Greg Walden

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. WALDEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to just address a couple of points. First of all, my dear friend from New Jersey, when he talks about the Congress bailing out the banks, may want to talk to his colleague from New York since, I think, he voted for TARP in that process. Anyway, he may want to have that discussion right there. You two are pretty close together. You can kind of work that deal out.

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

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time remains on both sides.

Mr. WALDEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we've seen this motion to instruct before; and it calls on the conferees, of which I'm a member, to act, and to do so by February 17, I believe is the date that's been suggested. We would like to act. In fact, we await an alternative from the Senate. The conference committee has met and, led by our very capable chairman, Dave Camp of Michigan, we've held, I believe, three or four open joint House-Senate Republican-Democrat conference discussions, meetings which hadn't happened around here. Certainly in the last Congress I don't think it ever happened. And we're doing it in the broad daylight, and we've had four of those, and our staffs are having some discussions. But you've got to go back and understand that the House, under Republican leadership, actually passed a 1-year extension of the unemployment benefits. The House, Republican led, passed a 2-year doc fix, which meant for seniors who are on Medicare that the physicians they rely so much on for their health care, those physicians would continue to be able to afford to see them and not face a 27.4 percent cut in the reimbursement rates. Now, here's the deal. We passed that, and we funded it, and we did it for 2 years, not 2 months--2 years. We did the payroll tax, as it's called by my friends on the other side of the aisle, payroll tax, middle class tax, working-American tax cut for a full year. Now, there's a debate about whether that should be offset or not, because our party has said, you know, when we reduce the tax burden on hardworking middle class Americans, families and job creators, we shouldn't have to go raise somebody else's taxes to do that. Now, the difference on this, if we're talking about Social Security taxes, this is about reducing the amount of money that you and I, Mr. Speaker, you and I pay into Social Security and every working American that pays into Social Security. We're saying, you get to reduce how much you pay into Social Security by this 2 percent. Now, those of us on this side of the aisle believe that the Social Security trust fund has been raided once too many times by both parties over time, but that should stop. And so if we're going to reduce how much goes into Social Security, we should offset that somehow so that the fund is not drained, and that can be done in a multitude of ways. But it should be done because otherwise it's less money going into the Social Security trust fund. And I think we'd all have to admit, as the actuaries do, that at the end of the day, the Social Security trust fund is not the best funded trust fund on the planet, and we are going to need to do some work to secure the retirement of future generations in Social Security. So back to the point here, the House passed all of that. We did a 1- year payroll tax reduction so that hardworking middle class Americans would have tax relief. They'd have that extra money in the pocket, and Lord knows they need it, especially when you see what's happened under this President with energy costs. I think gasoline was $1.86 a gallon when President Obama took office, and we now go to the pump and it's somewhere between $3-something or $4 and pushing over $4 depending on where you are in America. You've got to have a little extra money just to try and keep up and take your kids to soccer and go to school and go to work. It's hard out there. So we passed that, a year extension of that, and a full year extension of unemployment for those who have struggled in this horrible economy. There have been 11 recessions since World War II. This is the worst in terms of a recovery from a recession. When Ronald Reagan was President, we had a horrible recession in the early eighties. We came out of that recession, and if it were at the same pace now as then, you'd create something like 15 million, 16 million new jobs, which means virtually everybody who's unemployed and still uncounted, because a lot of people who have fallen off the unemployment rolls aren't counted, all of them would have jobs if we were growing at the same pace we did when President Reagan was in office and we came out of that recession. But we're not. The policies really haven't worked. The so-called stimulus that the American taxpayers were told if it would just pass, somehow unemployment would never get above 8 percent. Now, a trillion- plus dollars later with interest, payments that the next generation will get to pay back, we're somehow supposed to celebrate unemployment that's dropped to 8.3. I'm glad to see the improvement. I'm glad to see the job gains in the private sector. For goodness sakes, my wife and I have been small business owners since 1986 in Oregon. I understand what it's like to sign the front of a payroll check and the back and to grow a business and to deal in good times and in bad. But the long and short of this is this is a horrible recession, so coming out of this we need that bridge. We put some reforms in unemployment to help people, to lift them up, to give them incentive when they're out there for a year, year and a half, 2 years that maybe we could help them get a better education, encourage that, allow States to encourage that, to help them get a GED, because all of the data shows that if you have a high school diploma, if you have a GED, the odds of you getting hired are much higher. Then we gave the States the opportunity to do drug screening. I've heard from a lot of employers in my district out in rural Oregon that say, We do drug tests, and Congressman, you'd be shocked at how many people apply for the job and can't pass the drug test. Well, if you can't pass the drug test, then maybe you really aren't actively seeking work in a way that's legitimate because you can't get hired and yet you're on unemployment, so why don't we do some sort of screen, figure out that problem that you have, and help you then get treatment. So we said to States, we're