Bruce Westerman

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to plead on behalf of our country for immediate Senate action on the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017. The House passed this bipartisan bill on November 1, following a record wildfire season with millions of acres going up in smoke and ash. Just this week, fires have flared up again in southern California with more than 110,000 acres currently burning and more than 200,000 individuals forced from their homes. Many schools are closed, residents hundreds of miles away are advised to stay indoors to avoid the smoke, and, more urgently, lives and property are at risk across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. The time for the Senate to act was 2 years ago when they failed to act on similar legislation. We can't afford for the Senate to continue to do nothing. Pass the Resilient Federal Forests Act. Give the Forest Service the tools it needs to prevent and combat catastrophic wildfires. Fires are raging, lives are in danger, and the situation will get worse in the future if the Senate continues to fail to act.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), my friend and colleague, for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3905, the Minnesota's Economic Rights in the Superior National Forest Act, or the MINER Act. This act does not remove or reduce the permitting requirements should a future project ultimately be developed in the Superior National Forest. But nearly a year after President Obama's departure from the White House, I stand before this body to speak in favor of a bill that would rectify an injustice placed upon Minnesotans by the previous administration. As we have heard throughout this debate, on President Obama's last day in office, the previous administration pulled such a politically motivated stunt that appears more as a thumb-in-the-eye of hardworking Minnesotans than sound policy. Without a second thought, and one stroke of his pen, President Obama proposed withdrawing over 200,000 acres from future mineral exploration while, simultaneously, rejecting a renewal application for a hard rock mining operation that had been renewed in 1989 and 2004, without controversy. This decision endangered thousands of jobs. These are good-paying jobs that are significantly higher than the median average wage in Minnesota and the United States. Additionally, that decision could devastate the State's permanent school trust fund that will support nearly 900,000 K-12 students statewide if the withdrawal application and canceled leases are not rejected. At a time when it is vital that our teachers and students are given the resources they require, it would be foolish to allow this to take place. Some may ask why a Member from Arkansas would care about this decision. It is close to 1,000 miles away from my district to the Superior National Forest. The answer though is twofold, and it is simple. The first, it restores Federal land management oversight back to where it belongs, the United States Congress. H.R. 3905 will prevent executive order overreach by requiring congressional approval of all mineral or monument withdrawals within National Forest System lands in Minnesota and reverses the unwarranted action taken under the Obama administration to unilaterally block responsible mineral development in the Superior National Forest. Secondly, as someone who represents communities, counties, and schools that depend on the safe, responsible harvest and mining of our natural resources, I understand the real devastation that will take place, not only in Minnesota, but possibly in my district and other areas across the country if H.R. 3905 is not passed. Mr. Speaker, for the protection of our constitutional system of checks and balances, and preservation of rural economies, I believe that it is vital that we pass this piece of legislation. I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 3905. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from 53 bipartisan Minnesota State legislators, a letter from Jobs for Minnesotans, and a letter from the Minnesota Pipe Trades Association. November 27, 2017. Congressman Tom Emmer, Washington, DC. Dear Congressman Emmer: As elected leaders of the Minnesota Legislature, we are writing in strong support of H.R. 3905. This legislation supports jobs, economic development and industry in Northeast Minnesota, and will reverse an onerous, overreaching and politically-motivated decision by the Obama Administration that withdrew nearly 240,000 acres of federal lands and minerals from potential development. H.R. 3905 will halt these last-minute land withdrawals, reinstate leases affected by that decision including the Twin Metals' lease, and require congressional approval for any future withdrawal actions. The decision by the Obama Administration last January put jobs and nearly $2.5 billion of our state's economy at risk. Furthermore, it risked the depression of the precious metals, technology, infrastructure and manufacturing industries in our state, and the economic well-being of Northeast Minnesota--a region where mining has been an economic anchor since the late nineteenth century. And that's not to mention the estimated four billion ton deposit of copper, nickel, and other strategic minerals located within the Duluth Complex which could generate as much as $3 billion in royalty revenues for the state's Permanent School Trust Fund-- resources that would support education for nearly 900,000 K- 12 students across the state. H.R. 3905 also reaffirms our shared commitment to the protection of our environment and support of a thorough and proper environmental review process for the mineral leases, as well as upholds our state's commitment to restricting mineral development in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Mine Protection Area. The expansion of the precious metals mining industry offers generations of Minnesotans thousands of good-paying jobs, billions of dollars in investment in industry, and billions of dollars in revenue for Minnesota schools. Moreover, it provides an incredible opportunity to further establish our nation's economic and energy independence from foreign nations. The decision to remove vast amounts of federal land from potential development and blocking the Twin Metals' federal mineral lease renewal was short-sighted and damaging. H.R. 3905 has our bipartisan support, and it is our sincere hope that it will become law for the well-being of our state and its citizens. Sincerely, Rep. Kurt Daudt, Speaker of the House; Rep. Joyce Peppin, Majority Leader Leader; Rep. Dan Fabian, Environment Committee Chair, House District 1A; Sen. Bill Ingebrigtesen, Environment Committee Chair, Senate District 8; Rep. Pat Garofalo, Jobs and Energy Committee Chair, House District 58B; Sen. Jerry Newton, Senate District 37, Legislative School Trust