with my establishment of a Mine Safety Technology Consortium in the Third District, and I am grateful for his support of this important project that will be a catalyst in transforming West Virginia coal mining. It has truly been an honor and a pleasure to work with Byron through the years on these and so many other important initiatives. I admire and respect his dedication to our state, his strong work ethic and his unwavering values. I again commend Byron for great work that he has accomplished. Of course, of all of his accomplishments, Byron would likely say that he is proudest of his strong Christian family, his wife of 47 years, Marion, and his seven grandchildren. I hope that in his retirement he will get to spend a little more time with ``his greatest accomplishment'' and enjoy the fruits of his labor, for they are many. I wish him the best as he begins the next chapter in what has been and continues to be a life lived well. Byron, the great State of West Virginia thanks you.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, in May 1997, a small reading task force at National Education Association came up with a big idea. ``Let's create a day to celebrate reading,'' the group decided. ``We hold pep rallies to get kids excited about football--why don't we do something to get kids excited about reading? We'll call it `NEA's Read Across America' and we'll celebrate it on Dr. Seuss's birthday.'' And so was born on March 2, 1998, the largest celebration of reading this country has ever seen. To commemorate this special day, I recently joined third-graders at Coal City Elementary and read to them some of Dr. Seuss' more famous stories, including The Cat in the Hat, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. As always, it was a joy to spend some time with the students and their instructors, Sandra Snuffer, Donna Thomas and Janet Smith. I was inspired by the students' interest in learning, and encouraged by our educators' dedication to teaching them the importance of literacy. Of course, as we all know, just as reading should not be confined to our classrooms, neither should our efforts to encourage literacy be confined to one single day of the year. As President Bill Clinton once said, ``Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.'' It's hard to believe, but 20 percent of the people you see during the course of a day cannot read, according to most recent statistics. In the Third District of West Virginia, this average is even higher, at 24 percent. This is a startling statistic that needs to change and we are deeply indebted to the organizations that devote themselves to this important cause--organizations like the Literacy West Virginia, which has councils in all of West Virginia's 55 counties. On February 21, I had the opportunity to meet with the Tri-State Literacy Council and its director Dee George at the Cabell County Library to discuss the great strides the organization is making in adult education. I am proud of my record of support for literacy programs and initiatives. Time and again I have opposed budget proposals from this Administration that would cut funding to important literacy programs which are intended to assist families break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy. And I will continue to fight policies that undermine the hard work so many are doing to improve reading levels in the Mountain State. I have also again contacted my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee in Congress urging them to provide $25 million in federal funds to the Reading Is Fundamental Inexpensive Book Distribution Program (RIF), allowing this important literacy initiative to continue operating at its current level. As the Nation's largest children's literacy organization, RIF last year provided more than 16 million new books free of charge to nearly 4.5 million of the nation's most underserved children in all fifty states. Literacy is the gateway to educational excellence and a key to success in our society. On Read Aloud Day, let us recommit to helping improve the lives of the men, women, and children in West Virginia and across America who cannot read. Because with literacy, to borrow from the great Dr. Seuss himself: You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Joe Harrison, President and CEO of the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA). AMSA represents approximately 3,500 professional household moving companies worldwide. For the last 25 years, Joe has served as the industry's primary spokesperson and advocate, but is now set to retire on March 31, 2007. During his tenure, Joe has appeared before this body many times, providing information about the industry and its ``best practices.'' For the past quarter-century, Joe has lobbied Congress on issues ranging from retaining the federal moving tax deduction, to small business tax and regulatory relief, to affordable health care for his Association's members and their families. Additionally, he has worked with the states to continue their ability to regulate the intrastate transportation of household goods. He has been a champion of various industry-led consumer education and protection activities, including but not limited to increased ceiling amounts for arbitration of disputes between carriers and shippers; a Certified Mover Program; adequate federal oversight and enforcement of the interstate household goods consumer protection laws; limited antitrust immunity for ratemaking by the industry's Tariff Bureau; competitive and efficient procurement policies for relocation of federal employees and military personnel; reauthorization of our federal highway program; and a host of other commercial vehicle safety policies, such as proposed ergonomics and hours-of-service regulations. A tireless advocate, Joe has taken every opportunity, including numerous media interviews, to convey the responsibilities to the consumer his association members carry. In 2003, Joe's dedication to the Association and the industry were recognized when he was awarded the Moving and Storage Institute's ``Distinguished Service Award'', the moving industry's most coveted award. I thank Joe for his years of dedicated and professional service to the Nation and the legislative process, and wish him continued success in the next chapter of his personal and professional life. He has been, and will forever remain, the ``Consummate Mover and Shaker on Capitol Hill.''

