E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 161 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 No. 130 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was It is hard to believe that so many WILDFIRES called to order by the Speaker pro tem- years have passed since the tragic The SPEAKER pro tempore. The pore (Mr. YOUNG of Iowa). events of 9/11, since the sadness and Chair recognizes the gentleman from f loss are so fresh for many throughout Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- this Nation. DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO utes. TEMPORE The attacks on the World Trade Cen- Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I ter, the Pentagon, and my home State concluded my summer tour of Oregon The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- of Pennsylvania stand as the most cow- at the fire control center on the Warm fore the House the following commu- ardly and senseless acts of terrorism Springs Indian reservation. nication from the Speaker: ever perpetrated against the United Summer was an amazing time in my WASHINGTON, DC, States and its citizens. State. Smoke enveloped downtown September 10, 2015. My family and I continue to sol- Portland and drifted all the way for 270 I hereby appoint the Honorable DAVID emnly offer our thoughts and prayers miles to the south in Medford. As I YOUNG to act as Speaker pro tempore on this day. for those who were impacted that day. drove past, into central Oregon, the JOHN A. BOEHNER, We also salute those who came to aid, Crater Lake National Park consumed Speaker of the House of Representatives. those who rushed into the World Trade 25 square miles. f Center before the towers fell, the first Throughout the West, 8.5 million responders at the Pentagon, and the acres have already been burned this MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT passengers who made the ultimate sac- year. And like we hear almost every A message in writing from the Presi- rifice, downing United Flight 93 in year, the 2015 fire season is one of the dent of the United States was commu- Somerset County before it could reach worst on record. nicated to the House by Mr. Brian its intended destination. We should acknowledge the amazing Pate, one of his secretaries. Among those who lost their lives in men and women who are on the front f the attack on the World Trade Center lines and the tremendous strain they bear. MORNING-HOUR DEBATE in New York City was Mary Ellen Tiesi. Mary Ellen was a native of We need so many people that we have The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Irvona, Clearfield County, and was actually had active military personnel ant to the order of the House of Janu- working in the South Tower on that brought online for the first time in a ary 6, 2015, the Chair will now recog- morning 14 years ago. decade. Even firefighters from Aus- nize Members from lists submitted by tralia, New Zealand, and Canada have Family members have said that, the majority and minority leaders for come to assist in these efforts. after the attack, Mary Ellen was morning-hour debate. One cannot say enough about the tre- exiting the stairs of the tower with a The Chair will alternate recognition mendous bravery and sheer hard work friend. between the parties, with each party involved on so many levels with the limited to 1 hour and each Member She stopped to wait for her boss, who men and women who are literally put- other than the majority and minority she knew had a heart condition. Her ting their lives on the line for this he- leaders and the minority whip limited boss eventually took the elevator, but roic fight. to 5 minutes, but in no event shall de- Mary Ellen continued down the stairs. But it is important to note that we bate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. She did not make it out of the build- are not just decimating our forests. We ing and was the only Clearfield County f are decimating the Forest Service native to lose her life in the attacks in budget. The portion of the overall IN MEMORY OF THOSE LOST ON New York. Three years ago the Penn- budget spent on fighting wildfires has SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 sylvania Route 53 bridge in Irvona was grown in the last 20 years from 16 per- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The renamed in her memory. cent to over one-half, 52 percent. Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the Because Congress refuses to treat Pennsylvania (Mr. THOMPSON) for 5 kindness Mary Ellen Tiesi showed for wildfires like other natural disasters, minutes. her coworker on one of the worst days the Forest Service budget is being con- Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. our Nation has ever known. Let us sumed, squeezing out other critical Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of never forget the thousands like Mary areas, not just maintaining these spe- those lost in the terrorist attacks of Ellen who truly embody the undying cial places and trails and recreational September 11, 2001. resolve of the American people. opportunities, but even the efforts that b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H5869 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Sep 10, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A10SE7.000 H10SEPT1 emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with HOUSE H5870 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 10, 2015 would deal with forest health and re- Lauren Gillson of St. Cloud for her Each one of these incredible men and duce the danger and the cost of future first place win in the Minnesota Gro- women, chosen by the Minnesota Hu- firefights. cers Association 2015 Best Bagger Con- manities Center, has positively im- The trend is that two-thirds of the test, which took place at the Mall of pacted the United States and Min- budget in the next 10 years will be fire- America last month. nesota’s Sixth District in a major way. fighting. Absolutely, totally unaccept- I would also like to commend the There is so much to thank these indi- able. Minnesota Grocers Association for viduals for. Thank you for defending These fires ought to be treated like hosting this competition. It dem- our country and for realizing that any other natural disaster, not deci- onstrates how much value they place there was still so much to be accom- mate our ability to manage our na- on providing excellent customer serv- plished once you returned home. Your tional forests. ice. work has not gone unnoticed, and we The people dealing with these Anyone who visits a grocery store are forever grateful. megafires know that part of the prob- will understand just how crucial a f lem is climate change making itself bagger’s role is to the industry. They felt. Less than 2 percent of these are, by far, one of the most memorable THREE AMERICAN HEROES megafires consume almost one-third of employees in the store, as they are the The SPEAKER pro tempore. The the total fire suppression costs because last person to be in contact with the Chair recognizes the gentleman from our forests are drier. customer. A bagger can often make or California (Mr. BERA) for 5 minutes. There is less snow and rainfall, one break the customer’s overall experi- Mr. BERA. Mr. Speaker, today I rise more graphic reminder of the dev- ence. to recognize the three young men from astating impact of climate change, Lauren competed against nine others Sacramento County who have deep with higher temperatures and less before winning first place. Her win is roots in my district and whose quick water. truly impressive, as she has only thinking onboard a train to Paris saved It is past time that Congress steps up worked at Lunds & Byerlys in St. lives and inspired our country. to reduce carbon emissions. Perhaps Cloud for less than a month. Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, and the Pope in 2 weeks will inspire us to I wish Lauren good luck as she com- Spencer Stone sprang into action to do something about climate change. petes in the 2016 National Grocers As- stop a man wielding a gun and a box But, in the meantime, we should at sociation Best Bagger Championship cutter onboard their train. The child- least pass H.R. 167, the Wildfire Dis- this February. hood friends were on vacation when the aster Act—bipartisan legislation intro- LIVE UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE gunman burst into their cabin. duced on the very first day of this Con- Mr. EMMER of Minnesota. Mr. As an Oregon Army National Guards- gress, but languishing in committee— Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jim man, Army Specialist Alek Skarlatos that would treat megafires like other Davis for all that he has done to help had recently returned from a tour in natural disasters, not discriminate those affected by cancer. Afghanistan. He was the first to sound against the Forest Service. Over the past 4 months, Jim has the alarm, telling his friends, ‘‘Let’s One final point is that we should stop flown throughout the continental go,’’ as they moved to subdue the gun- making the problem worse by allowing United States and given free plane man.