Commission; Rep. Julie Sandstede, House District 6A, Legislative School Trust Commission; Sen. Paul Gazelka, Majority Leader; Sen. Tom Bakk, Senate District 3; Rep. Chris Swedzinski, Mining and Outdoor Recreation Chair, House District 16A; Sen. David Tomassoni, Environment Committee Ranking Member, Senate District 6; Rep. Rob Ecklund, Assistant Minority Leader, House District 3A; Rep. Sandy Layman, House District 5B, Legislative School Trust Commission; Rep. Dale Lueck, House District 10B, Legislative School Trust Commission; Sen. John Hoffman, Senate District 36, Legislative School Trust Commission. Rep. Brian Daniels, House District 24B; Rep. Brian Johnson, House District 32A; Rep. Rod Hamilton, House District 22B; Rep. Sondra Erickson, House District 15A; Rep. Bob Gunther, House District; Rep. Steve Drazkowski, House District 21B; Sen. Justin Eichorn, Senate District 5, Legislative School Trust Commission; Rep. Jim Nash, House District 47A; Rep. Jason Rarick, House District 11B; Rep. Mary Franson, House District 8B; Rep. Jon Koznick, House District 58A; Rep. Paul Torkelson, House District 16B; Rep. Tony Albright, House District 55B; Rep. Bob Dettmer, House District 39A; Rep. Josh Heintzeman, House District 10A; Rep. Kathy Lohmer, House District 39B; Rep. Linda Runbeck, House District 38A; Rep. Bob Loonan, House District 55A; Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen, House District 18B; Rep. John Poston, House District 9A; Rep. Cal Bahr, House District 31B. Rep. Cindy Pugh, House District 33B; Rep. Roz Peterson, House District 56B; Rep. Barb Haley, House District 21A; Rep. Deb Kiel, House District 1B; Rep. Matt Dean, House District 38B; Rep. Dean Urdahl, House District 18A; Rep. Tama Theis, House District 14A; Rep. Steve Green, House District 2B; Rep. Matt Bliss, House District; Rep. Mike Sundin, House District 11A; Rep. Dave Baker, House District 17B; Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, Senate District 30; Sen. Jerry Relph, Senate District 14; Rep. Tim Miller, House District 17A; Rep. Mary Kunesh-Podein, House District 41B, Legislative School Trust Commission; Sen. Mark Johnson, Senate District 1; Sen. Paul Utke 2, Senate District.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Wyoming (Ms. Cheney) for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule for H.R. 3905 as well as the underlying bill. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year I had the opportunity to travel to Minnesota with Minnesota Congressmen Emmer and Nolan and others to visit the Superior National Forest in northeast Minnesota. While northeast Minnesota is a long way from the Fourth District of Arkansas, the people, areas, and the economics are somewhat similar. This is a rural area where local economies and constituencies depend on the ability to sustainably and responsibly harvest and mine the natural resources found there. Unfortunately, the previous administration placed the wants of special interest environmental groups before the needs of Minnesotans and others who depend on natural resources management. In my opinion, they trampled our Article I constitutional authority of the legislative branch when doing so. On January 19, 2017, one day before President Trump was sworn in, the Obama administration published a 235,000-acre Federal mineral withdrawal application in the Federal Register to impose a 20-year moratorium on lands within the Superior National Forest in northeast Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, this was in direct conflict with the will of Congress and the law going back to when the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was established. At the same time, the Obama administration wrongly rejected Twin Metals Minnesota's application to renew two hard rock mineral leases that were renewed in 1989 and 2004. The land in question is not in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and it doesn't even border Boundary Waters. In fact, the land in question is outside a buffer area around Boundary Waters created by Congress to protect the Boundary Waters. This politically motivated decision has the ability to destroy the local economy, kill job creation, significantly harm education in Minnesota, and sets a bad precedent. I want to talk just a moment about the impact this decision will have on Minnesota education. If this withdrawal is allowed to take place, Minnesota is projected to lose up to $3 billion in royalty revenues for the State's permanent school trust fund, supporting nearly 900,000 students. Mr. Speaker, as someone who represents schools, communities, and counties that depend on programs like Secure Rural Schools and PILTs, I know the harm that will be brought on school districts, specifically rural school districts, should the withdrawal and application rejection go forward. How much longer will we allow rural communities and education to suffer because a special interest group doesn't agree with forest management or mining, even though any projects will be carried out in compliance with all environmental regulations in a responsible manner? Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3905 is a vital piece of legislation to not only Minnesota, but to other States and communities that depend on natural resource utilization. It is also important for the legislative branch to remind the executive branch it is not their job to make law or to change laws made by Congress. For these reasons, I ask my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying legislation.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the men and women who deliver the mail in rural America. The work is not easy. As the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association notes, these carriers are essentially post offices on wheels, providing many of the same services to rural residents that urban dwellers take for granted. One such rural carrier was Larry Earl Robertson from Jessieville, Arkansas. Larry was my mailman for more than 25 years and, as many rural letter carriers throughout our country can attest, he was a part of our family. He knew my wife and children, just as we knew his family. He was an integral part of our community and played an important role in the lives of rural Garland County residents. Simply put, Larry was a friend to everyone. Just as Larry was a friend to all, he was also a faithful Christian and family man. Through his service--at just 54--he had made an important and lasting impact on his community, as many rural letter carriers do. That is why it was especially sad when we received word of his untimely passing last week. In the pain and grief of death, we take comfort in the words of Christ who said: ``I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.'' May we all strive to do our jobs with diligence and a smile and positively impact our communities as Larry Robertson impacted his.