[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10] [House] [Pages 14289-14294] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]PRESERVE AMERICA AND SAVE AMERICA'S TREASURES ACT Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3981) to authorize the Preserve America Program and Save America's Treasures Program, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3981 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act''. (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. TITLE I--PRESERVE AMERICA PROGRAM Sec. 101. Purpose. Sec. 102. Definitions. Sec. 103. Establishment. Sec. 104. Designation of Preserve America Communities. Sec. 105. Regulations. Sec. 106. Authorization of appropriations. TITLE II--SAVE AMERICA'S TREASURES PROGRAM Sec. 201. Purpose. Sec. 202. Definitions. Sec. 203. Establishment. Sec. 204. Regulations. Sec. 205. Authorization of appropriations. TITLE III--GENERAL PROVISIONS Sec. 301. Prohibition on funding certain activities. TITLE I--PRESERVE AMERICA PROGRAM SEC. 101. PURPOSE. The purpose of this title is to authorize the Preserve America Program, including-- (1) the Preserve America grant program within the Department of the Interior; (2) the recognition programs administered by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; and (3) the related efforts of Federal agencies, working in partnership with State, tribal, and local governments and the private sector, to support and promote the preservation of historic resources. SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS. In this title: (1) Council.--The term ``Council'' means the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. (2) Heritage tourism.--The term ``heritage tourism'' means the conduct of activities to attract and accommodate visitors to a site or area based on the unique or special aspects of the history, landscape (including trail systems), and culture of the site or area. (3) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Preserve America Program established under section 103(a). (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior. [[Page 14290]] SEC. 103. ESTABLISHMENT. (a) In General.--There is established in the Department of the Interior the Preserve America Program, under which the Secretary, in partnership with the Council, may provide competitive grants to States, local governments (including local governments in the process of applying for designation as Preserve America Communities under section 104), Indian tribes, communities designated as Preserve America Communities under section 104, State historic preservation offices, and tribal historic preservation offices to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education, and historic preservation planning activities. (b) Eligible Projects.-- (1) In general.--The following projects shall be eligible for a grant under this title: (A) A project for the conduct of-- (i) research on, and documentation of, the history of a community; and (ii) surveys of the historic resources of a community. (B) An education and interpretation project that conveys the history of a community or site. (C) A planning project (other than building rehabilitation) that advances economic development using heritage tourism and historic preservation. (D) A training project that provides opportunities for professional development in areas that would aid a community in using and promoting its historic resources. (E) A project to support heritage tourism in a Preserve America Community designated under section 104. (F) Other nonconstruction projects that identify or promote historic properties or provide for the education of the public about historic properties that are consistent with the purposes of this Act. (2) Limitation.--In providing grants under this title, the Secretary shall only provide 1 grant to each eligible project selected for a grant. (c) Preference.--In providing grants under this title, the Secretary may give preference to projects that carry out the purposes of both the program and the Save America's Treasures Program. (d) Consultation and Notification.-- (1) Consultation.--The Secretary shall consult with the Council in preparing the list of projects to be provided grants for a fiscal year under the program. (2) Notification.--Not later than 30 days before the date on which the Secretary provides grants for a fiscal year under the program, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a list of any eligible projects that are to be provided grants under the program for the fiscal year. (e) Cost-Sharing Requirement.-- (1) In general.--The non-Federal share of the cost of carrying out a project provided a grant under this title shall be not less than 50 percent of the total cost of the project. (2) Form of non-federal share.--The non-Federal share required under paragraph (1) shall be in the form of-- (A) cash; or (B) donated supplies and related services, the value of which shall be determined by the Secretary. (3) Requirement.--The Secretary shall ensure that each applicant for a grant has the capacity to secure, and a feasible plan for securing, the non-Federal share for an eligible project required under paragraph (1) before a grant is provided to the eligible project under the program. SEC. 104. DESIGNATION OF PRESERVE AMERICA COMMUNITIES. (a) Application.--To be considered for designation as a Preserve America Community, a community, tribal area, or neighborhood shall submit to the Council an application containing such information as the Council may require. (b) Criteria.--To be designated as a Preserve America Community under the program, a community, tribal area, or neighborhood that submits an application under subsection (a) shall, as determined by the Council, in consultation with the Secretary, meet criteria required by the Council and, in addition, consider-- (1) protection and celebration of the heritage of the community, tribal area, or neighborhood; (2) use of the historic assets of the community, tribal area, or neighborhood for economic development and community revitalization; and (3) encouragement of people to experience and appreciate local historic resources through education and heritage tourism programs. (c) Local Governments Previously Certified for Historic Preservation Activities.