Nick Rahall

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, the majority has already explained the purpose of H.R. 3085 which was introduced by our colleague from Tennessee, Mr. Zack Wamp. There is wide support for a trail study and designation by members of the Cherokee Nation and others interested in the history of the forced removal of Native Americans from portions of the Eastern U.S. It is our hope that the study of these additional trail segments will help to develop the most appropriate means to preserve and interpret this important aspect of our American History. Mr. Speaker, we support H.R. 3085 and I have no objection to adoption of the legislation by the House today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to claim my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I do not understand the motives behind all the actors involved in recent actions in the Middle East. I do not condone kidnappings, murders, terrorist acts whether in a military zone or across borders, whether as an act of resistance or whatever the terms are that one uses. I do feel I understand somewhat the feelings of an oppressed, occupied people who have been treated less than human and who now, through no actions or fault of their own, are being bombed back to the Stone Age. Not only are innocent civilians losing their lives as we speak, but also vital support systems, services and infrastructure needed for day- to-day living are being bombed hourly. Also in severe jeopardy of losing its life is the new pro-American, prodemocracy government of the land of my grandfathers, Lebanon. Only a year and a half ago, as we all will recall, the Cedar Revolution brought such new life and new hope for this country. The Lebanese Government has little knowledge nor collusion with, nor agreement with what the military wing of Hezbollah does. They have condemned these recent actions, as I have done. Every actor in the region knows this, yet some try to convince the world otherwise for their own selfish motives, whether it is for land, for reoccupation or to send signals to other countries. Believe it or not, certain U.S. media outlets play right into these motives by fueling these misperceptions of which others purposely strive to further. Example. Today, at 3 o'clock, Shepard Smith on that ``fair and balanced'' outlet called Fox News stated, referring to the country of Lebanon, ``that country known to fund Hezbollah,'' and again at 3:13 p.m. today, he further stated, ``Lebanon continues to fire Katyusha rockets into Israel.'' It is time that this unfair, unbalanced, untrue and outright garbage be called to the carpet. It is also time for all actors in the region to be called to the carpet, to step back and realize how disastrous their current paths are to their people and to the world. Hezbollah must stop tempting fate, stop shelling across the border, must release the bodies of Israeli soldiers and/or unharm those still alive and safe, as their leader claims. Israel must stop their unmeasured response, realize they are creating more militants than they are destroying and will never destroy every one of them, and take their grievances directly to the countries involved. It is long past time for cooler heads to prevail if peace is to ever have a chance in the Middle East

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, while other industrialized countries have embraced weaning themselves off imported oil by commercializing coal- to-liquid fuel technologies for transportation fuels, the United States has lagged behind in this endeavor as it has with other alternative fuels primarily due to the lack of will and the price of oil. South Africa, for instance, at its Sasol facilities, is meeting 30 percent of its liquid fuel requirements through coal liquefaction using a technology originally developed in Germany during the 1920s. Worldwide oil prices are now at a level that would make more attractive investments in large-scale coal-to-liquid fuel facilities in this country. However, as evident with other alternative fuels such as ethanol, federal incentives will be necessary in order to sustain this type of an effort over the long-term. The ``Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Energy Act of 2006'' proposes to take an omnibus approach to the commercialization of coal liquefaction technology by stimulating the production, marketing, and use of coal- to-liquid fuels. The bill would: Amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to explicitly make commercial coal-to-liquid fuel facilities eligible under that law's energy project loan guarantee program. Establish a loan program within the Department of Energy to commercialize coal-to-liquid fuel facilities. Authorize as the Energy Secretary deems appropriate the purchase of coal-to-liquid fuels for Strategic Petroleum Reserve purposes. Extend through 2020 the availability of the alternative fuel excise tax credit for coal-to-liquid fuels authorized by the 2005 federal highway and transit reauthorization legislation (SAFETEA-LU).