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 15 men and women recently inducted into the Arkansas Military Veterans' Hall of Fame. Of the 15 inductees, the Hall of Fame selected 10 ``exclusively for their brave military service to our country,'' while it selected an additional 5 for their ``combined military and civilian service to our community, State, and Nation.'' I am proud to note that 8 of these 15 American heroes hail from the Fourth Congressional District of Arkansas, serving in conflicts ranging from World War II to Vietnam, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. This speech simply is not enough time to recognize their courage and sacrifice for our Nation. I extend my thanks to all those who served as we recognize Veterans Day. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record a brief biography of each of the Fourth District heroes honored by the Arkansas Military Veterans' Hall of Fame. Honoring Arkansas Military Veterans' Hall of Fame Inductees Rep. Bruce Westerman/November 9, 2017 Biographies of Fourth Congressional District Inductees (as provided by the AMVHOF): Chief Petty Officer Adam Lee Brown, deceased (Killed in Action), Hot Springs, U.S. Navy, Iraq (two tours), Afghanistan (two tours). Awards include the Silver Star Medal for Gallantry in Action, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, the Purple Heart Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and three Navy Achievement Medals. Specialist Four Roger K. Hollinger, Sr., deceased, Prattsville, U.S. Army, Vietnam. Awards include the Silver Star Medal with First Oak Leaf Cluster for Gallantry in Action, the Bronze Star Medal for Exceptionally Meritorious Combat Achievement, and the Army Commendation Medal for Valor. Major General Billie (Bill) Branham Lefler, deceased, Hot Springs Village, U.S. Army, Vietnam. Awards include two Distinguished Service Medals, the Legion of Merit Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. Major General Sidney Sanders McMath, Deceased, Magnolia, U.S. Marine Corp, World War II. Awards include the Silver Star Medal for Gallantry in Action, and the Legion of Merit Medal for Valor. Colonel Billie Ray Wood, Mena, U.S. Army, Vietnam. Awards include the Legion of Merit Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Army Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star Medal for exceptionally meritorious combat achievement, two Meritorious Service Medals, 22 Air Medals, and three Army Commendation Medals. Technician Fourth Grade Doyle Ray Collie, deceased, New DeRoche, U.S. Army, World War II. Awards include the Purple Heart Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with four Bronze Service Stars. Lieutenant Colonel Mary Virginia Erdman, Hot Springs Village, U.S. Army Reserves, Desert Storm. Awards include two Army Commendation Medals, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal. Erdman has been very active in several veteran's service organizations, and was the commander of the Arkansas State Legion Department from 2012 to 2013. Lieutenant Commander John Roger Rickard, Alma, U.S. Navy, Vietnam. Awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, three Navy Commendation Medals, and the Navy Achievement Medal. During the Vietnam War, Rickard served three cruises as a torpedo mate on fast frigates. Upon retiring from the Navy, Rickard founded the Alma High School JROTC program and served 17 years.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, again, I support this amendment. I, again, want to say how much I appreciate the gentleman's work and his passion for the forest, not only in his home State of Oregon, but across our country. I also want to add that, as Americans, we are very passionate about our wilderness areas, about our wild and scenic rivers. I have some of those in my State. And the last thing we want to do is do anything to jeopardize those. I believe, overall, the bill is going to be great for our forests, but I am glad the gentleman added this amendment. He has still got time to change his mind and support the full bill, which will be great for Oregon and great for other States in the West. Mr. Chairman, I encourage a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, and I appreciate the gentleman from Oregon catching this and pointing it out. It has never been the intent of this bill to affect wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers. I believe we do have protections in place in the bill, but this reemphasizes that. I appreciate the gentleman's willingness to work as we worked through the process on this bill. We had some good discussions on ideas, we were able to agree on some of those, and some of them we didn't agree on. But this is definitely one that we agree on needs to be in there. Although H.R. 2936 includes the important sideboards that ensure appropriate land management practices are implemented on federally protected and sensitive lands, this is just putting some suspenders on with the belt. This amendment, offered by my colleague from Oregon, builds upon the sideboards already included in the bill, and it ensures that special landscapes within Oregon's O&C lands are treated similarly to other lands that are contemplated in the bill. Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although, again, I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, again, this amendment is good for the bill. I am glad that we can work in a bipartisan way to include it in the bill. Mr. Chairman, I urge support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. As the gentleman explained, this amendment does direct the Secretary of Agriculture to study the use of unmanned vehicles, or drones, in the responsible forest management wildland firefighting and fire suppression. Unmanned aerial vehicles are an emerging technology that should be harnessed to benefit our Nation's forests. As a matter of fact, these unmanned vehicles are being used extensively by the private sector to look at their forests, to manage them, to equip them with remote- sensing equipment so that they can cover large areas at a large time and gather much more accurate data than you could actually do on the ground. By ensuring that our land management practices utilize the cutting edge of available technology, we can ensure the prolonged health of our managed forests, and we can actually use this as a tool to cut down on the number of forest fires, and a better way to respond to those fires. I hope the gentleman will support the full bill after we add this amendment to it so that he can actually see the implementation of his amendment in practice. Mr. Chairman, again, I support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I think what we have to realize is that what is happening now is not working. Forest management plans are not being implemented. Region 1, alone, of the Forest Service spent $1.23 million on the Equal Access