Ed Whitfield

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 316) to reinstate and transfer certain hydroelectric licenses and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of certain hydroelectric projects.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Robin J. Copeland, who passed away on October 30, 2011 at the young age of 46. Robin had roots in West Texas and had a distinguished career in international diplomacy, non-proliferation, and scientific engagement. Her work with the United States Department of Energy, Department of State, the Civilian Research Development Foundation, and liaisons with U.S. Embassies worldwide was carried out under difficult and demanding conditions. Her responsibilities required skills in political science, technical science, and engineering and she was fluent in seven languages. She was an expert in non-proliferation and contributed in significant ways to the reduction of nuclear weapons in Russia and Libya. In addition to her work on non-proliferation, she also implemented a program that trained Russian doctors with U.S. doctors in Africa to treat and care for those with HIV/AIDS. Texas Tech University has established the Robin J. Copeland Scholarship to be awarded to undergraduates, graduate, or law students who enroll in the following academic programs of study: 1. Political Science or international law in a supporting area of science or engineering; 2. Science and engineering with auxiliary emphasis in political science or international law or; 3. Programs that demonstrate compelling evidence for application to science and international diplomacy. Robin was a talented and unique young lady who served her nation well. She was a success in life, because she made a gift of her life.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Well, Chairman McKeon, I want to thank you very much. The Energy and Commerce Committee was concerned about the elimination of portions of the underlying section, and it is my understanding that you will commit to working with the Energy and Commerce Committee next year to restore pertinent portions of section 4102 of the Atomic Energy Defense Act.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Well, thank you. It's a joy working with you, and, once again, congratulations.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Well, thank you, Chairman McKeon, and I certainly want to thank you and Mr. Smith and your staffs for the hard work to complete this 51st consecutive defense authorization bill. As you know, the Energy and Commerce Committee has an interest in a number of provisions included in the bill. One of the provisions is section 3113, which modifies section 4102 of the Atomic Energy Defense Act. My understanding of the Armed Services Committee's intention with regard to section 3113 is that, one, you want to reinvigorate a dormant statutory council by updating it and transforming it; and, two, you want to clean up the U.S. Code by eliminating obsolete language referring to the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Defense Programs. Is that your understanding, as well?

Mr. WHITFIELD. It is also my understanding that it was not the intent in section 3113 to affect the Secretary of Energy's management, planning and oversight authority, or delegation authority, related to the National Nuclear Security Administration. Is that your understanding, as well?

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, to recognize (Ret.) Rear Admiral James W. Lisanby, who passed away on November 14, 2012. Rear Admiral Lisanby, a native of Caldwell County, Kentucky, served his country and community with great integrity and honor. He rose through the ranks of the United States Navy during his 37 years to become a rear admiral and a chief engineer. He was instrumental in the development of the modern era of shipbuilding at the Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. After spending many years of service abroad and at sea, Rear Admiral Lisanby became the Commander of Naval Ships Engineering Center, his first Flag officer assignment, where he was responsible for the design and engineering of all ships and weapons developed for the U.S. Navy. He finished his stellar Navy career as the Deputy Commander for Acquisition and Logistics in the U.S. Navy's Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC. Following retirement for the Navy, Rear Admiral Lisanby started his own consulting firm, Naval Services International, Inc., and became the first American elected President of the International Professional Engineering and Naval Architects Society, IPEN. He also served on numerous boards, including those of the United Services Life Insurance Company and the Sioux Manufacturing Company of Devil's Lake, ND, and he also served as the Chairman of the Board of Technology Financing, Inc., part of the BMT Group of International Companies. Not only was he successful in serving his country, and in business, but he had a very impressive academic record. A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, he earned a Professional Engineers Degree (PE) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an advanced Management Degree from the Harvard Business School (PMD). Rear Admiral Lisanby and his wife of 61 years, Gladys, retired to Arlington, Virginia and Pascagoula, Mississippi until Hurricane Katrina destroyed their beachfront home. At that time, the Lisanby's returned to Kentucky, and Caldwell County. After returning to Kentucky, the Lisanby's became very active in the community, particularly in their support of the arts. They became members of the Endowment Circle of the Princeton Art Guild, where its Lisanby Courtyard honors Lisanby's mother, a lifelong artist and arts supporter. Rear Admiral Lisanby was also an active member of Ogden Memorial United Methodist Church in Princeton, a Rotarian and a Paul Harris Fellow. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his brother, Charles, two daughters, Elizabeth Ann Lisanby and Dr. Sarah Hollingsworth Lisanby, and their families. The people of Caldwell County, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and this great Nation were greatly served by Rear Admiral Lisanby, and he will be truly missed.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Leon Page, who passed away last Monday, December 10, 2012. Mr. Page was a community leader and philanthropist who helped organize Franklin Bank and Trust and served as chairman of the bank's board of directors for 45 years. In his 90 years of life, Mr. Page helped open and lead what became the largest bank in Franklin, Kentucky, an area I have the privilege of representing in the First Congressional District of Kentucky. Mr. Page was active in all facets of the community. He was instrumental in industrial development in Franklin and Simpson County and was active in various community organizations. Having served as President for both the Franklin-Simpson Chamber of Commerce and the Franklin Rotary Club, Mr. Page also helped organize the Caveland Girl Scout Council and was treasurer of the Quarterback Club. Leon Page served on the Kentucky Bankers Association and various boards and councils at Western Kentucky University. He also established a scholarship fund at Western Kentucky University that awards a four- year scholarship to a Franklin-Simpson High School graduate who majors in business each year. I join the family, friends, and entire Franklin, Kentucky community in mourning the passing of this great man. He demonstrated the best of the values found throughout the First Congressional District of Kentucky. He is someone who, despite his personal success, will best be remembered as inspiring and helping guide others to achieve success for themselves, and a man who graciously gave back to a community that had given him so much.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I also want to urge everyone to support H.R. 6582, a small, modest, energy-efficiency bill that will save some jobs. I certainly want to thank the Members of the Senate, the Senate staff, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) and his committee staff, and certainly the Energy and Power staff here on the House side for being involved in these negotiations and working this out. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I might say that we're all looking forward to working with the gentleman from Vermont as he comes back to the Energy and Commerce Committee. At this time, I'd like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland), who wrote a portion of this bill.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 6582, the American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act, and I want to thank Mr. Waxman and his staff for working with us on this legislation. Part of it has been passed in the Senate, and we've worked very closely with the Senate staff and Members as well. This is a small but critical piece of energy legislation that I encourage my colleagues to support: Section 2 deals with an outdated standard for walk-in coolers that is actually resulting in layoffs and loss of jobs in the State of Alabama; Section 3 deals with a fix to water heater requirements that will reduce regulatory burdens on manufacturers by transitioning to a single definition for all covered water heaters; Section 4 fixes a standard that cannot be met from the 2007 energy bill for ``service over the counter'' refrigerators; Section 5 deals with small duct high velocity systems; Sections 6 and 7 seek to improve Federal coordination to help develop and deploy industrial energy efficiency technologies; Sections 8 and 9 aim to improve Federal energy efficiency, which will ultimately save taxpayers money; Section 10 makes additional routine technical corrections to the 2007 energy bill. This bill will reduce regulatory burdens and provide greater certainty for manufacturers, allowing them to stay in business, avoid layoffs, and will also ensure the continued benefits of energy savings and consumer savings because of increased energy efficiency. H.R. 6582 carries the support of the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America, as well as the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Alliance to Save Energy, and the National Association of Manufacturers. This bill shows that we can work together in Congress in a bipartisan manner to tackle important energy issues. To that end, I once again want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Mr. Waxman and his staff, for working with us to help develop this legislation that we all can support. I might add that many of us on this side of the aisle feel as though the 2007 energy bill has many provisions that we believe to be challenging for stimulating private growth and creating jobs. I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will continue to work with us on these matters in the future. As the 112th Congress comes to a close, the passage of this modest but important energy efficiency bill gives me hope that we can work together in the coming years to tackle the many energy challenges facing America. I encourage my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 6582. I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Washington, DC, December 3, 2012. Hon. Fred Upton, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Upton: I am