going to do away with a Federal decision that's, I don't know, 20, 30, 40 years old that said States don't have this authority. I think States could actually manage this pretty well. That was in the bill the House passed. So we did all of these things: A 1-year reduction in the taxes people pay into Social Security, the payroll tax deduction, a 2-year fix for your physicians who treat our families on Medicare. Both of my parents, they're gone now, they were on Medicare. My wife's parents, who've also passed away, they were on Medicare. This is an incredibly valuable program. But we passed a 2-year fix for them. The 1-year for unemployment and the 1-year for the middle class tax cut. All of that went over to the Senate. And this is probably something maybe we can agree on here. What we got back from the other Chamber was a 2-month extension of those things. Now, some of us stayed around here when the House said, Really? A 2- month, when this is a 1-year and 2-year problem? Why don't you appoint some negotiators? So the Speaker of the House, Mr. Boehner, appointed the negotiators through the House side. We hoped that the Senate would appoint negotiators. They didn't. They didn't appoint anybody. In fact, they left town. Eventually, when nobody showed up after we'd been here for a week, trying to see if we couldn't bring both sides, the House and the Senate together, Republicans and Democrats, work out something more than a 2- month deal, they wouldn't show. And we ended up passing a 2-month extension. Which by the way, Mr. Speaker, puts us right back where we are right now. Which is why we have this motion to instruct from my friends on the other side of the aisle calling on the conference committee to get its work done by the 17th. So we have worked for that. In fact, the last time this was voted on here it was overwhelming. I think there were only 16 ``no'' votes in the House. So we want to get this done, too. Now, the Republican conferees have met today, as we've done over the last week or two. The Democrat Senate conferees, by the way, they had a retreat today down at the Nationals ballpark in some meeting room. There was a planning retreat. Both parties have had these in the House. But it just sort of caused a pause in the effort because the Democrats were all off at a policy retreat today from the Senate, so we weren't able to accomplish much today. But we hope to get something from the Senate because, you see, they go into the conference and they had this 2-month effort against our 1- year. So we can't negotiate against ourselves. So we're waiting for a proposal back from the Senate, which we hope to get soon. If we do, tomorrow we'll meet at 10 o'clock. Republicans, Democrats, House and Senate to try and work this through. We want to get this done. The American people deserve to have us get this done. We're working on a way to do that. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the entire Republican delegation from Oregon, I extend a very warm welcome to the newest representative from the Beaver State, Suzanne Bonamici. She cuts a similar path to the people's House as the one I traveled, having served in Salem as a State representative and a State senator, and as my colleague from Eugene points out, is a fellow Duck, having also earned a journalism degree, as I did, from the University of Oregon. She joins a congressional delegation that has a long history of embracing what we call the Oregon way, to set aside our differences and pursue solutions to take care of the State's most pressing priorities. From Congressmen DeFazio, Schrader, and Blumenauer to Senators Wyden and Merkley are on the floor today, we have mounted a number of bipartisan efforts in the Congress. So we are delighted to have you as part of this team. I think I can speak for the entire delegation in saying we look forward to working with you and continuing in the great service to the State of Oregon. Thank you, and welcome to the Congress.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, let me make a couple of points about this motion to instruct, which I oppose. Section 2123, which is the issue here, allows up to 10 States per year to apply for waivers to test innovative ideas to help people get a job, to help people get back to work, so it's only up to 10 States. And waiver programs would have to be cost neutral, rigorously evaluated, and then we could understand the policies. Look, I think the folks at home in my great State of Oregon are just as compassionate, if not more so, than what happens here in Washington. I think they can be creative, too, in helping. And, in fact, in 2011, Oregon launched its version under a waiver of the National Career Readiness Certificate program. Now, what that did was certify 10,760 work-ready individuals in the State that they have the appropriate math, reading, and other skills necessary to get back and contribute to the workforce. Now, that hiring tool brought nearly 400 businesses, communities, and workers together and then simplified the job-search hiring process. These are the kinds of innovative ideas that we could use to actually help people get a job. This is a horrible economy. We've had 11 recessions since World War II. This is the worst one in terms of coming out of it. So the policies that have been in place the last couple of years haven't work. The American people were promised if we spent a trillion dollars we don't have, including interest on the stimulus, unemployment wouldn't go above 8 percent; and yet here we are, record unemployment, record deficits. Trillion-dollar year after year after year deficits under the Obama administration, and people still out of work, highest poverty level since the great anti-poverty campaigns began. This has to change. We have to get people back to work. One of the issues that we're going to deal with in the conference committee, I hope, you want to do something about jobs, then let's stop this Boiler MACT rule from going into place. The EPA Boiler MACT rule threatens to cripple American manufacturers. We've lost more jobs there since back to, I think, World War II; and this rule by EPA would cut another 200,000 jobs. So let's roll back the job-killing regulations. Let's get Americans back to work, and let's leave creativity to the States to help us find better ways to take care of those who are unemployed.