John Shimkus

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding group of young men from southeastern Illinois. The Newton Eagles football team last week reached the championship game of the Illinois High School Association Class 4A football playoffs for the first time in school history. The Eagles went 12-2 this season, outscoring opponents by a total of 438-191, and winning the Apollo Conference. My congratulations go out to Head Coach Bob Horst and his coaching staff on this magnificent achievement. Most of all, I want to congratulate all the members of the 2005 Newton Eagles football team, who represented their school, their community and all of southeastern Illinois so well. I congratulate them on their achievement, and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding group of young women from Southern Illinois. The Central High School volleyball team from Breese, Illinois, won the 2005 Class A State championship on November 12, after going through the State finals without losing a single game. The Cougars finished the season with 33 wins and 9 losses. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Head Coach Jim Cook and assistant coach Kelly Potthast on a truly outstanding season. Most of all, I want to recognize the members of the 2005 State champion Breese Central Cougars volleyball team: Britni Holtmann, Melanie Gartside, Bethany Becker, Sarah Barth, Megan Winkeler, Cassy Becker, Lindsay Holtmann, Amanda Backes, Lauren Endres, Kelsi Scheer, Kelsey Straeter, Lauren Budde, Cassandra Deiters, Brittany Schrage, Kassi Buehne. These young women did an exceptional job of representing themselves, their school and their community, and I wish them best of luck in all of their future endeavors.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, obviously with the very exciting day that we have had, to the Clerk, my 1-hour Special Order changed to a 5- minute Special Order, now to a 1-minute. I just want to say thank you for the work you have done. The 32nd Clerk of the House, a native of Spearfish, South Dakota, again over 20 years of service. We had a great reception last night where your loyal supporters and friends and folks that have worked for you were there to say thanks for a tremendous effort. You give great credit to the professional staff and working in what has to be a very challenging environment, dealing with politicians and our whims and our foibles. We want to thank him for that. He has brought great credit to that in a long line of Clerks who served honorably, and we just wish for his successor great success and blessings as she takes on this great challenge in this new role. background 32nd Clerk of the House. Native of Spearfish, South Dakota. Twenty years of House service. Aide to: James Abdor (R-SD) in House and Senate; Virginia Smith (R-NE); Pat Roberts (R-KS); Committees on Appropriations and House Administration. Assistant to the Clerk, Acting Chief Administrative Officer; Deputy Clerk; appointed Clerk December 1998 and elected Clerk 106th through 109th Congresses. Graduate of University of Maryland. Begins appointment as Executive Director of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation on November 21, 2005. highlights as clerk Guided major House information technology initiatives to including introduction of XML technology to standardize creation and exchange of legislative information. Oversaw creation and management of first permanent and professional House curatorial and archival services. Oversaw flourishing of House Page Program with construction of new Page Residence Hall, and enhanced academic status and national recognition of the House Page School. Instrumental in creation of House Office of Emergency Preparedness and leader in establishing and improving continuity of operations planning for the House. Implemented program to expand House portraiture collection of historical House figures, including the first woman, the first African-American, and the first Hispanic-American elected to Congress. Implemented the first electronic filing program for the House.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Detective Mike Metzler of Alton, Il. Detective Metzler, a 10-year veteran of the Alton Police Department, was recently awarded the Pastor Paul-Gerhard Braune Award for his work on the department's Crisis Intervention Team, CIT. This State-level award is from the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Illinois. CIT officers, like Detective Metzler, respond to situations concerning people in a crisis. Detective Metzler has used his training at a CIT office to prevent individuals from committing suicide and has also helped to bring calm to other dangerous situations. Aside from his work as a CIT officer, he also serves as the Alton public school police-school liaison. As well, he travels to other States to train officers about crisis intervention. I am pleased to thank Detective Metzler for his outstanding work. I congratulate him on his award.