Barbara Boxer

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I yield back all time.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I just wish to ask if it is possible, by unanimous consent, to permit Senator Carper to speak for 2 minutes to discuss an issue Senator Hutchison addressed before. I would ask unanimous consent if we could take a break from the voting.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I just have to say Senator Paul's amendment is a broad overreach that would endanger the health and safety of the people he represents, whom I represent, and every Senator represents. What I have is essentially a side-by-side amendment that encourages and tells the agencies the Senate supports a very speedy process, which is already in the law, to review and approve health and environmental protections when we have to rebuild. The current law is flexible. If we look at the reconstruction of the bridge in Minnesota, everybody knows what happened there. It collapsed in August 2007, and the bridge was completely replaced by September 2008, without these Draconian types of measures that my friend puts forward. In other words, he is looking for a problem. The fact is we were able to see that bridge rebuilt in 1 year. That is amazing. No environmental laws were waived. People worked and made sure they all were expedited. So there is a difference between expediting a review, which we support. As a matter of fact, the underlying bill is very strong on that. We expedite reviews without giving up anything for the people. They can still make sure their rights are protected. Let's say a highway is washed away in a flood. If we were to follow Senator Paul's advice on his amendment, we would virtually have no studies to take a look at whether it makes more sense to rebuild it perhaps just a few feet away from where it washed out. It might avoid then the cascade of water that washed away in the first place. We may have a situation where they are rebuilding a bridge and as they put the foundation in they find out, through these studies--because they perhaps were never done before--these bridges are old, that there is a drinking water aquifer right below so if you move that a few feet, you resolve the problem. What is the point in not having information and making a huge mistake and rebuilding? We had a situation right here from an earthquake where we learned so much after the bridge collapsed; that if we used different materials, for example, it would withstand the next earthquake better. We do have earthquakes all the time, unfortunately, in our great State of California. So it is an overreach. It is radical. We don't want to waive all the protective laws that protect the drinking water of our people, that protect the environment. So I hope we will vote against the Paul amendment--I think it is very important to do that--and support my amendment, which basically is very clear and tells agencies they should use the most efficient and speedy process under the law to review and approve health and environmental protections. The bottom line is our underlying bill already includes significant bipartisan reforms that will ensure accelerated project delivery, including limiting the number of steps needed to clear a project for construction, easy and early coordination between agencies to avoid delays, incentives for accelerating the project delivery decisions. Amendment 1556, this amendment by Rand Paul, walks away from this bipartisan approach. It launches a sweeping attack on Federal and State health and environmental safeguards. When we need to rebuild a project and it involves toxic materials such as lead and asbestos, they have to be handled and disposed of properly to protect public health. Waiving all these Federal and State reviews endangers our people, and I hope we will vote no on amendment No. 1556 and yes on amendment No. 1816. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BOXER. I ask my friend to withdraw the request.

Mrs. BOXER. First of all, Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to call up Boxer amendment No. 1816, and I ask the clerk report the amendment by number.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I want to say to the Senator from Vermont, first of all, thank you for all of his hard work on the Environment and Public Works Committee. The Senator focuses on jobs like a laser beam. Yes, the Senator is correct. The intent is that this provision would apply to all open disasters which would include the States which were pummeled by Hurricane Irene last year.

Mrs. BOXER. I ask unanimous consent the McCain amendment No. 1669, as modified, be withdrawn and the Shaheen amendment No. 1678 no longer be in order, as these issues were resolved in the managers' package last evening; further, that the Carper amendment No. 1670 and the Hutchison amendment No. 1568 no longer be in order as they no longer intend to offer these amendments.

Mrs. BOXER. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that there be 2 minutes equally divided prior to each vote and all after the first vote be 10- minute votes.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, can I ask, what is the amendment pending before the body? Amendment No. 1810

Mrs. BOXER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, we have two choices on how to handle rebuilding and maintaining infrastructure, whether it occurs after an emergency or is just in the stream of regular maintenance. What we have done in this bill is extraordinary, and I think everyone would admit we have speeded up the approval process for all construction in the underlying bill. This was a hot issue. Senator Inhofe and I were coming from different places, but we reached strong agreement, and what we said in our amendment No. 1816 is that we encourage and support what we have done in the underlying bill and tell the agencies that after a disaster to move as fast as they can while protecting the people. What Senator Paul does in his amendment, it doesn't apply just after a disaster, it is anytime. So you could be fixing any problem that involves the most toxic materials and all the laws are waived. It is an overreach. It is radical. I would urge an ``aye'' vote on the Boxer amendment and a ``no'' vote on the Paul amendment.

Mrs. BOXER. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. BOXER. Colleagues, I think we are now at the last amendment, so please hear me out. If you care about your constituency, you have to vote no on this amendment. The implication is that the Senator is waiving environmental rules, health and safety rules, after a disaster. It is not true. Read the amendment. It is any kind of reconstruction for any safety purpose. If you have a bridge in your great State that is over 50 years old, it has lead and it has asbestos. Every health and safety reg that deals with the safe disposal of just those two toxins--let alone PCBs and others--they are waived. One little speck of asbestos in your lungs and you know what could happen. This is an overreach. In the base bill, in the underlying bill, Senator Inhofe and I have expedited reviews dramatically. We came together on it. It was tough negotiation. Stick with us and please vote no on this dangerous amendment. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I raise a point of order that the pending amendment violates section 311(a)(2)(A) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

Mrs. BOXER. Yes. I raise a point of order that the pending amendment violates section 311(a)(2)(A) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I move to reconsider and to lay that motion on the table.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I simply want to thank both leaders for their kind remarks. Really, I have to say that Senator Inhofe and I and our staffs really became a close family as we worked through this bill. I am so moved by the way we were able to come together, all of us. Even those on the other side and this side who had amendments that were tough, it was difficult, but we got through it. I urge a resounding ``aye'' vote. I know you will not agree with everything, but we tried to work with each one of you. I urge a strong ``aye'' vote. Let's get the House to pass our bill. This is a jobs bill, and 2.8 million jobs hang in the balance.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 14, 2012, at 2:45 p.m., in room SC 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Nominations.''

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 14, 2012, at 10 a.m., to hold a hearing entitled, ``Sudan and South Sudan: Independence and Insecurity.''

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 14, 2012, at 3 p.m.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 14, 2012, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Raising the Bar for Congress: Reform Proposals for the 21st Century.''

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I thank the Chair. I wanted Members to know about the order. It is likely that several of these will not require votes. I think we will expect at least between, I would say, three and five votes. I think that is a fair indication of where we are going. I will be back to discuss those amendments at the proper time. I yield the floor.