{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2017-09-07-pt1-PgH7135", "2017-09-07", 115, 1, null, null, "DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "ALLOTHER", "H7135", "H7146", "[{\"name\": \"Ken Calvert\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Betty McCollum\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Denny Heck\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Bruce Poliquin\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Sheila Jackson Lee\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Raul M. Grijalva\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Don Bacon\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Tom O'Halleran\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Stacey E. Plaskett\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Tom Emmer\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Derek Kilmer\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Erik Paulsen\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Martha McSally\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"H. Morgan Griffith\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Jody B. Hice\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Andy Harris\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Glenn Thompson\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"A. Donald McEachin\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"David E. Price\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Leonard Lance\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Louise McIntosh Slaughter\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"James R. Langevin\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", "[{\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HRES\", \"number\": \"500\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HRES\", \"number\": \"504\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HRES\", \"number\": \"504\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"2643\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"2822\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"3354\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"3354\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"3686\"}, {\"congress\": \"115\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"5386\"}]", "163 Cong. Rec. H7135", "Congressional Record, Volume 163 Issue 144 (Thursday, September 7, 2017)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 144 (Thursday, September 7, 2017)]\n[House]\n[Pages H7135-H7146]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n     DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES\n                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018\n\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 504 and rule\nXVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House\non the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill,\nH.R. 3354.\n  Will the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Jody B. Hice) kindly resume the\nchair.\n\n                              {time}  1719\n\n                     In the Committee of the Whole\n\n  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the\nWhole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of\nthe bill (H.R. 3354) making appropriations for the Department of the\nInterior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending\nSeptember 30, 2018, and for other purposes, with Mr. Jody B. Hice of\nGeorgia (Acting Chair) in the chair.\n  The Clerk read the title of the bill.\n  The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose earlier today,\namendment No. 113 printed in House Report 115-295 offered by the\ngentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz) had been disposed of.\n  Pursuant to House Resolution 504, no further amendment to the bill,\nas amended, shall be in order except those printed in House Report 115-\n297, amendments en bloc described in section 3 of House Resolution 504,\nand available pro forma amendments described in section 4 of House\nResolution 500.\n  Each further amendment printed in the report shall be considered only\nin the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member\ndesignated in the report, shall be consider as read, shall be debatable\nfor the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by\nthe proponent and an opponent, may be withdrawn by the proponent at any\ntime before action thereon, shall not be subject to amendment except as\ndescribed in section 4 of House Resolution 500, and shall not be\nsubject to a demand for division of the question.\n  It shall be in order at any time for the chair of the Committee on\nAppropriations or his designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting\nof amendments printed in the report not earlier disposed of. Amendments\nen bloc shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes\nequally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member\nof the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees, shall\nnot be subject to amendment, except as described in section 4 of House\nResolution 500, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of\nthe question.\n\n     Amendments En Bloc No. 1 Offered by Mr. Calvert of California\n\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution\n504 and as the designee of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.\nFrelinghuysen), I offer amendments en bloc. A list of the included\namendments included in the en bloc is at the desk and has been agreed\nto by both sides.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.\n  Amendments en bloc No. 1 consisting of amendment Nos. 3, 7, 9, 10,\n11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 34, 35, 47, 48, 49, 58, and 79,\nprinted in House Report No. 115-297, offered by Mr. Calvert of\nCalifornia:\n\n             amendment no. 3 offered by mr. soto of florida\n\n       Page 8, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $500,000) (increased by $500,000)''.\n\n         amendment no. 7 offered by mr. courtney of connecticut\n\n       Page 15, line 13, after the first dollar amount, insert\n     ``(reduced by $300,000) (increased by $300,000)''.\n\n        amendment no. 9 offered by mr. cicilline of rhode island\n\n       Page 15, line 13, after the first dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.\n       Page 39, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $2,000,000)''.\n\n       amendment no. 10 offered by mr. clyburn of south carolina\n\n       Page 16, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.\n       Page 16, line 24, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.\n       Page 39, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $2,000,000)''.\n\n           amendment no. 11 offered by mr. heck of washington\n\n       Page 16, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $5,500,000)''.\n       Page 39, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $5,500,000)''.\n\n         amendment no. 16 offered by mr. o'halleran of arizona\n\n       Page 31, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $10,000,000)''.\n       Page 39, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $10,000,000)''.\n\n       amendment no. 17 offered by ms. plaskett of virgin islands\n\n       Page 39, line 1, after the dollar amount insert ``(reduced\n     by $995,000)''.\n       Page 40, line 11, after the first dollar amount insert\n     ``(increased by $995,000)''.\n       Page 40 line 11, after the second dollar amount insert\n     ``(increased by $977,000)''.\n       Page 40, line 25, after the dollar amount insert\n     ``(increased by $18,000)''.\n\n    amendment no. 19 offered by mrs. carolyn b. maloney of new york\n\n       Page 39, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $2,000,000)''.\n       Page 109, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.\n\n    amendment no. 20 offered by mr. brendan f. boyle of pennsylvania\n\n       Page 43, line 15, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(reduced by $1,911,000)''.\n       Page 104, line 20, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $1,911,000)''.\n\n            amendment no. 22 offered by mr. welch of vermont\n\n       Page 63, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $5,399,000)''.\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $4,399,000)''.\n       Page 64, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $4,399,000)''.\n\n            amendment no. 23 offered by mr. mast of florida\n\n       Page 63, line 6, insert ``(increased by $1,086,000)'' after\n     the dollar amount.\n       Page 64, line 1, insert ``(decreased by $1,086,000)'' after\n     the dollar amount.\n\n            amendment no. 25 offered by mr. soto of florida\n\n        Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(reduced by $468,000) (increased by $468,000)''.\n\n            amendment no. 26 offered by mr. mast of florida\n\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $1,000,000)''.\n       Page 67, line 20, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $1,000,000)''.\n       Page 74, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $1,000,000)''.\n\n           amendment no. 34 offered by mr. polis of colorado\n\n       Page 81, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $12,371,000)''.\n       Page 85, line 19, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $12,371,000)''.\n       Page 86, line 11, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $10,989,000)''.\n       Page 86, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $1,382,000)''.\n\n         amendment no. 35 offered by mr. o'halleran of arizona\n\n       Page 95, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(reduced by $47,000,000) (increased by $47,000,000)''.\n\n          amendment no. 47 offered by ms. jackson lee of texas\n\n       At the end of division A (before the short title), insert\n     the following:\n       Sec. __.  None of the funds made available by this Act may\n     be used to limit outreach programs administered by the\n     Smithsonian Institution.\n\n          amendment no. 48 offered by ms. jackson lee of texas\n\n       At the end of division A, before the short title, add the\n     following new section:\n       Sec. __.  None of the funds made available by this Act for\n     the ``DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR--National Park Service--national\n     recreation and preservation'' may be used in contravention of\n     section 320101 of title 54, United States Code.\n\n          amendment no. 49 offered by ms. jackson lee of texas\n\n       At the end of division A (before the short title), insert\n     the following:\n       Sec. __.  None of the funds made available in this Act may\n     be used may be used to eliminate the Urban Wildlife Refuge\n     Partnership.\n\n           amendment no. 58 offered by ms. poliquin of maine\n\n       At the end of division A (before the short title) insert\n     the following:\n       Sec. __.  None of the funds made available under this Act\n     may be used to enforce the export permission requirements of\n     section 9(d)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16\n     U.S.C. 1538(d)(1)) for members of the phylum Echinodermata\n     commonly known as sea urchins and sea cucumbers.\n\n          amendment no. 79 offered by ms. speier of california\n\n       At the end of division A (before the short title) insert\n     the following:\n\n                       limitation on use of funds\n\n       Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act may\n     be used to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the\n     proposed rule entitled ``Special Regulations, Areas of the\n     National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area,\n     Dog Management'' published by the National Park Service in\n     the Federal Register on February 24, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 9139\n     et seq.; Regulation Identifier No. 1024-AE16).\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman\n\n[[Page H7136]]\n\nfrom California (Mr. Calvert) and the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms.\nMcCollum) each will control 10 minutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from\nWashington (Mr. Heck).\n  Mr. HECK. Mr. Chairman, this amendment helps our local communities\npreserve and restore important historic sites through a successful\nFederal-State partnership.\n  For more than 40 years, the Historic Preservation Fund has helped our\nStates and Native Tribes leverage funds to revitalize communities and\ncreate opportunities for economic growth.