Many of these constituents are small business owners or simply talented craftsmen with a passion for a hobby that they are able to share by selling their products on eBay, local craft fairs, or out of their own home.  It would be a shame if the tireless and well intentioned work that went into protecting our children through the passage of CPSIA also contributed to the demise of these local artisans.

In a letter to Energy and Commerce Chairman Waxman, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) and I suggested a way to jointly find a solution that does not compromise the meritorious intentions of the legislation yet also protects these small business from potential closure: the Energy and Commerce Committee should hold a hearing to examine the numerous unintended consequences of CPSIA and the CPSC should delay the imposition of pending action.

Certainly, during these times of economic uncertainty and record job losses the last thing Congress should do is ignore an issue that could potentially close thousands of small businesses around the country.  It is my hope that Chairman Waxman heeds our advice and understands the distress of our constituents.

On Friday August 1, 2008, at 11:23 a.m., your Democrat majority in the House of Representatives adjourned the House for five full weeks.

House Republicans believe that Congress should not go on vacation until we take action to lower gas and energy prices for struggling American families.

For the last two months we and our House Republican colleagues have used every tool at our disposal to try and get you and your Democrat majority to vote on legislation to lower gas and energy prices by expanding environmentally sound domestic production of oil and natural gas, improving energy efficiency, and encouraging the development of alternative energy technologies.

Many of the proposals we have asked you and your Democrat majority to allow us to vote on are bipartisan proposals that we believe would enjoy the support of a majority of the Members of the Congress. Yet because you and your Democrat Leadership personally oppose these proposals, you are not allowing them to come up for a vote.  This past Sunday, you even told George Stephanopoulos that you will never allow this vote to occur (see transcript on the reverse).

In protest of you and your Democrat majority not allowing an up or down vote on producing more American energy, we and our House Republican colleagues were prepared to take to the floor on Friday, August 1, 2008, and speak to the nation. Rather than allowing that to happen you and your Democrat majority adjourned the House, turned off the television cameras, shut off the microphones and turned out the lights. Nearly 50 House Republicans remained on the floor of the House in defiance speaking to those citizens gathered in the galleries and to the media.

Today we have again returned to the Capitol to continue speaking to the thousands of Americans from all across our country who are visiting the Capitol. We would have preferred if instead we were joined by our colleagues to have a true debate on this issue that ended in an up or down vote.

We think it is unconscionable that Congress has gone on vacation before we have addressed the high gas prices that are crippling our economy and hurting millions of families.  We are asking that you reconvene the House from your five-week vacation and schedule a vote on legislation to increase American energy production. Let us be clear, we are not asking for a guaranteed outcome, just the chance to vote.

Signed by: John Boehner, Republican Leader; Roy Blunt, Republican Whip; Adam Putnam, Republican Conference Chairman; Eric Cantor, Chief Deputy Whip; and Members of the House Republican Conference

STEPHANOPOULOS: … You’ve been getting a lot of heat on — for not allowing a vote, a straight up-or-down vote on expanding drilling off the coasts of the United States. Why won’t you permit a straight up- or-down vote?

PELOSI: … What these — what our colleagues are talking about is something that won’t have an effect for 10 years and it will be 2 cents at the time. If they want to present something as part of an energy package, we’re talking about something. But to single shoot on something that won’t work and mislead the American people as to thinking it’s going to reduce the price at the pump, I’m just not going to be a party of it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Except that it’s not just Republicans calling for this. Members of your own caucus say we must have a vote. Congressman Jason Altmire, let me show our viewers right now, is saying there’s going to be a vote. Here he says exactly, there’s going to be a vote. September 30th will not come and go without a vote on opening the outer continental shelf. The message has been delivered. The issue can’t be ignored any longer. He says he speaks for a lot of Democrats. He’s talked to the leadership, and a vote must happen.

PELOSI: Well, maybe it will, as it’s part of a larger energy package.

