[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 105 (Wednesday, July 8, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H4943-H4946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2016
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 333 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill,
H.R. 2822.
Will the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hultgren) kindly resume the
chair.
{time} 2009
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of
the bill (H.R. 2822) making appropriations for the Department of the
Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2016, and for other purposes, with Mr. Hultgren (Acting
Chair) in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose earlier today,
a request for a recorded vote on an amendment offered by the gentleman
from Alabama (Mr. Palmer) had been postponed, and the bill had been
read through page 132, line 24.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Rogers for his
leadership and support. Under his guidance, the Appropriations
Committee is again setting the standard for getting things done in the
House. This is the seventh of the appropriation bills that have come to
the floor that we, hopefully, will be able to pass tomorrow.
I also want to thank my good friend and Ranking Member McCollum for
[[Page H4944]]
her partnership and work on this bill. Finally, I want to thank each of
our committee members for their efforts and their collegiality. It
continues to be the hallmark of our subcommittee's deliberations.
Even though we may have differences of opinion within this bill, I
greatly appreciate the members' constructive contributions, and I mean
that sincerely. The committee has made some very difficult choices in
preparing this bill.
As reported by the Appropriations Committee, the fiscal year 2016
Interior Appropriations bill is funded at $30.17 billion, which is $246
million below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level and $3 billion below
the budget request. We have made a sincere effort to prioritize the
needs within our 302(b) allocation.
I would like to point out some of the highlights of the bill. Again,
this year, the committee has provided robust wildland fire funding,
fire suppression accounts. The Department of the Interior and Forest
Service are fully funded at the 10-year average level. The hazardous
fuel program was increased by $75 million to $526 million in fiscal
year 2015 enacted, and that increase has been maintained in this bill.
The bill also continues critical investments in Indian Country, a
nonpartisan priority of this committee. Building upon the bipartisan
work, former subcommittee chairman Mike Simpson, Jim Moran, Norm Dicks,
and, certainly, my friend Ms. McCollum, the bill continues to make
investments in education, public safety, and health programs in Indian
Country.
Overall funding for the Indian Health Service has increased by $145
million or 3 percent, while funding for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
and Bureau of Indian Education is increased by $165 million or 6
percent from fiscal year 2015 levels, the largest percentage increase
in this bill.
The bill provides full funding for fiscal year 2016 for payments in
lieu of taxes, or the PILT program. PILT payments are made to 49 of the
50 States, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The bill provides $2.7 billion for the National Park Service,
included more than $60 million in new funding relating to the
centennial of the National Park Service.
We have also addressed a number of priorities within the Fish and
Wildlife Service accounts. The bill funds popular cost-shared grant
programs above fiscal year 2015 enacted levels. It also provides for
additional funds to combat international wildlife trafficking, protects
fish hatcheries from cuts and closures, continues funding to fight
invasive species, and reduces the backlog of species that are recovered
but not yet delisted.
The bill provides $248 million for the land and water conservation
fund, programs that enjoy broad bipartisan support. Some Members would
prefer more funding; others would prefer less funding for LWCF. We have
attempted to forge a middle ground that begins to return an emphasis of
the LWCF to its original intent of recreation in the States and local
acquisitions.
Overall, funding for EPA was reduced by $718 million or 9 percent
from fiscal year 2015 enacted levels.
Members of the Great Lakes region will be pleased to know that the
Great Lakes restoration initiative is maintained at fiscal year 2015
enacted level of $300 million. Rural water technical assistance grants
and many categorical grants, including radon grants, are level funded
at the fiscal year 2015 enacted level.
Again, this year, there is a great deal of concern over a number of
regulatory actions being pursued by EPA, which we have discussed over
the last day and the absence of legislation without clear congressional
direction.
For this reason, the bill includes a number of provisions to stop
unnecessary and damaging regulatory overreach by the agency.
