Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6428 was introduced by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker). This bill simply authorizes the Secretary of the Army to carry out certain elements of a project known as the Morganza to the Gulf of Mexico, which was included in a report by the Chief of Engineers. This is part of an important hurricane and storm damage reduction project that is sorely needed. I urge support of the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2735) to amend the National Dam Safety Program Act to reauthorize the national dam safety program, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 2735, known as the Dam Safety Act of 2006, reauthorizes the National Dam Safety Program for 5 years, through fiscal year 2011, and makes a number of improvements to the national inventory of dams. I want to thank Mr. Kuhl of New York for his dedication to the National Dam Safety Program. He has been a steadfast proponent of reauthorization and deserves credit for strengthening the program. The National Dam Safety Program is administered by FEMA and was established to improve safety around dams. The program provides grants to State dam safety agencies to assist them in improving their regulatory programs, training, and research, and to create a national inventory of dams in existence. With the passage of S. 2736 today, we clear the bill for the President and ensure authorization of this successful program through the year 2011. I support the bill and encourage my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bills just passed, H.R. 6428 and S. 2735.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I rise today I rise to acknowledge the significant contributions and sacrifices of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team ``Arctic Wolves,'' based out of Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. I would like to congratulate this elite fighting force of men and women who performed with distinction during an unprecedented 16- month deployment in Iraq. Few units in the history of the Army have developed such a diverse ability to effectively fight in extreme combat situations. The 172nd formed, lived and trained in the harsh Alaska arctic conditions. Alaskan winters have as many as 21 hours of darkness a day and an average daily temperature of 15 degrees. During the initial Iraq deployment in July/August of 2005, these soldiers faced dry, desert conditions in heat topping 120 degrees, quite different from their original training conditions. The ability to adapt and continue to fight insurgents in any environment is one of the many exceptional traits of these Arctic and now, ``Desert Wolves.'' During their tour of duty, the Stryker Brigade had an outstanding combat record and an exceptional reputation for their relationship with the Iraqi citizens. During their service, 5 soldiers were Silver Star Receipts, along with the entire 172nd receiving the Valorous Unit Award. The sacrifices made by these soldiers over the last 16 months were tremendous; 26 soldiers lost their lives and another 381 soldiers were wounded, while in Iraq. The commitment of these soldiers to their Nation is admirable. This brigade, despite their extended tour, had the highest reenlistment rate in the Army with over 33 percent of assigned personnel signing up for the second life cycle. Along with the contributions our Alaskan service members make on a regular basis to the security of this Nation we cannot forget the difficulties their families face during these deployments. Close to 5,000 Alaskan family members of the 172nd had been without their loved ones for 16 months and waited to be back in their arms of their husbands, wives, sons and daughters. While soldiers were overseas, these families in the Fairbanks community pulled together with resounding resolve. Not only am I proud to represent the Artic Wolves, but I am also proud to represent the great military families of Ft. Wainwright who patiently waited for their brave soldiers to return. Over the last 4 months, the 172nd has received increased publicity because of their extended deployment, and the families and soldiers were asked to perform duties few are capable of handling. However, I am proud to say that our Arctic Wolves acted with the utmost level of professionalism and heroism on the ground, from the unit commanders to the most junior enlisted ranks. The 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team has made a significant contribution to the proud United States Army military history and I am proud to represent these great American Warriors. On behalf of the state of Alaska, I extend my thanks and appreciation for their exceptional service to this nation. Welcome home, Arctic Wolves.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his kind words. We will miss you. I even tried to get you to run again. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1674, the Tsunami Warning and Education Act. I want to commend Chairman Boehlert, and even Mr. Inslee from Washington, Mr. Wu, for working on this legislation in an effort to make America's coastal communities safer. Alaska, my State, is no stranger to the horrible forces of tsunamis. During the past century, four large tsunamis have devastated our coastline. The worst occurred in 1964, when the State was struck by a magnitude 9.4 earthquake. Many of the communities along Prince William Sound and Kodiak Island were completely wiped out. Tsunami waves killed more than 100 people and caused almost $400 million worth of damage, and that is not in today's dollars, but 1964 dollars, to Alaska alone. The inability to properly warn Alaskans of these deadly tsunamis prompted the creation of a tsunami warning system for Alaska and the rest of the Pacific. H.R. 1674 enhances and modernizes this existing tsunami warning system. It also expands the detection and warning system to include other vulnerable areas of the United States. It is not enough to have warning systems in place, people need to know where to go when a tsunami is going to hit. The mitigation program in this bill helps develop evacuation plans and improves awareness in vulnerable communities. This bill will help protect Alaskans and other Americans from the same kind of devastation we suffered in 1964. I support this legislation with all my heart.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an exchange of letters between myself and Chairman Boehlert on H.R. 5782.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. 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 H.R. 5782.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the work he has done on this legislation, and the ranking member on the other side of the aisle. This is a good piece of legislation. It should be passed. I urge my colleagues to support it. It has been fairly vetted, and I am confident that with the passage of this and on the President's desk, we will do the job to make sure that not only are the flying industry safe, but all other forms of transportation are safe. Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify the intent of several provisions that were added to H.R. 5076, as amended, since it was reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Section 5 of the bill as amended requires the General Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate and audit the programs and expenditures of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) at least annually. This provision will provide greater oversight of the NTSB without risking any infringement on the Board's independence that could result from having the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General perform this audit function. When the NTSB was first established in 1967, it initially relied on DOT for funding and administrative support. In 1975, under the Independent Safety Board Act, all organizational ties to DOT were severed. The NTSB serves as an independent ``watchdog'' over the DOT, as well as State transportation agencies, recommending actions these agencies should take to improve safety. Therefore, maintaining NTSB's strict independence from DOT is critically important to NTSB's mission. Under H.R. 5076 as amended, the DOT Inspector General's current authority under 49 U.S.C. 1137 to review the financial management, property management, and business operations of the NTSB, including internal accounting and administrative control systems, is unchanged. Section 4 of the bill clarifies how these functions of the Inspector General should be funded. Currently, the NTSB reimburses the Inspector General for the costs incurred by the Inspector General in carrying out 49 USC 1137. H.R. 5076 clarifies that an appropriation of funds directly to the Inspector General for these activities is preferable to a reimbursable agreement, but if such an appropriation is not available, then a reimbursable agreement should be used instead. It is not Congress' intent that GAO and the DOT IG will in any way duplicate each others' work. Rather, Congress intends for GAO and the DOT IG to continue their current practice of coordinating their audit planning for the NTSB such that there is no duplication of effort between the two agencies as the GAO undertakes the specific responsibilities assigned by Congress under this bill. Section 2(a)(1) of the bill requires the Board to submit to Congress a list of accidents the Board was required to investigate, as well as a list of ongoing investigations exceeding the time allotted by Board order. This reporting requirement would not apply to accident types which the NTSB may voluntarily elect to investigate, but is not required to investigate, under current law, such as railroad grade- crossing or highway accidents. Section 2(a)(2) of the bill requires NTSB to develop and implement a plan to achieve, to the maximum extent feasible, the self-sufficient operation of the NTSB Academy. This facility has in the past consumed too large a portion of NTSB's budget resources, to the detriment of the NTSB's core accident investigation mission. I encourage the NTSB to develop a plan to make better use of this facility and reduce the burden it imposes on the NTSB's budget. Section 11 instructs the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct oversight of the reviews currently underway at the Federal Highway Administration and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of the tragic July 10, 2006, fatal accident in the Central Artery tunnel project in Boston, Massachusetts. The section also instructs the Inspector General to investigate, in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney General and the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, any criminal or fraudulent acts committed in the execution of the project. I do not intend for the Inspector General to duplicate the current reviews. The purpose of this section is to evaluate the reviews to ensure that the aforementioned public agency oversight underway of this past summer's accident is thorough and rigorous so the lessons learned will prevent future tragedies.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5782) to amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for enhanced safety and environmental protection in pipeline transportation, to provide for enhanced reliability in the transportation of the Nation's energy products by pipeline, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. At this time I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), the chairman of the subcommittee on this legislation.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining time. Before I close, Mr. Speaker, I just want to take a moment to thank the many friends and colleagues that I have in this body that have made the last 6 years the most successful and enjoyable of my years in Congress, in 34 years. While I am looking forward to many more years here in Congress, you are not going to get rid of me that soon, and I will continue to lead the charge for those issues near and dear to my heart. I take great pride in the work of the great Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure over the last 6 years. We faced some extraordinary challenges in the committee. During this period of time was September 11, 2001. With the support, and I am sorry he has left, the support and cooperation of the ranking member, Congressman Jim Oberstar, we worked together, and within 2 weeks of this disaster for the aviation industry we enacted legislation to ensure the continued viability of this key transportation sector. Without the work of this committee, our aviation system would have collapsed. We also created the Transportation Security Administration and worked to set up the Department of Homeland Security. While I do not support everything that has happened in DHS, I believe that the efforts of our committee have ensured a safer and more secure America. We enacted the first major port security bill. We have improved pipeline safety, and tonight we will do it again. We enacted a multiple year aviation bill, reauthorized critical Coast Guard programs, restored the effectiveness of FEMA and overcame enormous obstacles to fund the building and maintenance of our highway infrastructure. I did not accomplish this all alone, and I want to thank my many friends and supporters in Alaska who sent me to work on their behalf. Again, I want to thank Jim Oberstar, and for those that may not know it, we never had a vote in the committee in an adversarial position. We always worked it out, worked together, and I want to thank all the other 73 Members of the committee for their cooperation and support. We have the best reputation of the committees for bipartisanship, and I am proud of that. I hope we can continue to work that way. I have a great staff that has worked long and hard to draft legislation and negotiate on behalf of the committee: Mrs. Megginson, Graham Hill, who is up in the audience who actually wrote this gas bill, Jim Tymon who worked on this bill and all the other bills and all the other staff members I have. I know the many sacrifices that the staff have made to get the job done, and I want them to know that I am grateful for their efforts and very proud of them and for America. I also want to thank my many friends here in Washington who have taken the time to keep me informed and support our efforts to enact good transportation policy. I finally want to thank my wife, Lu, TEA-LU, a bill that was named after her, for her close friendship, constant patience, support and encouragement. She is my inspiration for a legacy of the future of this Nation. I look forward to the next 2 years working with this House in the House of Representatives to achieve great things in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I may not be the ranking member but I will be on the committee. I will be there, and we can provide for this Nation.