writing to you concerning the jurisdictional interest of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in H.R. 6582, the American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act. The suspension text version of H.R. 6582, posted on November 30, 2012 contains multiple provisions from H.R. 4850, the Enabling Energy Saving Innovations Act, as amended and passed by the Senate on September 22, 2012 under unanimous consent, which are outside the original scope of H.R. 4850, as introduced and passed by the House on June 26, 2012. While the text of H.R. 6582 reflects an agreement reached by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the text also contains provisions that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. I recognize and appreciate the desire to bring this legislation before the House of Representatives, and accordingly, I will waive further consideration of this bill in Committee, notwithstanding any provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. This waiver, of course, is conditional on our mutual understanding that agreeing to waive consideration of this bill should not be construed as waiving, reducing, or affecting the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Additionally, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology expressly reserves its authority to seek conferees on any provision within its jurisdiction during any House- Senate conference that may be convened on this, or any similar legislation. I ask for your commitment to support any request by the Committee for conferees on H.R. 6582, as well as any similar or related legislation. I ask that a copy of this letter be placed in the Congressional Record during consideration of the bill on the House floor. Sincerely, Ralph M. Hall, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), who wrote a portion of this bill and whose State is at risk of losing jobs because of some technicalities.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6582) to allow for innovations and alternative technologies that meet or exceed desired energy efficiency goals, and to make technical corrections to existing Federal energy efficiency laws to allow American manufacturers to remain competitive, as amended.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), who is chairman of the Environment and Economy Subcommittee. (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WHITFIELD. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), who is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield for a period of 3 minutes to Dr. Roe of Tennessee, who is a member of the Education Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. We all recognize that in this country we recently had a national election. We have a lot of new Members of the House of Representatives. We have new United States Senators. President Obama and Vice President Biden are back in their offices. We've had new officeholders elected in many State and local communities as well. And while we have a lot of change in the elected offices, we all know that a big part of government relates to what we would refer to as the executive branch. And that means various departments of government and agencies within those departments of government. And those people work very hard. They're committed to the American people. They're not elected. And many times we do not even know who they are. Now today, I want to raise an issue that is vitally important to all of the American people because on or about December 10 the levels of water on the Mississippi River are going to be so shallow between St. Louis, Missouri, and Cairo, Illinois, and then, on top of that, because of rock pinnacles near Grand Tower and Thebes, Illinois, that river traffic may come to a halt on the Mississippi River. And that means there's going to be millions of tons of commodities that are not going to be able to be transported north and south on that river. Of course, that affects not only the recipients of those commodities and the shippers of those commodities but indirectly people who mine, make, manufacture, supply those commodities. And so this potentially can have a dramatic impact in a negative way on the economy of our country at a time when we are trying to stimulate the economy, create more jobs, and make sure that we do not throw ourselves back into a recession. In early November, and even toward the end of October, over 15 United States Senators, around 65 Members of the House of Representatives, and 5 or 6 Governors of various States wrote letters to President Barack Obama; Major Phillip May, Regional Administrator for Region IV of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Mr. George ``Tony'' Robinson, Region VI, Federal Emergency Management Agency; the Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for the Corps of Engineers; Mr. William Craig Fugate, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Mr. Andrew Velasquez, Regional Administrator, Region V of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and Ms. Beth Freeman, Regional Administrator, Region VII of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in which we point out this impending problem. Now I'm not the only one talking about this. Every Member of Congress along that corridor is receiving phone calls, letters, and emails. We have all sorts of groups out there very much worried about this problem needing to be solved. And it can be solved. But it appears that the Corps of Engineers has an annual operating plan. This annual operating plan determines how much water they're able to release from the Missouri River into the Mississippi River in the wintertime. And I understand