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, as Black History Month again draws to a close, it is the perfect time to reflect on the accomplishments of so many black figures who were intimately connected to the Mountain State. To fully appreciate the breadth and depth of the contributions of these heroes, we need only to imagine what life in the Mountain State-- what life across America--would be like without them. We might not even be celebrating this special month, for example, were it not for the efforts of Carter G. Woodson, referred to by many as the ``father of black history,'' a son of slaves who came to Huntington, West Virginia, and worked in our coal mines until he could afford enough money for an education. Once firmly established in a successful academic career which included West Virginia State College and Howard University in Washington, D.C., Cater used this education to bring to life the story of black Americans missing from many of our history books. In 1926, he gained helped establish ``Negro History Week,'' and in 1976 Woodson's week was expanded into the Black History Month we celebrate today. And where would America be without the contributions of Booker T. Washington, undoubtedly West Virginia's most famous African American? Poverty stricken but free at last, young Washington and his family made a perilous journey on foot through deep forests and across the New River Gorge, from Franklin County, Virginia to Kanawha County, West Virginia. Alongside his father, Booker T. Washington went to work in the salt furnaces at Malden when he was only nine and later in a coal mine along Campbell's Creek. Naturally intelligent and starved for an education, Washington left Malden at 16 and walked the 200 miles to Hampton Institute in Virginia. Upon graduation, he returned to Malden to teach school for both black children and adults. Like Carter G. Woodson, Booker T. Washington rose to national prominence. He established the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, which still educates many today, and he helped set up the National Negro Business League. Washington wrote twelve books, the most famous of which, Up From Slavery, recounted his early life in Malden, still read widely in our schools today. Other West Virginia sons and daughters, too, have made lasting contributions that have changed the landscape of our land and our intellect: J.R. Clifford, born in Grant County, fought in the Civil War and then came back home to fight for civil rights. A lawyer and a journalist, he brought the first legal challenge of the state's segregated school system to court, and worked with his friend W.E.B. Dubois to found the Niagara Movement of 1905. Christopher Harrison Payne, born a slave in Monroe County, broke ground in black journalism, establishing three newspapers, The West Virginia Enterprise, The Pioneer and the Mountain Eagle. In 1896 he was elected to the state legislature as a Republican delegate from Fayette County, the first black to serve in the West Virginia legislature. Minnie Buckingham Harper of Keystone, the first African American woman to become a member of a legislative body in the United States, broke ground for countless women in 1928 when she was appointed to fill the term of her late husband. Leon Sullivan, born in Charleston, was brought up in a dirty alley in one of the city's most poverished sections, worked in a steel mill to pay his tuition at West Virginia State College, and rose from poverty to found the Opportunity Industrialization Center, a job-training organization with branches around the world. Helen Dobson of Raleigh County, well-known throughout West Virginia for her beautiful voice, performed at the inauguration of two of West Virginia's governors and served as public school teacher for many years. Her spirit is still strong in southern West Virginia and it was with Ms. Dobson in mind that I signed on as a co-sponsor of a bill that designates the African American spiritual as a national treasure. This bill passed the House of Representatives earlier this month. This, of course, is just a small sampling of so many strong African Americans who have made a difference. Add to this list the countless men and women who worked long hours for less pay to provide for a better future for their children, the many men and women who fought and continue to fight for our liberties in the armed forces, the men and women who through their compassion and quiet strength, were role models by which we all can live. Also add to this list the many African Americans who continue today to work for a better West Virginia. We are deeply indebted to our educators, folks like Bluefield State President Albert Walker; Maurice Cooley, Director of African American Programs at Marshall University; Betty Jane Cleckley, Vice President for Marshall University Multicultural Affairs; Loretta Young, Vice President for Development at Concord University; and Roslyn Clark- Artis, Chief Advancement Officer at Mountain State University. These men and women, and so many others, like Thomas Evans, Raleigh County educator and principal of Stratton High School and Rev. William Law, founder of the Beckley World Mission, whom both passed away recently, have raised the torch that Carter T. Woodson lit so many years ago. Too often, the history of black Americans is not fully taught or remembered. Let this annual return of black history month spur us all to celebrate African-American contributions to the greatness of West Virginia and to commend those carrying on this proud tradition of service today.