{time} 2015
I would like to address the Endangered Species Act. We have had a
number of amendments over the last day about this subject. Certainly,
this committee has no interest in interfering with science or in
letting any species go extinct, but we are concerned about Federal
regulatory actions lacking in basic fairness and common sense. The
provisions in this bill address problems created by the ESA--not by
science but by court orders--that drain limited agency resources and
force departments to cut corners to meet arbitrary deadlines.
Nowhere is this more evident than with the sage-grouse. States are
rightfully concerned that a listing or unnecessary restricted Federal
land use plans will jeopardize existing conservation partnerships with
States and private landowners. These partnerships are necessary to save
both sagebrush ecosystems and local economies. So long as sage-grouse
are not under imminent threat of extinction, cooperative conservation
must be given a chance to work.
The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned, so long as sage-grouse are
not under imminent threat of extinction, cooperative conservation must
be given a chance to work. That is why this bill maintains a 1-year
delay in any decision to list the sage-grouse along with full funding
to implement conservation efforts.
House consideration of this bill is the next step in a long
legislative process. I hope, over the coming months, we will come
together, as we do each year, to find common ground. In that spirit, I
look forward to continuing to work with Ms. McCollum and Members of the
House on both sides of the aisle. As this bill moves forward,
hopefully, the Senate will act on a bill soon, and we will be able to
get back to regular order, which is, I think, the hope for both sides.
In closing, I want to thank the staffs on both sides for their hard
work on this bill. On the minority side, I would like to thank Rick
Healy, Rita Culp, Joe Carlile, as well as Rebecca Taylor. They played
an integral role in the process, and their efforts are very much
appreciated. On the majority side, I would like to thank subcommittee
staff Kristin Richmond, Jackie Kilroy, Betsy Bina, Jason Gray, Darren
Benjamin, and Dave LesStrang. On my personal staff, I would also like
to thank Ian Foley, Rebecca Keightley, Alexandra Berenter, and Tricia
Evans for their great work.
Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill, and I have enjoyed the debate over
the last couple of days.
One thing I also want to talk about under my 5 minutes is on the
wildfire and hazardous fuel management program. It was mentioned
earlier in the debate that we are attempting to work out an agreement
on both sides so that we can move Mr. Simpson's language forward in his
hazardous wildfire bill, H.R. 167. We are looking for cosponsors of the
bill, and we hope to get more support for that bill as we move this
process forward.
As I mentioned earlier, we did fund the bill to the 10-year average,
but this is still not going to be sufficient if we have the significant
wildfire year that we expect. A catastrophic fire can literally burn
through any amounts of money that we may have set aside, and it causes
disruptions within the Department of the Interior and the Department of
Forestry in how they manage those accounts, which we also discussed,
which is not good management on our part. So I would hope we can move
ahead with Mr. Simpson's bill as quickly as possible.
We also discussed the Endangered Species Act, and we continue to talk
about the States and the difficulties that they are having in working
with the Fish and Wildlife Service and with other agencies in trying to
work out their State plans that deal with these significant issues. As
we look at our sage-grouse strategy, we have 11 States involved in this
program. We are doing everything we can to have a cooperative program
with private landowners, the State land, and the Federal land to make
sure that we continue to have sage-grouse. We want to make sure that
the sage-grouse persists, and that is why we funded both the BLM and
the Fish and Wildlife Service to the requested amounts in order to make
sure that we have the resources available to do that.
Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney
Davis).
[[Page H4945]]
Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate
the chairman of the subcommittee, who has done a yeoman's job of
shepherding this appropriations bill through this House.
I would like to thank the ranking member, Ms. McCollum, for her
efforts.
I sat in that chair last night where you are, Mr. Chairman, and
presided over many different amendments. There was much discussion on a
wide variety of issues, but it is what we came here to do in this
institution--to debate the issues and to work in a process that I call
our constitutional appropriations process. If we are to regain the
power of the purse here in the House, we ought to be able to work
through the appropriations process that so many hard-working colleagues
of mine, like Chairman Calvert, have put so much effort into.
The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. CALVERT. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney
Davis).
Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, this is an opportunity
for us to begin the process, once again, of prioritizing how Washington
spends money, which I remember not too long ago was the way Washington
spent money, Mr. Chairman, when Washington was not nearly as broken. We
have an opportunity to come here to the floor to debate the issues and
to get an up-or-down vote. When our amendments may not pass, that
doesn't mean that we shouldn't regain the power that Congress has been
given in our Constitution, and that is by supporting great bills like
this.
I congratulate the chairman. I look forward to supporting his bill. I
had a great time in presiding over the debate yesterday, and I look
forward to continuing to work with the chairman in the future.
Mr. CALVERT. I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Chairman, next week, we will be having other bills in front of
us. We are looking forward to having the Financial Services bill on the
floor next week, and I believe we will have other appropriations bills
for the balance of the month. As we get back to regular order, we want
to have all 12 bills brought to the floor and debated. The chairman has
done a great job of moving this committee back to its historic
importance in this institution, and we appreciate your continued
support in that process.
As I mentioned on the Forest Service funding allocations, we are
continuing to work to make sure that moneys are available to fund
Forest Service research and development and to make sure that the
analysis and inventory program continues to be funded. The forests, we
recognize, are a renewable resource. Domestically produced timber
supports local communities and the U.S. industry, especially in the
West. It also helps reduce fuel loads in our national forests. This is
greatly needed, especially now, because these fires are burning hotter,
fire seasons are growing longer, and more communities are at risk.
Our forests need to be managed, Mr. Chairman. The Forest Service
estimates that up to 2 million acres of land need to be actively
managed. In the Rocky Mountains alone, 45 million acres have been
affected by the bark beetle. We have seen results of the bark beetle
back in my area of southern California where thousands of acres have
been devastated by this beetle that attacks weakened trees, which
certainly exposes a problem to wildfire conditions. Once those
wildfires start, then those fires quickly become catastrophic as we
have seen just recently in a fire in the San Bernardino National
Forest.
We were fortunate that the 2014 fire season was well below the normal
with just 87 percent of the 10-year average. We are praying that that
is going to occur in the 2015 fire season, but we can't be sure. Most
people believe that that is not going to occur and that, because of the
drought, especially in the West, we could have catastrophic conditions
and that we could have wildfires that can certainly grow out of
control.
Mr. Chairman, 2 percent of the wildfires cost more money than the
other 98 percent, so that is why we need to continue to invest
resources wisely and to make sure that we get rid of hazardous
materials, that we manage our forests properly in order for us not to
have these catastrophic fires. These figures are combined with the fact
that California, my home State, suffers through this exceptional
drought. Other parts of the country, including Minnesota, have the
potential for above normal wildfire activity in the next few months,
and that is extremely, extremely worrisome.
I would like to talk a little bit about the Land and Water
Conservation Fund. I know we would have liked to have appropriated more
money for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, but we are acting under
these allocations, and we were just restricted on what we could do. Yet
what we wanted to do was to focus back to the original intent of the
Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was recreation and State and
local acquisitions. In this bill, the administration is directed to
prioritize limited Federal acquisitions in which opportunities for
recreation and local and State congressional support are the strongest.
The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois). The gentleman from
California is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, we extend the authority of recreation fee
programs; we prohibit the Interior from administratively creating new
wilderness areas; we provide the full funding of $452 million for
payments in lieu of taxes, which is extremely important to almost every
State in the Union; and we increase the forest products account by $16
million so that the Forest Service can increase timber harvests.
We lost a lot of the timber operations in the West after the issue
with the spotted owl. After that 20-year experiment that most people
realize was a failure, we now have forests that have become overgrown,
especially in the West, and we have poorly managed some of those
forests. We need to go back and thin those forests out. There are two
ways to thin a forest, Mr. Chairman. Either God does it, or we allow
for good timbering operations that are done in a new scientific manner
that help clear out that forest in a healthy way, that bring back
animals that sometimes have abandoned the region because of
overgrowth--operations that make for a healthier forest in the long
run.