that they have to have a plan. But most people in America know that when you have exceptional circumstances, you have some emergency, you have some unintended consequence, that you have to make alternative plans. And so those Senators that I talked about, those Members of the House that I have talked about, the Governors that I have talked about, the 15 or 20 associations that I have talked about all have gone to the Corps of Engineers and asked them to change their annual plan and release some water from the upper Missouri to the Mississippi River so that we do not have to stop barge traffic on the Mississippi River. And so far, we've heard no response. I know that there are groups that are opposed to this. There are some environmental groups that are opposed to this--and for valid reasons. And we're not asking this to be done permanently. But this is an emergency that will have dire consequences on the economy of this country, and we cannot stand for even a brief period of time to stop commerce on the Mississippi River. Of course, there's another issue that I mentioned earlier, and that is that we have these rock pinnacles that are contributing to the problem of this shallow waterbed between Grand Tower and Thebes, Illinois. And the Corps has indicated that they're going to take some action to remove those pinnacles. And that's vitally necessary as well. So I'm here today partly out of pure frustration. Although some people think that individual Members of Congress have a lot of power and authority--and sometimes we think that--but the truth of the matter is these decisions are being made by people at the Corps of Engineers, maybe the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, and some of these other agencies. They have the legal authority to take action here. But so far, they're unwilling to do so. I'm here today simply to raise this issue because I don't know what else to do. We've written letters. We've called. These associations and agencies of other governments, State and local, have written letters, have called. We've done everything we can do. We've asked the President to take action. We've asked the Corps of Engineers to take action. And we understand that it's not anyone's personal fault. This is caused by a drought of unusual proportion. When you think about traffic--all traffic on the Mississippi River in that region between St. Louis and Cairo--coming to a halt, it's going to have a dramatic, negative impact on everyone in our country. So I simply am here today to focus attention on the issue and to once again ask the President, the Assistant Secretary of Defense, and the Corps of Engineers to take some action to work with us to resolve this problem. With that, I yield back the balance of my time. Congress of the United States, Washington, DC, November 19, 2012. Hon. Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works, Washington, DC. Dear Assistant Secretary Darcy, It has come to our attention that commerce along the Mississippi River may soon be in jeopardy. According to industry groups, barge traffic could be severely impaired or altogether grind to a halt along the middle Mississippi River between St. Louis, MO and Cairo, IL. This has the potential to occur as soon as December 10th of this year. The problem has arisen because of the drought and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' current plan to halt releases of water from the Upper Missouri River reservoirs on approximately November 22nd. We understand that the Army Corps typically reduces and eventually shuts off water flows during this time of the year in accordance with its Annual Operating Plan (AOP) for the Missouri River, but doing so now could result in such low water levels on the Mississippi River that normal barge transportation would be impossible. On November 13, flows from the Missouri river made up 61.1 percent of the Mississippi River, according to the U.S. Geological Service gage. Ensuring that the Mississippi River is open to traffic is vital to the manufacturing and agriculture communities, and ultimately American jobs. The river system is the global gateway for American products and commodities, and its continued traffic flow is of the utmost importance. We ask that the Corps speed up the process of removal of rock pinnacles at Grand Tower, IL and Thebes, IL. Removal of rock in this area is essential for normal barge traffic to continue within low water levels. We also ask that water flows be maintained from the Missouri River until the rock removal is finished. An industry review of the statute, regulations and legislative and operating history demonstrates that Congress specifically intended the Missouri River reservoir system be operated to benefit downstream areas on the Mississippi River as well as the Missouri. Corps management of the Missouri reservoirs has deviated from the AOP during exceptional circumstances. The navigation community recognizes the legitimate needs of the other users of Missouri River waters, and believes this problem can be solved without significant impact on other water claimants. We trust that you recognize the importance of this issue to U.S. jobs and industries, and are hopeful that you will work with all parties involved in these impacted areas. Thank you for your consideration of our request. Respectfully, Rep. Aaron Schock (IL-18); Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY-1), Rep. Jeff Landry (LA-3); Rep. Spencer Bachus (AL-6); Rep. Erik Paulsen (MN-3); Rep. Dave Loebsack (IA-2); Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD-7); Rep. Wm Lacy Clay (MO-1); Rep. Gene Green (TX-29); Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-9); Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL-11); Rep. Sam