Citing a 30-year old analysis, the U.S. Coast Guard has assumed federal authority over certain activities on Mille Lacs Lake.  Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard is forcing all fishing guides, mostly college students, to spend time and money to obtain a federal boating license to bring fishermen out on Mille Lacs Lake.  This license and associated costs put fishing guides on the hook for over $2,000.

“This new Coast Guard regulation, being funded at taxpayer expense, is taking a toll on the Mille Lacs Lake resort-based economy and is making fishing more expensive.  I plan to introduce legislation next week that will remove this over-regulation and keep Mille Lacs Lake under Minnesota control,” said Rep. Cravaack.  “I appreciate all the Coast Guard does, but the DNR already patrols Mille Lacs Lake.  The Coast Guard’s authority over the lake is an intrusion; it’s redundant, excessive, and duplicative.”

In March 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard ruled that Mille Lacs Lake was a federally navigable body of water, based on historical interstate commerce.  Specifically, the Coast Guard justified its overreach by using a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ruling, which maintains that because fur traders and lumberjacks utilized the Lake and the Rum River in the 1700s and 1800s, the lake is deemed a federally navigable water body.

The Rum River is currently dammed at Anoka, and the last log floated on the Lake was in 1904.

“The bottom line is the cost the federal government is imposing on obtaining the TWIC license for maritime workers and the six-pack certification for captains.  Less control from the federal government on Mille Lacs Lake is a good thing.  By federalizing the licensing process, jobs are being taken away.  Although I have a Masters License, at my age I’m doubtful I could obtain the licensing due to the cost of the coursework,” said George Nitti, Owner of Nitti’s Hunters Point Resort.

Rep. Cravaack added, “The state has rules and inspection procedures in place to keep its residents safe and is perfectly capable of enforcing boating laws.  Ultimately, Mille Lacs Lake belongs to Minnesotans and should not be controlled by federal government bureaucrats.  My legislation will stop fishing guides from being forced to spend over $2000 to obtain a license they don’t need and end the Coast Guard’s intrusive overreach into Minnesota’s great fishing tradition.”

Rep. Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – where he is Vice Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee – the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.

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U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack on Wednesday introduced an amendment to a federal funding bill to kill funding for a National Science Foundation program that teaches students and others about climate change.

Cravaack, R-North Branch, said the NSF program, called the Climate Change Education Program, duplicates other programs and is unneeded.

“As someone who supports education, amid an (annual budget) deficit of $1.3 trillion and debt of $15.7 trillion, a redundant global warming program can hardly be justified. The recently created CCE duplicates the already inherent ability of the NSF to fund worthy proposals through its rigorous, peer-reviewed process,” Cravaack said in a statement. “We need to keep NSF focused on research and innovation while we work to eliminate duplicative education programs that do nothing to improve our economic outlook. However you feel about global warming – that is not the debate today. This amendment addresses a duplicative program costing us money we simply do not have.”

But supporters of the NSF program on climate change says it is critical to spread accurate information from climate scientists to the public. The vast majority of scientists say global warming is real, that it’s happening and that humans are the primary cause. They say the education efforts are necessary to offset misinformation from groups — often tied to the coal and oil industry — attempting to confuse the issue.

Grants from the NSF program in Minnesota go to the Como Zoo in St. Paul and Carleton College in Northfield, according to the National Wildlife Federation, whose director of education advocacy called Cravaack’s amendment “an effort to keep our children in the dark about the science of climate change. It’s an attack on our children’s future.”

“The preponderance of legitimate climate scientists agree that the climate is changing, we’re causing it, and the results could be catastrophic,” Patrick Fitzgerald of the National Wildlife Federation told the News Tribune. “Moneyed opponents of environmental action have managed to suggest ‘doubt’ and endless equivocation as a solution. … We’re adding insult to injury by not addressing climate change today while also not educating our children about the science and impacts they will have to deal with in the future.”

The amendment is to H.R. 5326, the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013.

Cravaack said the 2011 budget proposal from the Obama administration requested $10 million for the Climate Change Education Program to form “partnerships among K-12 education, higher education, the private sector, related nonprofit organizations, and relevant education and/or climate related policymakers.” NSF already spends $1.3 billion on education activities and $333 million on climate research, Cravaack said in his news release.