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the people of Nokomis, IL, on the occasion of their town's sesquicentennial. The earliest settlers began arriving in Nokomis Township in 1840. The first permanent dwelling was built by Hugh Hightower around 1843. The first sermon was preached by Rev. J.I. Crane, a Methodist Episcopal minister. The Baptist congregation was organized in 1856 and Lutherans became active in the community in 1852. The first school was taught in the home of Henry Lower in 1848, while the first school was later built in 1853. Since then, the Nokomis community has continued to grow and to prosper--offering its residents a loving place in which to raise their families, establish life-long friendships, conduct their business, to work, to learn, to worship, and to give thanks for God's blessings. Today, Nokomis is known as a vital link within downstate central Illinois. For more information on all that the people of Nokomis have to offer, I encourage you to visit http://www.nokomisonline.com/. I wish the people of Nokomis my heartfelt best as they celebrate their sesquicentennial.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, in July of this year, the President signed into law the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which enacted the first- ever renewable fuel standard in order for a portion of our Nation's fuel supply to be provided by renewable domestic fuels like ethanol from corn and biodiesel made from soybeans. This provision is an example of public policy that is moving in the right direction. For example, E-85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol fuel, is becoming more and more available in the Midwest and it costs less at the pump. Just this week in my southern Illinois district, E-85 was on average 22 cents cheaper than regular gasoline at the pump. In some cases, E-85 stayed below $2 per gallon. The expanded use of renewable fuels like E-85 helps stretch domestic oil supply and decrease our reliance on foreign imports of oil. As we all know, no crude oil refineries have been built in the United States since 1976. During that time, close to 100 ethanol refineries have been built. It is my hope that this growth continues to happen. Renewable fuels are an environmentally friendly, domestic alternative fuel source that we can utilize to increase U.S. supply and decrease our reliance on foreign imports of oil.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding group of young men from Central Illinois. The Glenwood High School boys soccer team from Chatham, illinois, won the Class AA state championship on November 5, with a 2-1 win over Rockford Boylan. This win followed a thrilling, double-overtime semifinal win, and continues a 19-game winning streak for the Titans, who finished the year with a record of 26-1. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Head Coach Jay Lipe, who also achieved his 100th career victory this season, and assistant coaches Greg Lipe, Tom Johnson and B.J. Moore on a truly outstanding season. Most of all, I want to recognize the members of the 2005 state champion Chatham Glenwood Titans soccer team: Brandon Lex, Trevor Noonan, Tim Johnson, James Dice, Jaron Stretch, Neil Wilmarth, Ryan South, Paul Hummel, Derek Schilson, Bryan Curry, Blair Spencer, Hunter Schad, Dennis McIlhaney, Blake Vorreyer, Dan Short, Brett Dickson, Paul South, Dominick Traina, Kevin Hopkins, Bobak Hadidi, Trevor Kohlrus and Dustin Curtis. These young men did an exceptional job of representing themselves, their school and their community, and I wish them best of luck in all of their future endeavors.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, 1976 was a great year. We built our last refinery in this country, and I graduated from high school. That is too long for that to occur. Our domestic demand for crude oil averages 21 million barrels a day. We refine only 17 million barrels a day. That means we import gasoline. People understand we have a dependence upon foreign oil. What they do not understand and find incredibly ridiculous is that we import refined product just making us more dependent on the industry. This is a great piece of legislation, and anyone from coal country ought to support it. Coal to liquid, fisher trove technology developed during World War II is evident in production in South Africa today. What we have done in this bill is we have taken the definition of refinery and added coal to liquid, which means we can harvest the great coal reserves of this country. We can turn them into clean fuel and use that clean fuel to reduce our demand for foreign oil. We are also able to disburse our refinery assets around the country so we are not held hostage by having 47 percent of our refineries in hurricane alley. This bill is a tremendous step forward in decreasing our reliance on foreign oil, new technology, diversifying our refinery portfolio, and I ask all of my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address my friends and colleagues. We have got a lot of good Members on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and I have great respect for my friends, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Boucher), who come here with serious public policy concerns. I want to speak on an issue they do not address, in fact, I think they roll back, which I think is critical to addressing the price spike, and that is boutique fuels. I will just give an example. When I fly back home, I fill up in St. Louis. I fill up my vehicle in St. Louis, and then I drive across the river to my hometown in Collinsville, which is 30 minutes from the St. Louis airport, and then I drive up to Springfield, Illinois, which is the northern part of my district, probably 100, maybe 200 miles separation, I go through three different fuel markets. In other words, the unleaded gas I burn in St. Louis is not allowed to be purchased and bought in Illinois, and it is not allowed to be purchased and sold in Springfield, even though I am burning that fuel and