Robert Bennett

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I was present at a hearing on the issue of terrorism and raised the question of domestic terrorism, specifically in terms of information that is put on the Internet by groups that are opposed to fur farming; that is, opposed to the raising of animals for their fur. On the Internet, these groups describe how to build a bomb for the purpose of destroying a fur farm.

Mr. BENNETT. Will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. BENNETT. I thank the Senator.

Mr. BENNETT. I will finish my question. This group opposed to fur farming put on the Internet a description of how to build a bomb to blow up, say, a mink farm. They did say in their Internet thing, make sure no animal, including a human, is present in the building when you blow it up. I ask the Senator from California if, in her opinion, her amendment would make that kind of information on the Internet subject to Federal prosecution?

Mr. BENNETT. It was my understanding the Senator from Michigan yielded to the Senator from California.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, do I have the floor?

Mr. BENNETT. I will not prolong this particular debate about depots, but I was passing through and heard it going on and could not resist the opportunity to make some comments about it. The issue clearly will be debated at greater length and I will have more statistics and information at that time. The point I want to make in this context has to do with the issues raised by the Senator from Georgia and the Senator from Oklahoma regarding readiness and capability in the depots. It is the corrosive effect of a depot operating at less than full capacity or even approaching full capacity. If I may, I will share with the Senate my experience at Hill Air Force Base where we have the air logistics depot that was rated No. 1 during the last BRAC process. Let it be understood there were five depots that BRAC looked at, and according to the ratings that were given these depots, Hill Air Force Base was rated No. 1, McClellan Air Force Base which BRAC said should be closed was rated No. 5, and Kelly Air Force Base, which BRAC said should be closed was rated No. 4. However, the expected shift of workload from Kelly and McClellan to the surviving three has not taken place. At the Hill Air Force Base they are now down to about 52 percent of capacity. There has been a lot of conversation here about how inefficient and expensive that is. I agree with all that conversation. It is ineffecient and expensive. But it is more corrosive than that in terms of what it is doing to the personnel on whom we will depend at some point for support if there is a war. The work force at Hill is aging. As people leave, they are not replaced. Why should they be--the capacity of the base is not being used, so as attrition comes along and people leave, they are not replaced. The people who are looking toward retirement in the next 5 to 10 years recognize they will not be replaced if this capacity problem is not solved. Their morale is down. When they speak to the people in the surrounding community who might want to apply for jobs, be trained and acquire the expertise that we will need, the present folk tell them, quite understandably and logically, ``Don't bother. Don't come to work here. The Air Force has no loyalty to its personnel. The Air Force has no loyalty to this depot. They have done everything they can to close the depot by keeping work spread out at other depots around the country.'' The time will come, and it will come relatively soon in terms of international defense issues, that is, within the next 5 to 10 years, when we will not have a work force at all. These people will have retired, they will have left, no one will have come in to be trained, and the Air Force will suddenly sit there and say, who can we get to do this work at virtually any price, at any place? Depots do not manage themselves. It takes people. Problems do not get solved by facilities, it takes people. The process the Air Force is following in this privatization in place procedure is corrosive and destructive of not only the morale but the skills of the people at each one of these depots. We would not have this problem at Hill Air Force Base if Hill Air Force Base were operating at 75, 80 or 85 percent of capacity. People would be busy doing productive, worthwhile things. Now they are painting rocks--not literally, but figuratively. I have been in the Army. I know what happens when the drill sergeant has you for the afternoon and has nothing for you to do. He requires that you go out in front of the barracks and pick up all the rocks and paint them and then put them back. That is not a really good morale experience to go through. I have gone through that. I think just about anybody who has gone through training in the American military has had that kind of experience from time to time. You want to spend your time in worthwhile activities, in real training, but they have you for the afternoon, they do not have anything for you to do, and military life being what it is, they will not let you go, so the top sergeant has you out there painting rocks. Well, figuratively, many of the people at Hill Air Force Base are drawing their full salary, charging the taxpayer the full cost, but they are painting rocks. Why? Because the work they should be doing is still being done on the bases that the BRAC ordered to be closed. We can talk about the price, we can talk about the money that is being wasted, we can talk about the inefficiency, but we should not lose sight of the corrosive impact on the morale, the expertise and the ultimate future of the work force that will be necessary to keep this country alive and strong in the defense in the future. I hope the members of the Armed Services Committee who address this issue keep this in mind, along with all of the other issues. We are arguing about jobs and where they will be. We are arguing about dollars and where they will be spent. However, we are in an exercise created by the Air Force's refusal to abide by the requirements of BRAC, that is terribly corrosive of the work force, and ultimately the readiness capacity of this Nation. It is very difficult to measure but that does not mean it is not real. It is very difficult to pin down in specifics, but that does not mean it is not serious. It is real. It is serious. It is going on, and the BRAC process must be implemented as quickly as possible in order to stop it.