…

Instead we’re saying, free the oil. Use it, don’t lose it. There’s 68 million acres in lower 48 and 10 or 20 million more acres in Alaska, where they’re permitted, where they could drill anytime. This is a diversionary tactic from a failed energy policy.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But if you feel you have the better arguments, why not give a straight up-or-down vote for drilling?

PELOSI: Because the misrepresentation has been made that this is going to reduce the price at the pump. This is, again, a decoy, it’s not a solution.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, if you’re right, why not let it be debated out and have the vote?

PELOSI: We have a debate every single day on this subject. What you saw in the Congress this week was the war dance of the hand maidens of the oil companies. That’s what you saw on the Republican side of the aisle.

Democrats and Republicans are not right down party lines on this issue. There are regional concerns, as well as some people concerned about what this means back home for them.

But we have a planet to save. We have an economy to grow. And we can do that if we keep our balance in all of this and not just say but for drilling in unprotected and these protected areas offshore, we would have lower gas prices. …

STEPHANOPOULOS: But why not allow votes on all that? When you came in as speaker, you promised in your commitment book, A New Direction for America, let me show our viewers, you said that bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full, fair debate, consisting of a full amendment process that grants the minority the right to offer its alternatives.

If they want to offer a drilling proposal, why can’t they have a vote?

PELOSI: They’ll have to use their imagination as to how they can get a vote, and they may get a vote. But I have tried, you know, we have serious policy issues in our country. The president of the United States has presented this but for this, our economy would be booming. But for this, gas would be cheaper at the pump.

It’s simply not true. And even the president himself in his statement yesterday and before then has said there is no quick fix for this by drilling.

…

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you will not permit a vote. You may get beat, but you’re not going to permit a vote on your own?

PELOSI: Well, again, we take this one step at a time. But why we’re spending all this time on a parliamentary tactic when nothing less is at stake than the planet, the air we breathe, our children breathe? We have…

Bipartisan passage of the American Energy Act would demonstrate to the world that America will no longer keep its rich energy resources under lock-and-key.  Not only will it help bring down the price of gasoline now, but it will make needed investments in the alternative fuels that will power our lives and our economy in the future.  Following is a brief summary of the American Energy Act:

To increase the supply American-made energy in environmentally sound ways, the legislation will:

• Open our deep water ocean resources, which will provide an additional three million barrels of oil per day, as well as 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, as proposed in H.R. 6108 by Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC). Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) has also worked tirelessly on this issue.
• Open the Arctic coastal plain, which will provide an additional one million barrels of oil per day, as proposed in H.R. 6107 by Rep. Don Young (R-AK);
• Allow development of our nation’s shale oil resources, which could provide an additional 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, as proposed in H.R. 6138 by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI); and
• Increase the supply of gas at the pump by cutting bureaucratic red tape that essentially blocks construction of new refineries, as proposed in H.R. 6139 by Reps. Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Joe Pitts (R-PA).

To improve energy conservation and efficiency, the legislation will:

• Provide tax incentives for businesses and families that purchase more fuel efficient vehicles, as proposed in H.R. 1618 and H.R. 765 by Reps. Dave Camp (R-MI) and Jerry Weller (R-IL);
• Provide a monetary prize for developing the first economically feasible, super-fuel-efficient vehicle reaching 100 miles-per-gallon, as proposed in H.R. 6384 by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT); and
• Provide tax incentives for businesses and homeowners who improve their energy efficiency, as proposed in H.R. 5984 by Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Phil English (R-PA), and Zach Wamp (R-TN), and in H.R. 778 by Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL).