\n  In my district, for example, the Historic Preservation Fund was\nrecently used to rehabilitate Olympia's historic Stoker House, which is\nnow home to a small clinic that provides much-needed mental health\ncounseling services.\n  This year, funds were also used for Washington State's Youth Heritage\nProject in Tacoma, which introduced high school students to the\nmaritime heritage of the Puget Sound region.\n  This amendment would simply restore Historic Preservation funding to\nlast year's levels. It is a small but effective Federal program that\ndeserves continued support.\n  This is a bipartisan amendment, and I am thankful to have the support\nof the co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus, Congressmen\nTurner and Blumenauer, along with Congressmen Smith, Courtney, and\nKeating.\n  Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of the amendment.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I have no opposition to this en bloc\namendment moving forward, and I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the en bloc, and I\nurge its adoption.\n  Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr.\nPoliquin).\n  Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chairman, I am thrilled to rise today to speak on\nbehalf of my amendment which will remove unnecessary, redundant, and\nburdensome regulations from our sea urchins and sea cucumbers industry\nin the great State of Maine.\n  Now, we have some of the most hardworking people, Mr. Chair, in our\nState, and some of them--about 600 or so of them--along with the\nprocessing part brave the cold, dark waters of the great State of Maine\nand dive for sea urchins and cucumbers and harvest them on a regular\nbasis year-round. It is a process that is dangerous, but these\ndelicacies are sold all around the world, mostly in the Far East, and\nwe need to make sure our government helps these individuals work this\nterrific fishery that has been doing so well in the past.\n  Now, I want to thank my colleague, Chellie Pingree, who represents\nthe First District. I represent the Second District of Maine. She has\nbeen very helpful. We have worked together for quite some time on this\nissue in a bipartisan way to make sure, Mr. Chairman, that we don't\nhave too many regulations that are unnecessary and expensive such that\nwe can make sure this part of our fishery is healthy and goes forward.\n  So, again, I appreciate, Mr. Chairman, very much your giving me this\nopportunity to speak on behalf of my amendment.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I have no other speakers present at this\ntime, and I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I have no other speakers. I rise in\nsupport of the amendments en bloc, and I urge its adoption.\n  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to speak\nin support of my amendment to Division A of H.R. 3354, the ``Interior\nand Environment Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2018.''\n  Let me also thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for\ntheir leadership in shepherding this bill to the floor.\n  Among other agencies, this legislation funds the Smithsonian\nInstitution, which operates our national museums, including the Air and\nSpace Museum; the Museum of African Art; the Museum of the American\nIndian; and the National Portrait Gallery.\n  The Smithsonian also operates another national treasure: the National\nZoo.\n  Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple but it sends a very important\nmessage from the Congress of the United States.\n  The Jackson Lee Amendment simply provides that:\n  ``Sec.___. None of the funds made available in this Act may be used\nto limit outreach programs administered by the Smithsonian\nInstitution.''\n  This amendment is identical to an amendment I offered to the Interior\nand Environment Appropriations Act for FY2008 (H.R. 2822) that was\napproved by voice vote on July 7, 2016.\n  Mr. Chair, the Smithsonian's outreach programs bring Smithsonian\nscholars in art, history and science out of ``the nation's attic'' and\ninto their own backyard.\n  Each year, millions of Americans visit the Smithsonian in Washington,\nD.C.\n  But in order to fulfill the Smithsonian's mission, ``the increase and\ndiffusion of knowledge,'' the Smithsonian seeks to serve an even\ngreater audience by bringing the Smithsonian to enclaves of communities\nwho otherwise would be deprived of the vast amount of cultural history\noffered by the Smithsonian.\n  The Smithsonian's outreach programs serve millions of Americans,\nthousands of communities, and hundreds of institutions in all 50\nstates, through loans of objects, traveling exhibitions, and sharing of\neducational resources via publications, lectures and presentations,\ntraining programs, and websites.\n  Smithsonian outreach programs work in close cooperation with\nSmithsonian museums and research centers, as well as with 144 affiliate\ninstitutions and others across the nation.\n  The Smithsonian's outreach activities support community-based\ncultural and educational organizations around the country.\n  They ensure a vital, recurring, and high-impact Smithsonian presence\nin all 50 states through the provision of traveling exhibitions and a\nnetwork of affiliations.\n  Smithsonian outreach programs increase connections between the\nInstitution and targeted audiences (African American, Asian American,\nLatino, Native American, and new American) and provide kindergarten\nthrough college-age museum education and outreach opportunities.\n  These outreach programs enhance K-12 science education programs,\nfacilitate the Smithsonian's scholarly interactions with students and\nscholars at universities, museums, and other research institutions; and\ndisseminate results related to the research and collections strengths\nof the Institution.\n  The programs that provide the critical mass of Smithsonian outreach\nactivity are:\n  1. the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES);\n  2. the Smithsonian Affiliations, the Smithsonian Center for Education\nand Museum Studies (SCEMS);\n  3. National Science Resources Center (NSRC);\n  4. the Smithsonian Institution Press (SIP);\n  5. the Office of Fellowships (OF); and\n  6. the Smithsonian Associates (TSA), which receives no federal\nfunding.\n  To achieve the goal of increasing public engagement, SITES directs\nsome of its federal resources to develop Smithsonian Across America: A\nCelebration of National Pride.\n  This ``mobile museum,'' which will feature Smithsonian artifacts from\nthe most iconic (presidential portraits, historic American flags, Civil\nWar records, astronaut uniforms, etc.) to the simplest items of\neveryday life (family quilts, prairie schoolhouse furnishings, historic\nlunch boxes, multilingual store front and street signs, etc.), has been\na long-standing organizational priority of the Smithsonian.\n  SITES ``mobile museum'' is the only traveling exhibit format able to\nguarantee audience growth and expanded geographic distribution during\nsustained periods of economic retrenchment, but also because it is\nimperative for the many exhibitors nationwide who are struggling\nfinancially yet eager to participate in Smithsonian outreach.\n  For communities still struggling to fully recover from the economic\ndownturn, the ability of museums to present temporary exhibitions, the\n``mobile museum'' promises to answer an ever-growing demand for\nSmithsonian shows in the field.\n  A single, conventional SITES exhibit can reach a maximum of 12\nlocations over a two- to three-year period.\n  In contrast, a ``mobile museum'' exhibit can visit up to three venues\nper week in the course of only one year, at no cost to the host\ninstitution or community.\n  The net result is an increase by 150 in the number of outreach\nlocations to which SITES shows can travel annually.\n  And in addition to its flexibility in making short-term stops in\ncities and towns from coast-to-coast, a ``mobile museum'' has the\n\n[[Page H7137]]\n\nadvantage of being able to frequent the very locations where people\nlive, work, and take part in leisure time activities.\n  By establishing an exhibit presence in settings like these, SITES\nwill not only increase its annual visitor participation by 1 million,\nbut also advance a key Smithsonian performance objective: to develop\nexhibit approaches that address diverse audiences, including population\ngroups not always affiliated with mainstream cultural institutions.\n  SITES also will be the public exhibitions' face of the Smithsonian's\nNational Museum of African American History and Culture, as that new\nMuseum comes online.\n  Providing national access to projects that will introduce the\nAmerican public to the Museum's mission, SITES in FY 2008 will tour\nsuch stirring exhibitions as NASA ART: 50 Years of Exploration; 381\nDays: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story; Beyond: Visions of Planetary\nLandscapes; The Way We Worked: Photographs from the National Archives;\nand More Than Words: Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian's\nArchives of American Art.\n  To meet the growing demand among smaller community and ethnic museums\nfor an exhibition celebrating the Latino experience, SITES provided a\nscaled-down version of the National Museum of American History's 4,000-\nsquare-foot exhibition about legendary entertainer Celia Cruz.\n  Two 1,500-square-foot exhibitions, one about Crow Indian history and\nthe other on basket traditions, will give Smithsonian visitors beyond\nWashington a taste of the Institution's critically acclaimed National\nMuseum of the American Indian.\n  Two more exhibits, ``In Plane View'' and ``Earth from Space,''\nprovided visitors an opportunity to experience the Smithsonian's\nrecently opened, expansive National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy\nCenter.\n  For almost 30 years, The Smithsonian Associates--the highly regarded\neducational arm of the Smithsonian Institution--has arranged Scholars\nin the Schools programs.\n  Through this tremendously successful and well-received educational\noutreach program, the Smithsonian shares its staff--hundreds of experts\nin art, history and science--with the national community at a local\nlevel.\n  The mission of Smithsonian Affiliations is to build a strong national\nnetwork of museums and educational organizations in order to establish\nactive and engaging relationships with communities throughout the\ncountry.\n  There are currently 138 affiliates located in the United States,\nPuerto Rico, and Panama.\n  By working with museums of diverse subject areas and scholarly\ndisciplines, both emerging and well-established, Smithsonian\nAffiliations is building partnerships through which audiences and\nvisitors everywhere will be able to share in the great wealth of the\nSmithsonian while building capacity and expertise in local communities.\n  The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) strives to increase the\nnumber of ethnically diverse students participating in effective\nscience programs based on NSRC products and services.\n  The Center develops and implements a national outreach strategy that\nwill increase the number of school districts (currently more than 800)\nthat are implementing NSRC K-8 programs.\n  The NSRC is striving to further enhance its program activity with a\nnewly developed scientific outreach program introducing communities and\nschool districts to science through literacy initiatives.\n  In addition, through the building of the multicultural Alliance\nInitiative, the Smithsonian's outreach programs seek to develop new\napproaches to enable the public to gain access to Smithsonian\ncollections, research, education, and public programs that reflect the\ndiversity of the American people, including underserved audiences of\nethnic populations and persons with disabilities.\n  For all these reasons, Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the Jackson Lee\nAmendment and thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for\ntheir courtesies, consideration, and very fine work in putting together\nthis excellent legislation.\n  Mr. Chair, I also want to thank you for this opportunity to speak in\nsupport of my amendments to Division A of H.R. 3354, the Interior and\nEnvironment Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2018 and to commend\nChairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for their leadership in\nshepherding this bill through the legislative process.\n  Among other agencies, this legislation funds the U.S. Forest Service,\nthe National Park System, and the Smithsonian Institution, which\noperates our national museums including the National Zoo.