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to honor Ms. Carrie Novick on the occasion of her retirement. Since 1990, Carrie has served as the airport manager for Roberts Field, Redmond Municipal Airport in Redmond, Oregon. She will leave her position next Tuesday after nearly 22 years of exemplary public service to the citizens of Redmond and central Oregon. During her tenure as airport manager, Carrie has transformed a sleepy municipal airfield into a first class regional transportation hub. Nearly two years ago, Carrie completed an airport terminal expansion project that more than doubled the size of the existing airport to 136,000 square feet, tripled its operations capacity to 45 flights per day, and allowed for more than 200,000 passengers per year to pass through its gates. For nearly ten years, Carrie worked passionately to make this fantastic project a reality. Carrie's tenacity and good stewardship of public resources modernized the facility, increased flight availability, and improved passenger safety and services. Carrie fulfilled her vision to transform the Redmond Airport into a regional economic engine powering tourism, trade, and industry, all while improving the quality of life for area residents. Carrie has always been eager to share her vision and passion for her work. She always made an effort to meet me whenever I was flying to or departing from the airport to brief me on the latest airport developments, offer her counsel on aviation policy, or just share a cup of coffee with me at the gate. I will miss her candor, quick wit, and indomitable spirit. I'm proud to call her my good friend. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Ms. Carrie Novick for her outstanding contributions to the city of Redmond and the communities of central Oregon, and to wish her well upon her retirement. Carrie has given her time and efforts selflessly to the region and her service is worthy of the highest praise. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. I thank the chairman. Mr. Speaker, the American people have waited long enough for this Congress to act to create jobs. This legislation does that. It does that through the Jump-Starting Opportunity With Broadband Spectrum Act of 2011. There is no reason to delay this bill any further. This unleashes spectrum, both licensed and unlicensed, that when put into service will unleash new technologies, new innovations. And the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said this part of the bill we're debating today could create as many as 700,000 new jobs. Other estimates say between 300,000 and 700,000 American jobs. It generates upwards of $16 billion for companies who want to buy this broadband and pay the taxpayers for it because it is America's spectrum. And it does something that the Democrats, when they were in charge of the House for 4 years, failed to do: It makes this spectrum available, and it begins the process of building out an interoperable public safety broadband network as called for by the 9/11 Commission. Now, this legislation didn't just drop out of the sky. It was thoughtfully and creatively crafted, and it finds the right balances. Its provisions were improved as the result of input and counsel from five separate public hearings we held, 11 months of negotiations, and discussions with Members of both sides of the aisle, the FCC, and the NTIA. But at some point the American people say stop talking and get it done, and that's what this legislation does as part of this bigger bill. Hardworking middle class taxpayers want transparency and accountability; they don't want a blank check to anybody. So this legislation has the proper protections for the taxpayers. It builds out the public safety network. It creates 300,000 to 700,000 American jobs. Our economy needs the help, Americans need the jobs, and we need to generate revenue for the American taxpayer in a productive way, as this does. This legislation does all of these things and does them well. I urge support of this legislation.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 60 years of outstanding public and volunteer service of my fellow Oregonian and friend, Mr. Bob Nickelsen. I would like to celebrate and pay tribute to Bob's loyal service to my hometown of Hood River, Oregon and to pay tribute to a man who embodies the selfless spirit of service to others. In 1951, Bob first joined the West Side Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter. In 1961, Bob was appointed fire chief of the department, a position that he held until 1980. During his tenure as fire chief, the West Side Fire Department expanded its services by erecting a second firehouse, which now bears his name. Under Bob's guidance, the fire department also began dispatching first responder personnel to aid emergency medical calls with the Hood River Ambulance Service. For the past 30 years, he has also served as an elected member of the West Side Fire District Board of Directors. To this day, Bob continues to put himself in harm's way as a volunteer fire fighter. His leadership allowed this small rural volunteer fire district to stay in step with current developments in the fire sciences and provide the professional level of support that the community so richly deserves. Mr. Speaker, Bob Nickelsen's civic responsibilities do not end at the firehouse doors. He was a commissioner for the Port of Hood River for over 15 years and has served on numerous local agricultural boards and committees. He was previously recognized as the Hood River Valley's ``Orchardist of the Year.'' As a leader within the local farming community, Bob has contributed much of his time and effort to the economic development of Hood River and the Columbia Gorge. On December 10, the West Side Fire Department will once again honor Bob with a banquet on his behalf I invite my colleagues to join me in praising Bob Nickelsen for 60 remarkable years of dedicated public service, his numerous contributions to his community, and for his outstanding character as a citizen of Hood River. Theodore Roosevelt once said that ``the first requisite for a good citizen is that he should be willing and able to pull his own weight.'' Bob continues to far surpass this noble standard.