>> nationally, that's ted turner -- actually, that's ted turner. we just punked everybody. folks, i'd like to bring up the folks who do all the real work. we have stafferers -- staffers, hardly abused, hardly underpaid and in line with my belief that god made cars and buses to get me to the ampte, they put with us this, they worked literally 24 hours a day. i mean, when we performers and speakers go to bed, they're up and the emails that we receive telling us what's going on the next day, there are time stamps. let me bring up the whole tea party express family. come up, everybody.

[applause] everybody who's here, come up. >> i have to say -- [applause]

the one thing that the press has told us over and over again is that they expected to get on these buses and it to be run like some political campaign and it's not. it's very grassroots, very floy by the fly by the -- very fly by the seat of your pants. we are all family here and blessed to be here and looking forward to have another tour soon. >> we're going to -- we are going to switch things here. we are going to end the program with the pledge of allegiance because we need to reinvigorate oursselves. we need to pledge of allegiance to america and take it back for the benefit of our children. i would like to say a sincere

thank you to the local tea party express, the organizations, the individuals, everybody. grass fire, resist net, the western pact, tea party express tv. sarah palin. this is so grassroots if i read off every name i would read 100 million people easily. let's say it sea tame time. are you ready? i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> that's how you take it back. take our country back. >> thank you all for coming. we will be at the 11:00 a.m.

freed plaza with fair tax nation. we'd love to join us there. 11:00 a.m. at freedom plaza. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> and we'll take you live back to the house gaveling back in with votes including the rule vote on the estuary vote. de

novo. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as a five-minute vote. the unfinished business is the vote on ordering the previous question on house resolution 1248 on which the yeas and nays are recorded. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 184, house resolution 1248, resolution providing for consideration of the bill, h.r. 4715, to amend the federal water pollution control act, to re-authorize the national estuary program and for other purposes. waving -- waving -- waiving a requirement of clause 6-a of rule 8 with respect to considerations of committee on rules and providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on ordering the previous question. members will record their votes

by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote.'s s's

the speaker pro tempore: on this motion the yeas are 235, the nays are 171. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to

without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the speaker: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, madam, i have the honor to transmit here with a copy of a letter received from the honorable kirt s. brownie, secretary of state, state of florida, indicating that according to the unofficial returns of the special election held april 13, 2010, the honorable theodore e. deutch was elected to representative to congress for the 19th congressional district, state of florida. with best wishes i am signed sincerely, lorraine c. miller,

clerk. the speaker: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? mr. hastings: madam speaker, can i ask that the house be made in order? the speaker: the house will be in order. members and staff will please take their conversations to the cloakroom. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: i ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from florida, the honorable ted deutch, be permitted to take the oath of office today, to certificate of election has not arrived but there is no contest and no question has been raised with regard to his election. the speaker: without objection, so ordered. will representative-elect deutch and members of the florida delegation present themselves in delegation present themselves in the well?

the speaker: members, please rise. will representative-elect deutch please raise his right hand? do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic, that you bear true faith and aleeblingance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation

or purpose of evasion and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you god? mr. deutch: i do. the speaker: congratulations, you are now a member of the you are now a member of the 111th congress. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings, is recognized for one minute. mr. hastings: thank you very much, madam speaker. it's my honor to introduce to you today --

the speaker: excuse me, mr. hastings ufflet may proceed. mr. hastings: it's my honor to introduce to you today our newest member of the florida delegation, congressman ted deutch. after serving with distinction in the florida state senate, ted now joins us with to represent the people of florida's 19th congressional district here in washington. ted brings with him a commonsense and results-driven approach that distinguished him during his time in the florida state senate. where he wrote and passed landmark legislation including a health care bill that will raise $1 billion for essential health services for floridians and he also passed the iran divestment legislation that made florida the first state in the nation to put direct economic pressure on companies doing business in iran. throughout his career in public service, ted has fought on

behalf of those who risk losing the most, including seniors, working families, children, holocaust survivors, veterans, members of the armed services and small businesses. i've worked alongside ted as a leader in the community and as a legislator. i know him well and i'm confident that he will do an excellent job replacing our former colleague and good friend, robert wexler, who is with us today representing florida's 19th congressional district. madam speaker, please join me in welcoming ted deutch, his wife jill, their three children, gabriel, serena and cole, who is here on the floor with us to our congressional family. i'd also like to recognize ted's mother jean, his four siblings,

extended family and friends who are here today to celebrate this special occasion with him. at this time with your permission, madam speaker, i'd like to yield to my distinguished colleague from florida, the dean of the florida delegation, congressman young. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. young: madam speaker, i thank my friend and colleague from florida for yielding the time to me. and i just want to say on behalf of the republican members of the florida delegation, the great delegation here in the congress, congressman, welcome. congratulations, you will be serving in the people's house, your oath of office that you have just sworn to uphold the constitution is something that will you find very challenging as you go through your career here. but just rest assured that those of us in the florida delegation on both sides of the aisle will be here to be helpful to you as you carry out your important activities. i again welcome, congratulations.

the speaker: without objection, the newest member of congress of the house of representatives, congressman ted deutch, is recognized. mr. deutch: thank you, speaker pelosi. this is a truly humbling day and the honor of a lifetime. my constituents -- constituents are extraordinary collection of americans, seniors who served our nation valiantly in times of war and rebuilt this country after the great depression. the hardworking families that -- i want to thank speaker pelosi and majority leader hoyer for their exceptional leadership. i'm also grateful to my south florida friends, representatives klein, meek and wasserman schultz and especially our dean, congressman hastings. i want to thank congressman wexler for his service as well

as his support and friendship. i will never forget my family, friends, volunteers, supporters and most importantly voters who helped send me here today. i want to profoundly thank my wife, jill, and my three children, gabrielle, serena and cole, who are with me today. their love and support means the world to me. and my mother, jean deutch, never could have imagined hearing her name in this chamber and she is with us chamber and she is with us today.

mom, thank you for making me believe that i can be anything i wanted to be because today i am a member of the united states congress. states congress. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker: under clause 5-d of rule 20, the chair announces that the house in light of the administration of the oath of office to the gentleman from florida, the whole number of the house is 431.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from maryland, mr. cummings, to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1062 as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 177, house resolution 1062, resolution recognizing the coast guard group astoria's more than 60 years of service to the pacific northwest, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution as amended. members will record their votes by electronic v%

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 401. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is fwred to, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. -- agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the question on suspending the rules and agreeing to h.con.res 222, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 222. concurrent resolution recognizing the leadership and historical contributions of dr. hector garcia to the hispanic community and his remarkable efforts to combat racial and

ethnic discrimination in the united states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will -- the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: would members please take your conversations outside of the conversations outside of the chamber? would members please take their conversations outside of the chamber?

the speaker pro tempore: members and staff will please take their conversations outside of the chamber. the speaker pro tempore: members will please clear the aisles. members will please clear the members will please clear the well.

the speaker pro tempore: members will please clear the aisle. would members please clear the would members please clear the well.

the speaker pro tempore: members the speaker pro tempore: members will please clear the well.

the speaker pro tempore: members will please take their conversations off the floor of conversations off the floor of the house. members will please take their conversation off the floor of the house. clear the well. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? mr. oberstar: i thank you for the herculean effort of achieving order in the chamber. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and exten their remarks on h.r. 4715

and include extraneous matter in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 10 62 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole on the state of the union for consideration of h.r. 4715. the chair appoints the gentleman from texas, mr. salazar, to preside over the committee of the whole. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 4715 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: union calendar number 255, h.r. 4715. a bill to amend the federal water pollution control act to

re-authorize the national estuary program, and for other purposes. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar, and the gentleman from arkansas, mr. boozman, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar. mr. oberstar: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. oberstar: the gentleman from new york, mr. bishop, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. lobiondo, deserve very special recognition and appreciation for their collaborative work, taking the lead on this legislation to bring new focus and new energy and new legislative authorities to the national estuary program under the clean estuaries act of 2010.

without that concerted effort, we would be losing an extraordinary opportunity to protect, to restore, the nation's estuaries among our most valuable natural resources. this legislation was approved by the committee on transportation and infrastructure by voice vote. we have solid support on both sides of the aisle on a bill that was carefully crafted over a period of many months with participation and input and recommendations from both sides. all of which suggestions have been incorporated into this final legislative product. estuaries are a very unique bodies of water. they are the place where fresh and saltwater meet. the places where new forms of life are created. not just in the united states but all throughout the world.

