Bruce Westerman

Mr. WESTERMAN

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

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that we do everything in our power to ensure that our forests are being managed properly. The ACRES Act is one small step in the right direction. It is a commonsense solution to a problem that really shouldn't even exist in the first place. Again, I thank the ranking member in the minority for supporting this bill. The idea that we are actually moving toward more forest management is encouraging to me. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I again thank Mr. Valadao for bringing this important piece of legislation. I thank the ranking member and the minority for their support on this bill. Again, we must provide all necessary tools for the wildland firefighting agencies so that they can combat this wildfire crisis. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Valadao), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Congressman Valadao's bill, the Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2023. This legislation, rightly named, has the potential to provide another tool in the toolbox for addressing the catastrophic wildfire crisis. Americans have tragically grown accustomed to increasingly severe wildfire years that are lasting longer and producing more destruction than ever before. This summer, devastating wildfires impacted the community of Lahaina on the island of Maui, devastation I saw firsthand along with several of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Unfortunately, the reality is that decades of inadequate forest management have created an unprecedented forest health crisis. Across the U.S., there are now 1 billion acres of at-risk land for wildfire. In the absence of dramatic change, the future outlook remains bleak. When it comes to fighting these out-of-control infernos, we simply don't have the luxury of ignoring potential new technologies that could improve the cost efficiency or effectiveness of suppressing fires. It is critical that wildland firefighting agencies have all tools and methods available to them to fight fires and protect lives and property. Aircraft and helicopters provide lifesaving support to ground crews, often by delivering water or fire retardant. In order to drop water or fire retardant from a plane or helicopter, the aircraft must be designed or retrofitted for such purposes, limiting the number of aircraft that are available. Mr. Valadao has worked with various stakeholders who have developed and improved a container aerial firefighting system to drop water and fire retardant from aircraft via disposable containers. This technology could decrease the response time to wildfires by increasing the number of aircraft available, thus saving more lives and more structures. This technology is not new. However, the system has not been recently studied by the wildland firefighting agencies. H.R. 3389 would require the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior to conduct an evaluation on the use of container aerial firefighting systems in response to wildfires. The evaluation will focus on effectiveness, cost, ease of delivery, and safety. Directing our wildfire fighting agencies to study new and emerging technology is a win for the wildland firefighting crews and a win for those who live in fire-prone areas. I applaud Congressman Valadao for his leadership on this important topic. He is a leader on bipartisan solutions that meaningfully improve forest health and reduce wildfires. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC, September 5, 2023. Hon. Bruce Westerman, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual understanding regarding H.R. 3389, the ``Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2023''. Thank you for collaborating with the Committee on Agriculture on the matters within our jurisdiction. The Committee on Agriculture will forego any further consideration of this bill. However, by foregoing consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over any subject matter contained in this or similar legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees should it become necessary and ask that you support such a request. We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 3389 and request a copy of our letters on this matter be published in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration. Sincerely, Glenn ``GT'' Thompson, Chairman.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3324) to extend the authority to collect Shasta-Trinity Marina fees through fiscal year 2029.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and heroism of U.S. Army Specialist Charlie Simpson, Jr. Mr. Simpson was drafted into the United States Army in 1968 and went to Basic Training in Fort Ord, California. After Basic Training, he successfully completed Advanced Infantry Training and later, Jump Training School. He then received orders to join our brave soldiers in Vietnam. Mr. Simpson was injured on November 1, 1969, while serving the United States of America, and he was hospitalized in Japan for 30 days. He returned home to the U.S. in December 1969, and recuperated at the Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver, Colorado, for 1 year. As a result of his combat service-connected injuries, Mr. Simpson lost both of his legs. He received an honorable discharge in 1970, and he was recognized for his tremendous service with the awarding of a Purple Heart and other prestigious medals. With such serious injuries, some would have given up, but that's not Charlie