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and share with you and my colleagues the story of Mr. Bill Hoyt and his life-long efforts to support agriculture and ranching, which are so important to jobs and the economy in rural Oregon. Over the past two years, Bill has done a tremendous job serving as the president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association. Later this week, Bill's term as president will come to an end. Before he hands over the reins I would like to pay tribute to his steadfast leadership. Prior to serving as president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, Bill served as president of the Douglas County Livestock Association and as president of the Oregon Polled Hereford Association. On top of his duties with the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, he serves on the board of the Oregon Forage and Grassland Council and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. In 2009, the Oregon Agribusiness Council recognized Bill's service to Oregon's agricultural and ranching community by presenting him with the 2009 Voice of the Industry award. During his tenure as president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, Bill has worked to promote and protect the interests of ranchers throughout Oregon. Bill has made a concerted effort to engage the general public about issues facing ranchers. He has spent many hours and miles traveling to meetings with rotary clubs, chambers of commerce and the environmental community, telling the story of Oregon's cattle ranchers, whose $700 million industry provides jobs throughout rural Oregon. His efforts to educate the public and build relationships with other interested groups culminated in the passage of the Livestock Compensation and Wolf Co-Existence Act during Oregon's 2011 legislative session. This precedent-setting legislation goes beyond what other states have done to compensate producers for livestock loss by allowing local county-level authorities to address compensation for and deterrence of livestock losses. Bill was raised on a beef ranch in Montana. After high school, he earned degrees in both political science and education. Bill served his country in the U.S. Air Force for four years before moving on to teach high school history. In 1977, Bill began working as the operations manager for his family ranch in Montana. In 1979, Bill expanded the operation to include the ranch from his mother's family in Oregon. Bill and his wife Sharon now own and operate the Hawley Land and Cattle Company in Oregon with Bill's father and younger brother. The ranch that Bill operates has been in the family for 159 years and Bill makes an effort to implement cutting edge stewardship practices for forage and livestock production. Bill and Sharon have diversified their operation over the years and now raise sheep, goats and beef cattle and sell grass-fed lamb and beef direct to markets and top-rated restaurants in Oregon and Washington. Through changing techniques, diversification and advocacy on behalf of the industry he loves, Bill hopes that agriculture and the livestock industries will continue to flourish in Oregon 150 years from now. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Bill Hoyt, who has served so ably as president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 27 World War II veterans from Oregon who will be visiting their memorial this Friday in Washington, D.C. through Honor Flight of Eastern Oregon. On behalf of a grateful State and country, we welcome these heroes to the Nation's capital. The veterans on this flight from Oregon are: Raymond Kurshner, U.S. Air Force; Lelus Jack Baucum, U.S. Army; Frank M. Chuk, U.S. Army; Audrey J. Johnson, U.S. Army; Albert J. Phillips, U.S. Army, and Harold M. Tucker, U.S. Army; Duane Gilchrist, U.S. Army Air Corps; Truman D. Logan, U.S. Army Air Corps, and Victor E. Mattila, U.S. Army Air Corps; Rex E. Esch, U.S. Coast Guard; Hattie H. Kelley, U.S. Marines; Floyd E. Kirby, U.S. Marines, and Dwight Patit Riggs, Jr., U.S. Marines; Lawrence Bird, U.S. Navy; Phoebe Helen DeGree, U.S. Navy; Anthony Galluzzo, U.S. Navy; Robert P. Maley, U.S. Navy; Lorene F. Mattila, U.S. Navy; Richard J. Nelson, U.S. Navy; Robert Leo Olson, U.S. Navy; Paul R. Scandlyn, U.S. Navy, and George N. Fogg, U.S. Navy/Air Force. These 22 heroes join more than 63,000 veterans from across the country who, since 2005, have journeyed from their home States to Washington, D.C. to reflect at the memorials built in honor of our Nation's veterans. Mr. Speaker, each of us is humbled by the courage of these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who put themselves in harm's way for our country and way of life. As a Nation, we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to them for their honor, commitment, and sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we have today. My colleagues, please join me in thanking these veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Eastern Oregon for their exemplary dedication and service to this great country.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank my colleague from Florida who has made some terrific comments regarding this legislation about the importance of oversight. I know my colleague from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) has been very keenly involved in the oversight efforts as well. Let me just say, as chair of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, that we will be doing oversight on how this program is working. We hear some reports that there have been problems getting access to fiber because of the earthquake in Japan that may have slowed build out. We understand that some of the smaller companies may have run into all kinds of problems working their way through rights-of-way issues that have delayed the build out of getting this broadband build out into many of our communities, especially those who don't have broadband today. So I think it's incumbent upon us, and I won't presume to speak for the minority, but I assume they would agree as well, we need to keep an eye on this just to see how is it working and what impediments are we running into, and are we going to see this broadband actually get built out as it was envisioned. The grants have been issued. The money is obligated, hasn't been spent. So it looks to me like we have two tasks here. One is to make sure we get what we're paying for as the American taxpayer, and the money that isn't going to get spent comes back or, if there's any kind of fraud developed, all that money we can recover will come back and that there is a very surefire method, without question, that it comes back to the Treasury; and that, also, to take a look at what are the impediments to building out. I know we run into it where I am at, that we do have problems sometimes getting these permits, getting through the various regulations that really impede our opportunity. I would encourage Members on both sides of the House to approve