estuaries are critical mixing points for the basic ingredients of life, including new life itself. estuaries are the most ecologically diverse, most economically productive natural resource areas on our entire planet. estuaries and their associated coastal resources are major economic forces as well. for our country. commercial, recreational fishing, annually accounts for $185 billion in revenue. two million direct jobs. commercially and recreationally important fish and shelf fish species, stripe, bass, shad, salmon, sturgeon, shrimp, lobster, clams, oysters, mussels, and bay scallops all

depend on estuary for stages of their life cycle. estuaries are habitat for 3/4 of all the commercial fish cat needed and 90% of the recreational fish catch. that is true not just for the fresh and saltwater meeting places of estuaries, but also for the riverine and lake meeting places of estuaries on the great lakes. beyond fishing, estuaries produce significant economic value for our fellow citizens in tourism, energy production, navigation, cultural and recreational opportunities, boating, fishing, swimming, surfing, birding. ports and harbors are located in our estuaries, including our port of duluth superior which i share with my dear friend and colleague from across the water, mr. obey.

in northwestern wisconsin, northeastern minnesota. the ocean foundation has reported that annually beach going generates $30 billion of economic value and wildlife viewing generates up to $49 billion also in economic value. but unfortunately estuaries by definition are downstream. each estuary is the repository for all the pollution discharged into the rivers and other bodies of water that drain into estuaries from up stream. -- upstream. as the pollution loading increases, the estuary, the repository of those pollution deposits deteriorate. the water becomes degraded. the animal and plant communities suffer. chesapeake bay is a powerful example of that degrading and deterioration. only 1% of the historical oyster

populations remain in chesapeake bay. it's bad for commercial and recreational fishing, results in depleted fisheries, decreased tourism revenues, and deteriorated property values. in addition, because of deterioration of the estuary and the border land around it, we have seen increased flooding, shoreline erosion, damaged infrastructure particularly when storms occur, which happens every year. the federal government has a number of authorities at its disposal with which to control water pollution and typically we have used a permit-based system to regulate pollution discharge into our waters. the 1987 amendments to the clean water act provided a new authority in the national

estuary program. we are re-authorizing that program today in this bill. it's a nonregulatory program. it includes 28 separate estuaries and each of these estuary initiatives is run by a nonfederal entity, some are run by states, others by nongovernmental organizations, and a few others by universities. the central feature of each program is a management plan developed on a consensus basis, not a top-down, not imposed -- imposed but a cooperative initiative where all elements of government and private sectors and sort of stakeholders, a term i don't particularly like, but that's a good inclusive term, covering all those who have a share or responsibility in the watershed. all develop a bottom-up process

to manage the discharges into and the use of the estuary. it's been very popular and it's been also very effective in improving the health of our estuaries. this bill does four things. increase transparency and accountability for each of the estuary programs. increase federal coordination in restoration protection of the estuaries. third, program changes to the estuary program. and fourth, increasing the authorization level for the program. from $35 million to $50 million. not very much. not very much especially considering the erosion of the value of the dollar over the years since this program was established. we set a minimum level of

1,250,000 a year for each of the 28 approved estuaries. the program was last authorized in 2000 and erosion of the dollar would have required an increase over those years to an estimated $44 million. we take it just a little bit higher to $50 million in order to account for other estuaries that are important, that may be added in the coming management of this program. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota reserves the balance of his time. mr. boozman from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 4715 re-authorizes the national estuaries program found in section 320 of the clean water act and adds some important accountability

provisions. these improvements require performance measures and goals in order to track implementation of management plans for estuaries. e.p.a. will evaluate every four years and report on the implementation of each management plan. in addition, after e.p.a. evaluates and reports on a plan, each management conference will be required to update their plans. i note that h.r. 4715 increases the authorized level of funding by 43% from $35 million per year to $50 million per year. the average appropriation over the past five years for this program has been only $26.8 million. the president recent budget requests $27.2 million. while i support the national estuaries program and the improvements, made here in h.r. 4715, i know many of my colleagues as well as myself are

concerned about increasing authorized levels of spending for programs when congress has not been able to fund the program close to its current authorization. and certainly in our current economic crisis, we should carefully weigh any proposed increase in authorization levels. we must also consider the importance of estuaries. they are the nursery grounds for much of the planet's sea life and source of the seafood we enjoy. they are a unique habitat for a diverse group of fish and wildlife. with that i reserve the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arkansas reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. oberstar: i want to yield to ms. johnson of texas who has done a superb of holding the hearings that led to the creation of this legislation

and bringing together the parties on both sides of the aisle. mr. boozman for his splendid participation in the delifferings of the subcommittee and full committee level and also my great appreciation to mr. mica, the ranking member of the full committee, with whom i have a splendid partnership in all the work of our committee. before i recognize and yield time to ms. johnson, i just want to say it's true, as the gentleman from arkansas pointed out, that the funding level has been well below the new authorization we proposed. and i -- and i know there are tight budgetary times. we -- our job as an authorizing committee sets what is the reasonable, responsible level for programs under the jurisdiction of our committee, set that forth, put it into law and then let those programs will have to fight for the rest

of the budget for their fair share of the funding level. if we don't leave -- i yield myself 30 second. if we don't raise that level from time to time then they'll continue to be underfund. at least they can go on and compete and advocate with other federal government funding and have to justify themselves to do that. and furthermore, we have a half dozen programs that have a poor rating. the accountability provisions of this bill are targeted to raise the level of their performance and to hold them up to public scrutiny. i think that justifies us in increasing the amount. also, they haven't had the funding level they needed to do the right job. so if we believe in the program, we believe estuaries are important for new forms of fish and shellfish and aquatic life and we ought to protect them and enhance -- i yield

myself 30 seconds -- we need to increase the funding level but also increase their accountability to the public. that i think is a very important and new initiative in this legislation. now i yield three -- four minutes to the gentlewoman from -- four minutes to the gentlewoman from texas. the chair: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. johnson: thank you very much, mr. chairman, and let me thank my committee chairman. i rise in strong support of h.r. 4715, the cleanest wears act of 2010 -- the clean estuaries act of 2010. they receive both fresh water from rivers and saltwater from the sea. it provides a unique environment in terms of the ecosystem values. estuaries are rich in plant life, coastal habitat and living species.

the productivity of these regions translates directly into important economic production -- productivity. government studies have found that estuaries provide habitats of 75% of the u.s. commercial and 80% to 90% of the recreational fishing catches. perhaps the essential problem in the protection of the restoration of estuaries is they ultimately lie downstream from all. everything that enters the smallest stream, tributary or headwater is a watershed, eventually runs into its respected estuary, impacting in one way all of the biological elements of the ecosystem. and all of the commerce that reinvolves around that estuary. to address estuary impairment properly we cannot look to the federal government alone. indeed we cannot necessarily look to the federal government

as the lead. instead, proper watershed management and estuary protection must be a process that involves all levels of government and all manners of stockholders -- stakeholders. today's legislation, the clean estuaries act of 2010, provides the resources and means to do just that. as the chair of the subcommittee of resources and environment, the primary jurisdiction for protecting water quality, i am pleased to support this bill. this legislation increases the authorization for appropriations allowed for increased and improved federal coordination and increases accountability and includes some necessary problematic changes. the increase in authorized appropriation levels will not only provide more resources to localities and organizations on the ground, it would also

enable more communities and estuaries to be involved in this important national program. i'm well aware of the effectiveness and popularity of these nonregulatory community based programs. we should be seeking to encourage the use of these types of programs in order to address problems in a grassroots fashion. in this sense, by making cleaner estuaries, we hope to achieve healthier communities and stronger economies through collaborative processees. i ask all members of this chamber to join me in supporting communities and estuaries through the passage of this bill. i thank you and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from texas yields back. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: i yield such time as he might desire to the gentleman from new jersey. the chair: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized.

mr. lobiondo: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to particularly thank chairman oberstar for his continued leadership and for moving so very quickly on this important legislation. i'd also like to thank chairwoman eddie bernice johnson and mr. mica and mr. boozman for their help on this important issue as well. and finally, i like to thank mr. bishop for his leadership and once again allowing me to join me on an issue that we both find important and that we can make a difference with on a critical bill to keep our waters clean and to do this for future generations. as we have heard, the bill would authorize the national estuary program for another five years, allow the program to expand protections to other watersheds and provide -- and i think this is very important -- greater accountability on how taxpayer money is spent. something that we should be doing more of.

