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June 23, 2000 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 12207 The labor movement and the community It calls upon the U.S. Geological Survey to of a model of a U.S. Space Shuttle for exhibit have benefitted from Liz’s clarity, wisdom and develop mapping, modeling, and monitoring in Coalwood, West Virginia, Homer Hickam’s constant dedication. She is among those in- strategies for the Southern Ogallala, to provide hometown. spiring leaders responsible for helping to a report to Congress and relevant states with I worked closely with NASA officials in this eventually expand the labor movement maps and information, and to renew and up- successful effort to obtain a display in recogni- through what was then a new, emerging public date that report every year. tion of the accomplishments and vision of employee union, the American Federation of It also acknowledges that a sound water Homer Hickam and the ‘‘Rocket Boys’’ from State, County, and Municipal Employees conservation plan must be developed on a Coalwood. (AFSCME). She was at the forefront in leading multiyear goal. Conservation measures must The display of this U.S. Space Shuttle is a AFSCME in Houston and Texas for two dec- be implemented over a large area in order to tribute to Homer Hickam, his remarkable tal- ades before her retirement. observe a long-term groundwater trend. This ent, and his teenaged tenacity in making his Liz has also used her boundless energy bill would authorize the Secretary of Agri- dreams come true—not only to shoot his own over the years to become a stalwart in the culture to provide planning assistance on a rockets into space as a boy, but to take his Democratic Party. She has been a true activ- cost-share basis to states, tribes, counties, talents and his dream to NASA itself as a ist, serving as a Precinct Judge, floor leader, conservation districts, and other local govern- grown man. block walker, an avid campaigner, and a suc- ment units to create water conservation plans Homer Hickam is an inspiration to our cessful recruiter. She has been a loyal and designed to benefit their groundwater resource youth—not only in West Virginia but the Na- valuable member of the Democratic Party at over at least 20 years. tion—that their dreams can come true, and the local, state, and national level for the last Lastly, this bill will provide two primary that they should reach for the stars. forty years. forms of assistance for groundwater conserva- The U.S. Space Shuttle model will come Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Elizabeth Kim- tion on farms. They are a cost-share assist- from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Ala- mel-Hieken for more than four decades of ance program to upgrade the water use effi- bama, and will be in place in time for the cele- service to Texas and Harris County. Her con- ciency of farming equipment, and the creation bration of the Second Annual Rocket Boys tributions to the labor movement and politics of an Irrigated Land Reserve. Day Festival on June 24, 2000. will always be present, and her legacy shall The cost-share program is based on the up- I believe, and the NASA Space officials endure. front costs frequently prohibitive for modern ir- agree, that this model is most appropriate to commemorate Mr. Hickam’s work in propul- f rigation methods. It is estimated that an initial $20,000 in Federal investment in equipment sion, spacecraft design, and payload and crew INTRODUCTION OF THE SOUTHERN on a cost-share basis would save between training at the Marshall Center. HIGH PLAINS GROUNDWATER 325 to nearly 490 acre-feet of water over a ten After the festival ends, the 13-foot scale RESOURCE CONSERVATION ACT year period. model will be on long-term display across from The Irrigated Land Reserve is designed to the Country Corner Store on Route 16, in the HON. TOM UDALL convert 10% or approximately 600,000 acres heart of Coalwood, West Virginia, across the street from Homer Hickam’s homeplace. OF NEW MEXICO of irrigated farmland to dryland agriculture. Be- For those of you who read the book or saw IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES cause dryland farming is less productive than the movie, you will understand the significance irrigation, this bill would provide for a rental Thursday, June 22, 2000 of placing this display across from Homer rate to farmers to ease the economic impact Hickam’s old homeplace—the homeplace Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I of changing over. When fully implemented this about which Mr. Hickam wrote, got a brand am pleased to introduce legislation which will program can potentially save between 600,000 new furnace one day when Homer tossed a bring focus to an issue that concerns the long- and 900,000 acre-feet of water per year at a handful of unknown chemicals into the old fur- term economic viability of communities in cost of $33 to $50 per acre-foot. nace to see if they had enough explosive much of America’s heartland: the southern There is a pressing need to conserve this quality to thrust his next rocket high into the High plains stretching from the middle of Kan- valuable aquifer, we must acknowledge that skies over McDowell County. They did, his sas, the Texas panhandle, Oklahoma, the this is a precious commodity that is worth sav- mother got the new furnace she had always eastern portion of Colorado, and the eastern ing. It’s good for the southern High Plains and wanted, and the rest as they say is history. counties of my home state of New Mexico. it’s good for our Nation. f Much of the area that I just described is f farming country and much of its economy is RECOGNIZING BOB WILLIS linked to the Ogallala aquifer. The U.S. De- HOMER HICKAM: WEST VIRGINIA’S partment of Agriculture’s Natural Resource ROCKET BOY Conservation Service recently determined that HON. JO ANN EMERSON OF MISSOURI there are over six million acres of irrigated HON. NICK J. RAHALL II IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES farmland overlying the southern Ogallala. OF WEST VIRGINIA Thursday, June 22, 2000 These farms use between six and nine million IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES acre-feet of water annually. The problem how- Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today Thursday, June 22, 2000 ever, is that the aquifer is being depleted very in recognition of a dear friend and public serv- quickly. In just seventeen years we have seen Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, a few years ago ant who is stepping down after nearly thirty large areas of the southern aquifer experience a blockbuster best-seller book, originally called years with the U.S. Forest Service. Bob Willis a 10- to 20-foot drop in their water table. ‘‘The Rocket Boys’’ was published, and shortly has spent his life dedicated to the protection These decreased levels will negatively affect thereafter a movie was made based on the and conservation of several of our country’s aquifers used for irrigation, and for municipal book, titled ‘‘October Surprise.’’ It was a sell- national forests. water on the southern High Plains. out at bookstores and theaters across the Na- Bob Willis began his career with the Forest The problems facing the groundwater re- tion. Service in 1971 in the beautiful White River sources on the southern High Plains is a This story, written by former NASA engineer National Forest in Glenwood Springs, Colo- multi-state issue with significant economic and from McDowell County, West Virginia, was rado and in Monte Vista, Colorado in the mag- social consequences for America. Ignoring the about a boy, his friends, and his weary but nificent Rio Grande National Forest. From problem and continuing uses to go unabated supportive parents, who was so taken by what there, Bill moved on to the Tongass National invites tremendous economic dislocation for a he read about NASA’s early rocket experi- Forest in Alaska. Bob went on to ‘‘Big Sky’’ large portion of our country. ments commissioned by the United States Country in 1976, with service in the Bitterroot To address this issue I am introducing the Government, that he spent his childhood ex- and Lolo National Forests in Montana, and fi- Southern High Plains Groundwater Resource perimenting with homemade rockets nally found a resting place in Rolla, Missouri Conservation Act. This bill recognizes that ac- His name was Homer Hickam, now a retired in 1980 serving the Mark Twain National For- curate scientific information about groundwater NASA engineer, who wrote ‘‘Rocket Boys.’’ est. resources is necessary to make good deci- On June 21, 2000 I received an official com- Bob is the longest serving Staff Officer that sions. mitment from NASA detailing a long-term loan Mark Twain has ever had, serving 19 years. VerDate Aug 04 2004 09:49 Nov 01, 2004 Jkt 039102 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 9920 E:\BR00\E23JN0.000 E23JN0.

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