To promote renewable and alternative energy technologies, the legislation will:

• Spur the development of alternative fuels through government contracting by repealing the “Section 526” prohibition on government purchasing of alternative energy and promoting coal-to-liquids technology, as proposed in H.R. 5656 by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), in H.R. 6384 by Rob Bishop (R-UT), and in H.R. 2208 by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL);
• Establish a renewable energy trust fund using revenues generated by exploration in the deep ocean and on the Arctic coastal plain, as proposed by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA);
• Permanently extend the tax credit for alternative energy production, including wind, solar and hydrogen, as proposed in H.R. 2652 by Rep. Phil English (R-PA) and in H.R. 5984 by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD); and
• Eliminate barriers to the expansion of emission-free nuclear power production, as proposed in H.R. 6384 by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT).

• Support Homeownership. Homeownership is central to the American dream and a key part of our free economy. We need to keep the dream of homeownership within reach of middle-class families.
• Jump Start the Housing Market. The best way out of the housing crisis to get Americans purchasing homes again. The housing market needs a jump-start, not a bail-out.
• Lower taxes on middle-class families. Lower taxes on middle-class families will help increase homeownership. We cannot tax our way to a housing recovery, and higher taxes on American families will only add to the middle-class squeeze.
• Help Needy Homeowners Who are Truly Victims. We must address the threat to our economy and help needy homeowners who are truly victims without a taxpayer bailout that rewards reckless behavior.
• Reform and Transparency. We must bring reform and transparency to the housing market and improve our overall economy, as well as ensure that this situation doesn’t become a feeding frenzy of trial lawyers eager to profit from people’s misfortune.
• Fairness for Responsible Homeowners. As a matter of fairness, we should stand up for Americans who saved and invested responsibly, not reward reckless behavior at the expense of those who did the right thing.
• Protection for Taxpayers. We should protect taxpayers from having to bail out speculators and scam artists.
• Stake in the Outcome. Anyone receiving government assistance should have to make a financial sacrifice and have a stake in the outcome.

Unfortunately, this Democrat majority is either unwilling or unable to accept that responsibility.

The majority wants to place unrealistic federal mandates on renewable electricity that will drive up the cost of utilities and mandates on renewable fuel that will increase the cost of food at the supermarket.

The American public wants results. That means increasing domestic oil and gas production, building petroleum refineries for the first time in 30 years, and expanding the use of nuclear energy.

Instead, the static electricity created by my shoes rubbing across this carpet creates more energy than the Democrat’s energy bill.

Son of Journalist Convicted in Turkey

October 11, 2007

(AP) ISTANBUL, Turkey - The son of a journalist killed earlier this year after calling the massacre of Armenians genocide was convicted Thursday of insulting Turkey’s identity for republishing his father’s remarks.

Arat Dink, editor of the Armenian newspaper Agos, and publisher Serkis Seropyan each received a one-year suspended sentence for “insulting Turkishness,” said their lawyer, Erdal Dogan. He said they would appeal the sentences.

Dink is the son of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was convicted of the same charge for calling the killing of Armenians during World War I genocide. He had appealed the conviction when he was killed by a Turkish youth in January.

The massacre of Armenians is one of the darkest periods in Turkish history. Armenians say up to 1.5 million people were killed in 1915-17 during the Ottoman Empire, before the birth of modern Turkey.

Turkey rejects the label “genocide,” maintaining that the death toll is inflated and insisting the killings occurred at a time of civil unrest.

The verdict for Dink and Seropyan came a day after legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of a nonbinding bill that declares the Armenian killings genocide _ over Turkey’s objections.

“The discriminatory mentality which turned intolerance into a state tradition has yet again declared criticism and expression of opinion an insult to Turkishness and a crime,” the group Human Rights Associated said in a statement.

The European Union has pressured Turkey, which aspires to join the 27-nation bloc, to scrap the controversial law on “insulting Turkishness,” saying it restricts freedom of speech.

Some Turkish leaders, including President Abdullah Gul, also believe the law has harmed Turkey’s EU bid.

There is no excuse for a democracy such as ours to not properly recognize this abomination that took place 92 years ago. It is imperative that America is able to draw clear lines between good and evil, just and unjust—without that ability we are unable to address those inhumanities that are ongoing around the globe today such as in Darfur and Myanmar.