the bill will improve transparency. also, something very important, by establishing periodic reviews of management plans and by requiring partners to demonstrate results. something again that's very important to see what the results are. companies that fall out of compliance with their plans will lose grant funds and that's how it should be because they should produce results. this will improve the national estuary program and enhance the protection of our nation's estuaries while ensuring the taxpayer is getting a strong return on an investment. the delaware estuary is home to the second largest concentration of migrating shore birds in the western atmosphere which is pretty incredible when you think about it. as well as dozens of protected species and the largest population of horseshoe crabs

in the world. the estuary is also home to over five million people and some of the largest refineries and chemical manufacturers are on the east coast. the group that charged the understanding of how to manage the demands of these two forces is the partnership for the delaware estuary. as one of the 28 designated n.e.p. organizations, the partnership has done an absolutely outstanding job, a tremendous job to not only protect and enhance the delaware estuary but also to raise the public awareness about the need to act responsibly and care for this unique ecosystem. i want to commend the partnership of the delaware estuary and the 27 other partnership organizations that have made the national estuary program so successful. and i urge all members to support h.r. 4715, and i yield back the balance of my time.

the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from arkansas reserves. the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar. mr. oberstar: mr. chairman, i yield four minutes to mr. bishop, co-author with mr. lobiondo this bill. the chair: the gentleman from new york is recognized for four minutes. mr. bishop: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, let me start by thanking chairman oberstar for his unwavering commitment to cleanwater issues. let me thank chairwoman johnson for her leadership. finally, let me thank my good friend, congressman lobiondo, for sponsoring this legislation with me. congressman lobiondo and i have worked together, and i think we formed a very nice partnership. to those of us on the transportation and infrastructure committee, it sometimes feels as if we're part of the last remaining b.a.s.s.ian of bipartisanship in this institution. -- bastian bipartisanship in

this institution. i appreciate the way our committee has moved forward very quickly on this very important legislation. my district encompasses 300 miles of coastline and includes two estuaries of national significance, two of the 28, the long island sound and poconic bay. i'm glad to represent this area. marine health is an objective to preserving the nation's environment and sustaining the economies of our coastal states. the cleanest wears act of -- the clean estuaries act of 2010 will help the estuary program, originally designated as section 320 of the clean water act -- pardon more -- and makes four changes to the program. first, the bill increases accountability for approved estuary programs by requiring evaluation and updating of their management plans on a periodic basis. this requirement increases transparency and encourages adaptive management of the

programs by incorporating evaluation results into the period management plan updates. secondly, approved programs must identify vulnerabilities and impacts due to climate change and prepare adap take responses as well as raise -- adaptation responses as well as performance measures and targets. the next one is improvements to enhance federal agency coordination. as many federal agencies oversee activities that impact estuaries, our bill requires they participate in the management planning process and incorporate local priorities when practicable. and it is increased fromom $35 million to $50 million per year and requires each program approved receive a minimum of $1.25 million. this increase in authorization allows the program to keep pace with inflation and provides for the entry of new programs into the n.e.p. program where there are 34 -- 38 sites which have

expressed interest in the past to become an approved program. our coastal areas support more than 28 million jobs in the united states and commercial and recreational fishing in these areas generate roughly $148 billion in sales and support nearly two million jobs. in fact, estuaries produce more food per acre than the most productive farmland. approximately 75% of commercial fish species depend honest wears for their spawning ground and nursery areas. in my district, the long island sound produces over $5.5 billion in revenue for state and local economies in the tourism, fishing and boating industries each year. setting aside the obvious and vital role that estuaries play to environmental ecosystems, this economic -- the economic benefits of estuaries alone are reason enough to improve upon the investments. congress has made on behalf of the american people. estuaries are proven job creators and provide a rate of return rarely seen on wall street. madam speaker, let me once

again thank chairman oberstar, ranking member mica, chairwoman johnson, ranking member boozman, congressman lobiondo and both the majority and minority staffs for their hard work and dedication to this issue. i hope my colleagues agree with the merits of this legislation, and i ask for their vote today on h.r. 4715, the clean estuaries act. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: i yield myself 15 seconds. i do want to thank the gentleman from new jersey, mr. lobiondo, the gentleman from new york, mr. bishop, for the very positive changes in the bill of accountability and transparency. and with that i continue to yield and i will -- i will continue to yield. we don't have any more speakers, mr. speaker. the chair: the gentleman from arkansas reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. oberstar: i yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from california, mr.

costa. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. mr. costa: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to support h.r. 4715, the clean estuaries act of 2010, and the re-authorization obviously provides opportunities to clean up our waterways. i want to thank chairman oberstar and ranking member boozman and the other co-sponsors on a bipartisan basis. . in california we have a lot of challenges with our own waterways. a persistent degradation of the largest estuary in the west coast is california's san francisco bay, an -- san joaquin river system. they focus solely on the exported water to the valley for the decline of this important delaware. ignoring other significant contributing factors. meanwhile, urban centers continue to pollute this delta

with toxic runoff, waste discharge, refinery, city streets, power plants significantly degrading the ecosystem and putting water supply to the valley and southern california at risk. this single-minded view has resulted in the loss of jobs and endangered livelihoods of farmers, farm workers, and farm communities in the san joaquin valley who rely on that water to grow half the nation's fruits and vegetables. enough is enough. it's time for other regions of california to share in the responsibility for the decline of water quality and fisheries. playing the blame game and pointing fingers at our valley's economy and some of the hardest working people in the country will not solve our water crisis in california. however working together will. step one is reducing and preventing the long-standing pollution that is threatening the river systems and our region. passing this measure will help our nation's estuaries. we must do more. i want to commend once again the chairman and the co-sponsors of this measure. i look forward to continuing to

work with this many. i yield the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar. mr. oberstar: the gentleman has no further speakers. i yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from california -- the gentlewoman from california, mrs. capps, who has made a splendid contribution to bill. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. mrs. capps: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you to chairman oberstar for recognizing me. i rise today to express my support for h.r. 4715, the clean estuaries act, a bipartisan bill to re-authorize and make improvements to the national estuary program. i wish to thank my colleagues, tim bishop and frank lobiondo, for introducing this bill. we each represent coastal districts that are home to amazing estuaryian systems of great importance to our community. in my district the bay estuary is an ecological treasure. lagoons and wetlands once common

along the southern california coast are now nearly all filled and developed. but the morrall bay estuary has survived. largely thanks to local efforts and support of the estuary program. like other national estuaries, the one in moral bay provides vital habitat for birds and fish. it's an important stopover for more than 150 species of migratory birds and act as a nursery for more than 75% of commercial fish species right in the immediate area. since the estuary was incorporated into the national program in 1995, the inspiring team of local staff and volunteers has spearheaded numerous efforts to preserve and restore the sanctuary. i particularly want to commend former program director dan berman, interim director mike and his staff, as well as the bay foundation of moral bay. their accomplishments over the years are a reflection of the strong partnerships and

community support that define the program. for example, partnering with local ranchers, the hardworking team has installed fencing along nearly 75,000 feet of creek to limit cattle access. this has protected water quality and improved habitat on the creek leading to the estuary. the estuary program has also been a source of funding for the city of moral bay's efforts to remove derelict marine vessels before they pollute local waters an damage habitat. and the estuary nature center helps the public to understand the estuary's importance to water quality and to conservation. mr. speaker, estuaries are among the richest habitats known on the earth. providing immeasurable economic and ecological benefit. but they are threatened by climate change and pollution and other human activities. this act helps to combat these

programs and improves the efficiency of our national estuary program. first, the bill requires that each approved estuary program be evaluated every four years and the results be publicly released. second, the bill increases federal attention to local priorities and requires that federal agencies participate in planning and coordinating the implementation of the site's own management plan. third, the bill requires that estuaries identify and plan for vulnerabilities to climate change. finally, the bill increases the program's annual authorization to $50 million. this modest funding increase -- mr. chairman, could i have 30 additional seconds? the speaker pro tempore: yield an additional 30 seconds. mrs. capps: thank you. this will strengthen the capacity of our estuaries to protect these critical coastal and marine resources. and the proposed funding increase will allow for the responsible expansion of the program to incorporate new regions that are not currently

