Ed Whitfield

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Gardner), who is an important member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Mr. Tonko and Mr. Gardner for being the cosponsors of this legislation and thank Mr. Waxman and Mr. Upton for working with all of us to bring it to the floor, as well as the staffs on both sides of the aisle. As both Mr. Tonko and Mr. Gardner stated, this bill is a technical correction to existing law that will allow external power supply manufacturers to continue to sell service parts compatible with older technology to the benefit of consumers and manufacturers. It is a good piece of legislation. I would urge all the Members to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 276) to reinstate and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project involving the American Falls Reservoir.

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 on the heels of the 40th anniversary of a divided Cyprus. A division that has left both Turkish and Greek Cypriots bogged down in an unacceptable status quo that continues to impede economic and social progress on the island. Until these differences are resolved, all Cypriots will feel the negative effects of this division and Cyprus will be unable to realize its full potential in the international community. This past February represented a significant shift in the deadlock when both Cypriot leaders resumed long stalled negotiations and issued a joint statement outlining principles the two sides will use to work toward a reunification of Cyprus. Both sides have met regularly since this announcement and real progress is being made. That said, many controversial issues remain and the path forward will be a difficult one. This makes it even more important that the United States Congress, the Administration, the United Nations, Turkey, Greece, and other stakeholders remain engaged and continue to encourage expeditious, good faith negotiations on both sides. I believe these negotiations represent a historic opportunity to put all Cypriots on a path to peace and prosperity. During this process, it's important that all parties remain focused on the future of Cyprus and refrain from inflammatory dialogue that only serves to derail progress. A comprehensive settlement is within reach and I would encourage my colleagues to support this effort.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Richard Roof for his extraordinary service to the people of Paducah, and Kentucky's entire First Congressional District. Mr. Roof is celebrating his fortieth year as manager of Barkley Regional Airport. Barkley Regional's existence is due in part to Paducah native Vice President Alben Barkley, for whom the airport is also named. The airport provides travel to Chicago's O'Hare, one of the best connected airports in the United States. Richard's career in the aviation industry began in 1962 when he passed the commercial pilot's written exam, at age 18. Throughout Mr. Roof's college years he would work as a pilot, carrying overnight mail between Lexington, Huntington and Louisville. Richard Roof took the job of assistant manager on July 1, 1974, and two months later, he took over as manager. Richard's role at the airport is not limited to sitting behind a desk. Richard is said to wear ``many hats,'' which has proven beneficial to the airport's operation. When not carrying out his managerial duties, you may find him snow plowing the airport's 80 acres of pavement. Throughout Richard's 40 year tenure as manager at the airport, he has witnessed the evolution of the airline industry. Through Richard's leadership, the airport has survived the changes and weathered periods of unfavorable economic conditions, and has emerged as a $30 million economic mainstay in Western Kentucky. Richard Roof serves as a symbol to all Americans that through hard work and dedication, one life can truly change the lives of hundreds. I would like to call to the attention of the House of Representatives, Richard's many years of service to the people of Kentucky and urge all members of Congress to join me in congratulating him on this milestone.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4250) to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide an alternative process for review of safety and effectiveness of nonprescription sunscreen active ingredients and for other purposes, as amended.

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 on the bill into the Record.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield 5 minutes to my colleague from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to, once again, thank Mr. Dingell, and I appreciate his naming the staff because there was a lot of negotiations with FDA on this bill, and Taylor Booth on my staff and other members of the Energy and Commerce Committee staff, as named by Mr. Dingell, I want to give special thanks to them, and also, we appreciate the efforts of Mr. Pitts, who is the chairman of the Health Subcommittee. Without the help of him, Mr. Pallone, and their staffs, we would not have been able to bring this bill to the floor. So I would urge everyone to support it, and with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4250, the Sunscreen Innovation Act, which seeks to address an important area of public concern by strengthening the sunscreen ingredient review process at the Food and Drug Administration. I would like to remind everyone that skin cancer is the most prevalent kind of cancer in America. Each year, there are more new cases of skin cancer than breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancer combined. By 2015, it is estimated that one in 50 Americans will develop melanoma in their lifetime. Melanoma also happens to be one of the most common forms of cancer in young adults, particularly young women. Even though the Food and Drug Administration has listed action on sunscreen ingredient applications as a priority since 2008, no new sunscreen ingredients have been approved by the FDA. In fact, none have been approved in 15 years. This is despite the fact that eight sunscreen applications have been pending at the FDA, some as far back as 2002. I might add that we find ourselves in this predicament, even though in Europe and other places around the world, new sunscreen ingredients are being introduced into sunscreen products. This past April, the Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the Sunscreen Innovation Act, where all of the expert witnesses, including the FDA, were in agreement that the current approval process is broken and in need of reform. So the objective of the Sunscreen Innovation Act is twofold: first, to expedite the review of pending applications at FDA; and, second, to create a timely and transparent process for new applications to be reviewed and acted on. The framework outlined in this legislation strikes an appropriate balance between consumer safety and access to the very best sunscreen product. The bill we have before us today reflects a bipartisan agreement reached in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration and outside stakeholders, such as the PASS Coalition and Environmental Working Group. I want to give a particular thanks to my colleague from Michigan (Mr. Dingell) for sponsoring this legislation with me. I would also like to thank Chairman Upton, who worked with us closely throughout the entire process, and Ranking Member Waxman for their assistance in reaching the agreement that allowed this legislation to come to the floor. I urge all my colleagues to support the bill. At this time, 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 to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3301.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Madam Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), chairman of the full Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), who is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WHITFIELD. May I inquire how much time remains?