Currently, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that 13 agencies fund 209 different Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education programs and that 173 of them overlap with at least one other program.

“This week, I introduced legislation to return Minnesota’s school trust lands to Minnesota students.  As someone who supports education, amid a deficit of $1.3 trillion and debt of $15.7 trillion, a redundant global warming program can hardly be justified.  The recently created CCE duplicates the already inherent ability of the NSF to fund worthy proposals through its rigorous, peer-reviewed process,” said Rep. Cravaack.

He added, “We need to keep NSF focused on research and innovation while we work to eliminate duplicative education programs that do nothing to improve our economic outlook.  However you feel about global warming – that is not the debate today.  This amendment addresses a duplicative program costing us money we simply do not have.”

Last year, the President’s Budget requested $10 million for the CCE Program to form “partnerships among K-12 education, higher education, the private sector, related non-profit organizations, and relevant education and/or climate related policymakers.”  This year, the program morphed into the Sustainability Research Network, “creating new interdisciplinary learning experiences for graduate and undergraduate students as well as literacy programs.  The ongoing CCE that is directed toward K-12 levels will be included in this portfolio beginning in FY 2013.”

NSF already spends $1.3 billion on education activities and $333 million on climate research.

Rep. Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – where he is Vice Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee – the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.

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H.R. 5544, the Minnesota Education Investment and Employment Act

“This land ultimately belongs to Minnesota’s children – our public schools have been waiting decades for this funding.  I am happy to support the efforts of the Minnesota legislature and the Governor by introducing a bill that will direct the secretary to implement the state-passed land swap plan,” said Rep. Cravaack.  “As we move forward, I will continue working with Minnesotans at the local level, as well as the DNR, the Forest Service, involved stakeholders, and my colleagues across the aisle in putting Minnesota students first.”

Rep. Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – where he is Vice Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee – the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.

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“Today I’m singing the praises of Representative Cravaack.  Seniors can depend on Representative Cravaack,” said legendary entertainer Pat Boone, Spokesman for the 60 Plus Association.

The 60 Plus Association is a 20-year-old nonpartisan organization working for less government and fewer taxes, as well as a strict adherence to the Constitution.  60 Plus calls on support from over 7 million activists.  The organization’s priorities include death tax repeal, saving Social Security and Medicare, affordable prescription drugs, and lowering energy costs, among others.

60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin, who founded the organization in 1992, presented the award at a ceremony on Capitol Hill.

View photo here.

“Representative Cravaack can be counted on to preserve Social Security and Medicare,” said Martin.  “Cravaack is protecting the pocket books of senior citizens and is fighting wasteful spending of our tax dollars, which has our government now borrowing over 40 cents of every dollar to pay its bills.  Seniors have to live within their means and so should our government.

“As to the phony charge that Representative Cravaack wants to ‘end Medicare as we know it,’ they say a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth catches up to it.  This despicable Medi-Scare tactic has now been used for over 15 years.

“In 1996, Nancy Pelosi’s predecessor, Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO), said Republicans were going to dismantle Medicare.  But in an editorial, even the liberal leaning Washington Postsaid Gephardt’s charges were ‘bullfeathers, and Mr. Gephardt knows it.’”

Representative Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – where he is Vice Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee – the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.

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Rep. Cravaack was honored at the Council’s annual Healthcare Innovations Expo on Capitol Hill.  The day-long event was dedicated to showcasing new developments in health care technologies, treatments, and practices.  This year’s event featured new technologies in treating chronic diseases, as well as digital health coaching programs to help people improve their own well-being.

View photo here

“Perfecting a 21st century healthcare system that is both affordable and accessible for all Americans and that provides care of the highest quality hinges on support for healthcare innovation.  We need to constantly develop new and better ways to deliver care and link patients and consumers to the healthcare system,” said HLC president Mary R. Grealy.  “We’re grateful for Congressman Cravaack’s leadership, dedication and hard work in advancing the quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of American healthcare.”

Representative Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – where he is Vice Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee – the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.

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By U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack

Higher energy prices have real consequences. Everything from the daily commute to the grocery bill is getting more expensive, and Americans are taking notice.