served. mr. speaker, we are at a critical junction for our ocean and coastal resources. and the national estuary program is a vital part of that network. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation to protect some of our nation's most valuable and treasured natural resources. our national estuaries. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman from california yields back the balance of the time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. oberstar: mr. chairman, i yield myself 10 seconds to express my great appreciation to the gentlewoman from california for thorough elucidation of the specific benefits point by point of the estuary program and her moral bay area. now i yield four minutes to the distinguished gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, a refugee from the committee on transportation and infrastructure. the chair: the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. blumenauer: i thank the chairman for his courtesy and keeping me in his thoughts. i rise in strong support of this outstanding piece of

legislation. the national estuaries program has been funding work around the country for 20 years to monitor and restore estuaries of national significance. and it is really, i think, extraordinarily positive for us to hear the message repeated today here on the floor about the importance, the scope, the significance and the progress that has been made. i have a special interest in one area in oregon and washington, the lower columbia river estuary has been part of the program since 1995. this stretches 146 miles from the bonneville dam to the mouth of the pacific ocean. it supports hundreds of species of fish and wildlife and thousands of people's economy and their quality of life. it is the largest river in the pacific northwest supplying fishermen with jobs, serving as recreational resource, and providing power to the pacific northwest. i have been privileged to work with the lower columbia river estuary partnership which heads our local estuary program.

it's an unparalleled bistate public and private partnership involving collaborative efforts monkey federal partnersing e.p.a., the army corps of engineers. they work with government at all levels as well as a broad away of stakeholders that address these many challenges facing the estuary from habitat degradation to wetland loss and endangered species to toxic contaminants. this is a model nonregulatory community-based program that gets results. national estuary partners focuses on the ground activities and involving local communities with technical support and basic funding coming from the federal government. the accomplishments in the columbia are impressive. the partners have restored 2,600 acres of habitat. opened more than 53 miles of stream. completed toxic and conventional water quality monitoring and engaged the public in innovative cleanup efforts around the region. and working with volunteers to remove invasive plants.

there are many challenges remaining and this legislation will provide important funding to further progress there and around the country. each local estuary also leverages the national estuary partnership funds. in 2009 in our community we were able to bring in $14 for each dollar that was provided by the federal government. in addition to restoring the ecosystem, these dollars create jobs for construction, design, contractors, engineers, biologists, hydrologists, builders, and educators, family-wage jobs in the community and beyond today's economic impact, the restored area will support the recovery of a commercial fishing industry that was reduced 90% in the course of 20 years. importantly this legislation will also for the first time open the door to other estuaries to participate in the program. while funding goes to all estuaries, it will have benefits for the entire country. you have heard here on the floor

repeatedly that healthy estuaries mean a healthy national economy. they cover a huge portion, 13% of the land in the united states where half the population -- where half the growth domestic -- gross domestic product is produced and almost 43% of the population. these coastal areas provides tens of millions of jobs which means more people employed if we have healthy estuaries. it provides fresh seafood. it provides habitat for 75% of the united states commercial fish catch, and 80% to 90% of the recreational fish catch. these are also prime destinations for tourism in any given year, 10% of the population will visit coastal florida. 12.5% will visit coastal california. and every coastal state will host over a million out-of-state visitors. the benefits of clean and healthy estuaries are multiple. i want to thank my colleagues on

the committee for this outstanding work an look forward to its support. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. oberstar: i yield myself 10 seconds to thank the gentleman from oregon for his constant attention to the work of our committee and to the water issues as well. and for a splendid presentation. i yield three minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from maryland, member of the committee, ms. edwards, who has worked diligently as a guardian of the chesapeake bay estuary. the chair: the gentlewoman from maryland is recognized for three minutes. ms. edwards: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you especially to the leadership of chairman oberstar, mr. boozman, especially to our chairwoman of our water resources committee, eddie bernice johnson of texas, and to our two leaders here, mr. bishop and mr. lobiondo. i rise today in support of the clean estuaries act, h.r. 4715, because i have seen firsthand the positive ecological and

economic role that conservation and protection, indeed attention can play in improving the health of our nation's estuaries. we have only to take a look today at today's headlines in the "washington post." highlighting the improvement of the blue crab in the chesapeake bay, largely due to the protection efforts that we have undertaken there of federal commitment, a state and regional commitment to improving the nation's largest estuary which happens to be a great partner for my state of maryland. so in the past year we have seen that because of the commitment of the administration and many in the congress and lawmakers, the chesapeake bay, our nation's largest estuary, has actually made great strides. it's highlighted by the return of the blue crab. the highest levels in 17 years. the return has a positive economic impact for all sectors. fishermen experience larger catches. the price of the crab will decrease for a family restaurant. tourism will expand.

and the bay is now healthier than it's been in many years. we have a lot of work to do. so what does that mean in terms of the clean estuaries act? it means in fact that if we pay the same attention to all of our nation's estuaries in the way we have with the chesapeake bay we can also see improvement. for those of us who don't live near a estuary, every time we flush, every time we drive, every time we have an impact, drop a piece of trash on the ground, has an impact on our nation's estuaries. and so while we may not be able to see them, the impact is so great. that's why we need this legislation. to produce a positive effect on estuaries across the country. and this deserves our support because commercial and recreational fishing accounts for $185 billion in revenues every year. estuaries provide 75% of the catches for all of these revenues. yet over the last 20 years the health of our estuaries has degraded and the size of the

catch has decreased. the relationship between the health of an ecosystem and the economic output can't be overrated. in the clean estuaries act stands to reverse this troubling trend by adding additional estuaries, providing strong accountability measures, and in a way to ensure that conservation and protection are taken seriously. we need to take positive steps toward cleaning up our nation's estuaries by passing this bill and continuing to also invest in green infrastructure and nonstructural alternatives to protect our ecosystem. i want to commend chairman oberstar for his leadership and thank all of our leaders for their commitment to combine environmental stewardship with economic development for the protection of the nation's estuaries. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you, mr.

speaker. i yield ms. woolsey three minutes. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized for three minutes. ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, i rise today to protect america's estuaries by strengthening the management of the national estuary program, n.e.p., and to thank congressman oberstar, congresswoman johnson, congressman bishop, and congressman boozman and lobiondo for their excellent, excellent work. . mr. speaker, we have a solemn responsibility to keep these vital habitats clean for the thousands of plants, fish and wildlife that live, breed and spawn there. that's why i'm proud to support h.r. 4715, the clean estuaries act. currently there are 28 estuaries within the n.e.p. which conducts long-term planning and management

activities to restore and protect estuaries. 38 additional estuaries, including tomalis bay in my district have wanted to join the n.e.p. and with h.r. 4715 we can increase the authorization of the n.e.p. to $50 million. and tomalis bay and the other estuaries that have a desire to be part of it will have the opportunity to become part of this important program. tomalis bay supports a diverse group of wildlife, including seasonal populations of salmon and steelhead and more than 20,000 shore birds and sea birds and a wide variety of shellfish. tomalis bay is considered a wetteland of significant importance under the international convention of wettelands -- wetlands.

so it will help preserve this estuary for generations and generations to enjoy. i want to commend the hard work of the tomalis bay watershed council, a multistakeholder group which is championed to restoring tomalis bay. extending this plan to the entire watershed through the n.e.p. process will ensure better scientific understanding and improved restoration project. the -- and it would be good to develop this plan. mr. chair, we need to do this through better management and partnerships with our locality. i ask my colleagues to vote for h.r. 4715. i yield back.

mr. boozman: i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from arkansas yields back the baffle his time. the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar. mr. oberstar: i thank the gentleman from arkansas for yielding time which has run out inadvertently on our time and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time for general debate has expired. no amendment to the bill is in order except those printed in house report 111-463. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed by the report by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent of the amendment, shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject to demand for division of the question.

it is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in house report 111-461. -- house report 111-463. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? mr. oberstar: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in house report 111-463 offered by mr. oberstar of minnesota. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1248, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar. mr. oberstar: mr. chairman, this amendment makes technical corrections to the underlying bill, ensures the continued competitive nature of the national estuary program. one, we ensure that the program evaluations will assess whether the implementation of a comprehensive conservation and management plan is achieving its stated goals.

