For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 2316. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar bill 207, h. R. 2316, a to amend the mineral leasing act and the Energy Policy act of 1992 to repeal provisions relating only to the allegheny. Ational forest the speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. Mceachin, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson well, thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Thompson i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, thank you for bringing h. R. 2316 to the floor. The Allegany National Forest, located in my district in northwestern pennsylvania is located near the First Commercial Oil discovery in the country. The Allegany National Forest is pennsylvanias only National Forest and since its creation in 1923 has been home to numerous recreational and other activities. Mineral owners work cooperatively with the Forest Service to safely produce oil and gas within the National Forest boundaries. Mineral owners routinely provided 60day notification of drilling plans prior to the commencement of operations and the forest issued a notice to proceed or n. T. P. However, in 2006, the Forest Service deemed it to be a major federal action which triggered the flal environmental policy. National environmental policy. This has a full analysis. Environmental groups were quick to sue the Forest Service to enforce the new rule. After settling with these groups they issued a moratorium on issuing n. T. P. s until a full environmental analysis was completed. This had immediate and severe impacts on the mineral rights owners who were unfairly denied access to their mineral property. The oil and gas industry sued, claiming Forest Service did not have the authority to preclude the development of privately owned minerals and in 2009 the u. S. District court of western pennsylvania agreed and lifted the moratorium in the Allegany National Forest. The lower courts decision was confirmed on appeal in 2013. This bill fully repeals the invalidated language from the mineral leasing act and the Energy Policy act of 1992. In accordance with these Court Decisions. Throughout the litigation, the Forest Service claims section 2508 of the Energy Policy act of 1992 codified in the mineral leasing act provided them with the authority to restrict mineral development. It is critical to strike this language, have this regulation not been challenged over 11 million acres of split estate minerals throughout the country would have been locked up, devastating mineral owners and local and state economies. A similar version of this bill passed the house during the 114th congress, demonstrating the support for protecting private Property Rights in the Allegany National Forest. I want to thank you for your time and we look forward to implementing this crucial solution. I urge adoption of the measure and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mceachin thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, h. R. 2316 is nearly identical to a bill that passed the house last year with overwhelming bipartisan support. The intent of the bill, according to the sponsor, is to ensure owners of mineral rights in the Allegany National Forest are allowed to drill for their oil and gas within the boundaries of that natural forest. In the Natural ResourcesCommittee Last congress, the majority accepted an amendment by energy and Mineral Resources subcommittee Ranking Member lowenthal that clarified the intent of the bill. It ensures the National Forest would receive advance notice of oil and gas operations and that no other National Forest would be affected. So this bill is a bipartisan compromise that protects the private Property Rights while also protecting the rights of the Forest Service and i thank the sponsor for working so cooperatively on this. I support h. R. 2316 and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i have no additional speakers so i continue to reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 2316. Those 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 bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the house suspend the rules and pass h. R. 1547. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 1547, a bill to provide for the unencumbering of title to nonfederal land owned by the city of tucson, arizona, for purposes of Economic Development by conveyance of the federal reversionary interest to the ity. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, and the gentleman from virginia mr. Mceachin, will each control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Thompson i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, 1547 completes the transfer of bureau of Land Managements reversionary interest in uredal park located in tuesdayson, arizona, nearly after they donated 4 million worth of land to complete their portion of the exchange. 20 years after the exchange took place, the bureau of Land Management threatened to invoke his reversionary interest because the city dared to hold a local Farmers Market in the park. The city of tucson has invested millions of dollars in this community park, building swimming pools, Recreation Centers and Athletic Field and deserves to have clear title of the land and complete jurisdiction over uses of the park. The bill is bipartisan and has nearly unanimous support from the arizona congressional delegation. And i urge adoption of the measure and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Ceachin mr. Speaker, mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mceachin this transfers this park to the city of tucson, arizona. The land was transferred back to the city under the recreation and Public Services act, a program that authorizes the conveyance of federal lands to local governments and nonprofits. These conveyances include what is known as a reversionary interest which stipulates the land must permanently remain in use for a public purpose or ownership reverts back to the United States. Typically if a recipient want to convert the land to a nonpublic purpose they have it compensate the federal government. However, this is not the typical situation. In 1989 tucson came to an agreement with the bureau of Land Management in exchange for the title to the udall park, the city gave the bureau of Land Management a 297acre parcel known as the freeman roads property. A letter from the b. L. M. State director at the time indicates the agency supported the elimination of udall parks reversionary interest in exchange for the freeman road property. Unfortunately, mr. Speaker, Congress Never followed through on that promise. This bill honors the federal governments longforgotten commitment which is why we support it and encourage its swift adoption. The unique situation of udall reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Thompson im pleased to yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from arizona, congresswoman mcsally. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Mcsally thank you, mr. Thompson. I rise today in strong support of my bill h. R. 1547, the Udall Park Land Exchange completion act of 2017. Udall park is a cherished urban park in the heart of tucson. The city has invested millions of dollars in park facilities, including construction of very Large Community recreation and senior centers, a large swimming pool, a walking track and multiple Athletic Fields and picnic areas. In 2011, the mayor and City Council Approved a master plan update. It calls for plans to invest even more money into the park. By way of additional Athletic Fields and expanded recognize weeksal programming. However, long recreational programming. However, we cant supplement park funding, approve Certain Community events or look to other commercial ventures like Farmers Markets that would benefit the city in general. The Udall Park Land Exchange completion act resolves this historic Land Exchange agreement between the city of tucson and the bureau of Land Management at udall park in 1989, the city of tucson and b. L. M. Entered into an agreement to exchange 297 acres swarrow djacent to National Park for b. L. M. Land now known as udall park. This agreement specifically outlined the terms and conditions of this land conveyance would include a legislative fix to remove any encumberanses. This never came to fruition due to staff changes and who knows what else. The city has been prevented from utilizing udall park to its full extent. Recently the issue came to head on a small commercial lease located on udall park. Federal red tape should not stand in the way of communities like mine. Udall park is a beautiful place to gather, but this long standing land dispute has prevented the city of tucson from improving the park and growing it to its full potential for too long. When im out and about in my district and people come to me with issues like this i say, does it literally take an act to fix . Let me say this again, does it literally take an act of congress to fix . In this case the answer is yes. I appreciate as we testified before the house Natural Resources federal lands subcommittee, the Ranking Member, ms. Hanabusa, was saying, no kidding in july, quote, if it takes an act of congress to get it done then thats what we got to do and im with the Ranking Member at this point. Its finally time to take action and get this thing ishished finished. This land would be exchanged at federal market value. It directs the park to the city as intended when the Land Exchange was made. The bill will allow tucson to finally take full ownership of the park. In closing i want to thank chairman bishop, chairman mccolin ok, members of the natural mcclintock, members of the Natural Resources committee, members on both sides of the aisle for working with me to get this bill forward. This has strong bipartisan support. I want to ensure the Land Transfer is completed and with that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman reserves . Mr. Thompson continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers on this issue so i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i have no additional speakers and so i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h. R. 1547. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 having responded in the affirmative mr. Thompson mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, on that i would ask for the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. All those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 965 as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar to er 197, h. R. 965, a bill to redesignate the saintgaudens National Historic site as the saintgaudens National Historical park, and. R other purposes 4 the speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. Mceachin, will each control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Thompson i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Thompson meerks saintgaudens is one of the most prolific scupters in our nations history. His work includes bostons robert shaw memorial, chicagos standing lincoln and new yorks memorial. Most notably, saintgaudens designed a 20 double eagle gold piece for the u. S. Mint, considered one of the greatest american coins ever issued. The saintgaudens National Historic site is a 190 had been acre Historic Site in Sullivan County 190acre Historic Site in Sullivan County. This helped spawn the core initial artists colony cornish artists colony. This was comprised of painters, sculptures and musicians. In the years following the civil war. The main house and surrounding gardens were initially designed as a National Historic landmark in 1962, which was converted to a National Historic site in 1964, when the grounds were donated to the National Park service. The current property contains 21 buildings, a number of saintgaudens sculptures and miles of hiking trace. This bill simply changes the designation trails. This bill simply changes the designation of saintgaudens National Historic site to a National Historic park. Allowing the National Park service to better relay the impact and legacy of this historic american artist. I urge the adoption of the measure and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mceachin thank you, mr. Speaker. H. R. 965, introduced by representative kuster of New Hampshire, redesignates a site in her state as the saintgaudens National