I asked why family farmers in my rural district should be forced to pay higher electricity bills so people in downtown Seattle can plug in expensive electric vehicles just because Secretary Chu says so.

I commend and support Senator Baucus for his efforts to delay implementation of the Administration's Chu directive until at least early next year.

The American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 addressed the preservation and protection of Civil War battlefields through conservation easements or through the purchase of land from willing sellers through Federal grants. H.R. 2489…

I fear this Administration is roaring downhill on a freight train to a pre-determined conclusion.

I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill…

That's very telling in this political atmosphere.

The only thing this Secretary seems to be generating in this effort is unanswered questions and a great deal of uncertainty.

That was a direct quote.

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Cabin Fee Act, which I have sponsored for several Congresses, sets a new fee schedule for the 14,000 privately owned cabins in our national forests. It creates a simple…

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2706, the Billfish Conservation Act, authored by our colleague from Florida (Mr. Miller). Under current law, it is illegal to import or sell Atlantic…

I have no more requests for time. If the gentleman yields back, I'm prepared to yield back.

I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), the author of this legislation.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Chairman Ralph Hall's bill to provide relief to 1.6 million people living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area necessitated because of a bizarre set of circumstances…

I'm very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the author of this legislation, our distinguished colleague from Texas, Chairman Ralph Hall. {time} 1620

I wanted to thank my colleague, your Congressman, Steve Southerland for pushing and trying to get this committee meeting down here.

I am pleased that Florida is now represented. That is not only good for the Committee but also good for the State of Florida.

Fishing plays a big part in the economy of the Gulf of Mexico and particularly here in Florida.

Florida is well served by having two Floridians on the Committee.

In many regions of the country, the Endangered Species Act is being used by groups that do not like development to tie Federal agencies in knots so they cannot issue permits for their activities.

We have jurisdiction over a lot of Federal agencies and Federal statutes that do affect your activities here.

The Natural Resources Committee has also held a number of hearings on the National Ocean Policy, an unauthorized new bureaucratic layer of oversight that will almost certainly restrict everybody's ability to fish.

Steve has been one of the most active members of that Subcommittee and can always be counted on to ask the tough questions when we have hearings.

We are committed to maximize renewable hydropower generation and environmental performance goes hand-in-hand at Grant PUD.

There is no disagreement about the importance of salmon recovery, but it must be clearly stated that dams are helping recovery.

While some insist the choice is 'dams or fish', it's been proven we can have 'fish and dams.'