Greg Walden

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 1374.

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

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1374) to authorize the development and maintenance of a multi-agency campus project in the town of Jackson, Wyoming.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2296) to amend the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands to provide that the number of members on the legislature of the Virgin Islands and the number of such members constituting a quorum shall be determined by the laws of the Virgin Islands, and for other purposes.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1937) to amend the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act to provide for sales of electricity by the Bonneville Power Administration to joint operating entities.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, due to my presence at a funeral of a close family friend on Wednesday, September 6, I was not able to participate in any rollcall votes that took place on that day. If I had been present, I would have voted yes on rollcall votes #451, #452 and #453.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to reinforce the comments of my colleague, the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson), and to call on the Russian government and President Putin to free Mr. Ed Pope. We have heard he is an American businessman that they have held without trial for months, and I rise to assure Mr. And Mrs. Pope's family that the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Peterson) and I are doing everything we can to secure his release. Mr. Speaker, the Russian government's continued incarceration of Mr. Pope, an American citizen, is nothing short of outrageous. Not only was his arrest and subsequent imprisonment contrary to international law, but the treatment he has received while in custody has been appalling. Until recently, I am told, he has been denied communications with his wife. We heard they went for 70-plus days without being able to exchange letters or any communication. He has been denied access to sufficient food and medical treatment by American standards and certainly every other basic right we associate with justice systems of civilized nations. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Pope's imprisonment is reminiscent of those ugly dark days of the old Soviet regime when men and women were taken from their homes in the dark of night, interrogated, and sometimes never seen again. And that is wrong. Mr. Speaker, as of yesterday, I was told that Mr. Pope still lacks such basics as a blanket, a blanket his wife has been trying to send to him, a blanket that has been described and detailed about what they have to do to get through the Russian bureaucracy and yet continued to be denied, a blanket. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Pope's parents, Roy and Elizabeth Pope, who live in my district in Grant's Pass, Oregon. Mr. Speaker, both of them are elderly. Mr. Pope suffers from terminal cancer and dementia. They and I do not fully comprehend the diplomatic obstacles that keep their son away from his family. Mr. Speaker, on May 9, I wrote to our own Secretary of State. On June 27, I wrote again. In neither case has this administration bothered to respond to the two letters of inquiry that I have sent directly to the Secretary of State. Mr. Speaker, Ed's family knows that Ed is no criminal and that his imprisonment is unjust. Mr. Speaker, we simply must do everything in our collective power to see to it that he is freed as soon as humanly possible. Mr. Pope is no spy and he should be returned to his family. So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in sending a strong message to President Putin and the Russian government that the American people are serious about this and will not forget their actions if Mr. Pope is not returned immediately. In an era when the opportunity exists for better relations between our two nations, now is not the time to return to the mutual antagonism and suspicion that held the entire world hostage for a half a century of the Cold War.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's yielding to me and his hard work on this legislation. I thank him for his time and help on it. I want to thank the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) as well, with whom I have worked on this and several other pieces of legislation in this session in a partnership that I think benefits all of our constituents in Oregon. We need to continue to work to move all those bills through the process and down to the President's desk. I also want to thank the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), and others who have worked in a bipartisan effort on this compromise legislation, including our Oregon Senators, Senator Wyden and Senator Smith. The reason this bill passed unanimously out of the Senate and the House Committee on Resources is because people know it is good for the environment and good for the people. It will add 54\1/2\ miles of threatened and endangered species habitat for Bull Trout, Chinook Salmon, Mid-Columbia Steelhead, and Westslope Cutthroat Trout. It will add over 71\1/2\ miles of riparian zones under Federal management. It will increase public land holdings within the Wild and Scenic River System corridors by over 1,300 acres. It will increase commercial forest land under management by Federal agencies by more than 5,218 acres. And as we have heard already, it is supported by Oregon's Democrat Governor John Ktizhaber, Oregon Trout, Oregon Trout Unlimited, Native Fish Society, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, and the Umatilla Reservations, to name just a few. Mr. Speaker, this stack of documents I have in this box next to me, which I will not dump out on the table, but certainly could, weighs more than 13 pounds. It is some 5 years' worth of National Environmental Protection Act processes and failed time lines in an attempt to execute this exchange administratively. We have seen two U.S. Forest Service environmental impact assessments, a draft EIS for the Triangle Exchange, draft EIS and final EIS for the Northeast Assembled Land Exchange; we have had official consultation with all four impacted native American tribes, each of which supports the exchanges; and had formal consultation with and concurrence by the National Marine Fisheries and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This bill goes so far as to take the BLM and the Forest Service's preferred alternatives from these 5 years of NEPA processes and includes the preferred alternatives in this act. Mr. Speaker, this is a sound environmental bill, providing sought- after Federal management of these vital salmon and steelhead streams. We cannot afford to allow these exchanges to fall apart due to bureaucratic failings and an increased hypersensitivity to land exchanges both good and bad. Mr. Speaker, I share my colleague's concerns about land exchanges and will continue to vigorously review them as they come before this body to make sure the public gets its due in any exchanges that may be proposed.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4132) to reauthorize grants for water resources research and technology institutes established under the Water Resources Research Act of 1984.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate the efforts of the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle) and his staff in helping me to bring forward H.R. 1787, the Deschutes Resources Conservancy Reauthorization bill. I also appreciate the support of the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for this important bill. The DRC is one of the best examples of a win-win program that I have ever seen. Because it is a consensus-based mission, it brings together central Oregonians from diverse backgrounds and should be the model for other resource management programs across our great country. The DRC has brought together interests who have historically, at times, been at odds in competing for the limited supply of our resources. Board members include ranchers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Warm Springs Tribes, the Forest Service, timber companies, developers and environmentalists, all working together and doing exceptional projects on the ground in central Oregon to improve water quality and water quantity. The beauty of the DRC model is that they are taking scarce Federal dollars and then leveraging them with other grants to obtain the greatest impact. In 1999, the DRC leveraged its $450,000 appropriation to complete more than $2.1 million in on-the-ground restoration projects, more than a 4 to 1 ratio. These projects include piping irrigation district delivery systems to prevent water losses; securing in-stream water rights to restore flows to Squaw Creek; providing riparian fences to protect water banks; working with private timber landowners to restore riparian and wetland areas; and seeking donated water rights to enhance in-stream flows in the Deschutes River Basin. Madam Speaker, I wholeheartedly support the reauthorization of this sound conservation program for another 5 years and support the increase of its reauthorization level. If the authorization level is increased as requested in this legislation, I do not have any objections to including the Department of Agriculture as an additional funding source. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this sound environmental legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4286, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 4286, introduced by our colleagues, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Riley) would establish the 3,500 acre Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge in Bibb County, Alabama. The Cahaba is the longest free-flowing river in Alabama and it may have the greatest concentration of fish biodiversity per mile of any river in the United States. It has been called ``Alabama's rain forest'' because it contains essential habitat for 69 rare and imperiled species and 131 species of fish. There are 13 species found nowhere else in the world but in the Cahaba River. During the hearing on this bill, the subcommittee learned that only those landowners who are interested in selling their property were included within the proposed boundaries of the refuge. Furthermore, one of our witnesses, Ms. Wendy Allen of the Alabama Nature Conservancy testified that ``This refuge represents an outstanding opportunity to protect some of the rarest species in the world via a remarkable public/private partnership.'' The goals of this refuge would be to conserve native aquatic species, assist in the recovery of listed plants and animals, provide opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation, and encourage partnerships and volunteers to assist in the operation of this refuge. The Cahaba River is a unique, beautiful and pristine area that is worthy of refuge designation. I urge an ``aye'' vote on this important conservation measure, and I compliment the authors of this legislation for their outstanding leadership. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Riley).