Under President Obama’s watch, the price of gasoline has shot up 95 percent.  Unfortunately, this week the President is touting a tax hike that won’t help create jobs, or lower gas prices.

I will continue to fight for lower gas prices, but it’s an uphill battle.  Washington politicians continue to put up artificial obstacles, and they continue to block common sense solutions.  The bottom line is that gas prices need to come down now.

This punishment at the pump is putting the squeeze on small businesses and job growth.

That is why we need an “all-of-the-above” energy policy.  I believe in the exploration of proven energy reserves to reduce our dependence on foreign and unstable suppliers.  To date, I’m proud to have supported important measures to achieve U.S. energy independence and job creation.

Specifically, I have supported the Keystone XL pipeline, which would immediately create thousands of jobs for U.S. workers.  I have also supported “The Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act,” a bill which would allow the U.S. to utilize its vast energy reserves.

By supporting these measures, we can expand production here at home and lower gas prices for families and workers all across Minnesota.

It’s time to act, it’s time to put politics aside, and it’s time to commit to proven solutions.  We’re knocking at the door of a brighter energy future; one that promises abundant, secure, and cheaper American energy.  It’s time to get the American economy back up to full throttle.

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U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack may not have been the one to paint the target that’s on his back this election season — but he provided plenty of paint.

Two years ago, when he ousted longtime Congressman Jim Oberstar, he did so, in part, by convincing voters the Democratic fixture had grown out of touch with his 8th Congressional District and that he scarcely even lived in Minnesota anymore, opting instead to live with his wife in a million-dollar mansion in Maryland. Then, just months after his stunning upset, Cravaack announced his own family would be moving out of Minnesota to New Hampshire, closer to where his wife had taken a promotion. The freshman congressman would stay behind and would spend Saturdays back home in Minnesota, it was reported.

Cravaack’s opponents, including from organized labor and from the Democratic Party, seethed with skepticism about his supposed “home in Minnesota.” They quickly tallied up Saturdays. Then they pounced.

“That’s just 52 days a year,” the North East Area Labor Council marveled in a news release it handed out at a rally in North Branch, Minn., where Cravaack continues to maintain a residence.

“He’s the height of hypocrisy,” DFL Chairman Ken Martin charged of Cravaack during an interview earlier this month with the News Tribune Opinion page. “Cravaack hammered Oberstar on this, on not being in the district. Then what does he do? He does exactly that.”

It’s no secret Democrats are eyeing Cravaack’s seat. It was theirs for decades, after all, since back in 1946 when John Blatnik was first elected to the U.S. House. Oberstar, a fellow native of Chisholm, replaced Blatnik. Minnesota’s 8th District turned red two years ago when Cravaack was elected, one of 84 Republican freshmen buoyed by the Tea Party.

Democrats need to recapture 25 seats this year to win back control of the House. They see Cravaack as vulnerable. And now they have their attack strategy.

Only one problem.

No matter what anyone may have predicted, Cravaack has been spending far more than a day a week back home in Minnesota, working with constituents and staying in touch with their needs and challenges. In 2011, he spent 164 days in Minnesota’s 8th District, or more than three days a week, according to the pages of the congressman’s official calendar and schedule, access to which was granted exclusively to the News Tribune Opinion page. Cravaack spent another 139 “voting days” in Washington, D.C., and 19 other days working at various spots around the world.

He spent only 11 days in 2011 in New Hampshire, including Dec. 23 and Christmas Eve. His family regularly spends time with him in Minnesota, too, he said in an interview.

“That’s the job, to reach out to people in the 8th District,” Cravaack said. “But it’s good. We’re making it work. My wife is making it work for us.”

Cravaack’s 43 days off in 2011 compares to the 120 days away from work most wage-slave Americans enjoy in any given year, including Saturdays, Sundays, two weeks of vacation time and six major holidays.

That isn’t suggesting Cravaack works harder than anyone else — or that he’s more committed to his constituents back home than others elected to Washington, D.C.

In fact, the number of days Cravaack spends in Washington and back home in Minnesota is quite similar to the Northland’s other representatives in D.C., namely U.S. Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar. Like Cravaack, they’re in Washington when in session. For the senators that tallied 170 days last year.