Graves (MO-6); Rep. Peter Roskam (IL-6); Rep. Glenn `GT' Thompson (PA-5); Rep. Gregg Harper (MS-3); Rep. Bobby Schilling (IL-17); Rep. Leonard Boswell (IA-3); Rep. Cedric Richmond (LA-2); Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (MS-2); Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, IL (MO-5); Rep. Terri A. Sewell (AL-7); Rep. Jerry Costello (IL-12); Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-5); Rep. John Shimkus (IL-19); Rep. Tim Murphy (PA-18); Rep. Timothy V. Johnson (IL-15); Rep. Steve Scalise (LA-1); Rep. Tim Griffin (AR-2); Rep. Danny K. Davis (IL-7); Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-1); Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL-3); Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-5); Rep. Mark Critz (PA-12); Rep. Bobby L. Rush (IL-1); Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-7); Rep. Robert J. Dold (IL-10); Rep. Rodney Alexander (LA-5); Rep. Rick Crawford (AR-1); Rep. Steven M. Palazzo (MS-4); Rep. Billy Long (MO-7); Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9); Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-8); Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14); Rep. Tom Latham (IA-4); Rep. Alan Nunnelee (MS-1); Rep. Todd Akin (MO-2); Rep. Mike Ross (AR-4); Rep. Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-7); Rep. Vicky Hartzler (MO- 4); Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-2); Rep. Steve Stivers (OH- 15); Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN-7); Rep. Bill Cassidy, MD (LA-6); Rep. Stephen Fincher (TN-8); Rep. Collin Peterson (MN-7); Rep. Dan Burton (IN-5); Rep. John Kline (MN-2); Rep. Don Manzullo (IL-16); Rep. Judy Biggert (IL-13); Rep. Diane Black (TN-6); Rep. Jason Altmire (PA-4); Rep. Russ Carnahan (MO-3).-

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Robin J. Copeland, who passed away on October 30, 2011 at the young age of 46. Ms. Copeland served this great Nation with honor and dignity for many years. She had a very distinguished career in international diplomacy, nonproliferation, and scientific engagement. She began government service working in Russia in 1991, where she became the U.S. Department of Energy's attach at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. At the time, this was our largest Embassy in the world. She later served in Moscow with the U.S. Agency for International Development. In this role, she became the first woman and first person under the age of 50 to hold the office of Chairman of the Interagency Council. As an energy specialist, she worked on several non- proliferation programs that resulted in effectively stemming the spread of weapons of mass destruction from the former Soviet Union. She also was successful in thwarting proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and exporting of technologies and former Soviet scientists through her work as the Worldwide Director of Nonproliferation for the Civilian Research Development Foundation (CRDF) Global. And due to her expertise in non-proliferation, she took part in contractor efforts to monitor Libya's nuclear programs following the return of Libyan WMD to the United States in 2003. In addition to her work on non-proliferation issues, she used her expertise on Russia and developed and implemented the U.S. program that trains Russian doctors with our doctors in Africa involved in the treatment and care of those with HIV/AIDS. Ms. Copeland was born in Florida and grew up in Connecticut, but she and her family have deep roots in West Texas where her parents and grandparents are Dimmitt, Texas natives. In honor of Ms. Copeland, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, has developed a scholarship for students interested in using scientific and technical skills to promote peace internationally. This is a very unique scholarship as it is the only one of its kind at any major university in America. I congratulate Texas Tech University in developing this scholarship, and I think it is a great honor to a great American who served this country with such distinction. I send my thoughts to her family, and it is my distinct pleasure to honor Robin Copeland.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Chairman, we haven't declared war on wind or solar or anything else. We simply don't believe that when you have a $16 trillion Federal debt that the Federal Government should use taxpayers' money to serve as venture capital for risky ventures like Solyndra that received $538 million and now is bankrupt. If this technology is so good, let the free market develop it. It does not need taxpayer support. Yet, on the other hand, this administration has adopted policies that you can't even build a new coal-powered plant in America because there's no technology available to meet the new emissions standards of the Obama EPA. On this particular amendment, on page 7 of the amendment, it says that by the year 2035 that 50 percent of the electricity would have to be produced from renewables. The gentleman in his comments said 25 percent, but this amendment says 50.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Well, I'm just reading from page 7. Anyway, this amendment simply creates a national renewable electricity standard. We've seen it before. It was in the Markey-Waxman cap-and-trade bill in the last Congress, which was rejected by the Congress. This amendment does nothing more than determine for the American people where their electricity will come from and that they are going to be paying more for it. So I urge people to vote against the Markey amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.