\n  Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple but it sends a very important\nmessage from the Congress of the United States.\n  The Jackson Lee Amendment emphasizes the importance of Urban Wildlife\nRefuge Partnerships and urban forests, and preserves our ability to\nreturn urban areas to healthy and safe living environments for our\nchildren.\n  Similar amendments were offered and accepted in the Interior and\nEnvironment Appropriations Acts for Fiscal Year 2017 (H.R. 2822),\nFiscal Year 2008 (H.R. 2643), and Fiscal Year 2007 (H.R. 5386), and\nwere adopted by voice vote.\n  Mr. Chair, surveys indicate that some urban forests are in serious\ndanger.\n  In the past 30 years alone, we have lost 30 percent of all our urban\ntrees--a loss of over 600 million trees.\n  Eighty percent (80 percent) of the American population lives in the\ndense quarters of a city.\n  Reforestation programs return a tool of nature to a concrete area\nthat can help to remove air pollution, filter out chemicals and\nagricultural waste in water, and save communities millions of dollars\nin storm water management costs.\n  I have certainly seen neighborhoods in Houston benefit from urban\nreforestation.\n  In addition, havens of green in the middle of a city can have\nbeneficial effects on a community's health, both physical and\npsychological, as well as increase property value of surrounding real\nestate.\n  Reforestation of cities is an innovative way of combating urban\nsprawl and deterioration.\n  Mr. Chair, a real commitment to enhancing our environment involves\nboth the protection of existing natural resources and active support\nfor restoration and improvement projects.\n  Several years ago, American Forests, a leading conservation group,\nestimated that the tree cover lost in the greater Washington\nmetropolitan area from 1973 to 1997 resulted in an additional 540\nmillion cubic feet of storm water runoff annually, which would have\ntaken more than $1 billion in storm water control facilities to manage.\n  Trees breathe in carbon dioxide, and produce oxygen.\n  People breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.\n  A typical person consumes about 38 lb of oxygen per year.\n  A healthy tree, say a 32 ft tall ash tree, can produce about 260 lb\nof oxygen annually--two trees supply the oxygen needs of a person for a\nyear!\n  Trees help reduce pollution by capturing particulates like dust and\npollen with their leaves.\n  A mature tree absorbs from 120 to 240 lbs of the small particles and\ngases of air pollution.\n  Trees help combat the effects of ``greenhouse'' gases, the increased\ncarbon dioxide produced from burning fossil fuels that is causing our\natmosphere to ``heat up.''\n  Trees help cool down the overall city environment by shading asphalt,\nconcrete and metal surfaces.\n  Buildings and paving in city centers create a heat-island effect.\n  A mature tree canopy reduces air temperatures by about 5-10 degrees\nFahrenheit.\n  A 25 foot tree reduces annual heating and cooling costs of a typical\nresidence by 8 to 12 percent, producing an average annual savings of\n$120 per American household.\n  Proper tree plantings around buildings can slow winter winds, and\nreduce annual energy use for home heating by 4-22 percent.\n  Mr. Chair, trees play a vital role in making our cities more\nsustainable and more livable.\n  The Jackson Lee Amendment simply provides for continued support to\nprograms like Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnerships that reforest our\nurban areas.\n  For all these reasons, Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the Jackson Lee\nAmendment and thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for\ntheir courtesies, consideration, and very fine work in putting together\nthis legislation.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered\nby the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).\n  The en bloc amendments were agreed to.\n\n                Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Grijalva\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.\n  The text of the amendment is as follows:\n\n       Page 2, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $12,000,000)''.\n       Page 66, line 2, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $12,000,000)''.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman\nfrom Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and a Member opposed each will control 5\nminutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, my amendment will restore $12 million in\ncuts to the already underfunded Superfund Enforcement program, with an\nequivalent cut to Bureau of Land Management's oil and gas leasing\nprogram.\n\n[[Page H7138]]\n\n  Superfund Enforcement is the epitome of Federal fiscal\nresponsibility. It ensures that polluters pay for the cleanup and the\nmess they have caused.\n  For over 35 years, EPA's Superfund Enforcement program has enabled\nthousands of site investigations at cleanups and has required viable\nresponsible parties to either conduct the work or pay for the cleanups\nof these Superfund sites, in other words, hold parties accountable for\nthe action and correction of their activities.\n\n                              {time}  1730\n\n  Any cuts to these funds clearly places corporate interests over that\nof the health and financial well-being of the American people.\n  According to the EPA, the Superfund Enforcement program's efforts to\nnegotiate settlement agreements and issue order for cleanup work\naccounts for approximately 69 percent of all the cleanup work currently\nunderway at Superfund sites around this country.\n  For every dollar the Superfund Enforcement program spends, private\nparties commit $8 toward cleanup work. The enforcement funding is\nessential in saving taxpayer dollars and the scarce resources of the\nSuperfund trust fund to address truly abandoned and orphaned sites.\n  As of August 1, 2017, there were 1,845 Superfund sites in the\ncountry. These sites include dangerous and toxic substances not just in\nmy backyard but in everybody's backyard.\n  Perhaps not surprisingly, Superfund sites tend to be located near\nlower income communities and around communities of color. Approximately\n53 million people live within 3 miles of a Superfund site in this\ncountry, and 46 percent of them live in poorer communities and\ncommunities of color. Fifteen percent of those residents live below the\npoverty level.\n  According to a National Association of Clean Air Agencies report:\n``Without EPA's enforcement, companies could avoid reporting, or\nminimize the reported amount of toxic materials released to the\nenvironment.''\n  Following one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to hit Texas, the\nEPA found that 13 Superfund sites have been flooded or could face\ndamage as a result of Hurricane Harvey.\n  Administrator Pruitt has repeatedly tried to justify his cuts to the\nagency by claiming that he wants the agency to go ``back to the\nbasics.'' I can't think of anything more fundamental than cleaning up\nthe most toxic sites in the Nation to protect the health of the people\nwho live nearby in those communities.\n  Restoring the ability of the EPA to self-sustain its core mission\nshould be a no-brainer for those on both sides of the aisle. In order\nto restore the funding, my amendment will make a modest cut to the\nBLM's oil and gas program. This program is a massive giveaway to the\nvery polluters that have made the existence of the Superfund program a\nnecessity.\n  Currently, 7,950 drilling permits are approved and not being used.\nThere are 14.4 million acres of public land under lease and not\nproducing. There is no justification to dole out more taxpayer money in\norder to expedite and speed up the permitting or leasing practices when\nwe have that amount not being used and over close to 15 million acres\nunder lease, as we speak.\n  A report by Oil Change International recently found that the U.S.\nGovernment provided about $6 billion annually in financial support to\nthe oil, gas, and coal industries between 2013 and 2015. Meanwhile, oil\ngiant ExxonMobil's profits more than doubled in the first quarter of\nthis year, which equaled $4.1 billion in profits for just that one\nquarter. They certainly did not need more taxpayer money while\ncommunities across the United States continue to be exposed to toxic\nand hazardous pollution.\n  My amendment restores, in part, EPA's core mission to protect the\npublic health of the American people and to hold all polluters\nresponsible and liable for the environmental and health risks they\ncause.\n  Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment, and I reserve\nthe balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.\n  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Mitchell). The gentleman from California is\nrecognized for 5 minutes.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I certainly appreciate the gentleman's\nsupport for robust funding of the Superfund program, particularly the\ncleanup program.\n  There is a need for Congress to make progress to address the backlog\nof 1,300 sites on the national priority list. The bill proposes to do\nso with a $47.6 million increase for cleanup work. However, the\namendment proposes merely to increase EPA's enforcement budget by $12\nmillion, with a stated objective of reducing BLM's oil and gas\nmanagement program.\n  The committee wrote a balanced bill, and I support the wise use of\nFederal oil and gas resources. Therefore, I oppose the amendment and\nurge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the gentleman's amendment.\n  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, this is a prudent, necessary protection\nof public health and the environment. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this\namendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I ask Members to vote ``no'' on this\namendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the\ngentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva).\n  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes\nappeared to have it.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further\nproceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will\nbe postponed.\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 4\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n\n                  Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Bacon\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 5\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n  Mr. BACON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.\n  The text of the amendment is as follows:\n\n       Page 8, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $1,974,000)''.\n       Page 10, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $4,000,000)''.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman\nfrom Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) and a Member opposed each will control 5\nminutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska.\n  Mr. BACON. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer amendment No. 5. I plan to\nask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment. However, before I do,\nI would ask to engage Chairman Calvert in a brief colloquy.\n  Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman.\n  Mr. CALVERT. I would be happy to engage the gentleman from Colorado\nin a colloquy.\n  Mr. BACON. The Fish and Wildlife Service has a backlog of 49 species\nwaiting to be down-listed or delisted. This issue is further compounded\nby the fact that an additional 839 species are overdue for their\nmandatory 5-year status review to determine if ESA protections need to\ncontinue.\n  It is no wonder why States are frustrated that species are put on the\nlist and rarely removed. To be more effective in species conservation,\nthe Fish and Wildlife Service must address this backlog so States can\nbetter focus their recovery efforts.\n  I respect the committee's progress made on this front, but I hope we\ncan make further efforts to ensure the Fish and Wildlife Service is an\neffective ally in species conservation under EPA.\n  Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman.\n  Mr. CALVERT. I thank the gentleman for his comments and for his\namendment, and I fully agree with his concerns about the backlogs, but\nI have concerns with the proposed offset and appreciate the intention\nto withdraw it.\n  The committee has made a concerted effort in recent years to fix\nthese problems and has increased the recovery account by almost $4\nmillion over the last 2 years.