driving back and forth. These environmental regulations on the boutique fuels really make sense. What makes it more difficult is that when you have constrained refinery capacity and you have one refinery producing for one area of the country, when that refinery has a disruption or goes down, then there is no way you can get fuel in there unless you waive environmental regulations, which is what the bill allows us to do if there is a natural disaster or hurricane. It says we need to move fuel from St. Louis to Springfield, Illinois; Mr. President, you can waive those regulations. So we should not discount the importance of addressing this boutique fuel. Boutique fuels, 48 to 58 different fuel brands around our country, will be pared down to six so that we can still meet the needs of the different regions of the country without holding us hostage. I thank the chairman for the time.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the North Intermediate Center of Education at Wabash Community School District #348 in Mt. Carmel, Illinois for their participation in International Walk to School Day on October 5, 2005. Through their participation in International Walk to School Day, approximately 100 students from the North Intermediate Center of Education will learn about health, pedestrian safety, and physical activity, and will gain a sense of neighborhood and concern for the environment. These students will be joining students from all 50 States and 36 countries around the world in this exercise. I am pleased to congratulate the students and teachers at the North Intermediate Center of Education for their participation in International Walk to School Day. I wish them much success in this endeavor.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Edwardsville Police Officer Charles Kohlberg. Officer Kohlberg recently took heroic actions to save the life of 18- year-old Megan Few. Miss Few's airway became obstructed as she was eating lunch at Edwardsville High School. Officer Kohlberg applied the Heimlich maneuver and saved Miss Few's life. Along with the Few family and the City of Edwardsville, I am pleased to extend my gratitude and appreciation to Officer Kohlberg for his heroic efforts. May God bless.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I will try to be brief. The issue is we have fought this amendment before. There is a critical demand for natural gas in this country. The Coast Guard, as has already been stated, is already involved in this process. They establish access control measures. They establish security measures for cargo handling and delivery. They provide surveillance and monitoring. They ensure security communications. They create security incident procedures. They coordinate with local, State and Federal authorities to respond to security incidents, personnel training and drill requirements and identify a facility security officer who is responsible for ensuring compliance with the facility security plan. So the Coast Guard is already doing a lot of these intercoastal activities. In addition to the U.S. Coast Guard, the LNG terminal safety and security are subjected to additional layers of Federal oversight. FERC and the Department of Transportation are responsible for exercising regulatory authority over LNG facilities. This country can no longer continue down the route of saying we want to use energy, but we do not want any energy brought into this country. We just cannot. It kills our manufacturing base. We are no longer competitive. Now we are paying $10 per million BTus for natural gas use, when our opponents, our competitors worldwide like Russia pay 95 cents. How can we compete? We have to have energy. If we cannot drill in our own country, if we cannot explore, if you are going to put the whole Continental United States off limits, we have to import liquefied natural gas. We can do it. We have done it safely. We can do it economically. The Coast Guard is involved. And to say that this is not an attempt to stop LNG facilities on the United States is just a false premise. I reject it. Now we have had this amendment numerous times and tried to stop the development of LNG facilities during the energy bill. We have defeated it every time, and we are going to defeat it now.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today again to remind my colleagues of the importance of passing a Medical Liability Reform bill on the floor of the House this week. I would like to submit for the record and read a brief section of a news story from my district. These type of stories have become common in the media in my area over the past few years. I quote, ``One doctor who has been treating patients in Bethalto for more than 20 years is moving his practice to another state.'' ``The rate increases are forcing some doctors in Madison County to take their practices elsewhere. That is the case for Dr. Charles Sammis, who took over his father's practice 20 years ago. ``It would be so nice if I could stay here, but the way it is it is impossible.'' Dr. Sammis has been treating patients at his family practice in Godfrey for 20 years. Friday was his last day. Dr. Sammis says the rising medical malpractice insurance rates in Madison County have forced him out. He is not alone. The whole Madison County area, I think there is maybe two or three left and everybody else has pretty much either retired or left. Meantime, Dr. Sammis' departure has been especially hard on his patients. ``You have all been nice to me and I