this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I just want to touch on a couple of things. First of all, you can tell we're into October and Halloween is coming because all the scare tactics are out and on display. We heard several things from the last speaker, and since I'm from the State of Oregon, I want to point out, he mentioned that the biggest polluter of mercury in Oregon is the cement kiln. Why is that? Because we only have one coal plant and it's being closed. So that's it. The cement factory in Durkee, Oregon, which is in my district, a county of 16,000, 3 years ahead of any of these rules invested $20 million in the latest, most advanced technology to remove their pollutants, reduce their emissions, $20 million, they reduced their emissions by 90 percent, and what this rule would do, the MACT rule under consideration here that we're trying to delay and bring common sense to, it would put them out of business, because they're already using the maximum achievable control technology that is available in the world. They've reduced their emissions by over 90 percent on a consistent basis. There isn't technology available to go further, because the limestone found behind this plant that's been in operation for, I don't know, 30 or 40 years, happens to have a little higher level of mercury. The Clean Air Act would allow the EPA to create a subcategory. They chose not to. The Clean Air Act says you can't force a company to do more substitution, and yet that's what would have to occur here--except there's no limestone anywhere nearby. According to the EPA's own ``Roadmap for Mercury'' study in 2006, 83 percent of the mercury deposited in the U.S. originates from international sources. This is the State of Oregon. Guess what's out here somewhere: It would be China. We get it in from the atmosphere. So what we're doing here is trading our jobs to China, buying our cement there, they don't have these rules, we get their pollution, we lose, and you put a plant out of business. You want to talk about jobs? There are 109 individuals who work at the Ash Grove Cement Company in Durkee, Oregon. The Teamsters wrote to me back in March, imploring me to do everything I could to ensure these jobs: ``As you are aware, this cement plant is important to the community in Durkee, and also, their product is vital to rebuilding and building our infrastructure. Economic stability and jobs should be the number one priority for all of us,'' Lynn Lehrbach, Representative, Joint Council of Teamsters No. 37. The entire Oregon delegation recently signed a letter to the EPA, advocating Ash Grove for their Clean Air Excellence Award. In that letter, it reads: ``Ash Grove's commitment to proactively reduce mercury emissions at its Durkee, Oregon, plant 3 years ahead of the new EPA rules taking effect is commendable. This type of action by Ash Grove's and their ultimate success in making meaningful reductions is a model that others should emulate.'' Yet if these rules were to go into effect, they can't meet the new rules because the new rules would make them reduce their emissions by 98.4 percent. Now, this is the biggest employer in Baker County with direct and indirect jobs of some 654 in the area. They have been a good corporate citizen. They care about the people of Baker County and the surrounding areas. They are working day and night to reduce their emissions, and it's simply not achievable. Baker already has 10.7 percent unemployment. You take this away, and think what that unemployment rate will be. They have reduced their emissions. The emissions we're getting--83 percent according to the EPA--are already coming in from elsewhere, deposited in the United States from international sources, both natural and remitted. Look, we're just trying to find some balance here. We're saying the Clean Air Act set the maximum achievable control technology, but that can't be met here. It doesn't work. They're already using the activated carbon injection filtering system. They've already spent $20 million to achieve their goals. We're just saying we care about the jobs, too. We care about the air, and we care about the jobs. So when Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy testified before our committee, I asked her, I'm concerned about these health problems. Would you provide for me the effects in Baker County in Oregon that you've demonstrated to come up with these data points. Twenty-seven days later, we still have no response. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, to save the jobs and to bring responsible management to air control and quality improvement. Joint Council of Teamsters No. 37, Portland, Oregon, March 31, 2011. Hon. Greg Walden, U.S. Representative, Oregon District 2, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC. Hon. Greg Walden, U.S. Representative, Oregon District 2, Medford, OR. Dear Representative Walden: The current economic conditions are affecting most of our Teamster Industries. One in particular is our Durkee Cement Plant in your district. The EPA/Oregon DEQ is attempting to shut the Durkee Cement Plant down for not meeting emission standards. The Durkee Plant spent $20 million to retrofit their plant to meet the EPA's requirement. They came close, but no horseshoe. As you are aware, this cement plant is important to the community in Durkee, and also, their product is vital to rebuilding and building our infrastructure. Economic stability and jobs should be the No. 1 priority for all of us. We are asking for your help to keep the Durkee Cement Plant in operation. Thank you for your attention to this most important issue. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call. Sincerely, Lynn R. Lehrbach, Representative.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1343) to return unused or reclaimed funds made available for broadband awards in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to the Treasury of the United States, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN. 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. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First of all, I want to thank my colleague from New Hampshire, Charlie Bass, who has really worked hard on this issue to bring about greater accountability and oversight of how American taxpayer dollars are being allocated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, especially to make sure that when the money comes back that it's really clear with these agencies that it goes back to pay down the deficit and doesn't end up in some sort of slush fund, and my colleague Mr. Bass has played a real leadership role in both crafting this legislation and making sure it comes to the House at this time. Mr. Speaker, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated approximately $7 billion in taxpayer money to two broadband-related grant and loan programs. One was administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the other by the Rural Utility Service. The wisdom of creating these programs and whether the money should have been better targeted to unserved households has been the subject of ongoing debate. There is, however, general consensus on the importance of oversight, as evidenced by the bill, H.R. 1343, unanimously passed out of subcommittee and the full Energy and Commerce Committee by voice vote. I, for one, want to make sure these programs do not produce some sort of Solyndra problem. I want to thank our ranking members, Waxman and Eshoo, and their staffs for working with us on this bill. We incorporated a number of their suggestions, and the bill is better because of it. Because the NTIA and RUS have already awarded all $7 billion, the bill does not automatically revoke any money. To do so would not only be unfair to the grant and loan recipients that are abiding by their award terms, it would also likely cost the government more in legal fees than it would save. The vast majority of the money is yet to be spent by the awardees, however. So, what H.R. 1343 does is clarify the responsibility of the NTIA and the RUS going forward to terminate failed or failing grants and loans and to return to the U.S. Treasury any rescinded or relinquished funds. The bill also improves oversight of the broadband programs. Among other things, the bill requires the NTIA and the RUS either to terminate an award within 30 days of receiving information from their respective Inspectors General or the Comptroller General regarding material in noncompliance with award terms, or to explain to Congress why they don't. It would require the NTIA and RUS to deobligate and return to the Treasury funds from terminated awards as well as return unused funds from any relinquished awards. Finally, it would require award recipients to provide an accounting of funds received but not yet expended, if the NTIA or RUS terminate those awards. The number of NTIA and RUS awards that have already been returned, and the fact that more than 90 percent of the money the ARRA allocated for broadband still remains obligated but unspent, makes this legislation all the more important. Of 233 NTIA awards worth approximately $3.94 billion, recipients had only spent $480 million through June of this year, despite claims that the stimulus act generally would focus on ``shovel ready'' projects. Clearly, that hasn't happened here. Four of the 233 awards worth approximately $40 million have already been rescinded or returned. The RUS has issued 320 awards, consisting of $2.3 billion in grants and $87 million leveraged for $1.2 billion in loans. Yet recipients had only spent $250 million by the middle of July, and 28 of the 320 awards, worth $123 million in grants and $35 million in loans, had already been returned or rescinded. Some of my colleagues, as they did in committee, may say that the legislation is really unnecessary. I would disagree. The Department of Commerce Inspector General, the Department of Agriculture Inspector General, and the Government Accountability Office have all flagged concerns with the programs and identified them as high risk, including in testimony at the Communications and Technology Subcommittee's February 10, 2011, hearing. A number of statutory shortcomings further demonstrate the need for this legislation. For example, existing law leaves the NTIA and the RUS too much discretion in deciding whether to deobligate and return funds from failed or failing awards. Section 6001(i)(4) of the stimulus law establishing the NTIA program stipulates only that the Assistant Secretary ``may'' deobligate awards in cases of waste, fraud, or insufficient performance. The statutory language provides even less guidance to the RUS, remaining silent on the issue of deobligation and return of funds. Commerce Assistant Secretary Strickling agreed in an April 2011 hearing that the bill would create more certainty. That was our effort. While Dodd-Frank added rescission provisions to the ARRA, it is unclear whether the terms ``withdraw'' and ``recapture'' in Dodd-Frank have the same meaning as ``deobligate'' in section 6001 of the ARRA, leaving unclear how the Dodd-Frank provisions would be interpreted and applied to the broadband grants. When Congress uses billions of dollars to subsidize broadband in competition with the private sector, especially when 95 percent of the country already has access, it bears all the more responsibility to police those dollars. For this and all the reasons that I have mentioned, I thank the gentleman from New Hampshire for his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to vote for the bill. I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC, September 30, 2011. Hon. Fred Upton, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Upton: Thank you for the opportunity to review the text of H.R. 1343, to return unused or reclaimed funds made available for broadband awards in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to the Treasury of the United States, for provisions of the bill that fall within the jurisdiction of this Committee. Knowing of your interest in expediting this legislation and in maintaining the continued consultation between our Committees on these matters, I agree to discharge H.R. 1343 from further consideration by the Committee on Agriculture. I do so with the understanding that by discharging the bill, the Committee on Agriculture does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over this or similar matters. In addition, in the event a conference with the Senate is requested on this matter, the Committee on Agriculture reserves the right to seek appointment of conferees, if it should become necessary. I ask that you insert a copy of our exchange of letters into the Congressional Record during consideration of this measure on the House floor. Thank you for your courtesy in this matter and I look forward to continued cooperation between our respective committees. Sincerely, Frank D. Lucas, Chairman.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the author of the legislation, a very valuable member of our Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass).