Historic park. A critical name change that recognizes the cultural and historical importance of that landscape. Augustus saintgaudens was a keystone figure in the 19th century american renaissance of art and architecture. Since 1977, the home, studio, gardens and artwork of this American Icon have been managed and preserved by the National Park service as part of the saintgaudens National Historic site in cornish, New Hampshire. One of saintgaudens most well known creations is shaw memorial in boston. This sculpture memorializes the bravery of andrew shaw who led the first regiment of africanamerican soldiers recruited from the north during the civil war. However, this is just one of the many public monuments create credited to saintgaudens. Many of which are preserved and managed by the National Park service at the saintgaudens National Historic site. In 2010, however, the National Park service acquired the adjacent blow me down farm, an important Meeting Place for the cornish art colony led by saintgaudens. Acquisition of the farm allows the site to fulfill its vision as a National Park for the arts. The expanded physical size and historical scope is better designed as a national his pouric park rather than a National Historic site which is usually reserved for a standalone structure. Importantly this redesignation will not change any laws or policies affecting the site and will only require changes in signage, maps and handout. Handouts. Therefore redesignating this as a historic park conforms to naming standards used by the National Park service and further honors the legacy of augustus saintgaudens. In addition to preserving saintgaudens leg circumstance the site also protects legacy, the site also protects a variety of important ecosystems. The site is bordered by two streams that feed into the Connecticut River and it contains a large forest and pond for visitors, where visitors can observe wildlife. Representative kuster introduced h. R. 965 with the support of the entire New Hampshire delegation and i would like to thank her for her dedication to protecting the historic areas important to her state and our national story. I urge my colleagues to support the adoption of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, i am proud to yield to the author of this fine piece of legislation, the gentlewoman from New Hampshire, representive kuster. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Kuster thank you, mr. Speaker, and thank you, congressman mceachin, for yielding your time. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to urge passage of h. R. 965, the saintgaudens National Historical park redesignation act. Named after the Great American sculpture, augustus saintgaudens, this Historic Site located in cornish, New Hampshire, has preserved his home and working studios since it was established in 1965. Augustus saintgaudens was born in dublin, ireland, and immigrated to america with his parents when he was just six months old 6 months old. It was at a young age when augustus developed a strong interest in scupting, which set him on a path to paris and rome where he studied art and architecture and worked on his very first commission. In 1876, saintgaudens was tapped for his first several prominent civil warrelated commissions which include the standing Lincoln Statue of our 16th president. At over 12 feet tall, this historic landmark stands prominently in chicagos lincoln park. After working on the statue for close to a decade, the towering piece was unveiled in 1887 to a crowd of over 10,000 people, including president lincolns only living grandson. His most famous work was commissioned soon after, the robert gouled shaw memorial, a bronze relief which took saintgaudens 14 years to complete. Located in boston common, this iconic sculpture depicts colonel shaw and the regiment massachusetts volunteer infantry which was the first africanamerican regiment organized by the union in the civil war. S one of the foremost american he continues to be cherished. Since its authorization by congress in 1964 and establishment a year later, the saintgaudens National Historic site has blossomed into a popular tourist attraction and location for local artists and musicians to share their talents. However, the present name, which designates this location as a Historic Site, is no longer the most appropriate or useful to accurately portray the complexity of this site. Whereas National Historic sites are typically designated for single buildings or sites that only encompass a few acres in size, the saintgaudens National Historic site is 190 acres in size and includes multiple buildings, a vast collection of american art, and a small Trail Network that allows visitors to explore the grounds. My legislation would simply redesignate saintgaudens National Historic site to saintgaudens National Historic park. Which would more accurately illustrate all that the park has to offer. In partnership with the saintgaudens memorial, a private nonprofit that operated the site until it donated the land to the National Park service in 1965, this Historic Site offers rotating contemporary and historical exhibitions, concert, handson workshops, lectures and many other Educational Opportunities for our visitors. The array of Recreational Activities offered to visitors makes this park much more than a Historic Site. It is a living remember abc to the Great American artist, augustus saintgaudens, and the artistic legacy hes left behind. Its my hope that this proposed name change will help attract more interest in the park, boost annual visitation, and help drive our local economy. Mr. Speaker, i urge the house to pass this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, having no more folks to speak on this issue, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i just encourage support for this piece of legislation, i thank the gentlelady for putting this forward. And i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h. R. 965. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. As amended. Strike that. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative mr. Thompson mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, on that id ask for the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. All those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 2582 as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar number 218 rbling h. R. 2582. A bill to authorize the state of utah to select certain lands that are available for disposal under the pony express Resource Management plan to be used for the support and benefit of state institutions and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. Mceachin, will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Thompson i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, h. R. 285 2582, introduced by representative love from utah, seeks to resolving an ongoing standoff between the state of utah and the bureau of Land Management over statehood era land grants. To promote responsible land Grant Management responsible Land Management, and enable the United States to fulfill its commitments to provide land for the support of utahs Higher Education system. Since 1998, the bureau of Land Management decided cited an administrative technicality to favor Land Exchanges over state selections of land which has held up the state of utahs selection of roughly 500 acres of bureau of Land Management land classified for disposal. The land in question has been selected by the state for the benefit of the Utah State University, and this bill makes it clear that state selections are equally acceptable as Land Exchanges and would confirm that the bureau of Land Management may process the states current selection as well as future state selections in the immediate area. I urge adoption of the measure and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from virginia. Mr. Mceachin i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mceachin thank you, mr. Speaker. H. R. 2582 authorizes the bureau of Land Management to process the state of utahs land claims without amending existing planning documents. The utah state enabling act of 1894 authorized the state of utah to select certain lands to support schools and other public purposes. Approximately 2,000 acres of authorized grants are unfilled. In 1998 the state started their application to acquire 440 achesers of land in utah county acres of land in utah county, utah, to support the university. It was rejected because the lands are identified of disposal by exchange which only allows b. L. M. To convey the land under certain conditions. This allows the agency to process these specific claims without updating the underlying planning documents, something that would take a significant amount of time and money. B. L. M. Testified in support of this legislation, but requested an amendment to clarify that the lands will be used for Utah State University and the adiffings a legislative map adiffings a legislative map. I would addition of a legislative map. I would like to thank representative love for this. Thanks to their thanks to this consideration, they were wibble to address this in mark we were able to address this in markup. I support the bill and urge its adofplgts i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time mr. Mceachin i support the bill and urge its adoption. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from pennsylvania. Thompson thompson i yield to Thompson Thompson i yield to jeament mr. Thompson i yield to the gentlelady, mrs. Love. Mrs. Love thank you. My state was admitted into the union and granted utah the right to select acreage to support various public institutions, including Public Schools and universities. Now, 123 years later, much of the acreage made available for state selection remains outstanding. The b. L. M. s pony express Resource Management plan governs Management Practices s public lands in utah counties. It has identified thousands of acres within the plans area as available for disposal. The state can presently obtain these lands via Land Exchange. However, the Resource Management plan does not explicitly state that these lands can be obtained using the unfulfilled land credits granted by the utah enabling act. My bill, the confirming state lands grant fordcation act, would simply amend the pony express, r. P. M. , to allow the state of utah to use outstanding land grant credits to obtain lands within the limited area of r. P. M. And that would and that already has been identified available for disposal. The solution would satisfy both the state and federal government and help to keep the promises made to the state of utah for more than 10 years. More importantly it would raise funds for the benefit of utah students by allow allowing utah schools and Institutional TrustLands Administration to manage these lands for the benefit of students. As utah finds more ways to fund Public Schools and public education, this bill helps provide much needed resources. Notably the passage of h. R. 2582 would not convey any land on its own, existing conveyance processes would still apply. Additionally my bill does not dictate land use policies once the land is conveyed. As a former mayor, i respect state and local officials and their processes and i certainly have no desire to supersede them. My bill is merely meant to facilitate the process that enables conveyance through the use of available selection credits. It was voted out of committee by unanimous consent and i urge this body to show similar support today. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, i would just remind the gentlelady from utah that the only reason that she can suggest utah is the greatest state in the nation is because virginia is a commonwealth. And with that, mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, being from the commonwealth of pennsylvania, i yield my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 2582. Those in favor say aye as amended. Those 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 bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 2937. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar number 189, h. R. 2937, a bill to amend the Surface Mining control and reclamation act of 1977 to authorize partnerships between states and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of reclaiming and restoring land and Water Resources adversely affected by oal mining activities before august 3, 1977, and for other urposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. Mceachin, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Thompson i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you for bringing h. R. 2937 to the floor. This legislation, introduced by my friend, mr. Lahood, will help address the challenge of abandoned coal mines present in many affected communities across the nation. The Community Reclamation Partnerships act enables states to partner with Good Samaritan entities to reclaim abandon mine sites and facilitate acid mine drainage cleanup. H. R. 2937 creates more opportunities to address this challenge. Mr. Speaker, representative of pennsylvanias fifth Congressional District, i note my Congressional District has more abandoned mine sites than any Congressional District in the country. So im very grateful for the leadership that mr. Lahood has shown in bringing this h. R. 2937 forward, and i urge adoption of this measure, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mceachin thank you, mr. Speaker. H. R. 2937, introduced by representative lahood, is a step forward for communities looking to address abandoned coal mines in their back yards by partner with Good Samaritans seeking to help. The commonwealth of virginia, my home state, estimates it will need over 400 million to clean up all of its remaining coal mines. And while this bill is no substitute for a long term reauthorization of the abandoned mine land fund, every little bit helps. Each project funded by a Good Samaritan through this bill will help one more Community Stronger and the environment healthier. A hearing on a discussion draft of this bill brought a number of problematic issues to light, but i greatly appreciate the willingness of the bills sponsor and the majority staff of the flarl Resources CommitteeNatural Resources committee to reach across the aisle and work with us on a bipartisan agreement that was able to achieve unanimous consent in the Natural Resources committee. I thank the sponsor for his diligent work and collaborative work on this bill and i ask my colleagues to support h. R. 2937. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i now combreeled such time as he may con yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from illinois, mr. Lahood. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Lahood thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank you, chairman thompson, and the Ranking Member, for helping bringing this bill in a bipartisan way to the floor and appreciate your support on h. R. 2937. This legislation will help address the complex legal and funding related challenges for abandoned land mines throughout the nation. The Community Reclamation Partnerships act amends the Surface Mining control and reclamation act of 1977 to enable states to partner with nongovernmental entities to reclaim abandoned mine sites and facilitates aity mine drainage cleanup across the country. Nongovernmental entities like trout unlimited, have recognized the need for reclamation in Coal Communities and are willing to contribute their resources and expertise to address the problem. Unfortunately, liability and regulatory concerns have discouraged them from participating and partnering with the states on reclamation projects. This legislation enables nongovernmental entities participation in state reclamation programs by minimizing undeserved liability and codifying proven practices established by the state reclamation agencies. This legislation also addresses a frequent problem that states experience in addressing Water Pollution at abandoned mine sites. States must choose between risking noncompliance under the clean water act or forgoing acid mine abatement projects altogether. Some states like pennsylvania have successfully addressed this problem by establishing their own guidelines for the treatment of Water Pollution at abandoned mine land sites. These statespecifically strategies have resulted in successful Water Treatment projects and a significant reduction in acid mine draining in several states. We want to replicate that across the country with this legislation. Currently, state reclamation activities have been funded solely by fees levied on the coal industry over the past four decades. These fees have resulted in the reclamation of approximately 4 billion of abandoned mine land liabilities. However, according to the department of interior, the estimated remediation costs exceeds 10 billion across the country. Mine standing abandoned land sites in illinois is 156 million and in my district, the 18th Congressional District, its 17 million. The cost of reclaiming these sites will continue to strain state resources in the coming decades and the conditions of these sites will only worsen over time. In short, this bill empowers state and local Community Leaders who want to assist in abandoned mine cleanup efforts so that future development can occur in these areas. No group should be punished for wanting to help out their local community in a responsible way. H. R. 2937 brings more resources to bear on this considerable challenge, and i urge adoption of this bipartisan measure and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman reserves . Mr. Thompson i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, we yield back the balance of our time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i just ask certainly ask my colleagues to support this piece of legislation. Very appreciative to the author f this bill for his leadership. Having a Congressional District that has a significant presence of abandoned mine lands, we know the authorities and protections hes seeking will be good for all for the communities, for the environment and for the economy. So i thank him and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 2937. Those 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 bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 289 as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 29, a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior and the secretary of agriculture to issue permits for Recreation Services on lands