appreciate it,'' he is quoted as saying. Dr. Sammis and his family are moving to Wisconsin where he plans to open another practice. I would urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 5 this week. To stay competitive in the global marketplace and keep jobs in America, we need to ensure that our health care delivery system is fully intact. Bethalto Doctor Closes Office Due To Rising Medical Malpractice Rates (By Erin O'Neill) The debate continues over rising medical malpractice insurance costs and who's to blame. Some doctors in Madison County, Illinois say the jump in insurance premiums has forced them to close their offices. One doctor, who has been treating patients in Bethalto for more than 20 years, is moving his practice to another state. While medical malpractice is a problem all across the U.S., a recent report from the American Tort Reform Association suggested its especially common in the Metro East. Some say frivolous lawsuits are to blame, others say it is price gouging by the insurance companies. The rate increases are forcing some doctors in Madison County to take their practices elsewhere. That's the case for Dr. Charles Sammis, who took over his father's practice 20 years ago. ``It would be so nice if I could stay here, but the way it is, it's impossible.'' Dr. Sammis has been treating patients at his family practice in Godfrey for 20 years. Friday was his last day. Dr. Sammis says the rising medical malpractice insurance rates in Madison County have forced him out. He's not alone, ``The whole Madison County area I think there's maybe two to three left and everybody else has pretty much either retired or left.'' Dr. Sammis says frivolous lawsuits are to blame. Not so, says former Missouri Insurance Commissioner Jay Angoff, ``The insurance companies are telling the doctors look over here its their fault when it's the insurance companies themselves.'' Angoff says malpractice rates have more than doubled in the last five years, while the amount of money paid in claims actually dropped, so he says lawsuits aren't the problem. ``So, there is no justification for premiums going up the way they are. And, if I were a doctor in Illinois I would call ISME up, that's a major malpractice insurer in Illinois, and say `Why are my premiums going up when claim payments are going down?''' But Dr. Sammis still believes needless litigation is behind the escalating costs and hopes tort reform is a solution. In May, Illinois lawmakers approved a plan to cap lawsuit awards in medical malpractice cases, but the bill remains on the Governors desk. ``And we were hoping that our Governor would sign the bill and he's still waiting on it. And I know there's a lot of issues with that, but its getting very difficult to practice medicine here right now.'' Meantime, Dr. Sammis' departure has been especially hard on his patients, ``You've all been nice to me and I appreciate it. '' Bob Vieregge has been going to Dr. Sammis for 20 years, ``I told him the other day I said I lost my wife and I lost my priest and good friend and now I'm losing my doctor.'' Patient Mary Stanton says. ``We just wish him all the best of everything where he's going.'' Angoff says insurance companies in both Illinois and Missouri are notorious for very weak insurance regulation. He says insurance companies can raise rates at will and the insurance commissioner can't do anything about it. He says the solution is for local doctors to rally behind legislation that requires insurance companies to get the approval of the commissioner before raising rates. Meantime, Dr. Sammis and his family are moving to Wisconsin where he plans to open another practice.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the benefits of the Central American Free Trade Agreement to agricultural interests in my home State of Illinois. As the number two soybean and soy products exporter, Illinois already sends approximately $50 million worth of soy products per year to CAFTA countries. The immediate duty-free access for some products and reductions in tariffs on others are expected to significantly improve opportunities for Illinois soybeans and their products. Illinois corn farmers are the Nation's number two exporter of feed grains. U.S. corn exports to CAFTA countries will benefit from reduced tariffs and duty-free access for corn products. In total, CAFTA countries are already Illinois' 22nd largest export market, accounting for more than $211 million in exports in 2004. After the first year of CAFTA implementation, Illinois is expected to realize $79 million in increased output across all industries in the State and $24 million in increased employees earnings and nearly 700 new jobs created. This historic agreement will eliminate tariffs and trade barriers and expand regional opportunities for the workers, manufacturers, consumers, farmers, and service providers of all the countries.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, although I will not object to this resolution, but I want to claim the time to speak in support of this resolution. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution, with 29 other Members of Congress, that calls upon Russia to acknowledge the occupation and subsequent suffering of the Baltic people under Soviet control during the period of time of the secret Molotov Richenberg agreement. The resolution comes to the floor in a timely manner. This week is Captive Nations Week, first declared so by the U.S. Congress on July 17, 1959 as a joint resolution against continuing Communist domination of the Baltic countries. President Bush has again declared this week Captive Nations Week and urges Americans to reaffirm their commitment to all those seeking liberty, justice and self-determination. I can think of no better way to honor the memories of those who fought for freedom against Communist control than to pass this resolution. During Communist occupation of the Baltics, hundreds of thousands of people were torn from their families and deported to Siberia, many never to be heard from again. No one can exactly be sure of the amount of those who died or fled Soviet control, but it has been estimated from 500,000 to 750,000 people. You cannot meet a person in these countries that did not have a family member or loved one who was not affected by these horrible practices. Russia has been unwavering in its nonrecognition of the mass deportations, tortures, and murders committed during the Soviet regime; a Soviet regime that was a Communist regime, not a supposedly more open Russian government that purports to be democratic today. I feel, along with the 29 cosponsors of this resolution, that Russia needs to acknowledge the mistakes of the past so it can move forward and become a truthful State and, in turn, a stronger democracy. It is important that the United States join with our allies in the Baltics and stand for democracy and the rights of individuals to be protected everywhere. Democracy and freedom cannot exist without truth and transparency. I would hope Russia would take a step towards this as a Nation by acknowledging the past, and I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution. I also want to take the time to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde), the gentleman from California (Ranking Member Lantos), the gentleman from California (Chairman Gallegly), and the gentleman from Florida (Ranking Member Wexler) for allowing this to be moved in an expeditious manner. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to both congratulate and express my gratitude to the City of Trenton, Illinois for hosting the Illinois State Junior Legion Baseball Tournament for 2005. American Legion baseball gives youth an opportunity to understand teamwork, discipline, and leadership through experience in the sport. It helps our youth build personal physical fitness and leadership skills. I am delighted to see the support City of Trenton is providing the youth of Illinois in hosting this tournament. I welcome all those participating in the tournament to southern Illinois. I wish each of the teams the best as they participate in the 2005 Illinois State Junior Legion Baseball Tournament.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Immaculate Conception Lithuanian Catholic Parish as it celebrates its 110th Anniversary on October 16, 2005. Since its founding in 1895, the Parish has been symbol of faith to the East St. Louis community. The church was founded by Lithuanian immigrants after they fled religious bondage and famine occurring in Russia during the late 1800s. The first purely Lithuanian Catholic congregation was organized in 1885 in New York. Soon afterwards separate Lithuanian churches were built in other places like Immaculate Conception of East St. Louis in 1895. The challenge of the Church is to be a constant light in a dark world and to bring resilience and hope to the people who need it most. Throughout these 110 years Immaculate Conception Lithuanian Catholic Parish has done just that. My family and I are proud to have attended mass at Immaculate Conception Lithuanian Catholic Parish. My prayer is that God will continue to bless this small congregation and that they would remain a positive influence for the future of the Parish and the community of East St. Louis.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Chairman, I think a picture takes the place of a thousand words. This is what we get a chance to do with modernizing our lock and dams. We take one tow of 15 barges and we displace 870 tractor-trailer rigs on our Nation's highways. What this does is use the best means of transportation to get goods like coal, rock quarry goods, corn, and soybeans from New Orleans up to Chicago, or from Chicago down to New Orleans. Now, if you want to take that same load up there now without the locks and dams, one load takes 870 tractor-trailer trucks. That is 870 trucks that are using diesel fuel. That is 870 trucks that are clogging our highways and our roads and our bridges. That is 870 trucks actually destroying or hurting the roadways that we spend a lot of money to build. So there are a lot of important reasons why the corrections here in this bill are so critical. If we want an environmentally sound policy, we need to support this bill.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, how do you haul corn, soybeans, fertilizer, petroleum products, coal and rock from Chicago, Illinois, to the port of New Orleans, or from the port of New Orleans up to Chicago, Illinois, without taking 870 tractor-trailer trucks over our highway system? That is 870 trucks that burn diesel fuel, 870 trucks that clog our interstate highway system, 870 trucks that made some of our roads less safe. Mr. Speaker, you do it by the river, by the Mississippi River system. That is one of the best ways in which we can be an environmental steward, by getting all of these trucks off the road. That is one of the best ways that we can unclog our highway and transportation system. That is one of the best ways that we get a better return on investments and lower price fuels is by doing that. The Water Resources Development Act, which we will take up on the floor this afternoon and tomorrow, is the best way to be a good environmental steward, energy security, and promote the well-being of all Americans. I ask Members support for passage.