[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 26, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1144-E1145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. TAMMY BALDWIN

                               wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 19, 2012

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2578) to 
     amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act related to a segment of 
     the Lower Merced River in California, and for other purposes:

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the Conservation and 
Economic Growth Act, H.R. 2578, a measure that will not create jobs in 
our country, but instead poke gaping holes in the Clean Air and Clean 
Water Act.
  I support pieces of this legislation, including the Target Practice 
and Marksmanship Training Support Act, H.R. 3065. This bill, introduced 
by Representative Heath Shuler,

[[Page E1145]]

would facilitate the construction and expansion of target shooting 
ranges by increasing the federal share of funding that can be used for 
such purposes. Had this provision come up for a vote on its own, I 
would have strongly supported this pro-sportsman legislation.
  Unfortunately, this lands package incorporates 13 other bills 
including several poison pills meant to score political points, not 
address real issues. This bill includes sections that would wave dozens 
of federal statutes, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe 
Drinking Water Act, and the Farmland Protection Policy Act. I will not 
support legislation that severely weakens the laws that protect the 
public health of Americans.
  Instead of tackling the significant challenges facing our country, 
House Republicans created a partisan patchwork of legislation that does 
not create jobs. With the highway bill extension and student loan 
interest rates set to expire on June 30, and with millions of jobs and 
students in limbo, I believe Congress should work on bipartisan 
legislation that strengthens American infrastructure, keeps college 
affordable, and puts Americans back to work.