\n  Under House Republican pressure over the past 7 years, the Fish and\nWildlife Service has delisted more species than all other previous\nyears combined, but, clearly, we still have a long way to go.\n\n[[Page H7139]]\n\n  The Service has been directed and funded to complete all 5-year\nreviews within the period required by law, and the committee will\ncontinue to press the Service to see that they eliminate these\nbacklogs.\n  I thank the gentleman again for raising this issue, and I pledge to\nwork with him on this.\n  Mr. BACON. I thank the gentleman for his feedback and efforts, and I\nyield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my amendment No. 5.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The amendment is withdrawn.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of Ranking Member Lowey,\nI move to strike the last word.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from\nArizona (Mr. O'Halleran).\n  Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chairman, my amendments address critical health\nneeds in Indian Country by providing the Bureau of Indian Affairs and\nthe Indian Health Service additional funding to complete projects.\n  My first amendment ensures communities, including the Hopi Tribe in\nmy district, have resources for funding to complete their arsenic\nmedication project.\n  My second amendment fulfills part of our trust relationship with\nfederally recognized Tribes by ensuring Indian Health Service clinics\nand hospitals opening this year receive staffing and operations\nfunding.\n  In my district, the Gila River Health Care Red Tail Hawk Health\nCenter is scheduled to be opened, but has not received staffing or\noperation funding. These healthcare facilities are badly needed to\nincrease access to healthcare in the community.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume to\nthe gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett).\n  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chairman, I am asking that we include my provision\nfor raising funds for the Department of the Interior's assistance to\nterritories in this en bloc amendment.\n  This is a very modest uptick of the $1 million in Federal support for\nthe United States territories, namely the Virgin Islands, Guam,\nNorthern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. It is crucial that the\nFederal Government keep its commitment to address the pressing needs of\nAmericans living in these territories as we face grave natural disaster\nand security threats.\n  Right now, thousands of people are feeling the effects of one of the\nmost catastrophic hurricanes ever to strike the Caribbean region.\nHurricane Irma has toppled buildings and leveled many homes. Making the\nVirgin Islands whole again will require massive and coordinated efforts\nspanning a long period of time.\n  Much of the Federal Government's support for Americans in U.S.\nterritories comes out of this territorial assistance account, with\nfunding channeled toward necessary community facilities like schools,\nhospitals, and critical infrastructure systems. This support is\nimperative.\n  After this hurricane, one of our hospitals is partially destroyed.\nThe other faces egregious deferred maintenance issues due, in part, to\nan extremely high proportion of uncompensated care because the\nterritories face inequitable treatment in Federal health programs like\nMedicaid and Medicare.\n  Construction or repair to schools and hospitals account for much of\nthe capital improvement project expenditures that come directly out of\nthis assistance to the territories' account.\n  We are asking that the territories receive the same funding that they\nhave received previously, and please approve this amendment to reverse\nthis cut as a simple matter of fairness to the territories.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.\n\n     Amendments En Bloc No. 2 Offered by Mr. Calvert of California\n\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution\n504, as the designee of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.\nFrelinghuysen), I rise to offer amendments en bloc No. 2. The list of\nthe amendments included in the en bloc is at the desk and has been\nagreed to by both sides.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.\n  Amendments en bloc No. 2 consisting of amendment Nos. 1, 6, 24, 28,\n33, 52, 54, and 70 printed in House Report 115-297, offered by Mr.\nCalvert of California:\n\n           Amendment No. 1 Offered by Ms. McSally of Arizona\n\n       Page 2, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $316,000)''.\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $364,700)''.\n\n             Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Mast of Florida\n\n       Page 8, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $1,200,000)''.\n       Page 21, line 07, after the dollar amount, insert,\n     ``(increased by $1,000,000)''.\n\n            Amendment No. 24 Offered by Mr. Mast of Florida\n\n       Page 63, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $979,000)''.\n       Page 104 line 10, after the dollar amount, insert,\n     ``(increased by $979,000)''.\n\n           Amendment No. 28 Offered by Ms. McSally of Arizona\n\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $3,831,000)''.\n       Page 81, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $3,000,000)''.\n       Page 81, line 10, after the first dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $3,000,000)''.\n\n       Amendment No. 33 Offered by Mr. McKinley of West Virginia\n\n       Page 80, line 21, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(reduced by $9,500,000)''.\n       Page 81, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $5,000,000)''.\n       Page 81, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $5,000,000)''.\n\n            Amendment No. 52 Offered by Mr. Byrne of Alabama\n\n       At the end of division A (before the short title) insert\n     the following:\n       Sec. __.  None of the funds made available by this Act may\n     be used to propose to repeal section 105(a)(2) or section\n     105(b) of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43\n     U.S.C. 1331 note).\n\n            Amendment No. 54 Offered by Mr. Burgess of Texas\n\n       At the end of division A (before the short title), insert\n     the following:\n       Sec. ____.  None of the funds made available by this Act\n     may be used by the Administrator of the Environmental\n     Protection Agency to hire or pay the salary of any officer or\n     employee of the Environmental Protection Agency under\n     subsection (f) or (g) of section 207 of the Public Health\n     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 209) who is not already receiving pay\n     under either such subsection on the date of enactment of this\n     Act.\n\n           Amendment No. 70 Offered by Mr. Emmer of Minnesota\n\n       At the end of division A (before the short title), insert\n     the following:\n       Sec. __.  None of the funds made available by this Act may\n     be used to withdraw National Forest System lands within the\n     Rainy River Watershed on the Superior National Forest from\n     disposition under United States mineral and geothermal\n     leasing laws.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman\nfrom California (Mr. Calvert) and the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms.\nMcCollum) each will control 10 minutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\\1/2\\ minutes to the gentleman\nfrom Minnesota (Mr. Emmer).\n  Mr. EMMER. I thank the chairman for yielding.\n  Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to support this en bloc amendment because\nit contains language I offered to support the hardworking people of\nMinnesota.\n  Our amendment halts a last-minute effort by the previous\nadministration that would restrict all leasing, exploration, and\npotential development of approximately 234,000 acres of Federal land in\nnortheast Minnesota.\n  If this ban were to take effect, it would have a devastating impact\non the economy of my State, as well as our Nation as a whole.\n  Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources has estimated there are\nroughly $500 billion worth of minerals in the area proposed for\nwithdrawal, in addition to nearly $3 billion in royalty revenues for\nMinnesota's Permanent School Trust Fund, which would support almost\n900,000 K-12 students statewide.\n  Through this amendment, we have a real opportunity to get the Federal\nGovernment out of the way so this land can remain available for future\ndevelopment to bring much-needed jobs and revenue to the great State of\nMinnesota.\n  These efforts have garnered the support of more than 60 members of\nthe Minnesota Legislature, from both parties I might add. We also have\nthe backing of Chairman Bishop of the House Natural Resources\nCommittee, as well as the chairman of the Energy and Mineral Resources\nSubcommittee, Representative Paul Gosar.\n\n[[Page H7140]]\n\n                              {time}  1745\n\n  The National Mining Association, Mining Minnesota, and the\nCongressional Western Caucus are in favor of the amendment, and it\ncould not be more in line with the current administration's priorities\nto create jobs and reinvigorate the American economy.\n  Because we know that somehow, somewhere, someone will find a way to\nmine the precious metals in this area in a safe and environmentally\nresponsible way----\n  The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the\ngentleman from Minnesota.\n  Mr. EMMER. Mr. Chairman, when that happens, Minnesota deserves to\nhave that opportunity and the jobs and economic prosperity that will\nensue.\n  Again, I thank the chairman for the opportunity to speak in support\nof my amendment, and I encourage everyone to support the en bloc\npackage.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this en bloc\namendment.\n  I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Kilmer).\n  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this block of\namendments, and I do appreciate that this block seeks to increase\nfunding to address the National Park Service's $11.3 billion backlog of\ndeferred maintenance.\n  I firmly believe that we need to increase annual appropriations for\nour parks, but funding shouldn't come at the expense of other critical\nagency accounts.\n  In my neck of the woods, the Olympic National Park, alone, has $150\nmillion in backlogged maintenance needs, so we are not going to\naccomplish this enormous goal a few million dollars at a time. The real\nsolution is for Congress to provide a robust and dedicated funding\nsource, and that is why I partnered with Representative Hurd and my\nfellow Washingtonian, Representative Reichert, to introduce the\nNational Park Service Legacy Act, which will create a dedicated source\nof funding to address the National Park Service maintenance backlog.\nThis bipartisan and bicameral bill is funded through unobligated\nmineral royalties and would generate up to $500 million, annually,\nthrough 2047.\n  So, if we are serious about addressing the overwhelming maintenance\nbacklog in our national parks, I urge my colleagues to oppose this\namendment and join me in support of the National Park Service Legacy\nAct.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I am opposed to all these amendments\nincluded in the en bloc. Many of them use offsets from accounts in the\nEnvironmental Protection Agency of the Fish and Wildlife Service, and\nthey are already severely underfunded.\n  I am particularly troubled by one amendment to this group that\nthreatens our Nation's most visited wilderness area. Let me tell you\nwhy I oppose the Emmer amendment.\n  The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, located in northern\nMinnesota, is one of the last truly wild places in America. These 1.1\nmillion acres of unspoiled woodlands and more than 1,000 pristine lakes\nare beloved by adventurers, canoers, and sportsmen from all across our\ncountry. This national treasure lies in the vast Rainy River Watershed\nand flows north into Voyageurs National Park and onward towards Canada.\n  Recently, there has been a push to conduct sulfide-ore copper mining\nless than 3 miles from the Boundary Waters Wilderness. This mining\nthreatens to irreplaceably damage the waters, the wildlife, and the\nlandscape. Sulfur ore mining is the most toxic industry in America,\npolluting waterways with acid drainage that contains arsenic, mercury,\nand lead.\n  In 2014, the Mount Polley sulfide-ore mine in British Columbia\nfailed, dumping billions of liters of toxic sludge and leaving\npermanent environmental damage in its wake.