the amendment will enhance public education on the connections between air, land, water and the potential impacts of those factors on the health of the estuary. third, it will strike the existing statutory priority list of estuaries. and, fourth, remove individuals from the list of approved recipients for grants under the program. the technical change will ensure that program evaluations determine whether the implementation of a management plan is reaching its stated goals. it will ensure that not only a plan but the implementation of the plan is achieving improvements in water quality and habitat in the estuary. second, the amendment ensures that public -- the public education component of any plan will include and highlight the connections between the -- within the estuary between air,

land and water and the potential impacts of those interactions. estuaries will be able to highlight to citizens living within -- within the boundary of the estuary how their actions and how they can change their habit, how they can change their actions to improve the quality of the estuary. third, the amendment strikes existing statutory language that lists a number of states and regions to receive priority consideration under the program. that historical prioritization does not affect estuaries that is part of the national estuary plan. some estuaries on the list do not now participate in the program. 12 estuaries that do participate are not included in the list. so that prioritization is

superfluous. the changes do not mean that estuaries now in the n.e.p. will be removed. it means that existing programs must continue to meet their obligations under the program, meet the performance requirement of the legislation and continue to be part of the national estuary program. it will be a competitive program. that's the purpose of changing -- of the changes that i've just cited. finally, we strike statutory language that now allows individuals to be eligible grant recipients under the program. no individual has ever received a grant under the program, according to e.p.a., so there's no need to have that language in the bill. i reserve my time. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas rise? mr. boozman: i rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment although i am not opposed to it. the chair: the gentleman is

recognized for five minutes. mr. boozman: i rise to say that we are in very much support of the amendment. and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. oberstar: i thank the gentleman for those remarks and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from minnesota. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to.

the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? mr. oberstar: i have an amendment at the desk. that i offer on behalf of ms. pingree and yourself.

the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in house report 111-463 offered by mr. oberstar of minnesota. the chair: pursuant to the house resolution 1248, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota. mr. oberstar: i reserve my time so that the distinguished ranking member of the committee may speak at this moment. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. mica: i claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mica: i claim time in opposition on this amendment although i am not opposed to the amendment. and i think we've reached a bipartisan accord, support the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman from maine and also the gentleman from texas who

offered this amendment. i did not have an opportunity, mr. chairman, to speak during the general debate. i was delayed. after saying our side supports this pending amendment, in the absence of the sponsors, is being offered by the chair of the committee. do i want to take this opportunity, first of all, to thank mr. oberstar, our chair, the ranking member, the gentleman from arkansas, who has conceded time in doing an incredible job in heading up our side of the aisle on a very important issue and that's water resources for the nation. so, mr. boozman, thank you for your cooperation. and the chair of the subcommittee, ms. johnson from texas. a lot of times when i go back home and people say, well,

congress doesn't work well, congress does this and congress does that or they're always fighting and bickering. it's good to be a part of a committee, the largest committee in congress, i might add, the transportation and infrastructure, which has six subcommittees and a very important one here, water resources. water resources control all of the major water projects in the country, dams, levees. and in this case we are the stewards for the nation and really for what the good lord gave us is our estuaries. and most people don't know much about estuaries. we do have that responsibility to make certain that they're preserved, that they're protected and that we do the best with the money that's given to us on behalf of the taxpayers to protect that part of nature and our ecological

system that is again so vital. i do want to thank mr. boozman and the chair of the full committee and subcommittee for their work. we're here together to pass this together in a bipartisan manner. so on a day when many people are coming here to protest some of the things that do go on in washington, big spending, taxation on the day we are paying up to the federal government, this is an example of cooperative effort. let me also say, too -- and many colleagues, the republican leader of the transportation committee, many people have been coming to me in the last hour and saying, mr. mica, how are you going to vote on this bill? this bill does represent an increase in funding, but you're probably looking at one of the most conservative members of congress. i think it was listed 435

members and i was listed as number 58 in the last week or so as far as fiscal conservative voting. and i take great pride in that because i worked hard for my money. i know people out there have worked hard to make a living and struggle to feed their family and just make ends meet, and in this time we got to be particularly mindful of taxpayer dollars. but from time to time there are areas in which we need to spend a few more dollars and we are talking about a few dollars, we're not talking about billions. i do know millions add up to billions, but in this instance we've invested very little and in this instance this is a very clear federal responsibility. this is where sea water and freshwater meet. and certainly if there is an

area of responsibility that is a federal responsibility. the states cannot nationally be responsible for waters that flow through many jurisdictional boundaries. here is an arch fiscal conservative coming before congress on a day in which we're all concerned about government spending and saying, yes, we should invest a few dollars more in something that, again, is god given. the fragile ecosystem that has been handed to us and we have to be good stewards of. so, i'm going to vote yes for this amendment and when the bill comes up you're going to see me vote yes for the bill. even though it does increase spending from $35 million to $50 million. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from minnesota is

recognized. mr. oberstar: i yield to the distinguished co-sponsor of the amendment, the gentlewoman from maine. the chair: the gentlewoman from maine is recognized for five minutes. ms. pingree: thank you, mr. chair, for yielding the time. thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 4715, the clean estuary act is an important step toward restoring our nation's most critical estuaries. the bill will create jobs and strengthen communities. i strongly support the bill and want to commend my colleagues, the gentleman from new york, mr. bishop, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. bobe beyondow, for their -- lobiondo, for their hard work in crafting this legislation. one way to ensure the program is functioning at its highest level is to share information. the local estuary partnerships work closely with the federal government but not all too often the details what have works well in one estuary is not normally shared with other estuaries. that's why representative cuellar and i are offering an amendment that requires the e.p.a. to collect best practices and share them with the estuaries. it improving efficiency and smooth operations by helping

them connect with other estuaries and build on work that has already been done. like many of you, i have a mall. the largest mall in the state. it is built around a stream that floats into a bay and when it rains the water runs off the roofs in parking lots, washing the oils, salts and other combatants under the pavement of the creak. because of all this development, it is an urban impaired watershed. until the water equality is improved the mall, businesses around the mall as well as state and local government who own the roads, face tougher storm water management restrictions. this amendment will keep businesses and local government in the long creak watershed from having to start over when faced with corrections on how to manage storm water. by using tested known best practices the businesses will had save money on water quality in long creek and will improve faster. the amendment reduces the cost of improving water quality and saves these important businesses real money. the amendment helps to ensure that all of our estuary stakeholders, including those in long creek, have access to the very best tools and methods for protecting and restoring water

quality. i now would like to yield time to the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar. the chair: the gentlewoman from -- i'm sorry, the gentleman from minnesota yields to the gentleman from texas. mr. cuellar: -- mr. oberstar: i yield to the gentleman from texas. the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. cuellar: thank you very much. i want to thank mr. oberstar, the subcommittee chairwoman also, ms. johnson from texas, ms. pingree also for the work that she's been doing, and also of course our ranking member, mr. booze-, for the work that you -- boozman, for the work that you and mr. mica have done. this is to support the government efficiency. we believe that this will eliminate waste and redun dansy on the programs that would improve effectiven and cut back wasteful spending. this would identify, number one, best management practices for allocating resources in an efficient and effective manner.

it would outline key reasons why such practices will result in positive outcomes and disseminate the best practices for the management conferences. also this amendment identified redoesn't dant rules, regulations to reporting granled recipients and instructs the e.p.a. administrater to develop plans to eliminate those redun dansies. this amendment will make our government more efficient, more effective and more comfortable by conducting this type of evaluation. i urge support of this amendment and i yield back the balance of my time to the gentleman from minnesota. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota. mr. oberstar: i yield the balance of our time to the distinguished chair of our subcommittee, ms. johnson. the chair: the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: thank you very much, mr. chairman. i rise in support of the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from maine, ms. pingree, and the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar. this amendment makes two important changes to the underlying bill that should benefit the overall

effectiveness of the national estuary program. first, the amendment requires the administrator of the environmental protection agency to conduct an assessment of best practices for improving water quality, natural resources and sustainable uses of the estuary as part of the agency's periodic evaluation of the national estuaries program. following this assessment, the administrator would be required to disseminate information on these best practices to other estuary management conversations, con veebed under the section 320 -- convened under section 320 as well as to the public. i support this provision because it will provide a good centralized resource on a successful, locally-produced practices for improving the overall health of estuaries areas. this clearing house should provide valuable information to other management conferences and the general public on what

practices are being successfully implemented in the field so that each management conference does not have to reinvent the wheel. each time they are looking for creative ideas to benefit their local environment. what works in one area of the country may not necessarily work on another, i would suspect that simply sharing success stories on management practices will have an overall benefit to local restoration efforts. the second change proposed by this -- thank you. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. the amendment of the gentleman from minnesota is agreed to.