--The Council shall establish an expedited process for Preserve America Community designation for local governments previously certified for historic preservation activities under section 101(c)(1) of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470a(c)(1)). (d) Guidelines.--The Council, in consultation with the Secretary, shall establish any guidelines that are necessary to carry out this section. SEC. 105. REGULATIONS. The Secretary shall develop any guidelines and issue any regulations that the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this title. SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, to remain available until expended. TITLE II--SAVE AMERICA'S TREASURES PROGRAM SEC. 201. PURPOSE. The purpose of this title is to authorize within the Department of the Interior the Save America's Treasures Program, to be carried out by the Director of the National Park Service, in partnership with-- (1) the National Endowment for the Arts; (2) the National Endowment for the Humanities; (3) the Institute of Museum and Library Services; (4) the National Trust for Historic Preservation; (5) the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers; (6) the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers; and (7) the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS. In this title: (1) Collection.--The term ``collection'' means a collection of intellectual and cultural artifacts, including documents, sculpture, and works of art. (2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a Federal entity, State, local, or tribal government, educational institution, or nonprofit organization. (3) Historic property.--The term ``historic property'' has the meaning given the term in section 301 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470w). (4) Nationally significant.--The term ``nationally significant'' means a collection or historic property that meets the applicable criteria for national significance, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary pursuant to section 101(a)(2) of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470a(a)(2)). (5) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Save America's Treasures Program established under section 203(a). (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service. SEC. 203. ESTABLISHMENT. (a) In General.--There is established in the Department of the Interior the Save America's Treasures program, under which the amounts made available to the Secretary under section 205 shall be used by the Secretary, in consultation with the organizations described in section 201, subject to subsection (f)(1)(B), to provide grants to eligible entities for projects to preserve nationally significant collections and historic properties. (b) Determination of Grants.--Of the amounts made available for grants under section 205, not less than 50 percent shall be made available for grants for projects to preserve collections and historic properties, to be distributed through a competitive grant process administered by the Secretary, subject to the eligibility criteria established under subsection (e). (c) Applications for Grants.--To be considered for a competitive grant under the program an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application containing such information as the Secretary may require. (d) Collections and Historic Properties Eligible for Competitive Grants.-- (1) In general.--A collection or historic property shall be provided a competitive grant under the program only if the Secretary determines that the collection or historic property is-- (A) nationally significant; and (B) threatened or endangered. (2) Eligible collections.--A determination by the Secretary regarding the national significance of collections under paragraph (1)(A) shall be made in consultation with the organizations described in section 201, as appropriate. (3) Eligible historic properties.--To be eligible for a competitive grant under the program, a historic property shall, as of the date of the grant application-- (A) be listed in the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of significance; or (B) be designated as a National Historic Landmark. (e) Selection Criteria for Grants.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall not provide a grant under this title to a project for an eligible collection or historic property unless the project-- (A) eliminates or substantially mitigates the threat of destruction or deterioration of the eligible collection or historic property; (B) has a clear public benefit; and (C) is able to be completed on schedule and within the budget described in the grant application. (2) Preference.--In providing grants under this title, the Secretary may give preference to projects that carry out the purposes of both the program and the Preserve America Program. (3) Limitation.--In providing grants under this title, the Secretary shall only provide 1 grant to each eligible project selected for a grant. (f) Consultation and Notification by Secretary.-- (1) Consultation.-- (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall consult with the organizations described in section 201 in preparing the list of projects to be provided grants for a fiscal year by the Secretary under the program. (B) Limitation.--If an entity described in subparagraph (A) has submitted an application [[Page 14291]] for a grant under the program, the entity shall be recused by the Secretary from the consultation requirements under that subparagraph and subsection (a). (2) Notification.--Not later than 30 days before the date on which the Secretary provides grants for a fiscal year under the program, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a list of any eligible projects that are to be provided grants under the program for the fiscal year. (g) Cost-Sharing Requirement.-- (1) In general.--The non-Federal share of the cost of carrying out a project provided a grant under this title shall be not less than 50 percent of the total cost of the project. (2) Form of non-federal share.