Hopefully, the members of the Foreign Relations Committee will take the courageous first step tomorrow and do what is morally right by voting to pass this resolution out of committee and allow for a vote on the House floor. The survivors of the Armenian Genocide who are still with us today deserve to see our country confront and defeat this campaign of denial. It is time for this House to set things right and officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Washington D.C. can be a little too stuffy for me, so it is always great to get back to the District and speak with folks from home. That is exactly what I had the opportunity to do this last Wednesday when I hosted the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Stephen Johnson, for a roundtable discussion on San Joaquin Valley air quality issues.

Almost a year ago I was able to arrange for then Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Rob Portman to meet with myself and a few folks from the Valley representing air quality needs. During the meeting we conveyed to Director Portman the importance of securing funds in the President’s budget for cleaning up the San Joaquin Valley’s air. Although it was too late in the Fiscal Year 2008 budget process for additional funds to be inserted, Director Portman understood the severity of the problems that we are facing. During the meeting I suggested bringing the EPA Administrator to the Valley as a means of highlighting the gravity of the Valley’s air situation in an effort to secure funds for FY09.

At my request the EPA Administrator accepted the invitation to Fresno for a closer look at our dirty air and to discuss possible solutions. Last Wednesday saw the meeting come to fruition and Administrator Johnson spent valuable time with comprehensive representation of the Valley’s air quality interest groups.

Representatives from the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley’s Air Quality Work Group, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, California Air Resources Board, National Parks Conservation Association, the Allergy Institute, Operation Clean Air, and Fresno Mayor Alan Autry, all participated in an informative and thought provoking discussion. The inclusion of such a wide variety of representatives from around the Valley—the Air Quality Working Group alone represents over 300 organizations—made for an inclusive discussion.

The Administrator was briefed on the health impacts of our poor air quality; the ozone impact on our national parks; and the specific objective of advancing the recommendation to accelerate attainment of the federal 8-hr ozone standard and PM2.5 standards.
Administrator Johnson was impressed with the hard work and dedication that the participants displayed. The Administrator instructed his Region IX Director, Wayne Nastri, to make accelerated attainment in the San Joaquin Valley a priority. Agreement was reached that EPA and Air Resources Board (ARB) would co-host a conference to look at new technologies to accelerate attainment. There were some other specifics, such as a commitment from the Administrator to try to get railroad companies to give priority to bringing Tier 3 locomotives to California first. The matter of incentive funding was discussed at length and will be followed up by later meetings.

All in all, I was very pleased with the end results of the discussion. The Administrator shared with me his delight in seeing so many passionate people engaged in such an important issue. We have a long road ahead in the San Joaquin Valley to achieve the quality of air that we deserve to breath, but this meeting was a productive step towards that goal.

Many thanks go to all who participated, particularly Administrator Johnson for taking the time to visit with us. I hope the rest of August proves to be as positive and constructive as this meeting was.

• Ensure an adequate supply of fresh water for U.S. citizens, securing a sufficient water supply for both urban and rural areas
• Consider all available technologies for increasing water supply efficiently, while safeguarding the environment, including the use of best management practices
• Recommend a means of capturing and storing excess water for future droughts
• Implement strategies to improve water use efficiencies and reduce water waste
• Support adequate funding to implement water re-use strategies wherever appropriate
• Advocate the coordination of efforts by Congress, the President, and state and local government to solve water issues
• Consolidate and streamline efforts between local, state, and Federal government agencies to reduce the bureaucratic red tape many local communities face when trying to build water reservoirs and other infrastructure needs
• Protect the rights of state and local governments
• Suggest financing options for new public works water projects
• Encourage Federal assistance to state and local governments to identify potential groundwater banking as part of sustainable water supplies
• Recognize international implications for water resources shared with other nations
• Collect and share data related to water use and water quality to determine effectiveness of policy