the chair: it is now in order to consider amendment number 3 printed in house report 111-463. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? mr. kagen: to offer an amendment. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 3 printed in house report 111-463 offered by mr. kagen of wisconsin. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1248, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. kagen, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. kagen. mr. kagen: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, chairman oberstar, for allowing me to move this amendment forward and, ms. johnson, thank you very much. it's good to see mr. boozman on the floor. this is a very simple and straight forward amendment that

includes language for measuring the outcomes, the coordination, cooperation between state, local and federal agencies will be necessary to guarantee that our dollars are well spent and that we have a very efficient operation as we protect our estuaries. so i would submit this amendment and hope that i would have bipartisan support for it. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. boozman: i rise to support the amendment and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. kagen. mr. kagen: i thank the kind gentleman for agreeing to the amendment and in the true spirit of a very efficient operation, will yield back the balance of my time.

the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the time question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from wisconsin. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 4 printed in house report 111-463. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. schauer: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 4 printed in house report 111-463 offered by mr. schauer of michigan. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1248, the gentleman from michigan, mr. schauer, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. schauer: thank you, mr. chair. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. schauer: thank you, mr. chair.

the amendment before you would define estuary under the clean water act to include great lakes near shore waters and connecting waters that are similar to traditional estuaries covered by the national estuary program. the amendment would allow great lakes estuaries eligible to apply on a competitive basis for including -- inclusion in the national estuary program. the great lakes and surrounding waters are a valuable natural resource of national importance. it makes sense that they're eligible to apply for inclusion in this competitive grant program. again, my amendment would clearly define the estuary to include great lakes waterways and connecting waterways. the great lakes hold 90% of the united states' surface freshwater. 20% of the world's freshwater, the largest system of fresh surface water on earth. the midwest relies on the great lakes for commerce, tourism and drinking water.

unfortunately the health of the great lakes has been threatened by pollution, invasive species and water withdrawals. failure to protect the great lakes now could result in more serious consequences. conservationists, environmental stewards, hunters, fishermen and outdoors mb from --men from all -- outdoorsmen from all over the country share my sentiment, including the great lakes waterways and the national estuaries program will help create long-term planning and management to both point and nonpoint sources of pollution and protect areas of commercial importance from ecological risks. mr. chair, we need to do everything we can to protect great lakes waterways. we can make another step in the right direction by expanding the definition of estuary to include the great lakes waterways and allow these waterways to be eligible for funding in the national estuary program. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this amendment and i reserve the balance of my time.

the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: mr. chairman, i rise to ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. chairman. this amendment will pull money out of the national estuary program and -- to address the needs of the great lakes. the national estuary program is to assist the important areas in our country where the freshwater of rivers meets and mixes with sea water. by any scientific definition, there are no estuaries in the great lakes. over the years congress has created and funded a number of programs to address the needs of the great lakes. we have established an entire office in the e.p.a. to work on the great lakes issue. while there are many worthy projects that could be done in the great lakes, i believe we should use existing great lakes programs to address those needs

and not dilute the national estuaries program. if the gentleman believes that more money should be done for the great lakes, then we should have the debate on whether or not to modify the existing great lakes program. members who have true estuaries in their states which are very coastal in nature should be concerned about this amendment diluting the intent and the dollars associated with this important program. to my colleagues in the great lakes states who understandably might be attempted to -- tempted to support this amendment, i would say, this amendment makes about as much sense as suggesting that the great lakes legacy act dollars should be used to address the needs of the chesapeake bay. the great lakes and the nation's estuaries are both important areas. let's address them in the context of their own separate legislation and not make one complete with the other. with that i urge members to oppose the schauer amendment. i reserve the balance of my

time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. schauer: if i could grant myself 30 more seconds and then i'd like to yield to the chairman of the committee. i have great respect for my colleague's comments. my amendment would merely bring this national estuary program into compliance and consistency with the 2,000 estuaries and clean waters act. for purposes that have act, congress' definition of estuaries included the great lakes. so, in substance this definition would be exactly the same as the 2000 estuaries and clean waters act. i would now yield to the chairman of the transportation and infrastructure committee, mr. oberstar. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. oberstar: while i respect the remarks of the gentleman from arkansas, we specify in this amendment -- or mr. schauer does -- that the

meeting place of rivers in the lakes is not a traditional estuary, is not a traditional meaning of fresh and saltwater but that these points should be treated as estuaries. example, the eel lays its eggs in the discharge point of the rivers that contribute to discharge into the great lakes. that is a meeting place. river water and lake water. where a destructive nonindigenous, invasive species mult plies, including the great lakes and the estuary program will provide additional authority for the great lakes to work to control this monster that destroys the fishery of the great lakes. this is not an allocation. this is not an earmark.

it is not a specific designation. it simply allows the great lakes to compete for available dollars authorized under this program. we think that this body of the greatest repository of fresh water on the earth ought to have a standing among others that have the designation of estuaries. those meeting places on the great lakes are every bit as important as the meeting places of the freshwater rivers and the saltwater repositories of a traditional estuary definition. i yield back to the gentleman. mr. schauer: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota reserves. mr. schauer: i'd reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from arkansas.

mr. boozman: thank you, mr. chairman. again, having great respect for our chairman, the point i'm trying to make is i understand the problems we have in the great lakes. and this is a body of such significance and yet again my feeling is that we should take care of that problem within the structure that we have within the great lakes program. and so i see no node to expand the estuary program -- no need to expand the estuary program to take care of the great lakes. if we need additional moneys, if we need additional infrastructure in fighting the battles with the invasive species and things that were mentioned, then i feel like the place to do that is within the great lakes programs rather than diluting the moneys, relatively small amount of money, diluting the money in the estuary program. so with that i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time.

the gentleman from minnesota. mr. schauer: thank you, mr. chairman. just a couple of points. the federal government's website on this topic of estuaries, it refers to the great lakes as freshwater estuaries that are, quote, affected by tides and storms just as estuaries along the oceanic coasts are, end quote. in fact, there is a freshwater estuary in ohio located on lake erie. my final point, there's a group called healthy lakes, healthy lives that wrote in support of this amendment. they state that traditionally estuaries are transition zones from freshwater from rivers and saline water from oceans. regardless if the a mix of traditional freshwater or saltwater, all estuaries provide a unique environment that support diverse habitats. i'd ask my colleagues to

support this amendment, and i'd yield the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: mr. chairman, i yield to the distinguished gentleman from florida. the chair: the gentleman from florida, mr. mica, is recognized. mr. mica: i thank you for yielding. mr. chairman and my colleagues, i've been married for 38 years, i have a wonderful wife. fell in love with her almost at first sight. we've been together for those three, almost four decades. probably the one i spend the most time with other than my wife is mr. oberstar in my work on the committee. we've been working together for 18 years. now with my wife from time to time i do have disagreements. like just about every day on some issue. this happens to also be with mr. oberstar.

sort of like that marital relation that i would disagree both my good friend and colleague, mr. oberstar, and also the colleague from minnesota. i think on this, you know, this isn't worth burning the house over. and i think the gentleman is offering an amendment that is well intended, and he has a sincere interest in protecting freshwater estuaries. a definition was cited about freshwater estuaries and, yes, there are probably thousands, maybe millions of freshwater estuaries. that's the whole point here is we're expanding a limited definition of marine estuaries that have saltwater and one of the justifications for this whole program at the federal

level is that the sea does encompass the entire perimeter of our coastal areas, particularly florida, which we have some of the biggest coastline. we have many places where fresh and saltwater mix. and that's the importance of this particularly important but very small federal program. the argument isn't increasing in billions. we are going from $35 million to $50 million in a program. and it is important that that money not be -- the additional money not be so diluted. i support the gentleman in what he would like to do with freshwater estuaries and i don't think that this expansion is appropriate when we're looking at including the body of freshwater estuaries.