--The non-Federal share required under paragraph (1) shall be in the form of-- (A) cash; or (B) donated supplies or related services, the value of which shall be determined by the Secretary. (3) Requirement.--The Secretary shall ensure that each applicant for a grant has the capacity and a feasible plan for securing the non-Federal share for an eligible project required under paragraph (1) before a grant is provided to the eligible project under the program. SEC. 204. REGULATIONS. The Secretary shall develop any guidelines and issue any regulations that the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry out this title. SEC. 205. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title $50,000,000 for each fiscal year, to remain available until expended. TITLE III--GENERAL PROVISIONS SEC. 301. PROHIBITION ON FUNDING CERTAIN ACTIVITIES. None of the funds provided pursuant to this Act may be used to study or establish a National Heritage Area or fund a National Heritage Area management entity. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Guam. General Leave Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Guam? There was no objection. Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, both the Preserve America and the Save America's Treasures Programs provide Federal matching grants for important historic preservation projects. Preserve America provides grants for interpretation and education regarding historic resources, while the Save America's Treasures Program provides grants for rehabilitation in restoration work. Both programs, Mr. Speaker, are enormously successful because they leverage limited Federal dollars for much larger State, local, and private investment in preserving and interpreting our history and our heritage. These programs were created by executive order, and this legislation simply provides statutory authorization for both of these programs. H.R. 3981 is a top priority for the Bush administration. I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, Preserve America has been an administration initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve cultural and natural heritage. Preserve America communities in Virginia's First Congressional District include Prince William County, Spotsylvania County, and Williamsburg, Virginia. The Save America's Treasures Program provides grants preserving certain historic sites and collections including Kenmore Mansion in Fredericksburg and the restoration of the original military campaign tents used by George Washington that are now currently on display at the Colonial National Historic Park in Yorktown, Virginia. I would like to acknowledge the positive contributions that have been made to responsible preservation, particularly by Mr. Turner of Ohio who has long promoted property rights as a key component of these programs. Mr. Turner's contribution to this legislation has brought us to where we are today by ensuring the constitutional rights of private property owners while promoting historic and cultural preservation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Miller), the bill's sponsor. {time} 1430 Mr. MILLER of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act, which will, as the two speakers already have said, authorize two programs that are critical to the future of America's historic preservation efforts. I want to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young of the Natural Resources Committee, as well as Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee, for their work in shepherding this legislation, as well as the historic preservation community for their support for this bill. The Save America's Treasures Program was started as part of the White House Millennium Council chaired by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. The program has provided much-needed bricks and mortar support and has succeeded beyond anyone's expectations, funding America's most threatened cultural treasures for almost 10 years. The current administration, under the leadership of First Lady Laura Bush, created the Preserve America Program to support community preservation efforts by providing funding for heritage tourism and preservation planning. The two programs serve different purposes, and together, they provide a comprehensive approach to preservation and community revitalization. Mr. Mike Turner and I announced the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act in the Sewall-Belmont House, just a couple of blocks from here. The Sewall-Belmont House was designated a national historic landmark for its significance in American history. It was the headquarters for the National Woman's Party, led by Alice Paul, and their movement to secure women the right to vote. Despite that obvious historical significance, it was not long ago that the Sewall-Belmont House was threatened by a leaking roof and by significant other structural damage. The Sewall-Belmont House was the first building to receive funding as a Save America's Treasures project. In my own district, Save America's Treasures funding has helped preserve the F.W. Woolworth Building in downtown Greensboro. Mr. Speaker, as you know well, on February 1, 1960, four African American students from North Carolina A&T University sat down at the ``white only'' lunch counter and refused to move until they were treated the same as the white customers. Within 2 months, the sit-ins at Woolworth's inspired similar demonstrations throughout the South involving thousands of protesters. The sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter was the moment when the civil rights struggle in this country became a mass movement. The Woolworth Building and its lunch counter are sacred grounds of the civil rights movement and must be preserved for future generations. The Preserve America Program has designated more than 500 neighborhoods, cities, and towns throughout the United States as Preserve America Communities and has awarded grants since 2006. Earlier this year, the Department of the Interior made its first round of 2008 grants of $2.9 million to 43 projects in 