[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 2, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H6074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               EARTH SCIENCE LESSON ON EVAPOTRANSPIRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Nevada (Mrs. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about 
evapotranspiration.
  Perhaps you are not used to getting a mini Earth science lesson on 
the floor of the House, but hear me out for a minute.
  Nevada boasts 300 sunny days a year. It is great for hiking and 
biking, not so great when it comes to precipitation and our growing 
severe drought. But we can't just rely on precipitation data in 
understanding our drought because we are losing water with all of our 
sunny days.
  Evapotranspiration, or ET, is the combination of water lost through 
evaporation from the land and transpiration from plants. It is a 
critical measurement that we need to plan for the future of western 
water.
  Until recently, and frankly, to my surprise, water managers could not 
access this data. But a group of scientists, academics, advocacy 
organizations, and even corporations are working to change that.
  OpenET is filling the biggest data gap in water management by giving 
everyone access to ET data, and I mean everyone. You can Google it and 
pull it right up on your computer.
  From water managers, to utility providers, to farmers and ranchers, 
to conservationists, this data will help folks across the West make 
better water decisions to protect our most vital resource for decades 
to come.
  That is exactly why I have introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Open 
Access Evapotranspiration Act with Senator Cortez Masto to fill these 
critical data gaps and inform drought solutions across the West.
  I am all in when it comes to finding solutions for Nevada's drought. 
We must explore every option and make these investments before it is 
too late.


                  The Time Is Now to Lower Drug Prices

  Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as we continue to 
negotiate the Build Back Better Act.
  When I ran for Congress, I promised my constituents that I would do 
everything to fight for lower drug prices.
  Over and over again in townhalls, I hear from my constituents that 
they are so extremely worried about how they are going to pay for 
prescription drugs. In fact, one in five seniors reports not taking 
their medicines as prescribed because of the cost. I have even heard 
from constituents who say they skip meals so they can afford the 
prescriptions they need to stay healthy.
  This is outrageous. I urge my colleagues to address this problem with 
the urgency it deserves.
  With the Build Back Better agenda, we have a once-in-a-generation 
opportunity to change the status quo and make good on our promise that 
no one should have to choose between affording their prescription 
drugs, or putting food on the table, or paying rent.
  We must enact legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs. 
The time is now. Our constituents all over this country are counting on 
us.

                          ____________________