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns), who chairs our very important Oversight Subcommittee and who has done extraordinary work in looking into some of these programs, not necessarily on the broadband side here, but certainly on the energy loan side, where there has been a problem.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 27 World War II veterans from Oregon who will be visiting their memorial this Friday in Washington, D.C. through Honor Flight of Oregon. On behalf of a grateful state and country, we welcome these heroes to the nation's capital. The veterans on this flight from Oregon are: William Raupp, U.S. Air Force; Russell Blower, U.S. Army; William Brown, U.S. Army; Glenn Butler, U.S. Army; Earl Davis, U.S. Army; Howard Heinz, U.S. Army; LeRoy Hopkins, U.S. Army; David Kyle, U.S. Army; Harold ``Bud'' Loucks, U.S. Army; Robert Rampy, U.S. Army; Harrison ``Robbie'' Robbins, U.S. Army; Anthony DelCollo, U.S. Army Air Corps; Leo Kraft, U.S. Marine Corps; Joseph Lavallee, U.S. Marine Corps; Charlotte ``Sharkey'' Meyer, U.S. Marine Corps; Michael Pershem, U.S. Marine Corps; Francis Welsh, U.S. Marine Corps; Donald Ayriss, U.S. Navy; John Brazie, U.S. Navy; Jack Buckley, U.S. Navy; Kenneth Deacon, U.S. Navy; Keith Frey, U.S. Navy; Melvin Leroy Kerber, U.S. Navy; Margaret Lutz, U.S. Navy; James Petralba, U.S. Navy; Allan Westphal, U.S. Navy; Frank Smith, U.S. Navy. These 27 heroes join more than 63,000 veterans from across the country who, since 2005, have journeyed from their home states to Washington, D.C. to reflect at the memorials built in honor of our nation's veterans. Mr. Speaker, each of us is humbled by the courage of these soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who put themselves in harm's way for our country and way of life. As a nation, we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to them for their honor, commitment, and sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we have today. My colleagues, please join me in thanking these veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Oregon for their exemplary dedication and service to this great country. I especially want to recognize and thank Gail Yakopatz for her tireless work as president of Honor Flight of Oregon.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at noon on Monday, September 26, 2011, and further when the House adjourns on that day, it shall meet at 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 29, 2011.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 47 World War II veterans from Oregon who will be visiting their memorial this Friday in Washington, DC through Honor Flight of Eastern Oregon and the newly created Honor Flight of Portland, Oregon. On behalf of a grateful state and country, we welcome these heroes to the Nation's Capital. The veterans on this flight from Oregon are: Elmer Beickel, U.S. Navy; Hayes Bickford, U.S. Navy; John Cleveland, U.S. Navy; Charles Decker, U.S. Navy; Leon Devereaux, Jr., U.S. Navy; Melvin Elder, U.S. Navy; Robert Ervin, U.S. Navy; Roice Fulleton, U.S. Navy; Robert Heisey, U.S. Navy; Dale Herbert, U.S. Navy; James Ogle, U.S. Navy; Edward Rose, Jr., U.S. Navy; Willard Rudd, U.S. Navy; Cameron Seitz, U.S. Navy; Russell Williams, U.S. Navy; Glen Winkler, U.S. Navy; Peter McNab, U.S. Navy; Henry Campuzano, U.S. Army; Vyvyan Clift, U.S. Army; James Dorgan, U.S. Army; Neil Farnham, U.S. Army; Howard Heimbuch, U.S. Army; James Howard, U.S. Army; Charles Keim, U.S. Army; Gerald Mattox, U.S. Army; William McCluhan, U.S. Army; Elliott Preble, U.S. Army; Erwin Regan, U.S. Army; James Sehorn, U.S. Army; Darrell Thompson, U.S. Army; Donald Thompson, U.S. Army; Clayton Vincent, U.S. Army; Patsy Seaman, U.S. Women's Army Corps; Bernard Anderson, U.S. Army Air Forces; Lee Berry, Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces; T. Carl Juhl, U.S. Army Air Forces; Jack Lewis, U.S. Army Air Forces; Robert Marble, U.S. Army Air Forces; Frank Ramirez, U.S. Army Air Forces; Walter Seaman, U.S. Army Air Forces; Gilbert Sharp, U.S. Army Air Forces; Dewey Thomas, U.S. Army Air Forces; Delbert Stafford, U.S. Army Air Forces; Donald Foelker, U.S. Marine Corps; Charles Porter, Jr., U.S. Coast Guard; Wayne Carlson, U.S. Merchant Marine; Paul Kirk, U.S. Merchant Marine. These 47 heroes join more than 63,000 veterans from across the country who, since 2005, have journeyed from their home states to Washington, DC to reflect at the memorials built in honor of our nation's veterans. Mr. Speaker, each of us is humbled by the courage of these soldiers, sailors, airmen, mariners and one Marine who put themselves in harm's way for our country and way of life. As a nation, we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to them for their honor, commitment, and sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we have today. I will be hosting a special forum on Capitol Hill on Friday for these highly distinguished Americans, and I'm very eager to thank them all in person. My colleagues, please join me in thanking these veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Eastern Oregon and Portland, Oregon for their exemplary dedication and service to this great country. I especially want to recognize Dick Tobiason, a U.S. Army veteran, and the Bend Heroes Foundation whose tireless work will result in over 100 WWII veterans from Oregon visiting the memorials and U.S. Capitol.