These are good goals. We want to work with the Department of Forestry
to make sure that they continue to make progress on this, and we will
continue to do that.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Amendment Offered by Mr. Calvert
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk read as follows:
At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the
following:
Sec.__. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
none of the funds made available by this Act may be used to
prohibit the display of the flag of the United States or the
POW/MIA flag, or the decoration of graves with flags in the
National Park Service national cemeteries as provided in
National Park Service Director's Order No. 61 or to
contravene the National Park Service memorandum dated June
24, 2015, with the subject line containing the words
``Immediate Action Required, No Reply Needed'' with respect
to sales items.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 333, the gentleman
from California and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
{time} 2030
Mr. CALVERT. This amendment will codify existing National Park
Service policy and directives with regard to the declaration of
cemeteries and concession sales. I urge adoption of my amendment.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's
amendment.
[[Page H4946]]
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 5
minutes.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this
amendment. I am actually quite surprised that we find ourselves here
tonight attempting to overturn the National Park Service recent policy
changes to stop allowing the Confederate flag to be displayed or sold
in national parks.
Mr. Chair, just yesterday, this House passed amendment after
amendment supporting the removal of the symbol of racism from our
national parks, which are visited every day by Americans and foreign
visitors of every race.
We have read about the divisive tactics happening in the South
Carolina statehouse as they debate the removal of the Confederate flag
after the murder of nine Black parishioners.
I never thought that the U.S. House of Representatives would join
those who would want to see this flag flown by passing an amendment to
ensure the continuing flying of the Confederate flag. I strongly urge
every Member to stand with the citizens of all races and to remove this
symbol of hatred from our National Park Service.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I want to restate: On June 25 when National
Park Service Director Jon Jarvis requested that Confederate flag sales
be removed from national park bookstores and gift shops, he also
followed a decision by several large national retailers--Walmart,
Amazon, and Sears--to stop selling items with Confederate flags on
them, and I agreed with these decisions. I commend those for their
prompt action.
While in certain and very limited circumstances, it might be
appropriate in a national park to display the image of the Confederate
flag in a historical context--and I say that as a social studies
teacher--the general display or sale of Confederate flag items is
inappropriate and divisive. I support limiting their use.
I strongly oppose this amendment, which is an attempt to negate
amendments which were approved yesterday without any opposition to
limit the displaying of the Confederate flag, and so we should make
sure that we uphold what this House stood for yesterday, which is to
say no to racism, which is to say no to hate speech.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).
The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California
will be postponed.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.
The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 5
minutes.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, as we prepare to finish consideration of
H.R. 2822, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate my
subcommittee chairman, Ken Calvert, for getting this bill to this
point.
It has not been an easy process, as we just realized a few moments
ago. We have had to consider nearly twice as many amendments as any
other appropriations bill taken up in the House this year.
While I have not agreed with a considerable number of the amendments
that have been made to the bill, I do appreciate that the chairman and
I have been able to disagree when necessary without ever being
disagreeable. My working relationship with Chairman Calvert has been
first rate. I appreciate the hard work and effort he has put into the
bill.
Let me also express my sincere thanks to the committee staff on both
sides of the aisle, as well as the personal staff in both of our
respective offices for their work on the bill. They put in long hours
to smooth a way for consideration of this bill, and I appreciate their
efforts.
Once again, I want to say that we have had a good working
relationship, Mr. Chair, but I cannot hide my surprise and my outrage
that we find ourselves here tonight attempting to overturn the National
Park Service recent policy change to stop allowing the Confederate flag
to be displayed or sold at our national parks.
Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentlewoman yield?
Ms. McCOLLUM. I yield to the gentleman from California.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I just want to say that I enjoyed and
continue to enjoy working with the gentlewoman as we move this process
forward and appreciate her courtesy and kindness.
As I say, we will continue to work at this process as we move ahead.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will read.
The Clerk read as follows:
This Act may be cited as the ``Department of the Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016''.
Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Poliquin) having assumed the chair, Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois,
Acting Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the
Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the
bill (H.R. 2822) making appropriations for the Department of the
Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2016, and for other purposes, had come to no resolution
thereon.
____________________