to Justice Act, paying plaintiffs to sue the Forest Service. That is just since January of 2016. This is an attempt for the pilot program to do arbitration modeled after baseball arbitration that keeps the ball moving forward. This results in some kind of action taking place. It is not the Secretary of Agriculture making the decision; it is one of a team of arbitrators who are professionals who come together to work for solutions. That is what we need in our forests, and that is why we don't need to include this amendment in the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Bishop for his tireless efforts to see our government do better on our Federal lands. Mr. Chairman, I recently made a trip out to Montana to visit some of our National Forests and the rural communities they border. These forests, much like many areas across our country, have been mismanaged for decades, and the ones that have not already been destroyed are ripe to be devastated by insects, disease, or catastrophic wildfire, not because of some action taken by the Forest Service, but just the opposite. Because of no actions, our forests are overstocked, underutilized, and unhealthy. We have seen nearly 9 million acres of forest, an area larger than the State of Maryland, go up in flames just this year, spewing tens of millions of tons of carbon and thick smoke into the atmosphere. Don't get me wrong. 32,000 full-time Forest Service personnel are busy and working hard trying to manage the 193 million acres of timberland across our great country, but they are spinning their wheels and making very little progress. Mr. Chairman, that is a forest the size of Texas and South Carolina combined. According to scientists at the Forest Service, 80 million acres of that, an area the size of the State of New Mexico, is in a condition that is subject to catastrophic wildfire. These fires are not only creating a forest health crisis, they are a public health crisis. They kill trees, they kill wildlife and livestock. These fires not only kill livelihoods, they create unbearable health concerns and living conditions with their thick smoke and ash. On top of all that, they are killing people. It shouldn't be this way and it doesn't have to be this way. This bill simply allows sound, scientifically-based forestry practices, like the ones I learned at Yale's Forestry School, to be implemented on our Federal forests. It will result in cleaner air, cleaner water, better wildlife habitat, better recreational opportunities, more plant and animal biodiversity, stronger economies, and fewer fires, resulting in lower fire costs. As we traveled through the beautiful countryside of Montana, I saw the symbol of our Nation perched majestically atop a tree by the bank of a clear and flowing stream. This bald eagle reminded me of a fable by Aesop that described our situation today. It goes like this: An eagle was soaring through the sky, when suddenly it heard the whiz of an arrow and it felt itself wounded to death. Slowly it fluttered down to the Earth, with its lifeblood pouring out of it. Looking down upon the arrow with which it had been pierced, it found that the haft of the arrow had been feathered with one of its own plumes. ``Alas!'' it cried, as it died, ``We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction.'' Mr. Chairman, our enemies aren't our colleagues across the aisle. Many support this bill and some are cosponsors. Our enemies are not environmental extremists that are impeding science and causing some people to love our trees to death. Our enemy is not even the United States Senate. Mr. Chairman, our enemy is catastrophic wildfire that destroys our forests. Our enemies are insects and diseases that kill our trees, and we are feathering their arrows with inaction. We are feathering their arrows with bureaucratic red tape. We are feathering their arrows with poor policy that are killing our forests, killing our communities, and killing us every day. How much longer will we stand by and do nothing? I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get behind this bill, pass it out of the House, and join me in relentlessly encouraging the Senate to take action. Our forests, our rural communities, our environment, and all those areas, urban and rural alike, that are breathing the smoke and ash of our once magnificent forests need us to act. Every day that we delay, the problem gets worse and the enemies of the forest are gaining ground. Please join me in this fight and pass this bill. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record two letters. The first is from eight groups, including the Archery Trade Association; the second is from the National Association of State Foresters, both in support of H.R. 2936. June 26, 2017. Hon. Rob Bishop, Chairman, House Natural Resources Committee, Washington, DC. Hon. Raul Grijalva, Ranking Democrat, House Natural Resources Committee, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Bishop and Cong. Grijalva: Our organizations which represent millions of hunters, anglers, recreational shooters and other conservationists express our strong support for H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017. We respectfully urge you to take expeditious Committee action on H.R. 2936, which if enacted, will improve the health of our federal forests and reduce costly wildfires. Our nation's federal lands play a vital role in maintaining healthy forests that are resilient to threats at a landscape level from fire, pests, disease and insects. Through incentives and expedited process, consistent with informed science, the bill will help ensure that timber harvest and the creation of young forest habitat for wildlife remains viable on US Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Additionally, it remedies the budget fire-funding problem (borrowing from other line items) that our country faces when fighting catastrophic wildfires. Our organizations much appreciate that the fire-funding problem is addressed in HR 2936. While most catastrophic fires occur in the western United States, this is a national problem because the funds for every national forest and public land unit are affected. This remedy will prevent the USFS and BLM from having to borrow from other appropriated budget line-items (for example, wildfire prevention, wildlife, recreation and water quality) to pay for the cost of catastrophic fire suppression, which cost now consumes over 50% of the USFS budget. We respectfully urge the Committee to further protect the USFS budget by capping the 10-year average of catastrophic fire costs at its current level. The USFS uses this 10-year average to build their budget request for the President. The 10-year average continues to rise and unless it is capped it will continue to erode other important budget line items such as wildlife, water quality, fire prevention and recreation as the USFS constructs