Simpson's way. After his discharge from the Army, Mr. Simpson returned home to Malvern, Arkansas, where he met his wife, Brenda, and where they made a tremendously full life together. The Simpsons have 5 children: Aaronda McNair and her husband, Tony, Veronica Rose and her husband, Cletis, Charlie Simpson, III and his wife, Nikya, Leticia Franklin and her husband, Kevin, and their dearly beloved, deceased son, Aaron Simpson. They have also been blessed with 11 grandchildren and 2 great- grandchildren to carry-on the legacy of their brave grandfather and great-grandfather. Mr. Speaker, we often mention the sacrifices our men and women in uniform and their families make for our country, and rightly so. But today, along with our thanks, let us also celebrate the good work and contributions these soldiers, airmen, and marines have made in their communities. I would like to thank Specialist Simpson for his tremendous sacrifice for our nation and wish him well as he continues working for the people of Malvern, Arkansas. All Arkansans are eternally grateful for his service.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Republicans care about the environment. The word ``conservation'' is derived from the word ``conservative,'' and a true conservative is one who is a good steward of the environment and takes care of what we have got so it will be better in the future. This rule by the Fish and Wildlife Service listing the lesser prairie-chicken is not about conservation. It is about moving a political agenda. I had the great opportunity to study forestry at--Yale School of the Environment, as it is now called--Yale Forest School. There was somebody who went through that program decades before I did. His name was Aldo Leopold. He is quoted probably as often as anybody in the world of conservation. One of my favorite quotes of his is: ``There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.'' How applicable that is today in the world that we live in where you have got an urban America that doesn't realize what rural America provides for the rest of the country. They really think food comes from the grocery store and energy comes from the plug-in or heat comes from the furnace without giving any thought to where that comes from. When you keep attacking the very people who are providing the food and the energy for this country, some day you are going to go to the grocery store and there is not going to be food there. You are going to try to flip on the light switch, and the lights aren't going to come on. You are going to be in a cold winter, and there is not going to be heat. Ask people in Europe who got dependent on Russia for their energy about what it means to have energy shortages. This is serious business. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to think about the American farmer and rancher and the oil and gas worker who are living in this species' range. They are people who wake up before dawn and go to bed late at night, working to provide food and energy for the American people, who have likely made substantial investments to modify their operations to benefit the lesser prairie-chicken and has contributed to the successful recovery of the species; somebody who does the right thing-- they do it day in and day out--yet the Federal Government comes in and says: That is not good enough. To the extremist environmental community, it does not matter that the lesser prairie-chicken numbers are increasing and millions of acres and hard-earned dollars have been voluntarily contributed toward benefiting the species. They pay no mind to the conservation efforts of these hardworking men and women. Instead, they seek to wield the ESA as a hammer to separate the people from the land and their way of life. The ESA hammer has come down, and flexibility is gone. That is both unfair and unjust, and at the end of the day, it is going to hurt the very people who are pushing these rules, who think, again, that breakfast comes from the grocery and heat comes from the furnace. They are putting so many burdens on the men and women of this country who provide those things. These are the men and women who didn't work from home during COVID. They went to their job every day so that the world could keep going around, yet they are highly unappreciated and are attacked every day in this country. This bipartisan CRA, which again was passed by the Senate and sent here, will put an end to the Biden administration's unjust listing decision. I ask my colleagues to support this resolution and return sanity to the ESA decisionmaking process. Let's make the ESA something that is really about restoring habitat and helping endangered species, not using animals as a tool to move political agendas. Mr. Speaker, I encourage support of the CRA, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S.J. Res. 9.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 614, I call up the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 9) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to ``Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Lesser Prairie- Chicken; Threatened Status With Section 4(d) Rule for the Northern Distinct Population Segment and Endangered Status for the Southern Distinct Population Segment'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S.J. Res. 9, sponsored by Senator Marshall of Kansas. This bipartisan resolution will protect voluntary conservation while eliminating the litigation-driven listing of the lesser prairie-chicken. Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule listing the lesser prairie-chicken as an endangered species. The rule created two distinct population segments. In the northern segment, which covers Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas panhandle, the lesser prairie-chicken will be considered threatened in that area, while in the southern segment, which covers New Mexico and west Texas, it would be considered endangered. The lesser prairie-chicken is a boom-and-bust species that is extremely susceptible to precipitation in its native range. Simply put, when it rains the lesser prairie-chicken populations grow, and in droughts their populations often shrink. To ensure a healthy lesser prairie-chicken population, a private, voluntary conservation effort, known as the range-wide plan, was developed and implemented in 2013. At the time, the Fish and Wildlife Service declared that the voluntary conservation efforts being undertaken to be an unprecedented collaborative effort that produced a sound conservation plan for the lesser prairie-chicken. As part of the range-wide plan, voluntary conservation agreements were formed that allow private landowners and businesses who operate on Federal lands to implement voluntary measures to conserve habitat. These programs have proven to be successful with private industry investing $65 million into species conservation and nearly 6 million acres of habitat conserved for the lesser prairie-chicken. These investments have produced results. They have resulted in population growth from less than 20,000 birds in 2013 to more than 35,000 birds in 2020. However, the listing puts all of the volunteer conservation efforts to date in jeopardy. The unavoidable truth about the ESA is that a listing means less private investment which harms conservation efforts. Mr. Speaker, some people might ask why is it so important that we talk about the lesser prairie-chicken on the House floor? Some people might say: Why on Earth would the Fish and Wildlife Service move a species from threatened to endangered that went from 20,000 to 35,000 in its population in less than 10 years because of conservation efforts? What would inspire the Fish and Wildlife Service to do such a thing? Mr. Speaker, you would think that if a species were increasing, they wouldn't go from threatened to endangered, they would go the other way. However, I think this map behind me tells the motivation behind the Biden administration and the motivation behind this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make the lesser prairie-chicken not threatened but endangered. Mr. Speaker, you see the two ranges here, the northern range where they would remain threatened and the southern range where they would be listed as endangered. So what is so unique about these areas? It happens to be where the largest production of oil and gas in America is located. The area that this Fish and Wildlife Service decided to make the lesser prairie-chicken endangered is in the Permian Basin--not just the Permian Basin, but the Delaware Basin and the Permian Basin. It is the richest deposit of oil in our country. So this is just a tool for the Fish and Wildlife Service to go implement the Biden administration's none-of-the-above energy policy, except their handpicked energy policies, and it is another attack on low-cost energy for the American taxpayer. It is an attack on jobs in America, and at the same time it is weakening our national security. It is making us more dependent on member countries of OPEC, on Russia, and on OPEC+, like Venezuela, all because this administration is using every tool in the tool pouch to stop oil and gas and low-cost energy and safe energy production on U.S. lands and waters. We just had a hearing this morning in the Natural Resources Committee about how BOEM has delayed the 5-year plan in the Gulf of Mexico and the earliest we could get a new sale in the Gulf of Mexico is 2026. That is the result of this Biden administration energy policy. The ESA should be about protecting endangered species and about restoring habitat for endangered species. It shouldn't be something used that is going to attack the very heart of our economy and our energy production, that is going to harm our national security, and that at the end of the day it is just going to make prices higher for Americans. That is why it is important to talk about something like the lesser prairie-chicken on the House floor because this administration made a rule--Congress didn't make a rule--this administration made a rule that said they are going to list the species as endangered that has shown dramatic increases in population. Voluntary conservation is working, and this listing puts that at risk. That is why repealing the Biden administration's listing of the prairie-chicken is crucial. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would say the only science that went into this decision by Fish and Wildlife was political science. It is all about this administration's attack on American energy. People all around the world are going to die as a result of food shortages from this administration's attack on natural gas. Natural gas is the main ingredient in fertilizer, and fertilizer is the main ingredient in agriculture. These are serious problems that have huge impacts to society. That is why it is important that we push back on these ridiculous rules that the administration makes. Do you think we enjoy coming out on the House floor and speaking about prairie-chickens and bats? Not necessarily, but when an administration uses that for a weapon against the energy production in this country, then somebody has to speak out against it and has to speak out for the rural communities and the workers across this country.