we do have a disagreement on this, and i do support the bill in general. i do take deference with this particular amendment. mr. oberstar: will the gentleman yield? mr. mica: yes. mr. oberstar: it designates the great lakes as the fourth seacoast. mr. mica: that's interesting but that definition, of course, by law does -- who has time left? the chair: both sides' time has expired. mr. mica: i'll yield back. thank you. the chair: i thank the gentleman from florida. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from michigan. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment's agreed to.

it's now in order to consider amendment number 5 printed in house report 111-463. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from wisconsin seek recognition? ms. moore: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 5 printed in house report 111-463 offered by ms. moore of wisconsin. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1248, the gentlewoman from wisconsin, ms. moore, and a member opposed, will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from wisconsin. ms. moore: thank you, mr. chairman. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentlewoman from wisconsin is recognized. ms. moore: mr. chairman, one of the most destructive threats to the ecological integrity in the health of estuaries across the nation as well as other water bodies such as rivers and lakes are invasive species. invasive species destroy ecosystems and have a devastating effect on the health and balance of these

systems, including the estuaries that we're trying so hard to protect through the national estuary practice. for example, the san francisco estuary has been called one of the most invaded estuaries in the world. once these species are established, federal and state authorities spend hundreds of millions of dollars trying to eliminate them and failing that to manage them and repair the enormous ecological and economic damage they've done and are doing to this important ecosystem. as i speak, the army corps of engineers is undertaking efforts to prevent the latest of these threats to lake michigan, the asian carp, from overrunning this ecological and national treasury. this amendment would include assessments of the pathways by which these unwelcomed guests are getting into estuaries and in the long-term monitoring and assessment effort authorized through the national estuary

program. for example, one pathway of introduction for nonnative species in an estuary is the swatter in ships that they may discharge as they move through these bodies of water. by strengthening the monitoring in the estuaries it's my effort to improve the various stakeholders to e.p.a.'s national program office and congress on how nonnative species are affecting our estuaries. track whether this problem is getting better or worse and guide effective solutions to help us address and defeat these invaders. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: i ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. boozman: and we just want to go on the record as supporting this amendment and urge its adoption.

i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from wisconsin. ms. moore: and i thank the gentleman and i also want to thank the chairman of the house transportation committee, mr. oberstar, for his support of this amendment as well. i know he shares my concerns about the problem of invasive species in balanceased water and i sure want to work with him to address those concerns more specifically and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: all time has been yielded back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from wisconsin. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it's now in order to consider amendment number 6 printed in house report 111-463.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new hampshire seek recognition? ms. shea-porter: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 6 printed in house report 111-463 offered by ms. shea-porter of new hampshire. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1248, the gentlewoman from new hampshire, ms. shea-porter, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new hampshire. ms. shea-porter: thank you, mr. chair. i yield myself such time as i may consume. first, i'd like to thank chairman oberstar, mr. bishop and mr. lobiondo for their work on this bill. i have the honor of representing the first congressional district of new hampshire, which is home to prep. prep, as it is known, has been part of the national estuary program since 1995. prep works to protect two estuarine areas in new hampshire. it includes the great bay

watershed which includes 42 communities in new hampshire and 10 communities in maine. the national estuary program has been a significant source of funding and resources, assisting prep in their valuable work. this re-authorization we are considering today will make the program stronger and allow for more estuaries to be included. mr. chair, one of the threats facing our estuaries is sea level change. as the sea level rises, it pushes the water further inland changing the makeup of our estuaries and wetlands. in fact the wetlands may move further inland. in areas of the northeast where our land is highly developed this may not be possible. there may be no place for the plant and animals that depend on the unique makeup of these estuaries to go. they may literally hit a roadblock and those ecosystems would collapse. mr. chair, the threat of that happening should wary us all. estuaries are essential happen tats. they support countless plants, species and wildlife.

they are the pathways for many species of fish that migrate from the ocean into our rivers. in fact, estuaries provide habitat for 75% of the commercial fish and catch and up to 90% of the recreational fish and catch in this country. estuaries and wetlands also act as buffers to the storms that batter our coasts. i volunteered in new orleans after hurricane katrina, and i can tell you firsthand the devastation that the storm caused. many scientists have attributed the lands outside of new orleans as a factor in the severity of the damage that the storm caused. mr. chair, sea levels are changing, whether you agree or disagree that global climate change is the cause. we should all be alarmed by the potential impact rising sea levels could have on these important habitats. it has been estimated that sea level rise could convert as much as 33% of the world's coastal wetlands to open water. that would be a devastating loss for our coastal communities. mr. chair, this straight forward

amendment would simply ensure that sea level change is taken into account when the comprehensive conservation and management plan are constructed. these estuaries are important parts of our coastal communities and their economies and we need to help them survive. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from new hampshire reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. boozman: mr. chairman, we do not oppose this amendment and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from new hampshire. mr. oberstar: would the gentlewoman yield? ms. shea-porter: yes, i would yield. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. oberstar: i rise in support of the amendment. it does not add cost, it does not add any burden on the process, but it does add an

element of review in the evaluation of these plans and that is to take into consideration sea level rise. that's already happening on our sea coast. on our saltwater coasts. and the addition of this factor, i think, will make all of the planners sensitive to the effects, the erosion effects, the water levels, and their consequential effects on the health of the estuaries. i appreciate the gentlewoman's amendment. the chair: the gentlewoman from new jersey -- i mean, new hampshire. ms. shea-porter: thank you, mr. chair. again i want to thank chairman oberstar, mr. bishop and mr. lobe yodow for their -- lob beyondow for their -- lobiondo for their work and leadership on this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from new hampshire yields back the balance of her time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from

new hampshire. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. ms. shea-porter: on that i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from new hampshire will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 7 precipitationed in house report 111-463. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. kratovil: mr. chair, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 7 printed in house report 111-463 offered by mr. kratovil of maryland. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1248, the gentleman from maryland, mr. kratovil, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the charity recognizes the gentleman from -- the chair recognizes the gentleman from

maryland. mr. kratovil: thank you, mr. chair. mr. chair, i rise in support of my amendment to h.r. 4715, the clean estuaries act, and to voice my support also for the underlying bill. let me begin by thanking the chairman, mr. oberstar, who as the chair knows has the finest voice of all in congress and should he ever leave congress could certainly go forward in doing commentating somewhere. in any event, mr. chair, maryland's first congressional district is defined by the chesapeake bay and its waterways. although not directly part of the national estuary program, the program was developed from efforts to protect our nation's largest estuary, the chesapeake bay. estuaries are bodies of water that, as you've heard, have received both outflows from rivers and title inflows from the ocean. they are transition zones between freshwater from rivers and saltwater from the ocean. the mixing of fresh and saltwater provides a unique environment that supports diverse habitats for a wide variety of living resources including plants, fish and

wildlife. estuaries are critical economic engines that generate billions of dollars in revenue each year from fishing and tourism. the sad truth is that along with many of the nation's estuaries, the chesapeake is in poor ecological health as well, although we did have, mr. chair, some good news yesterday in terms of the blue crab population which i'm happy to report is rebounding. on healthy estuaries -- healthy estuaries impact the industries but threaten industries such as tourism, restaurants and charter boats among others that generate revenue and create good-paying jobs. this bill includes effective reforms to that program that will bolster the health of estuaries as well as the economic and infrastructure of effective communities by increasing transparency, requiring establishment of performance measures and goals and introducing much-needed accountability to the program. this legislation will support and maintain the maryland coastal bays program as one of the most effective estuary

programs in the nation. and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used effectively in the fight to do so. i have introduced an amendment that i believe will bolster the oversight and accountability of these programs by ensuring a collaborative process involving all stakeholders. the national estuary program is comprised of initiatives across the country that under my amendment will be subject to a streamline management plan that will ensure all stakeholders play a role in the implementation. my amendment calls for the equitable inclusion of all relevant estuary stakeholders, the use of neutral facilitators and processes to resolve any conflicts and the inclusion and use of up-to-date information. including among these stakeholders will be the region's farming and agricultural representatives as well as environmental groups so that all parties will come to the table and reach a consensus agreement about our mutual interests and goals. while some programs may have used collaborative processes in the past, this amendment will ensure -- ensure that all new

programs and all existing programs undergoing management plan updates will had collaborate in going forward. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support my amendment as well as the underlying bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. chairman. again, we do not oppose the amendment and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. kratovil: mr. chair, i yield to the chair, mr. oberstar, as much time as he may consume. the chair: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. oberstar: i thank the gentleman for this amendment, a very thoughtful, well crafted amendment, to resolve conflicts. that is really what the congress should be doing, resolving conflicts and creating structures within our programs

within which conflict can be resolved. and that is particularly important in the development of manage am plans. there's so many -- management plans. there's so many different parts, some, this idea will ensure that we bring these management plans of development of these management plans to a reasonable and productive conclusion and so i thank the gentleman for this amendment. perhaps if it works we can apply it to our work with the other body. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from maryland. mr. kratovil: i thank the chair. i also thank the gentleman from arkansas for his support of the amendment and, again, mr. chairman, thank you for your support and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from maryland. those in favor say aye.

those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is is agreed to. -- the amendment is agreed to.

the chair: does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? mr. oberstar: mr. chairman, i move the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee

rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. the chair: madam speaker, the committee of the whole on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 4715 directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r.