its budget request. All forest management plans are conducted with public input, and all projects undergo National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis. The bill's use of the Categorical Exclusion (CE) under the NEPA rules from the Council on Environmental Quality, will allow routine projects with known effects to be implemented more efficiently and cost- effectively to achieve the forest's desired future condition, as outlined in the forest management plan. Certain forest management treatments previously analyzed under NEPA in order to deal with issues such as pests and disease, hazardous fuels, critical habitats for threatened or endangered species, salvage facilitation, and water quality, do not need re-analysis on each similar project. These projects are routine, reoccurring activities with known effects, already fully analyzed and therefore qualify for CEs from repeated analysis. We also appreciate the increase in acreage ceilings for the statutorily endorsed CEs. Early successional stage forest habitat, for instance, cannot be just incidental to be effective in providing habitat for deer, ruffed grouse, elk, wild turkey, neo-tropical migratory songbirds and other species which are dependent on this habitat type. While an acreage ceiling is an easy metric to measure success, the desired forest future condition should really determine the size of the management activity. Additionally, as stated in the bill, all CEs must avoid sensitive areas and must be consistent with standards and guidelines in approved Forest Plans. Our organizations appreciate changes made to make more prominent in federal statute the states' authority to manage fish and wildlife on USFS and BLM lands. Nothing in the bill language is intended to change any existing federal, state or tribal authority. It simply makes more evident the state- federal jurisdictional relationship which Congress has affirmed. Federal-state cooperation in this arena is compelled because the USFS and BLM own the land and thus the habitat, and the state fish and wildlife agencies manage the fish and wildlife. Robust cooperation will provide that both land/habitat objectives and fish and wildlife population objectives are met. Additionally, our groups support the proposed common-sense amendments to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). First, the bill overturns the Cottonwood decision, which directs that if additional critical habitat is designated under an approved forest plan or resource management plan, a section 7 programmatic re-consultation of the entire forest plan needs to be done. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Obama Administration argued that the section 7 consultation needs only to be done on the portion of the project covering the additionally designated acreage of critical habitat. This remedy will greatly reduce the debilitating process that the federal court decision directs. Second, the bill affirms that no ESA section 7 consultation is required if the USFS or BLM determine during informal consultation that the proposed action is ``not likely to adversely affect a species or designated critical habitat'', which is already USFWS policy. And third, if any consultation on a categorical exclusion established by the bill is not concluded after 90 days, the action shall be considered to have not violated section 7(a)(2) of the ESA. We also support the bill's provisions expediting large scale restoration after catastrophic wildfires. We likewise support the prohibition on restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. It is imperative that we work to restore wildfire-impacted lands for the ecological health of the immediate area and surrounding landscape, protection of the watershed, and economic vitality of the local communities. Our organizations further appreciate the process relief provided to National Forest Plans and potentially Resources Management Plans developed by collaborative deliberation. It is appropriate that a collaborative-developed plan, which often takes years to deliberate and conclude, be subject to only two options under NEPA, proceed or not proceed. It is very reasonable to assume that the collaboratively deliberated process has examined and rejected the other options, and only the action or no action alternatives need be analyzed. The bill's establishment of a pilot binding arbitration process as an alternative to litigation in each Forest Service Region is certainly welcomed. Not only is the cost of defending the land management plan a burden on the agencies, but the planned for management work on the ground is lost, perhaps never to be resurrected on that site. We find much merit in this improved approach as an alternative to the proposal in H.R. 2647 from the last Congress, and commend Cong. Westerman and the Committee for settling on this. Uninformed litigation has led to federal forest management by the federal courts; we need to return forest management to the federal and state professionals with public input as provided for by the established processes. H.R. 2936 makes significant improvements to and would expedite the process that governs approval of the USFS and BLM management plans. We urge that your Committee expeditiously report this bill from the Committee to the House floor. We look forward to continuing to work with you to move this bill quickly through the legislative process. Thank you for your consideration of our community's perspectives. Archery Trade Association, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, (Boone and Crockett Club, Catch-a-Dream Foundation, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Conservation Force, Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, Delta Waterfowl, Houston Safari Club, Mule Deer Foundation, National Association of Forest Service Retirees, National Rifle Association. National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Professional Outfitters and Guides Association, Public Lands Foundation, Quality Deer Management Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ruffed Grouse Society, Safari Club International, Whitetails Unlimited, Wild Sheep Foundation, Wildlife Forever, Wildlife Management Institute, Wildlife Mississippi.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, how many more dreams will be ruined before we come together to address this critical issue? Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the rule.