\n  To protect the boundary waters from this type of destruction, the\nForest Service acted last December and launched a thorough\nenvironmental analysis with public engagement to assess what type of\nmining, if any, is appropriate on Federal lands and this watershed for\nthe next 20 years. The Trump and the Obama administrations have both\nagreed we need a thorough, scientific-based assessment of the best\nmanagement of this sensitive ecosystem and conservation of our boundary\nwaters.\n  The Emmer amendment upends this careful process. It pushes aside the\nForest Service's ongoing study. It mandates that dangerous copper and\nsulfide mining will be allowed in the watershed, regardless of the\nconclusions of this environmental study, and it intentionally ignores a\npublic process that hundreds of thousands of Americans weighed in on\nwith comments on both sides of the issue. In my opinion, this amendment\nsets a horrible precedent, wastes taxpayer dollars already invested in\nthis study, and threatens a national treasure, and it should never\nbecome law.\n  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the en bloc and urge\nits adoption.\n  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Chair, let me start by acknowledging my colleagues,\nRepresentatives Emmer and Nolan. I'm proud to call both of you my\nfriends, but I'm speaking tonight because I disagree with this\namendment.\n  We can be open to new types of mining in Minnesota when the necessary\nenvironmental reviews are met, like in the case of Polymet, which I\nsupport.\n  Taconite mining is part of Minnesota's DNA. However, the copper-\nnickel mining being proposed on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe\nArea is not taconite mining, and has never been done before in\nMinnesota. Earlier this year, the Trump administration said it would\nallow the current environmental review process to proceed to\ncompletion. I support that decision, and I oppose this amendment's\neffort to defund an ongoing environmental review to protect one of\nMinnesota's natural treasures. Indeed, it's one of our country's most\nspectacular wilderness areas.\n  The Boundary Waters is Minnesota's Yellowstone. Hundreds of thousands\nof Americans visit on fishing and canoe trips annually. Some of the\nbest memories of my life have taken place in the Boundary Waters, both\nas a child and now as a parent with my daughters.\n  The public process that is underway after hundreds of thousands of\npeople weighed in with their comments, should not be ignored and tossed\naside. And, a science-based assessment of the best management practices\nof this sensitive ecosystem should be adhered to. We owe it to future\ngenerations to understand the impact copper-nickel mining poses to\nMinnesota's most precious water and land before we put it at risk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered\nby the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).\n  The en bloc amendments were agreed to.\n\n                 Amendment No. 8 Offered by Ms. McSally\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 8\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n  Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.\n  The text of the amendment is as follows:\n\n       Page 15, line 13, after the first dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $9,692,000)''.\n       Page 15, line 15, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $9,692,000)''.\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $12,078,000)''.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentlewoman\nfrom Arizona (Ms. McSally) and a Member opposed each will control 5\nminutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Arizona.\n  Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in favor of my amendment to\nthe Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act.\n  This amendment would approve access to America's prized treasures by\nincreasing the National Park Service's Facility Maintenance and\nOperations account by $9.7 million, bringing the funding amount up to\nthe fiscal year 2017 enacted level. In doing so, this amendment will\nhelp address the longstanding deferred maintenance needs of the Park\nService.\n  Currently, the National Park Service has an $11.9 billion backlog,\nwhich is a figure that has increased steadily since 2009. According to\nthe most recent NPS deferred maintenance report, the Yosemite National\nPark, in Chairman Calvert's home State, has a backlog of $555 million.\nYellowstone has a backlog of $716 million across three States.\n\n[[Page H7141]]\n\nThe Grand Canyon's backlog of $350 million makes up a large portion of\nmy home State's--Arizona--delayed and deferred projects. In fact,\nArizona has one of the largest backlogs of any State in the country:\n$565 million.\n  This problem doesn't only impact the crown jewels of the park system.\nIn my district, maintenance projects require attention at the Saguaro\nNational Park of approximately $12.9 million, of which the Chiricahua\nNational Monument in Cochise County faces roughly $10.3 million in\nneeded restoration projects.\n  Mr. Chairman, this country and my State is home to some of the\nworld's most renowned landscapes and natural beauty. By providing this\nmodest funding increase to address some of the backlog across the\nNation, my amendment will ensure Americans have unimpaired access to\ntheir national parks and that the enjoyment of these wonders is\navailable for future generations.\n  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the\namendment.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I must oppose this amendment that takes\nmore money away from an already starved Environmental Protection\nAgency. The EPA's main operating account is already cut by $240\nmillion.\n  The EPA plays a critical role in keeping Americans safe both during\nnatural disasters like Hurricane Harvey and on a day-to-day basis. I\nknow this because the EPA, right now, is cleaning up a toxic waste site\nthat has been recently discovered in my congressional district.\n  Unfortunately, the very air we breathe and the water we drink is\nendangered by the funding and policy decisions that are made in this\nbill, and their consequences will be negatively felt in communities\nacross this Nation.\n  Now, this amendment would increase funding for the National Park\nService, something I do support. I have just been to Glacier National\nPark, where I saw their backlog, and I agree wholeheartedly that we\nshould be investing in our parks, but it cannot be done at the expense\nof our public health.\n  Republicans have chosen to put forward an omnibus bill that leaves\nnearly $5 billion of nondiscretionary funds on the table. So rather\nthan gutting the EPA farther, we should be using all the resources\navailable to us and working on a bipartisan budget agreement.\n  Mr. Chairman, I oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance\nof my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of Chairman Frelinghuysen,\nI move to strike the last word.\n  The Acting Chair. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentlewoman's\namendment. I certainly urge Members to support it.\n  This bill maintains the increases provided last year for deferred\nmaintenance and increases the construction account by $10 million. This\namendment will further our efforts to address the longstanding deferred\nmaintenance needs.\n  I urge an ``aye'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance\nof my time.\n  Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your support of the\namendment, and I would ask all Members on both sides of the aisle to\nsupport our national parks and support this amendment.\n  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the\ngentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally).\n  The amendment was agreed to.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 12 will\nnot be offered.\n\n                Amendment No. 13 Offered by Mr. Griffith\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 13\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.\n  The text of the amendment is as follows:\n\n       Page 28, line 17, strike ``3'' and insert ``6''.\n\n        Modification to Amendment No. 13 Offered by Mr. Griffith\n\n  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the\namendment be modified in the form I have placed at the desk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will report the modification.\n  The Clerk read the modification as follows:\n\n       Insert at the end the following:\n       Page 28, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $75,000,000)''.\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $80,000,000)''.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman\nfrom Virginia?\n  There was no objection.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The amendment is modified.\n  Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.\nGriffith) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.\n  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the consideration of what\nwas two amendments that we just merged into one because they went hand-\nin-glove.\n  My amendment restores critical funding to three additional\nAppalachian States, the same number of States currently funded by the\nAbandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, for the reclamation of abandoned mine\nlands in conjunction with economic and community development and reuse\ngoals.\n  Now, let me explain the program quickly.\n  This was the brainchild of Chairman Rogers a couple of years back,\nand what the idea was, originally, when they did the Abandoned Mine\nLand program, you could just restore the land. They came up with the\nconcept in the hard-hit devastated areas of central Appalachia that we\nshould not only allow it to be a restoration of the land, but that that\nland could be used and looked at as an economic purpose, a reuse the\ncommunity could use for community development or economic development,\nand that was important.\n  Funding for these reclamation grants was first established in fiscal\nyear 2016, but it was originally provided only to the three Appalachian\nStates with the greatest amount of unfunded reclamation needs.\n  Unfortunately, that didn't, of course, reach all the States, and so\nlast year, an additional three States were added, those States being\nVirginia, Ohio, Alabama, the original three being Pennsylvania, West\nVirginia, and Kentucky.\n  This year, as things were working through, Virginia, Ohio, and\nAlabama were not currently included. My amendment basically makes sure\nthey are included. We have worked with the team on the Appropriations\nCommittee to word it correctly. We think we have got it worded\ncorrectly so that we now have the ability to add in all three States.\n  I think this is important. Folks often say to us: Those of you in\ncoal country, in central Appalachia, need to transition your economy.\nWell, we can't transition our economy if we have huge blocks of land\nwhich we can't use because they are unusable due to prior acts that\nleft them in a condition where we know they need to be reclaimed, but\nyou can't reclaim them looking at economic development.\n  So this is a way to retool. Chairman Rogers came up with it. We would\nlike to extend it to the other States that would be greatly helped by\nthis, the three that I mentioned previously, Ohio, Alabama, and\nVirginia, and that is what my amendments do.\n  I would ask all to support this amendment to help those areas that\nare economically devastated in central Appalachia and expand on a\nprogram which is already showing signs of success.\n  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.\n\n                              {time}  1800\n\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the\namendment.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I strongly oppose an amendment that takes\nmore money away from the EPA.\n\n[[Page H7142]]\n\n  As I mentioned before, this bill already severely cuts the EPA's main\noperating account by $240 million. The air we breathe and the water we\ndrink are endangered by the policy decisions that are being made in\nthis bill. The consequences will be felt in communities across the\nNation. I understand, for many, cutting the EPA is an easy target, but\nI want my colleagues to understand what this amendment would actually\nbe cutting, if adopted.\n  This account funds programs that are important to both sides of the\naisle, including permitting for construction projects across the\ncountry, toxic risk prevention, parts of the successful Brownfields\nProgram, and pesticide licensing.