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, again, this move by Fish and Wildlife is actually going to hurt the population of the lesser prairie-chicken because it is going to disincentivize private investment that is shown to work. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Jackson).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, when an administration takes bad actions, then Congress has to take extreme measures to pull back the power that has been granted to the administration. I gladly stand behind the statement that it is time for Congress to reel back that power that the administration is abusing. It is not just me saying that. It is also a Democrat-controlled Senate that sent this bill to the House with Democrat votes in the Senate. We need to put it on President Biden's desk and let him answer to the American people on what he is going to do about truly protecting endangered species and what he is going to do about energy production in America. Speaking of energy production in America and agriculture in America, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), who knows a lot about both.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and am prepared to close. I continue to reserve.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let's talk about inflation a little bit. My colleagues across the aisle want to talk about inflation. They know a lot about it because they passed laws that put inflation on a steady increase here in our country. This so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which around D.C. is called the Green New Deal, put money into the economy to push their agenda that has caused prices to increase across the country. Now the administration is doing things like listing species that shouldn't be listed so they can attack American energy even more and drive up inflation even more. America needs energy. The world needs energy. Attacking domestic energy doesn't mean that the demand for energy is going away. It just means somebody else in the world is going to produce it. Through their great idea of the Inflation Reduction Act to build a lot of windmills and solar farms, they are now taking American wealth and exporting it to China so we can buy those solar panels and windmills and the components. China has hoarded the world's resources on minerals and rare earth elements which go into all of this technology. We have that here in America, but it is a not-in-my-backyard policy that my friends across the aisle want to implement. They turn a blind eye to what goes on in the rest of the world that affects the climate and want to put all of the burden on America and on American taxpayers when America is leading the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), who knows just how devastating rules like this can be to the fine people that he represents in west Texas.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes), who lives right in the heart of lesser prairie- chicken country.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, AM radio has been an integral part of American history. From FDR's ``Fireside Chats'' to the Emergency Alert System, the importance of this form of media, both culturally and functionally, cannot be overstated. Forty-one percent of Arkansans live in rural counties, and of those, only 60 percent have access to standard broadband internet. Many of these individuals have long and often hazardous commutes to work. Along many of the beautiful back roads of my district, cell service is oftentimes nonexistent or spotty at best. I was glad to cosponsor, along with my friend Representative Josh Gottheimer, bipartisan legislation, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023, that will require all new motor vehicles to have access to AM radio in an attempt to put the safety of Americans first. This access has and will continue to save lives during emergencies, improve lives during travel, and support hardworking Americans all over the Nation. Remembering Mary Mae Fisher

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mrs. Mary Mae Fisher, who passed away on Saturday. Mary was an active member of the Dardanelle Rotary Club and Dardanelle Chamber of Commerce, and she was a dedicated community leader in both Dardanelle and Danville, Arkansas. For over 50 years, Mary was the editor and publisher of the Yell County Record and the Dardanelle Post Dispatch. Mary had a heart for community service, and her mark on the Fourth District will not be soon forgotten. My prayers go out to her husband, David Fisher, and all Arkansans mourning this loss. Honoring the Life of Mark Lowery

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I now invite two of my colleagues from Arkansas, Mr. Crawford and Mr. Womack, to join me. We are here today and rise to honor the life of former State legislator and Arkansas Treasurer Mark Lowery. A Maumelle native, Mark was a devoted public servant. He served as editor of the Maumelle Monitor and the Sherwood Voice and taught communications at the University of Central Arkansas and Henderson State University. In 2013, Mark began his nearly 10-year career as a State legislator, serving Arkansas's 39th District, where I had the pleasure of serving alongside him. Although his time as State treasurer was short, he was passionate about serving our State. On behalf of the Arkansas delegation, I want to express our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and staff during this time. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Womack).

