[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23831-23832]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 2691, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004

  Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to 
take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2691), making 
appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes, 
with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and 
agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

[[Page 23832]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.


                Motion To Instruct Offered by Mr. Dicks

  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct conferees.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Dicks moves that the managers on the part of the House 
     at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses 
     on the Senate amendment to the bill H.R. 2691 be instructed 
     to provide an additional $400,000,000 of emergency funding 
     for fiscal year 2003 forest fire suppression costs.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XXII, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks) and the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Taylor) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks).
  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This motion would instruct the conferees to agree to the additional 
$400 million of emergency firefighting funds in the Senate version of 
the fiscal year 2004 interior appropriations. These funds are 
desperately needed to repay the Department of the Interior and the 
Forest Service accounts that have been emptied to fight forest fires 
during the current fiscal year. We need this additional money. In fact, 
the agencies estimate that we need $171 million more than was provided 
by the Senate.
  The decision of Chairman Burns in the Senate to add an additional 
$400 million was in response to new agency estimates that show a 
shortfall of $860 million for fire. While the other body's amount does 
not fully address the problem, it would go a long way towards repaying 
the construction and land acquisition accounts of these agencies that 
have been pillaged, all because the administration did not request 
enough to fight fires.
  My colleagues from the West understand this problem all too well, but 
I hope everyone is aware that other areas beyond the West face similar 
fire risks from record low rainfall. The National Fire Center reports 
that as of today, more than 3.1 million acres have burned. Nineteen 
large fires are still burning, affecting more than 350,000 acres.
  The Forest Service and the BLM have already spent the money; they had 
no choice. But unlike other agencies, FEMA, for example, that get 
reimbursed, the Forest Service and BLM are forced to cancel 
construction projects, land acquisition, reforestation programs in our 
national forests, endangered species work, processing of grazing fees, 
and many other activities. These agencies simply cannot function and 
cannot do the work Congress directs them to do if year after year their 
accounts are drained for fires that we already know will occur, and if 
Congress does not reimburse these accounts.
  In 2002, the Forest Service and BLM spent nearly $1.2 billion 
fighting fires. The administration requested repayment of $825 million, 
leaving $334 million still owed to the Forest Service and the BLM. This 
borrowing is over the amounts that Congress had previously 
appropriated. This cannot happen again and again. These cuts have real 
impacts and, in some cases, only compound the problems we have in our 
forests if the agencies do not have the money to do the thinnings and 
fuel-load reduction work that is necessary to avoid fire risk in the 
first place.
  We all know this money is needed and that it is needed now. The 
conference should agree to the additional $400 million added by the 
Senate. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this motion.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I sympathize with the comments of my good friend, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks). We have had a hard fire season 
this year. We just passed $289 million, the President just signed it 
yesterday, so we have added that amount in. We are working with the 
administration on the new amount, and I have no objection to the 
recommendation the gentleman has to the committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is 
ordered on the motion.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct 
offered by the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks).
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________