[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 161 (Friday, October 3, 2008)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E2232-E2233] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] PERSONAL EXPLANATION ______ HON. KEVIN BRADY of texas in the house of representatives Friday, October 3, 2008 Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in order to state for the record an explanation of my absence and how I would have voted on several of the bills that were considered by the House of Representatives while I was in Texas helping the relief and recovery effort after Hurricane Ike damaged my district and communities so hard. As my colleagues and those in the gallery know, Hurricane Ike made landfall along the Upper Texas Coast early in the morning of Saturday, September 13. The effects of this storm stretched from Alabama to Texas, with the 11 counties that I represent landing right in the middle of the storm's path. The resulting damage was widespread and in some cases very significant. Many of the people that I represent are still without power and for many, especially in Orange County, life will never be the same. Their homes were completely flooded and many will never be livable again. It is a testament to the hardworking and self-reliant people of southeast Texas that they are already picking up the pieces and helping themselves and others in the recovery. I want to thank those first responders, the local governments, the State of Texas, and selfless individuals that have helped during the evacuation and recovery process. We have worked tirelessly since Hurricane Rita to ensure that Texas' first responders were better prepared for the next time a hurricane hit the Texas coast. I have spent my time since September 13, meeting with individual citizens, FEMA, officials from Texas and local communities, utility providers and others to identify shortcomings, offer help and support, and ensure the best level of service is provided now and the next time a hurricane strikes Texas or we are affected by some other emergency situation. While I was working in Texas after Ike made landfall, the House voted on several important pieces of legislation for which I would like to register my views. First, H.R. 6899, the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act; despite the bill's name, H.R. 6899 would actually harm our nation's energy security, and accordingly, I would have voted against passage of the bill. This bill opens a sliver of our offshore resources to development, while permanently closing off the rest. In fact, the Department of Interior's Mineral and Management Service calculated that this bill would ban most of our nation's outer continental shelf oil and gas natural resources from development. This bill is the equivalent of cracking open the gate, bolting the front door shut and then throwing away the key. It is the wrong energy policy for our country. Moreover, in addition to this bait-and-switch approach to the offshore moratorium on energy exploration, the bill neglects to provide for revenue sharing among the states for offshore leasing. Without a revenue sharing incentive from the federal government, states are highly unlikely to allow the drilling that our country desperately needs. This is not the energy solution the American people want, and Congress should not replace the current temporary ban on offshore exploration with a permanent one. House Democrats also offered another gimmick on energy policy instead of providing real relief at the pump to my constituents recovering from Hurricane Ike and all Americans. H.R. 6604 was billed as a way to cut speculation in energy markets, while in reality it did nothing but paper over Democrat's inaction on offering real solutions to America's energy problems. I voted against largely the same bill this summer and would have done so here as well. This bill was nothing more than window dressing and a thinly veiled attempt to placate the American public. In reality, it does little more than insult the intelligence of the American public; but the American public won't be fooled. But Democrats are starting to buckle to pressure from the American public. In the House-passed stop-gap funding bill, the [[Page E2233]] House lifted the moratorium on off-shore oil exploration and oil shale production. If the moratorium is lifted in the Senate as well, America will be one step closer to energy relief. Lastly, the House passed legislation last week to uphold the landmark Supreme Court's decision in DC v. Heller. DC v. Heller upheld the 2nd Amendment rights of residents of Washington, DC that had been trampled on for over 30 years. I would have proudly supported the Childers amendment to H.R. 6691 and supported the amended bill on final passage. As a matter of fact I am a co-sponsor of legislation very similar to the Childers Amendment, H.R. 1399, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act. I am glad to see that the House has taken a bi-partisan step to protect the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to continue providing relief to those suffering from Hurricane Ike and I appreciate the speed with which this Congress has acted to help provide that relief thus far. However, just as we learned after Hurricane Rita, this process will be on going and it will take the continued effort of Congress, Texas, local communities and individual citizens to complete the recovery effort. I ask that all Americans continue to offer their thoughts and prayers to those along the gulf coast. ____________________