mr. lowenthal: mr. speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this resolution which would waste resources, waste money, pollute our air and worsen the impacts of climate change. when it comes to regulations that we should keep on the books, the b.l.m. methane waste prevention rule is a no-brainer. currently, oil and gas companies are venting, flaring or leaking hundreds of millions of dollars worth of natural gas each and every year. people listening at home may wonder, why would a company simply waste or burn off such a valuable resource? and the answer is simple. they want the oil and they want it now. to them the natural gas that comes along with the oil is just a nuisance, so they burn it off. they don't make the effort required to ensure their equipment isn't leaking. the problem is is when they're operating on public lands, this isn't their natural gas to waste. this -- they cannot waste this. this belongs to the american people. so when gas is simply burned off or allowed to escape, the royalties th

mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise to -- today to oppose house joint resolution number 38. the science is clear, clear. mountain top removal mining is harmful to the health of people who live near these mines. anyone with a computer can go to google earth and see the tremendous scars on the landscape from mining companies that blasts the tops off mountains and then dumped the waste into the valleys below. but largely invisible to the naked eye is the suffering of people who live in the nearby communities because of these harmful practices. the stream protection rule will protect hundreds of vulnerable families and children who live near these sites from lung cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, birth defects, hypertension and other health problems. if the majority has a problem with this final rule, as they say they do, they should hold a hearing in the natural resources committee to discuss its merits. there we would have an opportunity to talk to the administration and hear from those that are most affected by mountain top removal mining. but no. instead they decided to

mr. lowenthal: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. speaker. last week congressman steve chabot and i, as the co-chairs of the cambodia caucus, we called upon secretary tillerson and the administration to prioritize human rights, democracy and the rule of law in cambodia. ust days later, sam, the leader of the opposition party in cambodia, resigned in the face of a proposed bill that would dissolve the opposition party if he continued to lead the party. this law on political parties would give the government far-reaching powers to suspend political parties at will. i urge the can bodyia national assembly to set -- cambodia national assembly to set aside this that dangerously moves cambodia to being a one-party state and to allow the cambodia people to freely choose their own leaders. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yi

mr. lowenthal: you know from the mother of four with a pre-existing condition to the family of a young boy who can now afford health insurance for the first time, we have heard constantly and over and over how the affordable care act has saved lives. the affordable care act provides uality affordable insurance to millions of americans. just in my district alone, nearly 100,000 people who are now covered through -- through the covered california exchange or through the medicaid, which is in california, the expansion, they stand to lose coverage if the affordable care act is repealed. it is completely irresponsible to speak about repealing the affordable care act with no replacement and i urge my colleagues to think about their own constituents before doing so. thank you. and i yield back. for eaker pro tempore: what purpose does gentleman seek recognition? >> permission to address the house one minute. >> i rise today to bring attention to a pilot program in my district in pensacola, florida. the 39 million words initiative is a collaborative effort brought by researchers from the universit