Mr. WHITFIELD. At this time, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, first of all, I would like to point out that H.R. 3301 really, in a way, corrects the inequity. Today, natural gas pipelines are treated one way if they cross international boundaries, and oil pipelines and transmission lines are treated in a different way. For example, a natural gas pipeline crossing into Canada would not require a Presidential permit, but oil pipelines and transmission lines crossing international boundaries do require a Presidential permit. And I might add that Congress never passed legislation requiring a Presidential permit. That was a power that a President, by executive order, took even before President Obama did it. But here is the key factor. This law, H.R. 3301, would treat all pipelines the same, whether it is natural gas, whether it is oil, or whether it is a transmission line. Now, I know that arguments are being made here primarily based on Keystone, and a lot of arguments are being made about climate change. I would say to all of the American people that we have people coming into Congress on a regular basis from developing countries of the world who say that climate change is not their number one concern. They are more concerned about food. They are more concerned about sanitary living conditions. They are more concerned about clean water. They are more concerned about jobs and the ability to provide income for their families. And, as a matter of fact, polls in America have shown that climate change is way down the list of primary concerns of people. Now, I know that for Tom Steyer--who I understand is at the White House today--it is his number one issue. And he has said that he is going to spend $100 million against Republican candidates or any candidate that does not recognize climate change as one of the most important issues facing mankind. So I simply wanted to make that comment. Sure, climate change is important. And I might add that emissions from energy-produced causes in America today are the lowest that they have been in 20 years. So America does not have to take a back seat to anyone on addressing emissions from greenhouse gases. And I will tell you that we are the only country in the world where, if natural gas prices go up, we won't even be able to build a new coal plant in America because the technology is not commercially available at a cost that any utility could afford. So even in Europe, natural gas prices went up. They mothballed natural gas plants. And last year in Europe, they imported 53 percent of all our coal exports. But yet this President, in the White House today, has such extreme views that if our gas prices go up, we don't have the option in an affordable way to build a new coal plant to help us meet our base loads. And if we are going to have an economy that is not sluggish--the way it has been consistently under President Obama--we have to have affordable, abundant, and reliable energy. And that is what this bill is about. Now people are saying, if you pass H.R. 3301, you are exempting oil and transmission lines from a NEPA review. But I want you to know, there are 33 other environmental laws--like the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water, Rivers and Harbors, National Historic Preservation, Clean Air Act--that would trigger. If Federal action is triggered, then it would be triggered even under H.R. 3301. That is, unless, of course, it is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which this administration has granted windmills an exemptions from. So you can kill all the migratory birds you want and bald eagles. If you are a windmill company, you won't be prosecuted, but if you are an individual timber owner in North Carolina, you will be find $100,000 and convicted of a felony. So in conclusion of my remarks at this point, I would simply say that the bill is not designed to expedite the Keystone pipeline, because it can't be approved under H.R. 3301. It is under the Presidential permit process. But the Presidential permit process is arbitrary. Even the State Department has said that it would be of negligible environmental impact to approve the Keystone pipeline. But all H.R. 3301 does is it says, we are going to treat oil pipelines and transmission lines that cross international boundaries with Canada or Mexico exactly the way natural gas pipelines are treated today. So it is not anything extraordinary. It is not anything radical. It is the way natural gas pipelines are created today. And we believe that is the way to go, and that is what H.R. 3301 is all about. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Chairman, I would like to make an inquiry on the amount of time remaining on both sides.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Chairman, we don't have any more speakers on our side, so I will reserve the balance of my time and let the gentleman from California proceed.