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I spoke on this amendment this morning when the bill was under consideration. So I will not repeat most of my arguments at this point. It is stimulated by a report this morning from the Secretary of Defense, which indicates that the Chinese Precision Machinery Import-Export Corp. has exported multiple versions of the C- 802 missiles to Iran. I have notified the Senate in the past that this company has exported to Iran this particular missile for use first on ships, then for land-based operations, and today with Secretary Cohen's announcement we find that the missile will be made available to the Iranians--indeed, is available to the Iranians for use from the air. It can be fired either from an attacker or a helicopter. This is a reproduction from the Chinese promotional material that was used to sell this missile. One of the officers quoted in the briefing that the Secretary of Defense gave this morning said, with the addition of the air capability, the 15,000 American service men and women in the gulf now face a 360-degree threat from land, from sea, and from air. To demonstrate the power of the missile involved here, I remind the Senate that an Exocet missile 10 years ago struck the U.S.S. Stark and killed 37 American sailors. This missile is a more modern, more powerful, and more deadly version. Mr. President, I have been pressing the administration on this issue since the first of this year, having asked questions of Secretary Albright and submitting letters to Secretary Albright. All I have received is a comment from the State Department that they will ``monitor'' the situation. Mr. President, that is simply not good enough. There are 15,000 American service men and women within the range of these missiles in the Persian Gulf, and we need to stop this trade and stop it now. There is an ability to do this under what is called the Gore-McCain Act, which gives the President the opportunity to put sanctions on companies that violate the law and says you will not export this kind of weaponry to Iran. My amendment urges the administration to enforce the Gore-McCain Act and is nothing more complicated than that. With that, Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I have no objection to that request. It is my understanding that the Senator from Alabama has a unanimous- consent request.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I have, but I will remain for questions, if there are any. It is my understanding that the Senator from Alabama has a request for 5 minutes of morning business, for which I yield the floor so that he can make that request. But if the Senator from Maryland wishes to ask questions about my amendment, I will be happy to remain on the floor and respond.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I yield the floor. Mr. SARBANES addressed the Chair.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, if I may, Mr. President, I would like to take just a few minutes on a related but different subject. We have been talking about blowing people up here this morning with landmines. I would not intrude on that debate with another issue, except that it is hot off the press this morning. Secretary Cohen has revealed that Chinese military companies have exported a dangerous new weapon to Iran. I have discussed this weapon on the floor before. But this is a dangerous new development, and I would like to call the attention of Senators to what Secretary Cohen has revealed this morning. We have here a drawing of the C-802 antishipping cruise missile that is designed by the Chinese on the basis of the Exocet missile. Here is a picture of the U.S.S. Stark that was struck by an Exocet missile 10 years ago, in which 37 American sailors were killed. The Stark was out of commission for a full year. Ten years later, the C-802 is considered to be a more lethal weapon than the one that struck the Stark. Here is a picture of a Chinese freighter, on the fantail of which they have loaded five missile boats which are being sent to Iran, each one of them with missile launchers, and four tubes that can be used against American shipping in the gulf. I have shown this picture to the Senate before. I have also shown this next picture to the Senate, a land-based C-802 which has been exported to Iran by Chinese companies. This morning Secretary Cohen told us that Chinese companies have added a final dimension to their export. We have a picture from the Chinese sales brochure of a helicopter equipped with the C-802, and the Chinese sales brochure says: ``Air to Ship. The air-launched C-802, named C-801K, can be adapted to aircraft such as attackers and helicopters.'' This picture out of the sales brochure shows this missile as it has been exported to Iran. Mr. President, there is a law against this kind of thing. It is called the Gore-McCain Act. Secretary Cohen now says that because of the actions of Chinese companies, Iranian forces can threaten American servicemen and women literally from 360 degrees--land, water, and now air. I intend to offer an amendment to the underlying legislation that we will take up in just a few moments calling upon the administration to enforce the Gore-McCain Act against those Chinese companies that are exporting this technology to Iran in violation of American law. The Secretary of State has already invoked the other sanctions laws by bringing sanctions against Chinese companies that have exported poison gas to Iran. I want to, here, now, apply that same principle to the exportation of these missiles. Again, Mr. President, I would not intrude on this debate on landmines with this information if it had not just come up this morning with Secretary Cohen's announcement that this export has taken place and that the dangerous new weapon is now has a dangerous new dimension in Iran. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record various press releases on this subject.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, could I have 5 minutes from either side to both speak to this issue and raise one other related issue?