25 States. This September they will award an additional $4.3 million in grants. The projects support heritage tourism, the commercial revitalization of neglected downtowns, and the reuse of historic properties. Mr. Speaker, America's historic places remind us of who we are. They remind us of our history. We cannot cheat our children of that connection with their past, that understanding of who they are. [[Page 14292]] The Preserve America Program, through its grant opportunities and community designations, ensures that important communities and neighborhoods will survive for future generations. Historic preservation helps revitalize cities, towns, and rural areas nationwide where dramatic population shifts, outdated planning, and the loss of manufacturing jobs have made market-driven reinvestment impossible without some assistance. Rehabilitation of vacant and underused historic structures can attract new investment in growing communities. Whether it is preserving main streets of downtowns, or reusing historic properties as affordable housing, preservation makes history come alive in communities throughout the country. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House is now considering these two successful programs. Through passing this bill and authorizing these programs, Congress can affirm our commitment to saving our natural heritage, our historic heritage, and revitalizing our communities. Once again, I ask my colleagues for their support for the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act. Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner). Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, today I speak in favor of H.R. 3981, the Save America's Treasures/Preserve America Authorization Act of 2008. I want to thank Representative Miller, the co-chair of the Historic Preservation Caucus, for his collaboration on this bill, as well as Senator Domenici and Senator Clinton for their work in moving this bill forward in the Senate. I also want to thank Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young of the House Natural Resources Committee, as well as Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands for their work on this bill. Finally, I want to commend the work of the national historic preservation advocacy groups, many of which have collaborated with our offices in crafting this bill. To this date, the Save America's Treasures and Preserve America Programs have been authorized through executive order, and I want to point out that through both First Lady Laura Bush's and former First Lady Hillary Clinton's efforts and commitment to historic preservation, these programs have been a success for many local communities. H.R. 3981 would ensure that these two important programs continue by codifying them into law. Both the Save America's Treasures and Preserve America Programs have had an enormous impact on historic preservation nationally, as well as in Ohio. Ohio is home to nine Preserve America communities, Dayton, my hometown, being one. In fact, Dayton recently received a Preserve America Grant that will help analyze heritage tourism in the area. Additionally, since 1999, Ohio has been the home of 45 Save America's Treasures Projects. These projects total nearly $11 million in funding toward bricks and mortar restoration of important Ohio historic assets such as the Paul Lawrence Dunbar House in Dayton; Cincinnati's Union Terminal; the Wright Flyer III in Dayton, Ohio; the Palace Theatre in Columbus; and last, but not least, The National First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio. It's certainly interesting to note that the First Ladies Library was a recipient of the two programs started by these two First Ladies. H.R. 3981 will ensure a stable and continuous funding source is authorized to assist in funding these important projects. Additionally, the bill ensures that public-private partnerships remain a key aspect to the preservation of important historic assets by requiring non-Federal funds be used in collaboration with these Federal grants. The authorization of these programs will help highlight the importance of historic preservation as an economic development tool, as well as a core national value. It is clear that saving our heritage in these buildings and neighborhoods is not just a way to pay homage to our past. It is also an important way to boost our economy in the present, in addition to the future. This bill enjoys a broad range of support, including many historic preservation organizations and over 55 cosponsors in the House. Again, I want to thank Congressman Miller for being the lead sponsor of this legislation, as well as the leadership of the Resources Committee for ushering this bill through the committee process. This bill is also important because many of the recipients are organizations that are staffed by volunteers. These programs recognize their efforts to preserve the fabric of their community and help tell the story of our Nation's heritage. These programs work. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation. July 7, 2008. Hon. Nick Rahall, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Don Young, Ranking Member, Committee on Natural Resources, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Rahall and Ranking Member Young: We are writing as representatives of the national preservation community in support of H.R. 3981, a bill that would authorize both the Preserve America (PA) and Save America's Treasures (SAT) programs. Our organizations support this measure and we are grateful to Reps. Miller and Turner for their initiative in authoring this legislation, as well as their leadership as co-chairs of the House Historic Preservation Caucus. We hope that Congress will pass H.R. 3981, legislation which is critical to the historic preservation community. Despite all of their success and support, the PA and SAT programs are unauthorized and funded from year-to-year through the annual appropriations process. We would like to see Congress authorize SAT and PA with a long-term programmatic and funding vision that would enable both programs to work in harmony with the