\n  So I understand that the money would direct more funding to States in\nAppalachia. Appalachia is suffering. They are suffering from the raging\nenvironmental harm caused by coal mining. But, unfortunately, I cannot\nsupport any deeper cuts to the EPA.\n  Mr. Chairman, I oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my\ntime.\n  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to\nthe gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I understand the gentleman's overall goal\nis to continue funding for the AML pilot project, consistent with a\nfiscal year 2017 enacted level, and structure for the six Appalachian\nStates.\n  Therefore, we can accept this package of amendments at this time,\nwork toward maintaining funding for 6 States in a final fiscal year\n2018 enacted bill. If we are able to achieve that goal, I hope we can\ncount on the gentleman's support to pass both this House package and to\nenact the 2018 end-of-year spending bill.\n  Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to adopt this amendment.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, once again, I appreciate the challenges\nthat the gentleman is suffering in his State and throughout Appalachia,\nbut I cannot support any more deeper cuts to the EPA, so I must oppose\nthe amendment.\n  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to help us transition\nthe economy in central Appalachian support to the amendment, and I\nyield back the balance of my time.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment, as modified,\noffered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith).\n  The amendment, as modified, was agreed to.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of Chairman Frelinghuysen,\nI move to strike the last word.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.\nJody B. Hice) for the purpose of a colloquy.\n  Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman\nFrelinghuysen and Interior Subcommittee Chairman Calvert for their\nefforts on this legislation, and I thank them for the opportunity to\nspeak today.\n  I am committed to pursuing a comprehensive all-of-the-above energy\nstrategy, and I would like to take this time to engage in a colloquy on\nsection 438 of this bill, pertaining to offshore wind development. As a\nrepresentative from a coastal area, I want to ensure that all offshore\nenergy development is pursued in a pragmatic manner.\n  Section 438 restricts funding for the Department of the Interior to\nadminister offshore wind leases within 24 nautical miles off the coast\nof Maryland. This language hinders offshore wind development by\nimposing unprecedented and burdensome requirements on three existing\nleases.\n  Typically, offshore wind turbines are constructed roughly 12 nautical\nmiles from the coastline, which is generally out of sight from shore.\nBy doubling the setback, section 438 unreasonably restricts these\nprojects and sets a poor policy precedent for future development.\n  Furthermore, modifying the terms and conditions of the leases\nviolates the sanctity of the lease and creates considerable uncertainty\nfor companies pursuing any offshore wind project.\n  It is critical that we establish regulatory and contractual certainty\nin all areas of natural resource development. America's offshore wind\nindustry is in its infancy, and the policies and precedents that we set\ntoday will affect investment long into the future.\n  The language contained in section 438 is concerning for this reason,\nand I look forward to working with the gentleman from Maryland in the\nfuture to find a more appropriate solution.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland\n(Mr. Harris) for the purpose of a colloquy.\n  Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Calvert for allowing me time to\ndiscuss an issue that is important to my constituents in Ocean City,\nMaryland.\n  I am proud that Ocean City is home to beautiful beaches and views\nand, as a result, a booming tourism industry.\n  I sought the inclusion of section 438 to respond to concerns of Ocean\nCity residents regarding the visibility of the proposed wind turbines\noffshore. By siting turbines within 24 nautical miles from the\nshoreline, I am concerned that our beach economy and tourist experience\nwill be compromised. I believe every effort must be made to minimize\nthe impact of this project on the Ocean City view shed.\n  This large scale project requires full consideration of the needs and\nopinions of the local community. I look forward to working with my\ncolleagues to develop a practical solution to this challenge.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned at our full committee\nmarkup, I understood that my colleague, Dr. Harris, was offering his\namendment to address local concerns from his residents with respect to\nthe visibility of offshore turbines. With all of these offshore\nprojects, many varying viewpoints need to be taken into account. I\nappreciate that we have been able to discuss many of these views and\nconcerns here today.\n  It is my hope that we can work with the authorizing committees of\njurisdiction, the administration, and all interested stakeholders to\nidentify some better solutions as we move forward through the fiscal\nyear 2018 process.\n  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Tipton). The Chair understands that amendment\nNo. 14 will not be offered.\n\n        Amendment No. 15 Offered by Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 15\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at\nthe desk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.\n  The text of the amendment is as follows:\n\n       Page 28, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $32,491,000)''.\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $32,491,000)''.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman\nfrom Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) and a Member opposed each will control\n5 minutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.\n  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman of\nthe subcommittee for the opportunity to offer this amendment.\n  Mr. Chairman, prior to the enactment of the Surface Mining Control\nand Reclamation Act of 1977, coal mining played an important role in\nthe United States for nearly 2 centuries, providing critical energy and\njobs for our Nation.\n  However, across Pennsylvania and throughout Appalachia, we continue\nto have great needs in reclaiming our abandoned mine lands and\nrestoring our waters that have been impacted by historical mining\nactivities.\n  Since 1977, we have made great gains in restoring our historical mine\nlands, but much more work still needs to be done.\n  The Federal Office of Surface Mining has estimated that the unfunded\nliabilities of abandoned mine lands across the Nation exceeds $10\nbillion, with nearly half of that obligation located in Pennsylvania.\n  To complement the funding from the AML trust fund, which was\nestablished through SMCRA, this legislation contains appropriations for\nthe AML pilot program in order to support additional\n\n[[Page H7143]]\n\nfunding for abandoned mine lands for areas that need assistance most.\n  This program provides grants to States ``to accelerate the\nremediation of AML sites with the economic and community development\nend uses in mind.''\n  Unfortunately, this legislation provides $32 million less for the\npilot program compared to last year's level.\n  My amendment is simple and would not increase Federal spending. The\namendment would restore funding for the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation\npilot program to its 2017 level by reallocating funds from the EPA's\nEnvironmental Programs and Management by the same amount.\n  Mr. Chairman, where these funds are coming from is very consistent\nwith the mission of that account that it would to be taken from. But\nthe difference is that by putting this into the AML pilot program with\na laser focus, we are focused on environmental concerns that have been\nidentified, and we are funding remediation techniques that are proven.\n  We have an obligation to clean up our environment and restore our\nabandoned mine lands and waters, and this program helps us do just\nthat.\n  Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and ranking member, and I urge my\ncolleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.\n  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the\namendment.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I strongly oppose this amendment that\ntakes more money, again, away from an already starved EPA.\n  This is a duplicate from the last amendment offered by the gentleman\nfrom Virginia earlier. It cuts another $32 million from the EPA's\noperating accounts.\n  Our country right now is dealing with two catastrophes caused by\nhurricanes. The destruction is going to be felt for years. The EPA\nright now is one of the primary Federal agencies responsible for\nprotecting human health, monitoring air and water, and managing\nrecovery and cleanup, so it would be simply reckless to adopt another\namendment that would further cripple the EPA.\n  These two amendments would cut the EPA by $108 million.\n  Mr. Chairman, I strongly oppose the amendment, and I reserve the\nbalance of my time.\n  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman\nfor those comments.\n  My point is, though, that this actually takes $32 million and puts it\nlike a laser on an area where we know that environmental damage is well\ndocumented and we have very effective public-private partnership\ntechniques to address.\n  Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to\nthe gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), chairman of the\nAppropriations Subcommittee.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.\n  I am certainly prepared to accept this amendment. I understand the\nimportance of the program to the gentleman from Pennsylvania and other\nMembers in the Appalachian region. I look forward to working with him\nand all of the interested Members.\n  Mr. Chairman, I encourage adoption of the amendment.\n  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance\nof my time.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, once again, I understand clearly what the\ngentleman from Pennsylvania is trying to accomplish.\n  I wish we could accomplish that goal. But with already a $240 million\ncut to the EPA and all of the challenges on the EPA--we just recently\nagreed on this floor by a voice vote to cut the EPA another $75\nmillion. This would be another $33 million.\n  So I hope that we can reach a place in the funding that the chairman\nand I have where we can address the serious concerns that you bring to\nthe floor where you had success with programs. But, at the same time, I\nwould be cutting opportunities for cleanup, especially with all of the\ndisasters looming--forest fires, disasters, and cleanup I just had\nrecently in my district that came out of the blue. The EPA wouldn't\nhave money to respond.\n  Mr. Chairman, I strongly oppose the amendment, and I yield back the\nbalance of my time.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the\ngentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).\n  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes\nappeared to have it.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further\nproceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania\nwill be postponed.\n\n                Amendment No. 18 Offered by Mr. Grijalva\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 18\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.\n  The text of the amendment is as follows:\n\n       Page 39, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $1,011,000)''.\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $1,011,000)''.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman\nfrom Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and a Member opposed each will control 5\nminutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chairman, my amendment will restore $1 million in\ncuts to the Environmental Justice program within the EPA, with an\nequivalent cut to leadership and administration within the DOI Office\nof the Secretary.\n  In 1992, the program was created and originally called the\nEnvironmental Equity Office. It was created after a series of releases\nof reports that revealed polluter sites were disproportionately located\nin low-income communities and communities of color.