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume, continuing to claim my time in opposition. I understand that the administration has just come out with their position on this legislation; and, as I understand it, much to everybody's surprise, it is in opposition. It is in opposition on budget grounds, as I understand the statement that has just come out from the administration, as well as their opposition to the revenue- sharing proposals that are contained inherent in this current legislation. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown), who represents the coastlines of Florida.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the pending legislation on the basis that I am unwilling to vote against America's energy independence. This bill would continue to mortgage our Nation's future to a handful of multinational oil conglomerates. It demands a continued addiction to a petroleum diet. It would only further enslave us as a Nation, as a society, to the oily ways of the past, which do not bode well for our energy future. It is telling that the so-called ``energy week'' proclaimed by the Republican majority consists only of this single piece of legislation that would only further shackle the Nation to the whims and caprices of the petroleum industry. It is telling that this is their idea, as it has been all along, of what energy independence means. As Paul Revere did on that famous midnight ride, those of us opposed to this ill-conceived bill are raising an alarm. The drumbeat that we hear pounds out a call of freedom. Freedom to be done with those who profit and plunder at the gas pumps throughout this country, freedom from the price gougers, freedom from the merchants of profit and power over our American values, and the freedom to devise new and alternative fuels to our petroleum dependency. It is time to stand up and be counted, to hoist up the flag and salute it, to strike a resounding chord that will reverberate across this great land of ours. I say to my colleagues that truly today is Independence Day here in the House of Representatives, for we are being given an opportunity to vote against this outrageous bill and vote against it on the following grounds: First, it would improperly and perhaps unconstitutionally delegate to the coastal States virtually all decision-making powers over the disposition of a Federal resource. It says to all of the other owners of our offshore water and energy resources, whether they reside in Ohio, Idaho, Arizona or my great State of West Virginia, so it should say to the owners of our offshore waters and energy resources, all of the American taxpayers, no matter what State that they reside in, that they have no say in this matter. No say whatsoever, that we are going to vest all of the power with a few, to the detriment of the many. Second, it would grab the second largest source of income to the Federal Government after personal income taxes, yank this revenue out of the Treasury and redistribute it to those few. Let's be clear. This bill would reallocate existing revenue from OCS oil and gas leases to willing coastal States, not just future, potential revenue streams, but also those currently being dedicated to the benefit of the Nation as a whole. It would rob the majority of the American people and bankrupt the Land and Water Conservation Fund so cherished by communities and localities across this great land. According to the administration, this is their figures, the revenue-sharing provisions of bill alone would constitute a $74 billion hit over the first 15 years. Envision this massive rate on America's resources and what it will mean to the average American. Third reason for opposing this bill, it would deprive most of us of jobs and economic benefits in most of the regions of our country. Those of you from the Midwest, from the corn belt, you can forget about ethanol. This bill demands petroleum. Vote for it, and you vote against your interests. You vote against the jobs in your region and against economic benefits that the production of ethanol brings to your region. Those of you from the coalfields, like myself, where we have sought for many years to broaden our employment base and to reduce our Nation's petroleum fixation with liquid fuels made from coal, vote for this and you are voting against the future of your coal miners. As in the past, these so-called energy bills that come before this Republican-controlled Congress are nothing but a vote for further, as the President wants to wean us away from, it is nothing but a vote for a further addiction to oil. With the Nation hard and fast on a petroleum diet for decades to come brought forth by this pending legislation, the widespread commercialization of coal-to-liquids technology to fuel our vehicles will continue to be an elusive goal and merely lip service only. I have never forsaken the coal miners in my congressional district, and I am not about to do so now. Fourth, Mr. Chairman, this bill simply is not necessary. Under the Bush administration alone, the Department of Interior has offered leases covering 267 million acres of the OCS. Industry has only sought to acquire 24 million of those acres. Now, contemplate that for a moment. There are still 243 million acres available, currently available for leasing that the oil and gas industry has not yet seen fit to bid upon. In all, in total, over 40 million acres of the OCS are under lease and less than 7 million of those acres are in production. Is there a crisis in the OCS? Is there evidence that legislation such as that before us today, which shreds long-standing moratoria is needed? The facts tell us not. Those who bring forth this legislation represent an era that should now be in our past, seeking to place all of our eggs in a black basket woven of petroleum. They would defend the predominance of Big Oil, those with wealth and power over our energy destiny. Those of us opposed to this legislation bring with us the conviction that there are limits to what the American people will suffer for the sake of profit and power. This is indeed a turning point for America. Mr. Chairman, I urge the defeat of the pending legislation. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3\1/4\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), a true leader in this area who has devoted a great deal of time on this issue and has a true concern for our environment and what this issues means for us.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield for the purposes of a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green). (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert). (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), a valued member of our Resources Committee.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), the ranking member on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis), who year after year after year has been a true leader on this issue and on its environmental effects.

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, how much time remains on both sides?

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, since the time is so tilted, I would hope that my chairman from California would use more time before I yield my next amount of time. Before I do that, I do want to commend the gentleman from Louisiana who has just spoken. Although we deliver on this issue, he has done his State and his district superbly. He has been patient, persistent and has worked with me on this issue, as has the chairman, I might add. I do want to salute Mr. Melancon for the tremendous work and patience he has had on this legislation.

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

Mr. RAHALL. May I have the time again, please?

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett). (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon).

Mr. RAHALL. If the gentleman would yield, in response to the gentleman, that was not an accurate statement. The mountains of West Virginia do not belong to all the people of this land.

Mr. RAHALL

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.