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S.J. Res. 24 sponsored by Senator Mullin of Oklahoma. This resolution will ensure that the northern long- eared bat remains protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Last November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would uplist the bat from threatened to endangered. The Service freely admits that a disease known as white-nose syndrome, not human activity, is the bat's main threat. Why is that relevant? The bat's habitat spans 37 States. Uplisting the species will increase the bureaucratic red tape critical infrastructure and forest management projects will have to go through. Yet, because a fungal disease is its main threat, those actions will not help the bat. Actually, the actions by Fish and Wildlife will hurt the bat. The Service is pursuing a preservationist approach to recovering the species by restricting forest management activities, an approach that will prove to be unlikely to benefit the bat but is guaranteed to leave our forests unmanaged, unhealthy, and vulnerable to catastrophic events such as wildfires. Non-forest management projects, such as roads, bridges, and pipelines that travel through the bat's habitat, will also face bureaucratic red tape. In fact, the Service has identified over 3,000 projects that will require additional permits to operate due to the uplisting. In my home State of Arkansas, we have a few million acres of Federal land, and we do a great job managing that land. Our Federal land managers will now be focused on the bat instead of managing the habitat that is actually good for the bat. An example of this is what was done on Federal land in Arkansas to help restore the red-cockaded woodpecker, which is an endangered species. As you can see by this poster, this is what the forest looks like unmanaged. You see management activity of thinning and burning, and you end up with a habitat that is an open, savanna-type forest that is actually a good habitat for the bat. It is a good habitat for the red- cockaded woodpecker. With these practices put in place, not only has the woodpecker thrived, but so too have the bobwhite quail, wild turkey, deer, a flourish of new vegetation, and more biodiversity for plant and animal species, all because of good management practices. They now capture red-cockaded woodpeckers from this land and relocate them to other places. This is a success story, much like other management activities that we saw with the lesser prairie-chicken in the last bill we debated. When U.S. Fish and Wildlife comes in with an uplisting, it will stop the management, and it will actually create worse habitat for the bat, as well as many other species. This is hurting--let me repeat, this is hurting--an endangered species more than it is helping an endangered species. None of the actions Fish and Wildlife has proposed will address the bat's main threat, which is white-nose syndrome. I want to be clear: The CRA will not remove the bat from the endangered species list. Instead, it returns the species to its previous status as threatened. This approach will allow States to continue their efforts to develop effective, voluntary conservation agreements to benefit the northern long-eared bat as a species while also ensuring the long-term viability of local communities. To date, 6 of the 37 States in the bat's range have developed habitat conservation plans to benefit the bat while providing reasonable assurances to stakeholders that forest management and infrastructure projects can continue. These plans should continue to be developed and implemented. Again, this is a bipartisan resolution that was sent to us from the Senate. The Democrat-controlled Senate sent us this bill. It is now our obligation to pass this bill and send it to President Biden so that he can sign it into law and stop this egregious action by Fish and Wildlife, which continues to go above and beyond their authority--which has been given to them by Congress--by making rules that are based on political science, not real science. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 614, I call up the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 24) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to ``Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Northern Long-Eared Bat'', and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S.J. Res. 24.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, we talk about the northern long-eared bat, this generation's version of the spotted owl from the West Coast. What happened with the spotted owl? Radical groups, which were, again, using political science instead of real science, got the spotted owl listed, and they shut down most of the timber industry on the West Coast. Guess who the largest importer of timber in the world is today. The good old United States. We import more timber than anybody else while we watch wildfires devastate these lands in the West that were ``protected'' so we could save the spotted owl. We have not saved the spotted owl and restored its habitat on our public lands. It is private landowners who are doing the management to create the habitat that benefits the spotted owl. This is just another attempt by the Biden administration to kowtow to radical environmental groups and use this as a weapon to stop timber production, stop mining, and stop construction projects. They are not focusing on the bat. They are not focusing on the real problem of white-nose syndrome. They are using the bat as a tool to stop the things that make America strong, that put America first. They are using these tools in the next gentleman's district, and he can talk firsthand about how these burdensome regulations hurt his constituents. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).