other components of the national historic preservation program. Authorization would codify the successful implementation and practices of the ten-year old SAT program along with its newer partner, Preserve America, led by First Ladies Clinton and Bush respectively. While each of these historic preservation initiatives apply to projects of a different nature--SAT for ``bricks and mortar'' preservation and PA for heritage education and outreach, it is important that they should be authorized and mutually supportive of each other to maximize federal resources and goals in saving the nation's historic assets. We already know that PA and SAT are working together at specific locations throughout the country. While much has been achieved since SAT was established, the need remains great and we must look to future needs. In just the first eight years of the program, 2,702 grant applications were received, representing requests for more than $1.17 billion in critical preservation assistance. SAT has provided more than $264 million in federal challenge grants to 1,024 historic preservation projects through 2007. These funds have helped bring new life to irreplaceable historic treasures--including buildings, documents and works of art--in every state. SAT funds have made a huge difference, but without Congress' ongoing commitment to the program, it would be virtually impossible to stimulate the required dollar-for-dollar non-federal matching contributions and hard to imagine where else the money would come from to preserve our national heritage. That same ongoing need applies to PA projects as well with grants to support community efforts that demonstrate sustainable uses of historic and cultural sites, and the economic and educational opportunities related to heritage tourism. The first round of Preserve America Grants in 2007 provided 43 applicants with a total of $2.6 million distributed across the nation. The second round provided $2.26 million to 29 recipients in 20 states. The importance of resources to support this effort has not diminished since then--in fact, it has grown. SAT and PA reflect the bipartisan and bicameral commitment that has characterized historic preservation policy in Congress and the White House over the years. SAT was created during a Democratic administration and embraced by the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans. Likewise, PA was created during a Republican administration and is now supported by Members on both sides of the aisle. This is the strongest signal that authorizing both programs makes sense when bipartisanship is sometimes an elusive quality. We urge you to pass this timely authorization. Sincerely, Richard Moe, [[Page 14293]] President, National Trust for Historic Preservation. Heather MacIntosh, President, Preservation Action. Mike Polk, President, American Cultural Resources Association. Lu Ann De Cunzo, President, Society for Historical Archeology. Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and I would reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun). Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we're talking about preserving America, but we need to preserve the economic viability of America, and as long as we're paying $4.10 a gallon, we're not going to be an economically viable Nation. It's going higher and higher. In the last bill's debate, we talked about monkey bites, shark bites, and there was an accusation of the energy production companies are biting people. But what's biting people in their pocketbooks and their wallets is this high cost of gasoline, high cost of energy. Until we start dealing with this issue, we're going to continue to have problems in this country. We're going to continue to have economic problems, and it's absolutely critical that we deal with what's on America's mind, and that is energy costs. As we head into the fall and winter, not too far off, people are going to have a hard time heating their homes. Poor people and retirees are going to have a hard time buying the heating oil. The problem is the shortage of energy supplies here in America, and until we start making energy supplies more available to the American public, we're going to continue to have higher and higher costs. We can't just talk about conservation. We can't just talk about solar and wind. We've got to talk about those things certainly, but that's only a minute part of the answer. We've got to develop nuclear energy. Just below my district, Plant Vogel in Georgia is having a hard time getting permitting for two nuclear reactors. They're being blocked by the radical environmentalists and through the inane permitting process that's going on today. We need to get those reactors online. We need to get oil, coal, gas, propane, all more available so that people can have an economic future that makes sense. So, as we talk about preserving things, let's preserve our families. Let's preserve our pocketbooks. Let's have money to spend to create a stronger economy. Not focus on these other things, as important as some feel that they may be. But the most important thing to America today is energy and the high cost of energy. We need to do something about that. We shouldn't go home until we solve the energy problem of America, and we're not doing the American public justice when we continue talking about all these other things except energy. We need to focus on energy. Let's drill for oil. Let's drill now. Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Democrats have been on this floor for weeks watching our colleagues from across the aisle defend multinational oil conglomerates. The fact of the matter is that the energy challenges that our Nation faces demand more than rhetoric and battles on the floor of the House. Certainly, our constituents who are feeling the energy pinch deserve more. We need to put our energies into finding common ground to achieve real, workable solutions to our energy problems, and toward that end, we need to be working on our energy challenge from two ends at the same time, furthermore, the supply end and the conservation end. By doing so, we can work without partisanship to bring relief to the American people. And that, just like the underlying bill, would preserve America's true treasures and the treasures are our people. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland). Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend from Guam and her comments about bipartisan and working together and coming up with a common solution. Mr. Speaker, I am all for that, but what we've come up with in the past is very limited debate. We've had bills come to the floor with no amendments. We've had bills come to this floor that had no committee hearings. Now, that, to me, is not working together or with bipartisan support. So, if we want to have this bipartisan discussion, let's have it on the floor. Let's have an open rule on an energy bill, an open rule energy bill. What a great way to preserve what this body was meant to be, a place where representatives of the people came to debate and discuss and to talk about things that were affecting their constituents. But half the people in America who are represented by Republicans in this body have not had an opportunity to even offer an amendment to some of these energy bills. We've not even had an opportunity to come down and speak on this floor because of the limited debate. If we want to work out a solution, if we want to hear all the ideas from all 435 Members of this, so all the people in this country can have some input into this process, let's have an open energy bill that went through regular order and went through the subcommittee and the committee process, had a rule that was written where we could all have some input. {time} 1445 I'm for that kind of bipartisan support, and I know you are too because you are a very sweet lady. Now, let me go on to say one thing: There was a poll that came out today I thought was very interesting. The percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings has fallen to single digits for the first time in Rasmussen reporting tracking history. This month, just 9 percent say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Mr. Speaker, I think we need to form a committee to go find that 9 percent of the people to find out where they've been because we are not doing a good job, we are not doing an excellent job. We are doing a very poor job of addressing the needs of the American people and what's affecting their pocketbook and the ability for their family to survive today. We've got gasoline that is up $1.76 a gallon since the end of 2006. A loaf of bread is up 23 cents, or about 23 percent, than what it was at the end of 2006. A gallon of milk is up almost 30 percent, Mr. Speaker, since the new majority came in. The Dow Jones has lost about 20 percent. The stock market is down $53 billion in the wealth of the stock market. Real net worth is down $2.51 trillion. The real per capita gross domestic product is down. Inflation rate is up. Unemployment rate is up. The real average wage is down, Mr. Speaker. We are not doing a good job. Part of the reason that bread is high, that milk is high, that the stock market is going down, that inflation is up is because of the oil crisis that we're in right now because we are totally dependent on foreign oil. And I would like to close with this, as a quote from the Department of Minerals Management Service that's in the Interior Department. The director says, ``The agency estimates that offshore drilling could produce 1.8 billion barrels of oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.'' And we're going to need that natural gas, Mr. Speaker, when these home heating oil and natural gas bills come due for people trying to stay warm this winter. The director would not say how much more oil and gas he thinks the lands could produce, but he said that experience has shown that once companies begin drilling on land, they often find more than expected. Mr. Speaker, we have about 2.5 billion acres of Federal land and offshore that we could be drilling on; 68 million of that has leases that oil companies have leased. And we certainly--and I [[Page 14294]] say we, I'm talking about the minority--do not think that Big Oil does not play some part in this. But the reality of it is we cannot expect Big Oil to go out and drill on leased land that has no oil or no gas. You do not go grocery shopping at a hardware store. We need to open up this land that is available, that the Department of Interior, that the Minerals and Management Service says that there is gas and oil there. We need to open up this land to let people drill on, to let people get our natural resources out of the ground rather than us being dependent on going to foreign countries on bended knee with hat in hand asking them to sell us their natural resources when we refuse to use our own. So Mr. Speaker, I will close with this, that we do want to work. We want a bipartisan solution. Because we think the answer is all of the above, it's more conservation, it's more use of wind and solar, but it's also drilling. It's also using our own natural resources. It's using clean coal. It's using an environmentally sensitive way to get this natural resource out of the ground. And we welcome an open rule bill that comes to the floor that all 435 people and the seven delegates that represent people in our territories and our States in this great country that we live in, to come have an open, honest debate about what we can do to solve our energy policy, to come together, to work together. That's the kind of change that the American people want, not the radical kind of change that has been offered so far in this Congress. Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman keeps talking about opening up more land. Well, the fact is 80 percent of the oil available on the Outer Continental Shelf today is already open for leasing, but the oil companies haven't decided it's worth their money to drill there. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WITTMAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this worthwhile bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3981, as amended. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. ____________________