Klobuchar spent another 181 days of 2011 back home in Minnesota, her office reported in response to a request from the Opinion page.

“Every senator has to balance being at home with their work to represent their state in Washington,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “Every year I visit all of Minnesota’s 87 counties because it gives me the opportunity to meet with people in every corner of our state. While I would always rather be at home in Minnesota, I have a duty to the people of our state to turn their ideas and concerns into action in Washington.”

Franken spent 160 days in Minnesota in 2011, his office said.

“My favorite thing about being a senator is getting to meet with so many folks back home,” Franken said, also in a statement. “Some of the best legislation that I’ve sponsored comes from ideas that were expressed during meetings I held in Minnesota. Sometimes there are weeks that I’m dragging from long days in the Senate. But when I get off the plane in Minnesota, I am always re-energized about who I’m going to see and what I’m going to learn throughout the state.”

Cravaack long has maintained that his role as a congressman is an extension of his service in the military. The demands and sacrifice are similar — and familiar, said Cravaack, who also grew accustomed to long stretches away from home and away from his family as a commercial airline pilot for Northwest.

“My wife was in management for Northwest for (seven) years, so she gets it,” Cravaack said. “What we’re doing now really isn’t that much different from what our life was before.”

Life changed profoundly for the Cravaack family after the 2010 election.

It changed again about nine months later when Cravaack’s two boys, then 7 and 10, were playing and the older boy banged his head. He lost consciousness and suffered a seizure. An ambulance had to be called.

And a decision had to be made. The boys and their mother moved to New Hampshire near where she worked as an executive for a Danish pharmaceutical company. While Dad bounced between Washington, Minnesota and elsewhere, the rest of the family would be near each other all the time.

In Washington, Cravaack sleeps on an air mattress in his office. His days start at 6:15 a.m. in the gym. He typically starts work by 8 a.m. or 8:15 a.m. He generally doesn’t stop until about 11 p.m. Then he sleeps with his cell phone turned on next to his bed.

Asked about critics who suggest he has abandoned his district, Cravaack said he tunes it out.

Of course, considering the numbers, maybe the critics need to try a different tact.

“It’s rhetoric, and I pretty much ignore rhetoric. I concentrate on what my job is,” he said. “It’s a privilege and it’s an honor to serve. It truly is. We just have to get past the monikers of Democrats and Republicans and work together.”

“The Patriot Program is about staying on offense by building strong and winning campaigns against Democrats and their agenda that bankrupts our nation,” said Chairman Sessions. “Patriot members have demonstrated the leadership and ability to wage aggressive campaigns based on rigorous goals and proven strategies for victory. I’m very proud of these Patriot members who are leading the fight for victory in 2012.”

Established in 2009, the Patriot Program empowers incumbent Members to build strong campaigns through measured benchmarks and accountability, including for fundraising, communications and grassroots organization. Patriot Program members can define strengths, address challenges early and build iron-clad campaigns for re-election.

“Every Member prepared for victory in November will strengthen a House Republican Majority that is committed to the American people’s priorities of cutting spending, reducing debt and creating jobs,” said Deputy Chairman Walden. “An iron-clad campaign spells defeat for Democrats vying to return Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, and I applaud the Patriot members for taking on the challenge of controlling the competitiveness of their races through the strength of their own campaigns.”

The NRCC is announcing the following Members as participants in the Patriot Program:

To find out more click here.

In 2010, 40 Members successfully completed the Patriot Program, enabling the NRCC to focus 98.5 percent of Independent Expenditure resources on defeating Democrats to win the majority in the House of Representatives.

Cravaack greets soldiers’ returning from deployment in Middle East

“I had the great privilege of welcoming the Minnesota National Guard ‘Red Bulls’ home from their deployment in Iraq and Kuwait. When I attended the deployment ceremony last year in Pine City, Lt. Col. Frizzell told me, ‘I’ll bring them all home.’ True to his word, the first thing the Lt. Col. said to me walking down the steps of the aircraft was, ‘I brought them all home.’ Thank you soldiers and your families for your service and great sacrifice,” said Rep. Cravaack.

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