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington State for not only yielding me this time and for his good work on the Rules Committee, but for his support of my bill, H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak right now not only as a Member of the United States House of Representatives, but also as a forester, educated at this country's first forestry school, licensed by my home State by exam to practice forestry. If there is an issue that I understand that comes before this Congress, it is our forests. As I listen to accusations from across the aisle, I trust my colleagues are not intentionally trying to mislead, but they seem to know so much about just what isn't so. This is a bipartisan bill with Democratic cosponsors and it is based on sound scientific management. Mr. Speaker, we are on the floor today to debate a rule and, as you know, this rule is part of the process of the House of Representatives that will conclude later this afternoon with votes not only on this rule, but eventually on the underlying legislation. The process of moving this bill through the House began earlier this year, as I and a number of Members representing multiple committees talked about and debated different ideas and what we hoped for in a final piece of legislation. After hundreds of meetings with stakeholders on all sides of this issue, on both sides of the aisle, and countless hours of work by Members and staff alike, I believe that the House stands ready to vote to improve the condition of our national forest land. However, the hard work of everyone involved will be for naught if the Senate fails to act. For that reason, I encourage our colleagues in the Senate to take up this legislation, debate it, offer solutions, and act to make a difference on our national forests and our rural communities. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. Our national forests are in the poorest condition this Nation has ever seen, and will continue to degrade if we fail to act and complete the work that has started here. However, I believe that we have reason to be encouraged. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee recently held a hearing on a discussion draft that includes similar forest management provisions as H.R. 2936, and I know the other committees of jurisdiction are working on forest reform legislation as well. This is not only a forest health issue; it is a public health issue that demands action. Shame on us if we continue to stand idly by and watch our treasured national forests go up in smoke while people suffer and die. I stand here today to encourage the House to adopt this rule and pass this bill, therefore allowing the United States Senate to take up the legislation, or, at the very least, something similar to it. Pass it and allow us to meet at conference and work out the differences. Let us present a workable solution to the President for his signature. This year, more than 8.8 million acres of wildfire burned, as has been pointed out, and there is an additional 80 million acres on the verge of spawning more catastrophic wildfires. How many more acres must burn? How many more lives must be lost?

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidable detained and had to miss the vote on H.R. 2521, South Carolina Peanut Parity Act. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call No. 591.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Bioenergy Day, a day we celebrate natural renewable energy in America. On October 18, organizations across America will mark this special day by opening their doors to the public and highlighting how bioenergy is fueling America. Forest by-products are a primary source of bioenergy, making my home State of Arkansas a leading producer in this field. Across the country, bioenergy keeps the lights on and so much more. Bioenergy produces just under 6 percent of the Nation's total energy supply and provides full-time jobs for tens of thousands of Americans, with more plants coming online in the near future. We need to do more research to find economical ways to harness renewable energy in our abundant biomass that we all too often continue to see going up in flames and wildfires. As we approach October 18, I encourage all Americans to learn more about bioenergy, forest by- products, and the environmental benefits derived from our natural resources.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the tremendous impact forests have on our rural economies and natural environment nationwide. Next week is National Forest Products Week. In Arkansas, we know that growing and sustaining jobs in forest communities begins with ensuring that working forests continue to thrive. Most working forests--over 70 percent--are privately owned by families, small and large businesses, and an increasingly broad array of Americans who invest in forest ownership. When forest owners have confidence in their ability to manage and sell their timber productively, they will continue to grow and invest in forests and provide the foundation for the rest of the forest products supply chain. Federal policies have a significant impact on the long-term economic and environmental benefits we derive from these working forests and the livelihoods of those who own and manage them. The forest products industry represents a key economic driver for rural economies nationwide, totaling nearly $92.8 billion in GDP. In my home State of Arkansas, environmentally friendly forestry-related businesses support more than 62,000 jobs, with more than $2.4 billion in annual payroll. A strong marketplace for forest products helps keep rural America employed and U.S. forests robust. These healthy forests, in turn, provide crucial habitat for species, filter America's drinking water, sequester carbon, and provide outdoor recreation opportunities for the public.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the budget resolution, and I commend Chairwoman Black on her leadership and tireless efforts. Much has been said about our $20 trillion debt, and I would like to add that we know that that debt can only be paid back with tax dollars that will be extracted from future taxpayers. We debated and passed 12 appropriations bills in this Chamber. As heated as those debates were, they were on less than one-third of Federal spending. To attack our debt, we have to attack mandatory spending. This budget does that. As I traveled around my district and talked to people in my district, I have been pleased to hear that business is good. Businesses want to grow, and they want to expand. But I have not been pleased when they told me that they cannot find employees. So I went back and looked at data. Arkansas has our lowest unemployment rate ever right now, but we have also got the lowest labor participation rate. In the years from 2008 to 2016, we saw a 5.7 percent population growth. We saw a decrease in unemployment from 6 percent down to 4 percent, or 5\1/2\ down to 4 percent, but we had fewer people actually working in 2016 than we had in 2008. We had a decrease of 0.8 percent of people working and a decrease of 2.4 percent of people in the labor force during that time period. We have to put plans and programs in place to get our economy growing. We have to get more people back to work. During that same time, we saw an increase in SNAP benefits. We saw 330,000 people, or over 14 percent of our State's population of able-bodied, working-age adults, getting their health insurance through Medicaid expansion. We need to focus on addressing our budget woes. We need an economy that is growing and a labor force that is working. We need a military that is strong. We have to address the 70 percent component of spending that is driving our debt. This budget is the first step in achieving those results, and I urge everyone to vote for this budget.