Mr. BENNETT. Absolutely. I appreciate the courtesy of the Senator. Mr. KERREY addressed the Chair.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I congratulate the Senator from Nebraska and the Senator from Vermont for their leadership on this issue. I ask unanimous consent that I be added to the bill as an original cosponsor.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I thank the Chair and I thank the two Senators.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the remarks of Senator Dorgan, the Senate stand in recess until the hour of 3 p.m. today.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Dutch John Privatization Act of 1997 with my colleague from Utah, Senator Hatch. I want to explain to my colleagues the history of this community. The town of Dutch John, UT, was established in 1958 by the Bureau of Reclamation to house personnel and equipment during the construction of the Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir on the Green River. During this construction period, the town housed over 2,000 people. After the completion of the dam, Dutch John continued to serve as the residence of approximately 175 people, including Federal Government employees and others associated with the Flaming Gorge Dam and Recreation Area. To this day, basic services for Dutch John, as well as the operative and administrative costs for the town, have been an unnecessary financial burden for the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Forest Service. The cost of providing the full range of community facilities and services--including that of the landlord for the town--have substantially risen over the years, approaching $1 million annually. The time has arrived to transfer the ownership and maintenance of this town into local hands. For several years, the involved Federal agencies have worked with Daggett County officials and residents in drafting a Dutch John privatization proposal that would protect all affected interests. The outcome of this process is the Dutch John Privatization Act of 1997. This legislation would provide for the transfer of selected Federal property into private ownership; dispose several residential units, public building and facilities; provide for a transition to local government administration and reduce long-term Federal expenditures. This legislation would transfer approximately 2,400 acres of land, identified by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation as no longer necessary to fulfill the agencies' mission, out of Federal ownership. Residents would have the ability to purchase the homes they currently rent from the Bureau of Reclamation at fair market value. Federal agencies would retain ownership of identified needed facilities, including the U.S. Forest Service warehouse and office complex, the Bureau of Reclamation industrial complex, certain personnel housing and the heliport. As the Federal Government ceases to provide basic community services, such as roads, water, and sewer, local government would be required to assume these responsibilities. Daggett County would receive an annual grant from public power revenues, for 15 years, in order to offset the costs of transition while a traditional community tax base is created. This bill is a win-win situation. The Federal Government will initially save more than one-half million dollars per year, and after 15 years, will eliminate altogether an expensive obligation. Dutch John will be a self-sustaining community while providing necessary services for the 2 million people that visit the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area each year. After 25 years, Dutch John as a government-run town has become an anachronism. This legislation is in the best long-term interest of Federal, State, and local governments. I urge my colleagues to join me in saving the Federal Government the costs of administering the town of Dutch John while providing the means to start a community with a small- resort commercial base in one of the most remote parts of Utah.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Dutch John Privatization Act of 1997 with my colleague from Utah, Senator Hatch. I want to explain to my colleagues the history of this community. The town of Dutch John, UT, was established in 1958 by the Bureau of Reclamation to house personnel and equipment during the construction of the Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir on the Green River. During this construction period, the town housed over 2,000 people. After the completion of the dam, Dutch John continued to serve as the residence of approximately 175 people, including Federal Government employees and others associated with the Flaming Gorge Dam and Recreation Area. To this day, basic services for Dutch John, as well as the operative and administrative costs for the town, have been an unnecessary financial burden for the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Forest Service. The cost of providing the full range of community facilities and services--including that of the landlord for the town--have substantially risen over the years, approaching $1 million annually. The time has arrived to transfer the ownership and maintenance of this town into local hands. For several years, the involved Federal agencies have worked with Daggett County officials and residents in drafting a Dutch John privatization proposal that would protect all affected interests. The outcome of this process is the Dutch John Privatization Act of 1997. This legislation would provide for the transfer of selected Federal property into private ownership; dispose several residential units, public building and facilities; provide for a transition to local government administration and reduce long-term Federal expenditures. This legislation would transfer approximately 2,400 acres of land, identified by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation as no longer necessary to fulfill the agencies' mission, out of Federal ownership. Residents would have the ability to purchase the homes they currently rent from the Bureau of Reclamation at fair market value. Federal agencies would retain ownership of identified needed facilities, including the U.S. Forest Service warehouse and office complex, the Bureau of Reclamation industrial complex, certain personnel housing and the heliport. As the Federal Government ceases to provide basic community services, such as roads, water, and sewer, local government would be required to assume these responsibilities. Daggett County would receive an annual grant from public power revenues, for 15 years, in order to offset the costs of transition while a traditional community tax base is created. This bill is a win-win situation. The Federal Government will initially save more than one-half million dollars per year, and after 15 years, will eliminate altogether an expensive obligation. Dutch John will be a self-sustaining community while providing necessary services for the 2 million people that visit the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area each year. After 25 years, Dutch John as a government-run town has become an anachronism. This legislation is in the best long-term interest of Federal, State, and local governments. I urge my colleagues to join me in saving the Federal Government the costs of administering the town of Dutch John while providing the means to start a community with a small- resort commercial base in one of the most remote parts of Utah.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask that I be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes as if in morning business.