The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“CONGRATULATING BROCKWAY'S GRACE PRESTON” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2220-H2221 on May 11, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CONGRATULATING BROCKWAY'S GRACE PRESTON
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the efforts of Grace Preston, a sixth grader from Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District.
Grace visited Washington, D.C., last week to accept the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, a ceremony at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Grace was one of only two students in Pennsylvania to be honored with this award, which recognizes outstanding acts of volunteerism.
Grace has raised more than $4,000 in the past 3 years to improve the lives of animals in her community through the sale of homemade dog treats, cat toys, and flee and tick repellent.
{time} 1030
She became interested in helping animals after her family adopted a pet from a local shelter.
Through her efforts, Grace has raised enough money to enable the local Humane Society to purchase a storage shed, as well as other supplies, such as rabies gloves. She has also provided animal oxygen mask kits to a local fire department for pets that have been caught in fires; has helped pay for a shelter dog's surgery; and has collected animal food for the pets of needy families.
Grace's work is an example that students all across the Nation should look toward. I know she has made her school and her community proud.
Leadership for Clean Water
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, last week was National Drinking Water Week. This designation is to highlight the importance of drinking water across our Nation and the need to reinvest in the infrastructure that brings tap water into our homes.
Quality water has been credited with vastly extending the life expectancy here in the United States by eliminating the sickness from diseases that are spread through drinking water, such as typhoid fever. While we have made great progress in improving water across our Nation, there is always more work to be done.
In Congress, since 1996, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund has helped to fund public water systems and infrastructure projects in order to meet public health goals and to comply with Federal regulations. Last year alone, Congress provided $2.3 billion to the EPA for local drinking water and sewer construction projects through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds.
Good water is not only vital for good health, but it is also essential for our State's number one industry: agriculture. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania continues to provide substantial food, fiber, and energy for residents across our Nation. With this in mind, promoting and sustaining healthy waters and soil is essential.
As chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry, with jurisdiction over Federal conservation programs that are administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service and forestry practices, we work to provide leadership and resources to promote the health of our watersheds, soils, and forests.
To help meet those needs, I was proud to work on the 2014 farm bill, which provides many positive tools for farmers and landowners. From on-
farm operations to estuary management, the United States Department of Agriculture plays an important role in managing and in improving both water and soil quality. The farm bill is the guiding authorization for the Department. Programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program, or the CRP, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or the EQIP, and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, or the RCPP, are a few of the critical ones that directly impact soil and water quality in our country and certainly in Pennsylvania.
As we have seen so many times in Pennsylvania and around the country, once a watershed or water source is harmed, it often takes generations to recover. History shows us just how important clean water is. It also demonstrates how hard it is to fix a water source once it has been contaminated.
I remain committed in Washington and certainly in my home State of Pennsylvania to helping our professionals, volunteers, business community, nonprofits, such as Trout Unlimited and Watershed Associations, as well as academic and research institutions, such as Penn State, in their efforts to preserve our State's water and our country's water for future generations.
____________________