\n\n                              {time}  1815\n\n  With minimal support, the program has provided communities with\nleveraged resources to do things like revitalize neighborhoods, build\nhealth centers, expand affordable housing, create green space and\nrecreation areas, and, more importantly, raise the awareness of the\ndisproportionate treatment in both affected communities and\ndecisionmakers.\n  Despite this success within the EPA for decades, we are not even\nclose to dealing with the issue of environmental justice.\n  In 2016, the United States Commission on Civil Rights found that\nracial minorities and low-income communities are still\ndisproportionately affected by the siting of waste disposal facilities,\npermitted emissions facilities, and that they often lack the political\nand financial clout to properly bargain with polluters when fighting a\ndecision or seeking redress.\n  A report by the staff of the House Committee on Natural Resources\nfound that clean water access and sanitation infrastructure on numerous\nreservations across the Nation more closely resemble developing\ncountries than they do the rest of the Nation. Nearly half of all homes\non Tribal land lack access to adequate drinking water, sewage, or solid\nwaste disposal facilities. As a result, Native families often end up\ndrinking unclean water that increases disease risks and impairs Tribal\neconomic development.\n  Additionally, low-income communities of color have been on the\nfrontline of Houston's petrochemical industry for decades, and when\nHarvey struck, they were some of the first to feel the effects as\nchemical plants caught fire, refineries began flaring toxins, and\npolluted floodwater went into their neighborhoods.\n  The EPA Office of Environmental Justice helps integrate concerns of\nthese communities within the general activities of the agencies. This\nis not a program that can afford to be scaled back, especially as\nconcerns of environmental justice continue to arise around Hurricane\nHarvey and now in Irma's path. It is critical that we protect frontline\ncommunities and communities of color from disparate impacts caused by\nenvironmental pollution. One million dollars is not a lot of\n\n[[Page H7144]]\n\nmoney for this task, but it reaffirms the significance of the office\nand our sense of equality.\n  Today I ask my colleagues to join in defense of these communities and\nshow them that Congress cares about their public health, their housing,\nand their importance as people.\n  Mr. Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment, and I reserve the\nbalance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, given our allocation, which was $824 million\nbelow the fiscal year 2017 level, we had to find areas to trim. It is\nalso important to note that the bill does not support the elimination\nof the program, as has been proposed in the President's budget. It was\nthe committee's effort to find some middle ground.\n  While I can certainly appreciate the gentleman's interest to maintain\nfiscal year 2017 enacted level, the allocation of the committee doesn't\nsupport those levels. So, therefore, I urge my colleagues to vote\n``no'' on the gentleman's amendment.\n  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to\nthe gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McEachin), a member of the\nNatural Resources Committee, and ranking member of the Oversight and\nInvestigations Subcommittee.\n  Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member for yielding.\n  Mr. Chairman, I am proud to rise in support of this amendment to\nrestore funding to the Environmental Justice program within the EPA.\nThis program enables the agency to better assist frontline communities\nthat are disproportionately impacted by pollution.\n  Low-income and minority communities face disproportionate levels of\nhazardous pollution and environmental contaminants due to where their\nmembers live and where they work.\n  The harms are real. For instance, higher levels of air pollution\nresult in members of minority groups having higher death rates and\nhigher numbers of emergency room visits and hospital stays.\n  As the cofounder and co-chair of the United for Climate and\nEnvironmental Justice Task Force, it is my mission to combat these\nenvironmental injustices and ensure frontline communities no longer\nbear the unequal burden of environmental, economic, and health harms.\n  That is why, Mr. Chairman, this amendment is so important.\n  The Environmental Justice program leverages Federal funds to greatly\nimprove health and quality of life in our most vulnerable communities.\nSince the establishment of the program, communities have been better\nable to revitalize neighborhoods, build health centers, expand\naffordable housing, and create new green spaces and recreational areas.\n  I urge my colleagues to show low-income and minority communities that\nwe care about their health, housing, and overall well-being by\nsupporting the amendment.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment, and\nI yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the\nbalance of my time.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the\ngentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva).\n  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the noes\nappeared to have it.\n  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further\nproceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will\nbe postponed.\n\n        Amendment No. 21 Offered by Mr. Price of North Carolina\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 21\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the\ndesk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.\n  The text of the amendment is as follows:\n\n       Page 63, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced\n     by $104,235,000) (increased by $104,235,000)''.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman\nfrom North Carolina (Mr. Price) and a Member opposed each will control\n5 minutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.\n  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would restore\nthe EPA's Science and Technology account to 2017 levels.\n  I offer this amendment to underscore the importance of environmental\nresearch to the health and safety of the American people, as well as\nthousands of jobs in my district and across the country.\n  This amendment is framed in increase-decrease terms for the simple\nreason that, given the subcommittee's inadequate allocation, there is\nsimply no place to turn for an offset.\n  The EPA's Science and Technology account funds research and\ndevelopment activities within the agency, supporting the work of the\nworld's leading environmental research enterprise and informing the\nenvironmental policies that Congress enacts.\n  The bill on the floor today would cut this account by $105 million, a\n15 percent reduction. About the only good thing I can say about that is\nthat it isn't as bad as the Trump budget, but it is still a deep and\ndevastating cut. Mr. Chairman, we have to restore these funds as this\nbill moves through the remaining stages of the process.\n  The EPA's Office of Research and Development funded by this account\nnot only supports EPA programs in air, water, toxicology, and energy\nresearch, but it also facilitates innovative partnerships with some of\nthe premier higher education and research institutions in the country.\n  EPA research facilities employ more than 2,000 people, supports some\n700 affiliated jobs in my district alone. This includes advanced\nlaboratory scientists, administrative personnel, also blue-collar jobs\nin maintenance, custodial, and security positions.\n  The EPA research that this agency conducts, world class research, it\nallows us to remain proactive in protecting the air we breathe, the\nwater we drink, resources, whose safety we must never, ever take for\ngranted.\n  Now, I know the EPA is continually a scapegoat when it comes to\nspending cuts. In times of crisis, however, we don't hesitate to call\non them to respond quickly to events that could pose a threat to the\nenvironment and public safety.\n  Just last week in the devastating wake of Hurricane Harvey, sites\ncontaining dangerous chemicals and contaminants were severely flooded\nand damaged. Research from this office, the office being cut in this\nbill, proved invaluable in putting together a safe and effective\nresponse.\n  In other words, the EPA is part of the first line of defense to\nrespond to events that pose threats to public health and safety. It\nfollows that if we gut the EPA's research budget, we are putting\nultimately the American public at risk.\n  The EPA research cuts underscore, I think, how fraudulent the claim\nis that this is a bill that would make America secure and prosperous.\nReally? In reality, it would cripple investments that Americans count\non each and every day to keep them safe and healthy.\n  Mr. Chairman, I remain hopeful that a bipartisan budget agreement\nwill be reached that will allow us to restore this research funding and\ndo right by the people we represent.\n  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I certainly appreciate my friend's support\nfor the research conducted at the EPA, and particularly the Research\nTriangle Park. I am a supporter of the world class research that occurs\nat RTP with respect to the computational toxicology program. That\nresearch has helped to identify alternative high throughput testing\nmethodologies that have reduced the number of animals used in\nlaboratories.\n  Given the current allocation, however, which is $824 million below\nthe\n\n[[Page H7145]]\n\nfiscal year 2017 level, we had to find areas to trim. We certainly\ndon't have a funding level that can support the fiscal year 2017\nenacted levels, but we tried to do the best we could to find common\nground.\n  I certainly look forward to working with the gentleman in the future,\nif we happily come to some kind of budget agreement, where we can\nreallocate funds to something as important as this. But, again, because\nof our allocation, I must oppose the amendment and urge my colleagues\nto vote ``no'' on the gentleman's amendment.\n  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I have to acknowledge that\nthe chairman did a pretty good job of describing some of the research\nthat we have underway in North Carolina and around the country, and I\nknow he understands that and wants to support it.\n  I also know that we have got to do better than the allocations\nrepresented in this eight-bill omnibus effort. So I pledge to work with\nhim and other colleagues to achieve that kind of agreement, and then\nalso to revisit this account and other accounts that we know need\nattention if we are to do our duty as representatives of our\ncommunities and also maintain the investments a great country must\nmaintain.\n  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the\nbalance of my time.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the\ngentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).\n  The amendment was rejected.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of Chairman Frelinghuysen,\nI move to strike the last word.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey\n(Mr. Lance) for the purpose of entering into a colloquy.\n  Mr. LANCE. Mr. Chairman, I thank both Chairman Calvert and Chairman\nFrelinghuysen for their work on this legislation. I greatly appreciate\nthe committee's efforts to fund the National Endowment for the Arts and\nthe National Endowment for the Humanities.\n  I stress the importance of Federal investments in the arts and\nhumanities. The numbers speak for themselves. The NEA and the NEH each\nconsist of only .003 percent of a nearly $4 trillion Federal budget,\nyet for every dollar the United States spends on Federal arts\ninitiatives, nine nonFederal dollars are leveraged, generating roughly\n$600 million in matching support.\n  Federal arts and humanities funding is a catalyst for the economic\ndevelopment and job creation that we all need, having a powerful\nmultiplier effect not only in New Jersey, the State I represent, but\nthroughout the entire Nation.\n  The arts and humanities also engage nearly every community. In April,\nI visited the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, in the\ndistrict I serve, to see its ``Theater for Everyone'' project in\naction, an autism-friendly program supported by the NEA. It provides a\ncreative outlet for children with developmental disabilities and for\ntheir families. Seeing these performances reinforced the importance of\nour continued investments in the NEA and in the NEH.\n  Mr. Chair, I also thank both Chairman Calvert and Chairman\nFrelinghuysen for including funding for the Delaware River Basin\nRestoration project authorized just last year to coordinate private\ninvestments, regional partnerships, and local knowledge, and develop\nstrategies to protect and restore the watershed's ecological and\nrecreational assets and historical significance.