{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=350763", "Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 9.23.13", "2013-09-23", "2013", "2013-09", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Defunding Obamacare and Controlling Spending \nWith my support, on Friday, September 20, the House passed legislation known as a continuing resolution that prevents a government shutdown AND also prevents money from being spent by the federal government on the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).\u00a0 PPACA is also known as Obamacare.\nIt is my belief that the Senate ought to publicly acknowledge the negative impact that Obamacare will have on the American people and businesses, and join us in defunding Obamacare once and for all.\u00a0 Obamacare as written will not work.\u00a0 Senator Max Baucus, one of the law\u2019s chief architects, said that Obamacare will be a \u201chuge train wreck.\u201d\u00a0 In my opinion, it is the duty of the House and the Senate, if they see a trainwreck coming, to get the American people not only off the tracks, but well away from the prospective wreck.\u00a0 The House has done its work.\u00a0 It\u2019s now up to the Senate.\nAs this column is being written, this legislation\u2019s fate has yet to be determined by the Senate.\u00a0 No matter what your opinion is on Obamacare, you should let your Senators know how you feel.\u00a0 Their office numbers are:\n\n    \n        \n            \n            Senator Mark Warner\n            202-224-2023\n            \n            \n            Senator Tim Kaine\n            202-224-4024\n            \n        \n    \n\nThe War on Coal Continues\nAlso on Friday, September 20, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced greenhouse gas standards for new power plants, a regulation harsh enough to essentially ensure that we cannot build another coal-fired power plant here in the United States.\nSadly, our region is all too familiar with the impact of anti-coal policies like this.\u00a0 For the Ninth District of Virginia and other coal-producing regions, I strongly urge President Obama and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to declare a ceasefire in the war on coal and stop the regulatory assault on America\u2019s power sector, related businesses, and hard-working American people.\nTrees for Schools \u2013 An Update\nOver a century ago, the federal government promised rural communities that it would actively manage forest land to the communities\u2019 benefit, historically sharing around 25 percent of revenues from timber harvests with rural counties that contain National Forest Land.\u00a0 This money could be used in lieu of revenue these communities might otherwise have received from property taxes if the land were not owned by the federal government, and could be used to fund schools, teachers, police officers, etc.\u00a0 Recipients of these funds within the Ninth District of Virginia include the following counties: Alleghany, Bland, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Roanoke, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe.\nDue to federal regulations and environmental lawsuits, however, the Forest Service over the years has reduced the amount of federal forest land being timbered.\u00a0 In my opinion, this not only has destroyed jobs and deprived rural communities of needed revenue, but also is poor forest management, making the land more susceptible to invasive species and wildfires.\u00a0 Tragically, the House Natural Resources Committee states that wildfires burned 9.3 million acres last year alone.\nBadly needed is a long-term solution to improve forest health and management, fulfill the federal government\u2019s promise to rural communities, and grow jobs.\u00a0 To that end, the House Natural Resources Committee over the last several months has worked to advance H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act.\u00a0 This legislation would promote responsible timber production, improve state and local involvement, and restore the federal government\u2019s commitment to rural communities.\u00a0 This should mean more money for Southwest Virginia localities.\nI am an original cosponsor of this legislation, which recently passed the House with my support.\u00a0 Similar legislation recently passed the Senate.\u00a0 I will continue monitoring the progress of this legislation, and working to promote healthier forests and get residents of the Ninth District\u2019s rural communities back to work. As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671.\u00a0 To reach my office by email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=350763"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8324971422553062, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}