Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. CALVERT. 6147, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, this bill is consistent with years past that provided robust funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Therefore, this is an initiative I can support and we accept.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, EPA was directed by the President to take a second look at the methane rule promulgated by the Obama administration. In conjunction with that review, EPA attempted to provide the regulating community with some certainty by postponing some implementation dates. However, the courts have blocked that from happening.

In light of these challenges, the time is ripe for a temporary pause on the enforcement of these requirements, so I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, the fiscal year 2018 bill included $10 million for EPA to establish a grant program to provide funds to States and communities for lead reduction projects as authorized in the 2016 WIIN Act.

I might also point out that we now have a WIFIA program that is in the bill, which will allow for communities throughout the country to leverage up to $5 billion annually, and maybe more in the future, in their communities for such things as lead reduction within their towns and counties.

Mr. Chairman, therefore, this is an amendment we can accept, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. CALVERT. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. I yield to the gentleman from California.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I certainly support her amendment.

Under the previous administration, EPA proposed this stringent water regulation standard in Washington State without utilizing sound scientific data or evidence. In doing so, EPA created regulatory uncertainty and imposed unachievable permit levels on the State, which are costly and nearly impossible for industries to comply with.

I encourage the State, the Tribes, and the EPA to continue to work together to find agreeable standards that improve water quality and human health while, simultaneously, providing clarity to the impacted communities and industries. In the meantime, though, I certainly urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, as you know, the House has spoken on this. In last year's conference report, we directed Fish and Wildlife Service to make this species among its highest priorities for consultation and permit processing. Obviously, the agency has not moved fast enough, and they need to get hopping.

So I am sure this amendment will squeak by with all of our support. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I support this amendment. The root of the frustration with the Endangered Species Act is that species rarely get delisted, and people who are directly affected by a listing are condemned to a life of an additional Federal rule indefinitely.

Congress tried to prevent this by requiring the Fish and Wildlife Service to review the status of every listed species every 5 years and to down-list or delist species accordingly.

Today, the Service has a backlog of 892 species without a current 5- year review.

Without these 5-year reviews, species could be recovered and we wouldn't even know it. I find this simply unacceptable.

Unless the Service focuses its personnel on inherently Federal responsibilities under the ESA and non-Federal partners take the lead on actual recovery, we will never break the contentious and litigious cycle that we have now.

And, by the way, we have actually increased the ESA recovery budget in this bill for 5-year reviews. So let's get ESA working again.

Mr. Chair, I urge an ``aye'' vote on this amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I am happy to rise in support of the gentleman's amendment. This is another example of EPA overreach. It is my hope that my colleagues from Virginia and Pennsylvania can continue to work with the administration to find common ground on approaches that will improve water quality in a more flexible manner. I certainly support this amendment and I urge an ``aye'' vote.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, now you know how it feels about California water. I got the drift of this thing.

Mr. Chairman, I certainly appreciate the gentleman's interest on this issue and appreciate the variety of opinions about it. I thank the gentleman, as well as the gentlewoman from Minnesota, who is the subcommittee's ranking member, for her willingness to work with the committee. As we work together to try to move forward with this bill, I hope a compromise will be found.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the Dean of the House's amendment and his dedication to the sound management of natural resources on behalf of constituents in his State.

Obviously, mining, and certainly placer mining, is unique to Alaska. Alaska certainly has a unique history when it comes to mineral extraction, probably more than any other State in the Union. It is certainly a big part of Alaska's economy and the economy of the United States. It is a mutually beneficial enterprise.

This amendment is similar to the ones adopted by voice vote in FY17 and FY18, so I certainly urge my colleagues to adopt it by a voice vote yet again.

Mr. Chair, I support the amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment.

In 2015, a Federal court ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the lesser prairie chicken from the list of threatened and endangered species. Environmental activists immediately petitioned the Agency to list the species again, and the Agency, having been stung by the court, concluded that the petition had merit.

Now the Agency is on the verge of listing the species yet again, and it will end up in court again, where it will be delisted again. Rinse and repeat.

Folks, how many times must we repeat this cycle before people start working together? How much money must be wasted fighting each other before we realize that our money is better spent actually helping the species?

This amendment calls a timeout on the madness, at least for one species. That is why I am urging an ``aye'' vote.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, our State Water Board is out of control. Our State Water Board is involved in a political operation to remove farming out of the State of California.

This amendment would attempt to put a stop to the reckless State plan and continue the current New Melones operations. This is something we need to act on and act on immediately. We are in crisis.

I am a strong advocate for Mr. Denham's position and, certainly, for his constituents, and I am glad to support this amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment.

The National Academy of Sciences was established by Congress in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War to provide independent, objective advice to the Nation on matters related to science and technology.

The Academy, in 2016, released a comprehensive literature review on the science of genetically engineered crops, or GMOs as they are commonly referred to. The Academy found zero scientific evidence that GMOs are any more or any less safe for human consumption and the environment than organisms modified by more traditional genetic methods, like selective breeding.

This amendment blocks an outdated policy made during the last administration which pandered to extreme environmental groups by feeding into the unfounded fears of GMOs. This amendment is an opportunity to rise above fear-mongering and make sound policy based on science and rationality.

Mr. Chair, let's do the right thing and vote ``aye.''

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, although the base bill already continues to support this program at the fiscal year 2018 level, I am happy to accept this amendment, as I have for the past 2 years.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from California.

As I indicated, I think that creating the additional legislative history of the importance of this particular program is what I hope will strengthen it.

May I ask, Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have?

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I rise to approve the amendment.

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Mr. CALVERT. It was accepted last year by voice vote, and I encourage adoption of the gentlewoman's amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman, and I must rise in reluctant opposition.

I wish I could have worked with the gentleman on this amendment, but this amendment reaches a little too far and is inconsistent even with the Trump administration's position.

This year the President requested $2 million for the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program which would provide financial assistance to low income, minority, and Tribal populations, which we deal with quite often.

This amendment would prohibit EPA's ability to issue grants altogether, which means all of the Office of Environmental Justice funds would be allocated to the payroll and personnel and could result in the hiring of more EPA staff, and I am sure that is not your intention. And so there would be no savings according to the CBO. Zero. No savings at all in this amendment. I don't believe that is your intent.

Because the amendment would have unintended consequences, I must oppose the amendment.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate these comments. What we are dealing with would simply do away with funding of the small grants part of this program where those funds are not being used according to the mission.

Mr. Chair, I continue to ask for support from my colleagues, keeping in mind the multiple organizations that are supportive of this amendment. I ask my colleagues to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment. Suing the government and settling has become a lucrative business that is supported by taxpayer dollars. The Endangered Species Act, for example, has become wrapped around the axle of the judicial system by excessive litigation.

We are essentially paying people to sue the Federal Government. This needs to stop.

Mr. Chairman, I urge an ``aye'' vote on the amendment.

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