managed by federal agencies, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. Lamalfa, and the gentleman from virginia, mr. Mceachin, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california. Mr. Lamalfa thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. R. La mall far mr. Lamalfa i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Lamalfa i am proud to present my bill today, the guides and outfitters act of 2017, also known as the go act. Id like to thank the Natural Resources committee for its overwhelming support of this bill which happened on june 27 of this year. Mr. Speaker, i expect that nearly every member of this body has fond memories of being on our public lands. Whether it be fishing as a kid or with your kids, hunting with friends, hiking, on a horse or camping with the family. Outdoor activities generate not just memorable moments and the love and respect for the Great Outdoors but also important considerable Economic Activity which is especially important for our rural areas of Northern California where my district is and all across our nation. The Outdoor Recreation estimates that it contributes nearly 900 billion toward g. D. P. Annually, supporting about 7. 6 million jobs. Unfortunately, Public Access to public lands is too often hindered by costly and complex permit requirements that vary from agency to agency, sometimes even crossing from agency to agency what the requirements are to seek a permit. The go act enhances and protects access to our public lands by streamlining federal Agency Special recreation permit process. Moving the permit process online and providing joint permits for activities across the combination of National Park service, bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land. In rural america, rural economies often depend on annual outdoor events. Some events this might be their only event of the year. A big part of their local economy. We have that in Northern California in some of my areas. The go act provides greater assurance that such activities on public lands will continue into the future. This bill also authorizes agencies to use categorical exclusions to grant annual events a streamline review, ensuring such events dont need expensive and duplicative studies year after year. Really, theres no need to reinvent the year each year for an existed permitted activity. Getting more families and groups and clubs outdoors can only be accomplished by building a permit process that doesnt deter outdoor enthusiasts from enjoying public lands but indeed makes them feel welcomed and encouraged to enjoy these lands that belong to all of us. The idea behind this bipartisan bill is simple. Getting more americans outside, on their lands for less cost, less money, let headache of permits, less red tape. Thats really what this is about. Theres no need for some of the process that people have to go through to get a permit when its especially an already known activity. Very minimal or low impact. So at this point id like to insert in the record an exchange of letters with chairman conway of the Agriculture Committee chairman conaway of the Agriculture Committee. I thank him for expediting this bill today. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. R. Lamalfa thank you. Mr. Speaker, lets make recreating on public lands simple. I urge swift passage of this bill, h. R. 289, the guides and outfitters act, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mceachin thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this bill is an earnest effort to improve the availability of recreation permits on federal lands. Public lands support the thriving Outdoor Recreation economy in many Small Business and many Small Businesses partner with the federal government to provide a range of visitor services. The stated purpose of the bill is to reduce permitting time and administrative hurdles faced by permit applications. We are open to the idea of improving the permit process to ensure timely and transparent access to public lands for recreation activities and other special events. However, we are concerned that some of the methods used by the bill could lead to more problems than they solve. For example, section 2 creates a categorical exclusion for permits related to activities that have been previously considered through the National Environmental policy ack process. Categorical exclusions are used for types of activities that are determined to have limited environmental impacts. They are most commonly developed through a rulemaking process which allows for Public Comment and provides the agency with the flexibility to determine when they are appropriate. The Forest Service already stresses the use of existing categorical exclusions for special recreation permits and does what it can with available resources to speed up permit processing time. It is unclear why this section is necessary or appropriate. Congress should encourage a rulemaking process to address the inadequacies. While we have some concerns, this bill is a good first step and we hope our concerns can be addressed in the senate. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Lamalfa thank you, mr. Speaker. I appreciate the input from my colleague from virginia there. And we certainly want to have this be a process that works well and by delineating some of the categorical exclusions we just seek to make it more usable, more userfriendly. In that sense. So i thank you for your support on that. At this time id like to yield to the gentleman from california, mr. Mcclintock, as much time as he may consume. My neighbor. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Mcclintock thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of h. R. 289, the guides and outfitters or go act, offered by my Natural Resources committee colleague and my california neighbor, congressman lamalfa. For many years weve seen increasingly severe restrictions on the publics use of the publics land. One of the most golf balling aspects of this galling aspect of this policy is the use of exorbitant fees to prevent many group events and Small Business services that have often been the economic mainstay of small mountain communities like those in my district in the sierra nevadaa. This abusive practice was made possible by the federal lands recreation enhancement or flrea act in 2004. It unleashed a flood of rules, regulations and Court Decisions that have gradually increased the cost of permit administration for the Forest Service and for the bureau of Land Management, which these agencies in turn have used as an excuse to raise fees on the public to cost prohibitive levels. For example, the California Endurance Riders Association had been using the el dorado National Forest for many years. In 2009, when they saw a sought a simple fiveyear, 10event permit, to continue doing exactly what they had been doing without incident for decades, the Forest Service demanded 11,000 in fees. They paid those fees. But the el dorado National Forest management nonetheless pulled the approval process permit and halted the process. It then demanded an additional 17,000 fee, causing the Endurance Riders Association to cancel what had been a longterm civic tradition that had been a boone to the local economy. In 2010 this outrage was repeated after the group spent 5,800 for the fools gold endurance run that had been an ongoing event for more than 40 years. Hardest hitter guides and outfit, the folks that make it possible for visitors to enjoy our national lands. Theyre the Small Businesses that provide Specialized Knowledge and skills and equipment that new visitors just dont to else is. Both the Forest Service and the bureau of Land Management have used flrea to require these Small Businesses to pay for permit processing and environmental analysis that require more than 50 hours. These fees, along with complex planning requirements, have virtually shut down so many legitimate and traditional Public Events and uses. Efforts to encourage the agencies to modify and streamline the process have failed, even when those efforts were supported by agency policy. The go act is a long overdue relief of these practices. It amends flrea to stream line the process and allows for creased Public Access to federal lands. This was crafted in consultation with recreation groups across the country and it aims to reduce the cost and complexity of these permits. I want to commend and personally thank congressman lamalfa for listening to his constituents, to the people of the sir era nevada, and to the thousands of Recreation Service providers across the country who have been begging congress to make these changes. I urge adoption of the measure and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from california. The gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from virginia is recognized. Mr. Mceachin mr. Speaker, we have no other folks to speak to this issue so i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Lamalfa thank you, mr. Speaker. I appreciate the input by my colleague, mr. Mcclintock, as well, who has lived this in some of those same sierra counties we were talking about and other areas in the west. We again are very encouraged by the strong support coming out of committee and that h. R. 289, the guides and outfitters act, is something that will open a gateway to more enjoyment of our public lands without the constraints such as exorbitant extraneous fees and permits that really dont yield any additional care for the environment or care for the area, with people that are already good stewards. So with that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h. R. 289, as amended. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. Pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately tonight on the communicators. Its going to open up a new wave of innovation in the market. Its going to give extremely fast speed so youll be able to use 100 times what you use right now on your smartphone or your tablet. Verizon Senior Vice President talks about competition in the wireless industry. Net neutrality. And 5g deployment. Shes interviewed by politico technology reporter. You think that the u. S. Has the right, i guess regulatory framework, for 5g, making sure were first in getting that out there . Weve done a good job on spectrum. So the f. C. C. Issued an order last year and has opened up High Frequency millimeter spectrum for the industry. Weve done a pretty good job on fiber. So we have private industry doing a good job getting fiber out where it needs to be. We could do some work on the infrastructure part. So in order to get 5g to the homes the way ive described it, were going to need to put a lot of different small fills all over the country. Many more than we have today. Once we do that, i think well be in a good position. Watch the communicators tonight at 8 00 eastern on cspan2. Cspans washington journal d, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up tuesday morning, Florida Democratic congressman darren soto will darren soto will discuss his recent trip to puerto rico and President Trumps trip on tuesday. Then were live in charleston, west virginia, for the 50 capitals tour. Be sure to watch cspans washington journal live at 7 00 eastern tuesday morning. Join the discussion. I always wanted to be a missionary doctor. I used to listen to the Mission Stories in in church and they frequently featured missionary doctors, people who had great personal ex fence would go to foreign lands and bring not only physical but mental and spiritual healing to people. And it seems like seemed like the most noble thing a person could do. I harbored that dream from the time i was 8 years old until i was 13. At which time, having grown up in dire poverty, i decided id rather be rich. [laughter] so at that point, missionary doctor was out. [laughter] i decided i wanted to be a psychiatrist. For the past 30 years, the Video Library is your free resource for politics. Congress and washington public affairs. So whether it happened 30 years ago or 30 minutes ago, find it in cspans Video Library. At cspan. Org. Cspan, where history unfolds daily. Earlier today, President Trump led a moment of silence at the white house for the victims of the mass shooting in las vegas which has left more than 50 people dead and more than 500 injured. He was joined by the first lady, Vice President pence, and mrs. Pence. Here it is now