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, scripture tells us, ``David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds and with every leader.'' Throughout the war in Iraq, the President has failed to adequately consult with the American people and their Congress or other countries in the region whose best interests are also served by a stable Iraq. He has long recognized that staying the course in Iraq is not working, yet he stubbornly stays the course. The Congress has a duty to make sure once sent into harm's way for good cause, our troops are equipped and supplied with everything necessary to accomplish a given mission. The Congress has an equal duty to change or end a given mission, when circumstances, realities and rationales demand it. We in Congress want to work with him to bring our troops home from a more stable Iraq. We should not only ensure that the people are given a full accounting of what the President is expecting of our troops in the coming months, and how much it will cost our Treasury, but we must also demand accounting of what the war in Iraq has cost the U.S., and our men and women in uniform, over the last four years.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to submit for printing in the Congressional Record, pursuant to rule XI, clause 2(a) of the Rules of the House, a copy of the Rules of the Committee on Natural Resources, which were adopted at the organizational meeting of the committee on February 7, 2007. Rules for the Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, 110th Congress

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of two counties in my district, Mercer and Monroe, which have recently received the honor as two of the Nation's ``100 Best Communities for Youth for 2007'' by the Alliance for Youth. This is the second such award for Mercer County, which was also honored last year. These counties competed against hundreds of communities in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, who were all vying for the unique distinction. This award is well-deserved, as these communities have dedicated themselves to fostering a healthy, safe, and caring environment for our young people. I share this vision, and am deeply honored to have the only two localities in West Virginia recognized located in my district. I pledge to continue my work to make the communities of the Third District a healthy and nurturing environment for our children, by supporting legislation that will keep our children safe. Last year, I supported legislation to better fund our law enforcement. I also supported the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, a bill that will protect children and save countless lives by dramatically improving efforts against sex offenders and violent criminals. In addition, I took action in the House of Representatives to protect West Virginia children from Internet predators, voting in support of the Deleting Online Predators Act and similar legislation. While these steps are significant, it is by far the end of our work. As the folks of Mercer and Monroe Counties can attest, we must never waver from our commitment to our youth. As much as we accomplish, we must always strive to do better. West Virginia native and renowned author Pearl S. Buck once said, ``If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.'' These are words to live by, words that Mercer and Monroe Counties are living by today. I again commend the entire community--the teachers, the civic leaders, the parents and the children as well, who are all so very bright--for the hard work they have done and continue to do. I encourage other communities in the Third District and across West Virginia and our Nation to follow the fine example set by Mercer and Monroe Counties. As the Alliance for Youth said, ``They are shining examples of what it means to keep America's promise to our young people.''

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, recently, I received an offer from American Express entitled, Travel Delay Protection. That's right for $9.95 per person per trip you can get an insurance plan to safeguard against flight delays and their associated hassles and costs. Has American aviation really been brought to this level Madam Speaker? Like Lloyds of London of old responding to sinking ships, American Express simply sees a modern opportunity in a far too sinking industry. We have been told that the recent debacle in Texas in which passengers were held hostage for almost a day, was an anomaly. We are told that to legislatively address the basic rights of air passengers is an overreaction. Well, Madam Speaker, if American Express, no dummy of a company, sees profit in the misfortunes of America's airline industry, I think Congress at least should listen to the collective voice of countless aggrieved passengers. Especially, Congress should hear passengers who suffer regularly from flight delays and disruptions, but because they are not caught up in the major anomaly of the season, they don't get to air their disdain on the national news. They just suffer.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, one year ago today tragedy struck for the second time in less than three weeks in the coalfields of West Virginia. A fire broke out along the conveyor belt in the Aracoma Mine, at Alma, Logan County, taking the lives of two good men and turning the national spotlight on a sorely risky industry practice. The use of the belt air entry to ventilate a mine, as was the case at Aracoma, is egregiously dangerous. The belt entry--the tunnel through which the coal conveyor belt runs--has long been recognized as the dirtiest, most fire-prone entry in the mines. To use it to draw air to the working face exposes miners to higher levels of health-endangering, flammable coal dust and noxious gases. And, although saving operators the cost of adding more entries into the mine, it limits the escape routes for miners trying to evacuate in an emergency--an unacceptable tradeoff. For at least 35 years, from the time the Mine Act was signed into law, the use of the conveyor belt entries to draw fresh air into working areas of coal mines was effectively ``ruled out'' as an acceptable standard practice. The use of belt air, during all that time, was considered to be the exception. Under an initial Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rule, issued decades ago, mines could use the method, but only after obtaining an exemption through a petition process--a process that, at least, required high-level scrutiny on a mine-by-mine basis. The idea was that, if a mine wanted to take a higher degree of risk, it had to provide