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) for his leadership in setting up this Special Order on the importance of proper forest management, proper forest management on our Nation's Federal lands. I would also like to thank him for his unwavering support of my bill, H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017. It is my sincere hope that we see H.R. 2936 move off the floor of the House with strong bipartisan support and then move through the Senate and get it on the President's desk so he can sign this and we can start the process of reversing something that has been going on for many years. As a person educated in forestry, I can tell you that forests grow slowly. We almost don't recognize the change in the forest because it happens so slowly over time. But given enough years, we see what has happened to our timberland out West. I have a map here of all the forest fires that we have seen out West this summer. We didn't just get to this point overnight. It happened over a series of years. It happened when, back in the 1990s, I believe, we had an overreaction to probably some forest management practices that weren't the best that they could be. The pendulum swung way too far, and we got in a position where, what I say is, we were loving our trees to death, and we stopped managing our trees. But we kept putting fires out, and fire is nature's natural way to manage overgrown forests. So what we have seen happen over time is we have seen more insects and disease infestations. As these trees grow closer together and fill the growing space, they start competing for water; they start competing for sunlight; they compete for nutrients; they become weak, and they become susceptible to insect attacks; they become susceptible to disease; and then they die. We get lightning strikes or we get fires to get out, and then we are dealing with a catastrophic event. But it doesn't have to be this way. If we would employ sound forest management practices, we can do a lot to mitigate the intensity and the number of these fires. As we look at issues that are created with these fires, we know that this has been the worst fire season on record, but it broke the record that was set in 2015 as the worst fire season on record. I predict that, if we don't start managing our forests now, in the next coming years we are going to see new worst fire seasons on record. This is a process that will continue to get worse unless we address the problem. It is to the point where it is going to take time to reverse what has happened and to get the forest back into a healthy state. I was notified this week about a sheep farmer down here in southeast Wyoming, in Torrington, who was a young guy getting into the business, and he lost five sheep. He took them to the veterinarian to do a postmortem analysis and found out they died from smoke inhalation. Now, the fire that was creating the smoke that was drifting down there was about 800 miles away in Montana. If it is causing that kind of health risk to sheep, what is it doing to the residents that live out here? I know that there have been schools closed, there have been people who have to stay indoors, but this creates a health risk. It is more than just a risk to healthy forests. It is a risk to healthy humans. We have got another map here, and this shows the smoke drift on a particular day. I believe this was September 14. This is a map that was produced by NOAA, and you can see where the fires were, and you can see how the winds carry the smoke. The red shows the most intense areas of smoke, the lighter green the intermediate, and then the darker green shows where the least smoke intensity was. This map really illustrates how fires in certain areas, the smoke gets picked up by the wind and gets carried to different places across the country. When I look at this map of the Western United States--and me being from Arkansas, some might ask: How do these fires affect forestry in Arkansas? Well, we have talked about fire borrowing. When we take money from one account in the Forest Service budget and put it in the firefighting account, that takes money away from management practices that could take place on the forest in Arkansas and other places to the east where we don't have as many catastrophic fires. On top of that, we see how the smoke drift affects many, many parts of the country. When we think about the smoke, what is that smoke? It is mainly carbon. One of the main purposes of a healthy forest is to fulfill the cycle of photosynthesis, where it pulls carton dioxide out of the atmosphere, takes that in through the leaves, converts it into sugars, and releases oxygen back into the air. The forests clean the air except when they are burning at the rate that they are burning right now, at 8.5 million acres of our Federal timberland that went up in smoke, putting hundreds of millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. If we want to talk about taking carbon out of the atmosphere, the solution to that is a healthy forest. But not only do forests clean the atmosphere, they clean the water. The more ground cover we have, the more water gets filtered as it goes into the ground, as it goes into streams. But overstocked forests can also prevent water from actually getting into the ground table and getting into streams. In areas in the West where we are having water shortage problems, proper management of forests can help to alleviate those problems. We are not talking about clear-cutting. I get so tired of people saying, ``All they want to do is clear-cut our Federal forests.'' We don't want to clear-cut the Federal forests. We want to manage them. We want to use practices like thinning from below, where we take out small stock, where we take out the smaller trees. Some of it is merchantable; some of it is not. We can produce timber that can be used in the rural areas where it is grown to help the economies out there. But the end goal is to have a healthy forest with larger trees spaced further apart without all the fuel ladders going down to the ground so that, when a fire moves through these areas, it burns at a low temperature through the ground. And guess what. That creates great wildlife habitats when we do that. There are so many benefits of having a healthy forest, and as a forester, a forester who was trained at a school that was started by Gifford Pinchot, who is the father, along