4715 and has come to no resolution thereon. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. flake: i rise to a question of the privileges of the house and offer the resolution previously noticed. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: committee on standards of official conduct, initiated an investigation into allegations related to earmarks and campaign contributions and the -- in the spring of 2009. whereas on december 2, 2009, reports and findings in seven separate matters involving the alleged connection between earmarks and campaign contributions were forwarded by the office of congressional ethics to the standards committee. whereas on february 26, 2010, the standards committee made public its report on the matter wherein the committee found through a --, though a widespread perception exists that campaign contributions provide a greater chance of

obtaining earmarks, there was no evidence that members or their staff considered contributions when requesting earmarks. whereas the committee indicated that, with respect to the matters forwarded by the office of congressional ethics, neither the evidence cited in the o.c.e.'s findings nor the evidence in the record before the standard committee provided a substantial reason to believe that violations of applicable standard for conduct occurred. whereas the office of congressional ethics is prohibited from reviewing activities taking place prior to march, 2008, and lacks the authority to subpoena witnesses and documents. whereas for example the office of congressional ethics noted that in some instances documented were -- documents were redacted or specific information was not provided and that in at least one instance they had reason to believe a witness with held information requested and did not identify what was being with held. whereas the office of congressional ethics also noted that they were able to interview

only six former employees of the p.m.a. group, with many former employees refusing to consent to interviews and the o.c.e. unable to obtain evidence within p.m.a.'s possession. whereas "roll call" noted that the committee report was five pages long and included no documentation of any evidence collected or any interviews -- conducted by the committee beyond a famous of the investigation, included extensive document reviews and interviews with numerous witnesses, "roll call," march 8, 2010. it's unclear whether the standards committee included in their investigation any activities that occurred prior to 2008. whereas it is unclear whether the standards committee interviewed any members in the course of their investigation. whereas it is unclear whether the standards committee and the -- in the course of their investigation initiated their own subpoenas or followed the office of congressional ethics recommendations to issue subpoenas. therefore be it resolved that not later than seven days after the adoption of this resolution

the committee on standards of official conduct shall report to the house of representatives with respect to the activities addressed in its report of february 26, 2010, one, how many witnesses were interviewed, two, how many if any subpoenas were issued in the course of their investigation and, three, what documents were reviewed and their availability for public review. the speaker pro tempore: the resolution qualifies. >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? mr. oberstar: i move the resolution be referred to the committee on standards of official conduct. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one hour on the motion to refer. mr. oberstar: this belongs to the committee on the standard of official congress. i yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to refer. the question is on adopting the motion to refer. those in favor say aye.

those opposed will say no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the motion is referred. mr. flake: madam speaker. i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. >> the gentleman is speaking about fiscal order, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct.

the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. jordan: people are worried about what this congress is doing to our kids' future and rightly so. this year the federal government will take in $2.1 trillion and spend $3.6 trillion. only in congress does that math make sense. that's like family making $50,000 a year but spending $80,000. if that was your family, mr. speaker, making $50,000 and spending $80,000, you'd do something about it, cut back, tighten the belt, make responsible decisions. but not this congress this congress is spending like there's no tomorrow this year the federal government will run a deficit of at least $1.4 trillion. that's 10% of g.d.p. any economist in the world will tell you that deficits shouldn't be more than 2% or 3% of g.d.p. and what are we spending on today? >> the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. jordan: and what are we spending on today?

estuaries. estuaries. most americans probably never heard the term. with our nation over $12 trillion in debt, borrowing money china to pay our debts, record deficits as far as the eye anke, not dealing with the energy crisis, replacing freedom with mandates, replacing private sector growth with 16,000 new i.r.s. agents and what are we spending people's money on today on tax day? we're spending it on estuaries. a massive increase in funding for estuaries. mr. speaker, come on. americans are taking to the streets across the country today, tax day, dumping tea in the harbor and standing up against congress that is bankrupting their country. what are our democrats offering them? more spending on estuaries. mr. speaker, before congress even considers doubling the funding for this program or any other nonessential spending, we must first balance the federal budget and begin page down some

of the money we borrowed from china and other countries. estuaries can wait, mr. speaker, but fiscal responsibility cannot. all this motion does, all this motion does is says, keep the spending at what it was last year. after all, a lot of families a lot of taxpayers a lot of small business owners, have been living on last year's spending levels, maybe even something less. i would ask my colleagues this. mr. speaker, the house is not in order. i would ask my colleagues this, mr. speaker. how bad does it have to get before we can begin to take that modest first step and say, maybe estuaries can get by on the same amount of money they were on last year. that's all this motion says. all this motion says is, let's keep them where they were last year. a yes vote on this motion tells the people you represent back home, the people who are paying their taxes today, who elected us and entrusted us to protect

their hard-earned money, your yes vote tells them, yes, i agree congress must set priorities, yes, i agree we should forego such increase until the budget is balanced, and yes i respect you the taxpayer enough to say i can hold the line on spending even if it means only $35 million for estuary this is year. mr. speaker, i had a coach in high school, chemistry and physics teacher, toughest teacher in the school, toughest coach in the state. every single day in class, every single day in the practice room, he talked about discipline. he said discipline is doing what you don't want to do when you don't want to do it. that meant doing it his way when you'd rather do it your way. doing things the right way when you'd rather do them the convenient way. discipline is what beneed in this congress. the easiest thing in the world to do is spend money, particularly someone else's money. this amendment, real simple, says let's have the discipline to say no to spending. let's have the discipline to

say, let's do the right thing today, not the convenient thing. let's hold the line on spending and treat taxpayers with a little respect on this day of all days. i urge a yes vote and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? >> in opposition to the amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. oberstar: i'm sorry the gentleman from ohio doesn't have an estuary in his district. but his state is a great lakes state. and the great lakes, as the nation's fourth seacoast, designated by act of congress in 1970, are also designated in this bill as a place of estuaries. freshwater estuaries. i'm sorry that the gentleman doesn't understand that a great

many people do understand what an estuary is. 3/4 of our population lives along areas that are designated as estuaries. estuaries, the meeting place of fresh and salt water, where new forms of life are created, where new forms of fish and aquatic plants are created, are the richest places on earth for the creation of maritime life. . there is a national interest in their protection and in their enhancement. and i'm quite surprised at this amendment, because in committee consideration, no issue was raised about the funding level. make no mistake, the purpose of the amendment is to cut $15

million out of the authorization level, which has eroded -- mr. jordan: would the gentleman yield? mr. oberstar: i do not have time. in the consideration of the bill, i yield to mr. petri and he yielded to the ranking member of the coast guard subcommittee, co-sponsor of the bill and he concluded and said i urge all members to support h.r. 4715, i yield back. there was no discussion in committee, no amendment was filed with the rules committee to cut the funding level. ranking member of our committee, mr. mica, designates himself proudly as a conservative as supporting this bill. this is a jobs bill. go ahead and laugh. go ahead and laugh.

shows you don't understand much, mr. speaker, those who are laughing. 28 million jobs depend on coastal areas of the united states. 185 billion in commercial and recreational fishing from estuaries of the united states, two million jobs at stake. 3/4 of all commercial fishing depends on estuaries. 3/4 of recreational fish caught relies on this. and for the last 20-plus years, has declined because of impaired estuaries. this is an investment in america's future and in the yuning people of this country for whom the gentleman proposes cutting $15 million. this is an investment. this is not an entitlement, but an authorization to compete with

other programs for the funding yes, sir to protect our estuaries, which are the beginning places of new life and the home of millions of jobs and the future of america. vote down this amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to -- for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to