\n\n                              {time}  1830\n\n  Throughout the four States that are involved--New Jersey, New York,\nPennsylvania, and Delaware--the Delaware River Basin supplies 15\nmillion people with clean water and supports approximately $25 billion\nin economic activity each year. It is imperative that we preserve these\nresources for future generations, and I look forward to working with\nthe committee on this initiative.\n  Let me repeat my deep thanks to Chairman Calvert and to Chairman\nFrelinghuysen.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York\n(Ms. Slaughter).\n  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Calvert and Chairman\nFrelinghuysen for their commitment to the arts. I greatly appreciate\nthe subcommittee's efforts to fund the National Endowment for the Arts\nand the National Endowment for the Humanities.\n  The NEA's mission is to strengthen the creative capacity of our\ncommunities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for\narts participation. Of critical importance, the NEA has expanded their\nreach to help servicemembers who have been diagnosed with TBI,\ntraumatic brain injury, and other psychological conditions. This new\npartnership is critically important.\n  The NEA Creative Forces Military Healing Arts Network is a\ncollaboration with the Department of Defense which supports music,\nwriting, and visual art therapy at military care facilities. They are\nfinding that the best treatment for PTSD is yoga, which doesn't cost us\nanything.\n  The Creative Forces program places the creative arts therapies at the\ncore of patient-centered care in military medical facilities and\ninvests in research on the impacts and benefits of these innovative\ntreatment methods. The cost-effective, noninvasive arts therapy of\nthose programs rank consistently in the top five ``helpful'' and ``wish\nto continue'' programs on patient satisfaction surveys of the men and\nwomen who have gone through the programs, and over 85 percent of\nmilitary patients said art therapy was helpful to their healing.\n  We may even be learning here that this might be the best thing, as\nMr. Lance was pointing out, for autistic children.\n  But throughout the art therapy programs and the work that they are\ndoing, our servicemen and -women are being able to transition away from\nthe basketful of prescription drugs that they carry around with them\nand lived on and are rejoining their families and life. So when they\nwheel out of that healing, that psychological skill-building, self-\nexpression, and self-esteem that comes from these programs, that\nobviously is certainly something that we need to continue.\n  As part of the NEA's mission to increase access to the arts for all\nAmericans, Creative Forces enables more servicemembers, veterans, and\nmilitary families to benefit from creative art therapies and community\narts activities.\n  NEA is so cheap it is surprising. For the small amount of money we\nput into it, we would get about $9 billion back and many people who\nhave been employed. We don't do anything with a better return than the\nmoney we spend for the arts.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, as the designee of Ranking Member Lowey, I\nmove to strike the last word.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina\n(Mr. Price).\n  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member\nfor yielding. I thank Chairman Calvert for engaging in this colloquy\nwith Mr. Lance and Ms. Slaughter and me.\n  We are highlighting the importance of the National Endowment for the\nArts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and the importance\nof robust funding for the work of those agencies. There is no more\nefficient dollar spent in the entire Federal budget. I will say in a\nminute what I mean by that.\n  I am very happy to be co-chairman, with Mr. Lance, of the\nCongressional Humanities Caucus, to be a member of the Congressional\nArts Caucus, which Ms. Slaughter and others have led, and proud to\nsupport the missions of these two agencies.\n  Federal support for the arts and the humanities affirms America's\nrich and diverse cultural and artistic heritage. It really is an\ninvestment in the quality of life of our people. I think we should see\nit that way, and we need to\n\n[[Page H7146]]\n\nbe steadfast in our support and our investment. It is one of the most\nefficient we make, as I said. It leverages private, nonprofit, and\ncorporate dollars.\n  In 2015 alone, for example, Federal NEH museum grants leveraged $104\nmillion in outside funding from only $33 million in Federal funds. That\nis a pretty good return for the taxpayer.\n  They support millions of jobs, these endowments do, and the projects\nthey fund, hundreds of millions of dollars in direct economic activity,\nand the American public loves them. Participation all over this\ncountry, in communities large and small, rural and urban, is widespread\nand enthusiastic.\n  So again, I thank the chairman for his attention to these important\nlines in the budget. I hope we can bolster our commitment to the arts\nand humanities and do even better as the appropriations process moves\nforward.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I want to also commend the chairman and\nworking with the whole committee to make sure that the arts and\nhumanities receive the funding that they did.\n  Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).\n  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I want to quickly thank the gentlewoman from the\ngreat State of Minnesota, thank the gentleman from California, and just\nvery quickly say that I come with my amendments, but I also come just\nto acknowledge the pending storm in Florida and Hurricane Harvey\nbecause our arts communities were underwater, and they are still\nunderwater.\n  I offered amendments that deal with preservation of heritage areas,\nurban reforestation, and the Smithsonian outreach. I thank my\ncolleagues for putting it in the en bloc.\n  But as I do so, I want to take note of, again, all of the debris and\nbe able to say that, in the course of hurricanes, historic entities are\nimpacted.\n  We are looking to establish an emancipation trail, and one of my most\nimportant amendments is to ensure that there is national policy to\npreserve, for public use, historic sites, buildings, and objects of\nnational significance for the inspiration and benefit of people of the\nUnited States.\n  My community is looking for that emancipation trail, but it starts\nfrom Galveston. We have not yet been able to assess whether any of\nthose historic markers and places were destroyed by Hurricane Harvey.\nSo the funding for the Interior Department and the aspects that come\nunder the Interior Department, the jurisdictional issue is very\nimportant to us because we will have to look to see if our historic\nentities have been preserved.\n  In the midst of debris and danger that our constituents face, this is\nequally important, and it is equally important to restore the symphony,\nto restore the ballet and our theater, all of them underwater in my\ncongressional district.\n  I hope, as we move forward, H.R. 3686, Hurricane Harvey supplemental\nappropriation that we have filed that will embrace all of these issues,\nwill be considered.\n  I thank my colleagues for those amendments. And, again, in the course\nof a storm, the history of people is jeopardized, and my amendments\ndeal with preserving the history of our people. Maybe, as we come out\nof this, we will create the emancipation trail that is part of my\namendment.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.\n\n                Amendment No. 27 Offered by Mr. Langevin\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 27\nprinted in House Report 115-297.\n  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.\n  The text of the amendment is as follows:\n\n       Page 64, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $1,000,000)''.\n       Page 64, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(increased by $1,000,000)''.\n       Page 67, line 20, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(reduced by $1,000,000)''.\n       Page 73, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert\n     ``(reduced by $1,000,000)''.\n\n  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 504, the gentleman\nfrom Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) and a Member opposed each will control\n5 minutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Rhode Island.\n  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, before I actually get to my amendment, I\njust want to say in reference to the previous discussion about properly\nfunding the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, I commend\nthe discussion on both sides and the commitment to properly fund those\nprograms.\n  The National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the\nHumanities holds a special place in Rhode Island in that both of those\nprograms were championed by and helped to have been created by our late\nsenior Senator Claiborne Pell. We understand the importance of the arts\nand humanities in Rhode Island, the jobs they create, the quality of\nlife they enhance, and I wholeheartedly support properly funding both\nof those programs.\n  I had led a Special Order when the President's budget came out and\nthose programs had been zeroed out in funding. Several of my colleagues\nand I got together and talked about the impact the arts and humanities\nhave on our States, on our districts, and on the country as a whole. I\njust want to reiterate my support for the National Endowment for the\nArts and Humanities and all they do for the country.\n  Mr. Chairman, my amendment that we have before us would restore some\nfunding to the southern New England estuaries program, which is\ncurrently zeroed out in the underlying bill.\n  This program, part of the EPA's geographic programs, has been a\nthriving success, and anyone who has been to New England knows the\nbeauty of where the ocean meets the land. Our estuaries are in South\nCounty, Rhode Island, and all along the Narragansett Bay; along Mount\nHope Bay and Buzzards Bay and throughout Cape Cod.\n  These areas are the lungs of our coastal areas and sustain the\ndiversity of plant and animal life. These funds are vital to conserving\nthis wetland habitat which is frequently under attack by human and\nnatural damage. So I implore the majority to support this program, as\nthey have supported similar programs for Puget Sound, the Chesapeake\nBay, and other areas.\n  I am proud to be joined by Representatives Cicilline, Keating, and\nKennedy as cosponsors of this amendment.\n  Mr. Chairman, finally, I just want to say that I intend to offer and\nwithdraw this amendment provided that my colleague, Chairman Calvert,\nis open to continuing the discussion on the importance of this program.\n  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5\nminutes.\n  Mr. CALVERT. While the amendment itself is drafted in order as a\ngeneral increase to EPA geographic programs, the gentleman proposes to\nfund a program that was not requested in the budget and is not\nauthorized.\n  Further, he proposes to reduce grants from DERA, the DERA program,\nwhich is a key program for improving air quality in areas like mine\nthat are in a nonattainment area with existing standards.\n  For those reasons, I oppose the amendment and urge my colleagues to\nvote ``no'' on this amendment.\n  I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, as I said, I have offered to withdraw the\namendment as long as the chairman would continue discussion with me.\n  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I am sorry. I didn't hear the gentleman, and\nI happily accept his offer to withdraw the amendment. I will happily\nwork with him to see if we can't work some time in the future to find\nroom for this program that the gentleman is obviously supportive of.\n  Mr. LANGEVIN. I thank the chairman, and I am grateful for his\nconsideration, and I look forward to working with him.\n  I yield back the balance of my time and withdraw my amendment.\n  The Acting CHAIR. The amendment is withdrawn.\n  The Committee will rise informally.\n  The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Katko) assumed the chair.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2017-09-07-pt1-PgH7135"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 13.640508987009525, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}