with Teddy Roosevelt, of our Federal forests, it is embarrassing to me what has happened to our Federal lands across this country. Roosevelt and Pinchot talked about conservation. They talked about leaving our resources in better shape than we found them in. Right now, we are not doing that. We are allowing the lack of management to destroy these resources for future generations. We are allowing the lack of management to emit hundreds of millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere and also take that vegetation away that provides wildlife habitat, that provides a filter for clean water, and that provides timber that is pulling carbon out of the atmosphere. We can do better than this. We have provisions in the Resilient Federal Forests Act to allow the Forest Service to actually manage the timber. We require them to do a no-management analysis, because when you look at the dynamic nature of a forest, if you say, ``We are not going to do anything,'' well, you just made a management decision. Again, the trees are living, growing organisms. Even though the Forest Service says, ``We are not managing it,'' they are going to continue to grow. They are going to fill the growing space. If we continue to suppress fire, the fuel load is going to get worse, and we are going to have more and more forests subject to catastrophic wildfire of, I believe it is, 192 million acres of Federal timberland in this country. About 60 million acres right now, according to the Forest Service, is subject to catastrophic wildfire. It is time to act. We have waited too long, and the problem continues to get worse. It will continue to get more severe as time moves on if we don't start intervening now. Mr. Gosar, I want to again thank you for putting this together, for the efforts that you are putting forth so that we can take a proactive stance to make not only our air cleaner by not having all these catastrophic wildfires, but to conserve our forests so that they are healthy, so that they are functioning the way that they should be. I want to thank you again for all that you are doing, the work for the Western Caucus and all the members here, realizing, on both sides of the aisle, how important it is that we do the right thing, that we pass H.R. 2936, and that we start addressing this problem now.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, the 21st Century AIRR Act gives a voice to rural America on aviation issues. For too long, our aviation assets have been managed with little to no input from the citizens in the real world who are most impacted. The 21st Century AIRR Act benefits rural and small communities through local empowerment. This bill enhances the Airport Improvement Program and ensures grant availability for small airports in the years ahead. These grants support infrastructure construction and rehabilitation critical to local and regional economic development. The bill also promotes air traffic control tower technology. This promising concept has vast potential to allow rural airports to maintain tower service at a far lower cost and to actually bring service to airports that have previously been unable to support it. The 21st Century AIRR Act is visionary, innovative legislation that will make the long-needed improvements to more efficiently serve American fliers and keep rural America connected to our aviation system.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of Dortha Scott of Mount Ida, Arkansas. Ms. Scott may not be a household name across America, but chances are each American has held a piece of her art. Fifteen years ago, former Gov. Mike Huckabee selected Ms. Scott's design for the quarter honoring Arkansas' admission to the Union as the 25th state. Her design, recognizing the Fourth Congressional District's Crater of Diamonds State Park, along with some of our state's most recognized icons including a stalk of rice, forests, and a mallard duck, showcased the best of the Natural State. In all, more than 457 million Arkansas state quarters were minted, a wonderful honor for a talented Arkansan. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Scott for her vision, her talent, and her dedication to Arkansas.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my colleague from Arkansas Congressman French Hill's bill, H.R. 2611, that will modify the boundary of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site to include seven residences on South Park Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. While this bill would authorize the National Park Service to enter into cooperative agreements with private property owners of the South Street properties, H.R. 2611 will do more. It will also help us to remember. It will help us to remember that on September 25, 1957, nine young people, with Federal troops for escorts, bravely walked past crowds of hatred, bigotry, emotional degradation, and even physical abuse to desegregate Little Rock Central High School. On that historic day in 1957, nine young people showed the United States and the world that we were and are better than segregation and better than racism and injustice. They proved to the world that, as Americans, we really do believe the Declaration of Independence when it says that all men are created equal. I believe that allowing the historical residences surrounding Little Rock Central High School to slip into disrepair or oblivion would be a severe injustice to those who gave of themselves to further the cause of civil rights and equality. I would like to thank my colleague from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) and the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for their work on this important issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Calvert and Chairman Frelinghuysen for their hard work on this bill. On November 17, 2016, the Bureau of Land Management released a final rule titled: ``Onshore Oil and Gas Operations; Federal and Indian Oil and Gas Leases; Measurement of Oil.'' Though the BLM claims that this rule would incorporate proven industry standards developed by oil measurement experts from industry and the BLM, it seems like the BLM ignored industry expert standards and set their standards, regardless of industry input. In comments filed on December 14, 2015, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the American Petroleum Institution, the Western Energy Alliance, and many citizens involved in oil production detailed serious concerns. Many of the comments centered on BLM's reluctance to recognize its obligation to adopt properly established industry standards. Mr. Chairman, I believe that it is vital that agencies such as the BLM listen to and take into account industry concerns and input when promulgating these new rules. My amendment would restrict funding for this rule in its current form, and I ask my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.