E1608 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 21, 2012 

Association began raising its own trout at a location that is today one of the oldest, continuously operating Cooperative Trout Nurseries of 

the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, 

raising and stocking over 3,000 trout annually. 

Today, the West Chester Fish, Game and 

Wildlife Association is engaged in numerous 

enterprises, including conducting an annual 

Hunter and Trapper Safety Course, extensive 

stream restoration projects, fishing rodeos, establishing and maintaining a local nature center, and awarding the annual R. David Heller 

Scholarship to a local student. Through these 

efforts, the Association and its nearly 400 

members, continues to be responsible stewards of the environment. 

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join 

me today in congratulating the West Chester 

Fish, Game and Wildlife Association and its 

remarkable history on the occasion of its 75th 

anniversary and to extend best wishes on its 

continued prosperity and longevity. 

f 

BISHOP GEORGE EDWARD BATTLE, 

JR. 

HON. G.K. BUTTERFIELD 

OF NORTH CAROLINA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to 

congratulate Bishop George Edward Battle, Jr. 

on his installment as Chair of the Board of 

Trustees for Livingstone College. Bishop Battle’s lifelong leadership made to communities 

throughout North Carolina and to Livingstone 

College makes him uniquely qualified to serve 

in this capacity. 

A native of Rocky Mount, NC, Bishop Battle 

is himself a graduate of Livingstone College, 

where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He 

holds a Master of Divinity from Hood Theological Seminary, and earned a Doctor of Ministry from Howard University in Washington, 

DC. 

By profession, Bishop Battle is a premier 

pastor within the African Methodist Episcopal 

Church. Presently, he serves as Senior Bishop 

of the A.M.E. Zion Church and as Presiding 

Prelate of the Piedmont Episcopal District, 

which includes several North Carolina jurisdictions. In addition, Bishop Battle is herald as a 

community advocate and leader in the fields of 

education, business, and public activism. 

After more than 40 years of community 

service, Bishop Battle’s accolades are too numerous to name. He has garnered dozens of 

awards for his tireless work with children, 

young people, and in grassroots political engagement. His management, educational leadership, and commitment to community will 

without question benefit the Livingstone College community. 

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons and more, I 

ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating 

Bishop George Edward Battle, Jr. on his appointment as Chair of Livingstone Board of 

Trustees. 

H.R. 3409 

HON. EARL BLUMENAUER OF OREGON

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, today the 

House is voting on H.R. 3409, the so-called 

‘‘Stop the War on Coal’’ bill. am strongly opposed to this legislation and joined many of 

my colleagues in voting against it, because it 

endangers our environment, the public’s 

health, and the stability of the American auto 

industry. 

While this bill is about much more than just 

coal, I want to take a moment to be clear 

about my position on coal: it is an energy 

source from our past, not for our future. We 

must reduce our reliance on coal for generating electricity at home and abroad. I have 

long been fighting to protect and strengthen 

the Clean Air Act. 

Predictable enforcement of the Clean Air 

Act and the Clean Water Act helps protect our 

health, keep our air and water clean, and provides regulatory certainty to American businesses. As countries around the world 

strengthen their environmental protections, it is 

concerning to watch the United States move 

backwards. Not only does this bill restrict the 

Environmental Protection Agency’s power to 

protect public health, but it changes the regulatory process to blatantly prioritize profits over 

human health. It also rolls back an industrynegotiated agreement to strengthen tailpipe 

emission standards. 

I supported many of the attempts to improve 

this bill, including an amendment to implement 

a renewable energy standard, an amendment 

to require a study on the public health impacts 

of coal dust, and an amendment to allow the 

Environmental Protection Agency to take action under the Clean Air Act when such action 

would reduce our reliance on oil. Unfortunately, the Republican majority defeated all of 

these commonsense amendments. 

We find ourselves in this debate due to the 

lack of comprehensive national policies on energy and global warming. The actions we 

should take now would help us move forward 

into the clean energy economy; instead of focusing on the past. We should lead by example and enforce the Clean Air Act against 

older, inefficient plants to make them clean up 

or shut down. We should enforce the Clean 

Water Act to restrict or shut down mountain 

top removal coal mining. When the economy 

strengthens, we should enact a carbon tax to 

discourage the production and export of our 

carbon pollution. And finally, we should fight 

for international action global greenhouse gas 

emissions so that emerging global economies 

do not destabilize the global climate. 

While this bill is upsetting enough on its 

own, it is particularly frustrating given the work 

that Congress has failed to do this session. 

We have yet to address tax reform, the looming budget sequestration, or even the Farm 

Bill. Instead, Republican leadership has decided to spend this week to vote on policies 

that we have already voted on several times, 

and that have no chance of becoming law. 

I offered an amendment to strike the language in H.R. 3409 and replace it with broadly 

supported, bipartisan language to extend the 

Production Tax Credit. This language would 

have helped protect tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs across the country, and helped 

move the United States into the clean energy 

economy. I am frustrated that we did not have 

a chance to vote on that important amendment, which would have created jobs in Oregon, strengthened United States manufacturers, and improved our public health and our 

environment. 

f 

EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE TOWARD ESTABLISHMENT OF A 

DEMOCRATIC AND PROSPEROUS 

REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA 

SPEECH OF

HON. GREGORY W. MEEKS OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 

Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in 

favor of H. Res. 526. 

The House consideration of H. Res. 526 this 

week coincides with the final weeks of preparation for the October 1st Parliamentary elections in Georgia. The international community 

is watching the election closely, and I would 

like to commend the Georgian government for 

facilitating both long and short term international election observers to ensure that both 

the pre-election environment and the election 

itself is conducted in accordance with international standards. 

It is critical that all political parties in Georgia participate constructively in the election 

process, and that campaign and election laws 

are followed and applied fairly and transparently. I call on all political forces to accept 

the election results as legitimate, if deemed so 

by credible, international election observers. 

I believe more must be done to ensure that 

smaller political parties have access to the 

main televised media platforms of both the ruling party and opposition. The ‘must offer, must 

carry’ provisions passed by the Georgian Parliament are a step in the right direction, and I 

urge the Parliament to consider making these 

provisions permanent. 

I would like to commend the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute and the OSCE for their work with both 

the Georgian government and opposition to 

ensure that peaceful, credible elections take 

place. It is crucial that the Georgian electorate 

and the international community has confidence in this process, in order for Georgia to 

continue on its path towards democratic and 

economic reforms, and continued Euro-Atlantic 

integration. 

Georgia remains a critical ally, and one of 

the strongest pro-western countries which has 

proven itself immensely capable in Afghanistan and other conflict zones, currently as the 

largest non-NATO troop contributing nation to 

ISAF. 

NATO allies agreed at the recent summit in 

Chicago to enhance Georgia’s connectivity 

with the Alliance. Georgia’s ability to build on 

reforms made to date to foster greater political 

competition, labor rights and judicial independence will be an opportunity for Georgia to 

prove itself when measured by international 

standards. Georgia’s NATO aspirations will be 

facilitated by the ability to meet those standards and conduct free, fair and inclusive elections in 2012 and 2013. 

I commend the Georgian government’s 

progress on transparency and the fight against 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with REMARKS