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam 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. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, today we are considering H.R. 4442. This is the National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Act. This legislation was introduced by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton), along with a list of distinguished cosponsors, including the committee chairman, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), and the ranking member, my colleague and friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller). This legislation recognizes a great achievement in conservation, 100 years of the National Wildlife System. While this is an important milestone, H.R. 4442 recognizes that we still have work ahead of us to reduce the operations and maintenance backlog within the refuge system. H.R. 4442 establishes a commission to plan activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this system. The bill also requires the Secretary to submit a comprehensive plan for addressing the maintenance and operations backlog within the refuge system. This bill is supported by the administration and is noncontroversial. The American people deserve the finest refuge system in the world. I urge an aye vote on this important measure. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4442) to establish a commission to promote awareness of the National Wildlife Refuge System among the American public as the System celebrates its centennial anniversary in 2003, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased today that the House is considering House Resolution 415. This is a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Oceans Day should be established to recognize the significant role the ocean plays in our lives, that the ocean's resources are limited, and therefore, nations must work together to conserve them. The oceans will continue to play an important role in the lives of our Nation's people, especially as the population grows. Currently, more than 50 percent of the Nation's population lives in the coastal areas of the United States, and one out of six American jobs is in fishing, shipping, or tourism. Yet, we do not have a full understanding of the oceans and their resources, upon which we rely so heavily. Declaring a National Oceans Day would draw the public's attention to the importance of their relationship to the ocean, and more importantly, to the need for responsible stewardship. Internationally there has been recognition of the importance of the oceans, and the State of Hawaii has led the way in this country by declaring a day in June as Ocean Day. Madam Speaker, I believe we should as a nation join in celebrating the significance of our oceans. I urge the House to support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I have no one else to speak on this, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 415, as amended.

Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 415) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a National Ocean Day to recognize the significant role the ocean plays in the lives of the Nation's people and the important role the Nation's people must play in the continued life of the ocean, as amended.