a higher level of safety precautions and prove that it was doing so. Over time, however, MSHA allowed a growing number of mines to use this suspect practice, until in 2004, when the existing, more cautious rule was replaced. The new rule superceded the prohibition Congress had written into law, and opened the door wide to belt air ventilation and all of the dangers it brings with it. That 2004 rule was a symptom of a shifting set of priorities at MSHA that put promotion of coal production above the protection of miners. That rule should be jettisoned. Madam Speaker, the Aracoma fire of a year ago, demonstrates how the deteriorating mine safety policies at MSHA have combined with insufficient numbers of inspectors and lax enforcement to intensify the dangers associated with the use of belt entry air. In issuing that 2004 rule, MSHA decided that the use of modern air monitoring technologies had improved to a degree in recent years to sufficiently reduce the risk posed by belt air ventilation. But at Aracoma, the air-sensing technology failed. The agency put faith in presence of water systems to suppress the outbreak of fires. At Aracoma, the water system malfunctioned. Portions of a wall needed to separate the conveyor belt from the miners primary escapeway, although on the mine map, were missing. At every turn, some safety measure that should have been taken to protect lives at that mine failed. Even the inspections, on both the state and federal levels, failed. The problems in our Nation's coalfields are thickly layered and will take years to sufficiently unravel. It makes no sense for the MSHA to retain a rule that allows broad use of this dangerous ventilation method in the midst of an inspector shortage and an overhaul of the mine safety system. I am at a loss to understand why MSHA has failed to withdraw the 2004 rule, even temporarily. The fact that it has failed to do so demonstrates to me that MSHA is still not putting its duty to protect our miners above the profits of the industry. So today, Madam Speaker, I, along with my colleague from West Virginia, Alan Mollohan, am introducing the Federal Mine Ventilation Act of 2007. The bill simply requires the Secretary of Labor, ``no later than 90 days after enactment of this Act,'' to revise: regulations to require, in any coal mine that belt entries ``not be used to ventilate active working places.'' I note that it is my intention with this bill to return to the pre-2004 rulemaking procedure, where the use of belt-entry ventilation was generally prohibited, while retaining the petition process and the associated heightened safety controls. If MSHA will not act to correct its mistakes then the Congress must.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion.

Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, in response to the declaration of the gentleman from Louisiana that this is a tax increase on the oil and gas industry, this bill is not a tax increase, I say to my colleagues. What we are doing is repealing subsidies, repealing royalties, and asking the oil and gas industry to pay their fair share. There is no tax increase whatsoever in this bill. The meat and potatoes of this legislation, H.R. 6, came through our Natural Resources Committee. It was drafted by our committee in consultation with the leadership. This committee is the same committee chaired in a previous Congress by our former colleague, Chairman Richard Pombo. Much of the legislation in this bill, H.R. 6, has been debated, has had hearings held therein, and has even been voted upon by the House of Representatives in the previous Congress. So I would suggest to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to go back and look at those votes that were held in a previous Congress in order to be consistent today. For example, the new conservation fee of $9 per barrel that is set up in this bill if the companies choose to pay no royalties. That was set up in the Jindal-Pombo bill of the last session of Congress and supported by a number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Reference has been made to these notorious leases of 1998 and 1999, where the American taxpayers got socked the most; that these were instituted and allowed to take place under the Clinton administration. True, President Clinton was President of the United States at that time. But I would also remind my colleagues who make this charge that in 2000 we elected President George Bush as President of the United States, and the last time I looked at the calendar, this is 2007. Six years with no action by the current Department of the Interior to correct these abuses. And, I might say, until December 31 of this year, Republicans controlled the Congress as well, yet no action was taken. So what we are doing here is an attempt to correct mistakes, correct bungling by the Department of the Interior, mismanagement, whatever word you want to call it, on these 1998-1999 leases where there were no royalties collected, where the price of oil has certainly gone above the threshold that was established in the 1995 Deep Royalty Relief Act, again passed by a Republican Congress, and which was overlooked in the implementation and collection on these 1998-1999 leases. To those who charge that we are breaching contracts today, there is ample precedent and reservation of power in the U.S. to impose fees for the conservation of resources both in the statute in the Outer Continental Lands Act, and reserved specifically in the leases that are issued in the Gulf of Mexico. Again, these leases issued in 1998 and 1999 are royalty free regardless of market, and that is when we impose this conservation fee passed by the Republican Congress in the past but failed to be enacted into law. So we have set ample precedent here. As I conclude, let me say that I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in a bipartisan fashion, as we have voted before on this legislation, to pass H.R. 6 for the sake of the American taxpayers. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Washington, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. McDermott.