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the co-chair of the Baltic Caucus to commend the work of the Lithuanian Kaimas Fund Project. The project provides children in rural areas of Lithuania with educational opportunities. In just its third year, the project is having a positive impact on the lives of more than 2,000 young people in more than 60 rural villages across Lithuania. The Kaimas, which stands for countryside, Fund is a private-public partnership between the American Lithuanian Economic Development Council, the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and local non-governmental organizations who provide services to young people in Lithuania. During a 2-week summer program, community centers throughout Lithuania will provide opportunities for youth to participate in educational and athletic activities, including computer training. Because the project is supported by contributions from American donors, the project also demonstrates the generosity of Americans and all the shared values between our two countries. Most importantly, I would like to encourage the young people and leaders of the community centers who are participating in this program in Lithuania this summer; they are helping to strengthen the special friendship between Lithuania and America. They are also a vital part of the future of the special relationship that our two countries share.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as Co-Chair of the Baltic Caucus to commend the work of the Lithuanian Kaimas Fund project. The project provides children in rural areas in Lithuania with educational opportunities. In just its third year, the project is having a positive impact on the lives of more than 2,000 young people in more than 60 rural villages across Lithuania. The Kaimas (``countryside'') Fund is a private-public partnership between the American Lithuanian Economic Development Council, the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington, DC and local non-governmental organizations who provide services to young people in Lithuania. During a two-week summer program, community centers in the Lithuanian regions of Akmenes, Anyksciai, Marijampole, Moletai, Ukmerge, Utena, Skuodas and Vilnius will provide opportunities for youth to participate in educational and athletic activities, including computer training. Because the project is supported by contributions from American donors, the project also demonstrates the generosity of Americans and the shared values between our countries. I would specifically like to commend the work of Lithuanian Ambassador Vygaudas Usackas, and his wife Loreta, who established the Kaimas Fund in 2000, and the leading American supporters of this important initiative: Dr. Daiva Bajorunas and Stephen Sarnoff, Stanley Balzekas, Beverly Bridges, Dennis and Sally Garrison, Audrey and Martin Gruss, Joseph Krivickas, Cynthia Pasky, John Prunskis, George Ramonas and Eugene Rainis. Most importantly, I would like to encourage the young people and leaders of the community centers who are participating in this program in Lithuania. This summer, you are helping to strengthen the special friendship between Lithuania and America. You are also a vital part of the future of the special relationship our countries share.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, in 1992 this Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 1992. In that act was a requirement that all Federal agencies have to make sure that 75 percent of all vehicles they purchase each year are alternatively fueled vehicles. These vehicles run on ethanol or biodiesel or other alternatives fuels. However, very few agencies are actually meeting this requirement. In fact, highlighted in a recent lawsuit, the Federal Government was found not to be in compliance with the act, but no agency did worse than the Department of Labor last year. The Department of Labor was only able to achieve a 19 percent goal. The goal of EPAct was to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 30 percent by 2010. The department only purchased 5,000 gallons of E85 and 200 gallons of biodiesel, yet it purchased over 5.3 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel. Not only is this bad in terms of helping us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it is also a bad fiscal move as E85 is selling for less than regular gasoline in many areas of the country. Mr. Chairman, it is my hope that when this bill is in conference, some language can be added that will encourage the department to do a better job at meeting the requirements set forth by Congress to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil. How can we expect the average consumer to reduce oil use when we cannot even get our own Federal agencies to take the steps necessary to make our Nation more secure?

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. The pages have given to this institution and the page program. You have set a bar by which we can now challenge other page classes, and I want to thank you. Mr. Speaker, also joining us is the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on my 1 minute today.