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, 4 years ago Congress passed the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act for 2002. The States and the pipeline community have praised that bill as an overwhelming success. That is why H.R. 5782, the Pipeline Inspection Protection Enforcement and Safety Act of 2006, keeps us moving in the same positive direction as the 2002 pipeline bill. I want to thank my ranking member, Democrat Member Mr. Oberstar, for working closely with me to develop this legislation. Also, Mr. DeFazio has worked very closely with us. We could not have accomplished this result without our subcommittee chairman, Tom Petri, and of course I just mentioned Mr. Peter DeFazio. I want to also thank the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Joe Barton, and my very good friend and colleague, ranking Democrat, John Dingell for their excellent work to bring this bill to this point. In September the Energy and Commerce Committee also ordered the bill reported with their amendment. We have worked with our friends on the Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the other body, to come up with a bill that they will support also. The bill we are considering here today has been negotiated with the Senate Commerce Committee, and the other body is expected to pass the bill later this week. I have been very impressed with the work of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which is often called PHMSA, and their administrator, Admiral Tom Barrett. Their response to and oversight of pipeline spills on the North Slope in Alaska this past year have received widespread praise. We were very careful in drafting this bill to avoid disrupting the hard work and remarkable progress that occurred at PHMSA over the past 4 years. Like all legislation, this bill contains compromises. The policies in this bill are the result of compromise and hard work. However, the compromise that we have reached in this bill will not take away from the impact of this bill. This is a good bill. It improves pipeline safety and the role of the administration regulating pipelines. H.R. 5782 extends the pipeline safety program for another 4 years. To the fiscal year of 2010. These programs include operational funds for the Office of Pipeline Safety to carry out its regulatory and enforcement functions, and State pipeline safety grants that cover the cost of State expenses to carry out certified pipeline safety inspect activities. The bill also funds emergency response grants, public education and one-call damage prevention programs and grants to provide technical assistance to local communities on pipeline safety issues. The administration, the States, the pipeline safety advocates and the pipeline industry all support this bill. I strongly support this legislation to protect public safety, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 2 minutes to my good friend from Texas (Mr. Hall).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his kind words. My closing statement will recognize his contributions to what we have been able to do. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6316) to extend through December 31, 2008, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Madam Speaker, I have no other requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I agree with the lady from Texas, her comments about the water resources bill. We passed it three times over to the other side of the aisle, and for three times they punted. And I think they have been kicking at the wrong goal, because we have not been able to finish this program. This is a badly needed piece of legislation. The total bill itself has to be passed sooner or later, and it should be passed sooner; but it is not going to be. I expect to work with Mr. Oberstar and the chairman of the subcommittee; we were really thinking we would probably pass the bill that we have in conference today and go immediately to conference to get this done, and I will tell you that I will do everything in my power to work with the majority as the minority leader in trying to get this legislation passed. And, by the way, there are no dollars in the bill's authorization, but in the meantime we have things such as this bill we are talking about today that should have been passed previously that is going to expire. And I would like to compliment Mr. Baird especially for his insistence on getting this bill on the floor, because it is crucial in the areas where we can continue and work is being done without the funding that should have been in the water bill that has passed by using a private donor or other sources of income to get the job done. So I agree with the gentlewoman, and I do compliment Mr. Baird on his insistence of the legislation Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on House Resolution 1087 and H.R. 6316.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield whatever time he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would also like to add to my first statement a little bit of litany of Mr. Hyde. He was my neighbor right next door to 2111 in the Rayburn Building. He was always good for a conversation but, most of all, good advice. He also has been one that has protected, or at least protected the unborn, and he has been to my State numerous times and has spoken eloquently and with forcefulness about their need to be protected. He has been a friend of this body because he brought dignity, as I mentioned before, and the prestige of a gentleman but, more than that, a very intellectual individual that understood the issues. So I am extremely proud today to support this legislation. I hope all my colleagues understand that we are losing a good colleague. Some of my colleagues that have left prior to this were not recognized by naming a room. It is just a small token of appreciation to someone who brought the needed, I think, gentlemanness to this body. So it is with great honor that I support this legislation again. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I have no other requests for time, and I yield back my time.