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Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the first hundred years or continuous service by the Fort Bragg Library on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California. From its beginning on January 18, 1911, Fort Bragg's beloved library has persevered through funding cuts, political ballot measures and an arson fire. It has flourished due to the ongoing support of the Mendocino Coast community.
Today the House gathers at an incredibly sad moment for our country. The events of January 8, 2011, are reprehensible and truly heartbreaking. I speak today of my close friend and an esteemed colleague in the Blue Dog Coalition, Gabby.
Today, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-North Coast) reintroduced legislation that would permanently prohibit oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. The Northern California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act protects the unique and dynamic marine environment along the Northern Coast of California's outer continental shelf (OCS) from off shore drilling. Congressman Thompson also introduced this legislation in the 111th Congress.
WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman Mike Thompson (D- St. Helena) announced that the water reclamation plant in the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District will receive a grant of just over one million dollars and a loan of approximately $600,000 allocated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development program. This funding will be used to construct a solar array system to allow for a more efficient use of energy for the plant.
The first item of business today was adopting the rules by which we will run the 112th Congress. While the Republican Leadership has introduced some new, positive procedures that will enhance transparency in Congress, some of their proposals will hurt our district and add to our deficit.
The incentive has been key in the past for North Coast landowners who have opted to sell development rights on their land and often undertake different management strategies. The provision applies to donations landowners make toward the value of the conservation easement, and local land trust representatives say it's vital for projects going forward.
I am proud to have cast my last vote of this Congress for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. September 11th was an attack on our country just like the attack on Pearl Harbor. The brave first responders and volunteers who came to the World Trade Center stayed day after day to clean up, with no regard to their own safety. These heroes deserve nothing but the best medical care.
This morning, President Obama signed legislation that will, once and for all, repeal the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy of the Department of Defense. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the bill to repeal this discriminatory policy (H.R. 1283), and to have voted last week to repeal “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”