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to Colonel James C. Miller on the occasion of his retirement from a long and outstanding career in the United States Air Force and the Oregon Air National Guard. Colonel Miller began his career in the Air Force through the ROTC program at Central Washington University in 1984. Early in his Air Force career he qualified as a pilot in the T-37 and the F-15 Eagle aircraft and served honorably throughout the United States. In 1999 he became a member of the Oregon Air National Guard as an instructor pilot in the Fighter wing at Kingsley Field, Oregon, and has since served in numerous jobs of increasing responsibility at Kingsley Field. Throughout his career in the Air Force, he became an accomplished pilot, exceeding 4,300 flying hours in the F-15 Eagle. Colonel Miller most recently served as the Commander of the 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field. During that tour of duty his exceptional leadership and tenacious dedication to duty to both the State of Oregon and the United States of America resulted in an outstanding set of accomplishments. He commanded over 800 airmen, oversaw over $20 million annually in operating costs, and orchestrated over 44,000 Class A accident-free flying hours. Under his leadership the wing accepted 19 new aircraft and converted the aircraft to new engines in only five months, while maintaining the highest mission capable rate in the Air Force. Colonel Miller's visionary leadership was instrumental in the establishment of Kingsley Field as the Air National Guard's premier F- 15 training unit and the Wing's selection as the sole F-15 fighter training unit in the U.S. Air Force. Colonel Miller served his community as well as his military mission. He spearheaded the efforts of the most successful series of Combined Federal Campaigns in Kingsley Field history, raising more than $500,000 for local non-profit agencies. He re-invigorated the Kingsley Field Military Affairs Committee, directly involving local civic and Chamber of Commerce leaders in supporting Kingsley Airmen. He created the ``Pilot for a Day'' program, allowing local underprivileged and challenged youth to experience what it's like to be an Air Force pilot. Throughout his long career, Colonel Miller served his country and his state honorably, and, on behalf of the people of Oregon's Second District, I want to thank him for his service.

Mr. WALDEN

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

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I appreciate the work of Mr. Sessions and the very powerful Rules Committee in bringing forward this rule, which I support. And I appreciate the work of our colleague from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) for introducing this legislation and working with me on some issues that are critically important to the people of eastern and southern Oregon, and, frankly, all across Oregon, especially in places like Milton- Freewater, Oregon. In Milton-Freewater, citizens are paying hundreds of dollars more in flood insurance because FEMA came in and did a remap process, and it has put a real burden on the people of this community. The community has already set in motion a plan to fix the levees that FEMA says have fallen out of certification, to bring them back into compliance. This bill could provide relief from the mandatory insurance purchase requirements--remember, you've got government sort of mandatory insurance hanging over these folks--while the community works to improve the levees. It also will force FEMA to factor in the actual protection afforded by existing levees regardless of their accreditation status. Part of the problem we have out there in Milton-Freewater is you have a couple of agencies fighting over whether there should be brush allowed to grow on the levees. One agency says, oh, we need that for shade in the river, and the other says, no, that actually degrades the integrity of the levee. So we have Federal agencies fighting, and the people in Milton-Freewater get stuck with the bill. These commonsense steps and others in the bill will provide the relief Milton-Freewater is in desperate need of. These changes will, according to one county commissioner from the area, benefit more than 2,000 people in the community. Now down in southern Oregon, citizens in Jackson County have been adversely impacted by the recently redrawn FEMA flood maps that, as FEMA has admitted, used inferior mapping methods for some portions. Now the new maps force many homeowners into 100- and 500-year floodplains for the first time. Now that means they have to buy costly insurance when they may not even need it. It's not cheap either. While it runs about $400 a year for the 2-year discount period, premiums skyrocket after that to as much as $25,000 annually, I'm told. Now, this bill would waive the burdensome mandatory insurance purchase requirements while the new maps are being appealed by homeowners. Homeowners shouldn't get stuck with this bill, this extraordinary cost, when it may, in fact, be a mapping error that even the agency admits they used inferior methods on. This bill also improves the mapping process by reinstating the Technical Mapping Advisory Council, which will be better suited to take into account local factors during remapping, including natural topography and decertified levees that had not previously been considered. This bill works to bring the National Flood Insurance Program out of the red while allowing communities more local input on their flood plans and time to adjust should they be designated as a high-risk area. So I urge my colleagues both to approve the rule and the underlying bill so that we may reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program in a commonsense, fiscally responsible and bipartisan way.