Curt Weldon

The way we preserve our environment will shape the future of our race. With this in mind, I have done my best to be a leader in the House of Representatives on environmental issues, assuming a role on the Speaker's Task Force on the Environment in 1995. The task force was created to bring together those differing views of Members representing Western states and those representing the Northeastern region. As a moderate voice in Congress, I work to ensure that legislation passed by the House both protects our commitment to the environment while at the same time preventing economic hardship to the American public.

In addition, I am also fortunate to serve as the only House Republican on the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. The Commission, which consists of the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and two representatives each from the U.S. House and Senate, allocates funds from the Duck Stamp program and the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund to establish and expand wildlife refuges and acquire critical wetlands habitat for migratory birdfowl.

Most recently, my environmental work has focused on our last great undiscovered country, the oceans. I have led the House of Representatives in an effort to renew America's interest in ocean research. Working with the oceanographic community, I was able to introduce legislation that coordinated our nation's oceanographic research capabilities to better address national needs. Named the National Oceanographic Partnership Act, this legislation was signed into law in 1996 by President Clinton. Moreover, I was fortunate enough to host a global conference in Washington, D.C. in May of 1997 to further highlight the need for international cooperation on the oceans. The three-day, bi-partisan event was attended by high level ministers from over 30 countries, Members of Congress, representatives from academia and industry, and representatives of the Clinton Administration. Keynote speakers included Vice President Al Gore, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Secretary of Defense William Cohen, and Secretary of the Navy John Dalton.

First Responders

Early in my first term, I was alarmed by the smell of smoke while working late one evening in the Longworth House Office Building. Upon further investigation, I discovered a fire in the office of then-Speaker Jim Wright. After years of experience as the Fire Chief of Marcus Hook, I was able to extinguish the blaze. Unfortunately, after the fire was out, I realized that not only did the building not have a fire alarm, but none of the extinguishers in the building worked.

As a result of the incident, I was able to work with Speaker Wright and demand that Congress abide by the same fire safety codes imposed on the rest of the American public. Today, every building in the Capitol complex is equipped with fire alarms and working extinguishers. Working that important issue, I realized that fire and emergency services personnel had no presence on Capitol Hill, and that their needs were going unanswered. In response, I founded the Congressional Fire Services Caucus to better educate Members of Congress on fire safety issues. Today, the Caucus is the largest on Capitol Hill with over 300 members.

Each year, in conjunction with the Congressional Fire Services institute, I host a dinner to salute our nation's first responders. Routinely attended by nearly 2,000 fire and emergency service personnel, the dinner continues to draw the attention of our national political leaders. Keynote speakers over the past eight years have included President Clinton, President Bush, Vice President Gore, Vice President Quayle, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Republican Leader Bob Dole, former Speaker Jim Wright, former speaker Tom Foley.

I continue to be active on a wide variety of life safety issues ranging from the need for carbon monoxide detectors to the much publicized church arson fires. In addition, I have utilized my role as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Research and Development of the House National Security, to help coordinate the transfer of technology from our military so that it can be utilized by the civilian first responders.