John Chafee

Mr. CHAFEE

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

Mr. CHAFEE. Thank you. First, although it is not explicitly referenced in the wording of the amendment whether its terms would apply to rail corridors that already are railbanked, and which already have been transferred from the railroad to the railbanking agency, it is my understanding that your amendment does not apply to corridors where a notice or certificate of interim trail use under section 1247(d) of title 23, United States Code, already has been issued by the Surface Transportation Board. The amendment only will be applied prospectively. Am I correct in my understanding?

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, the purpose of the amendment offered by my colleague from Kansas is to provide clear opportunities for local input into the railbanking process where section 8(d) of the National Trails System Act is invoked. The National Trails System Act provides for the preservation of otherwise abandoned rail corridors through interim use as trails. In short, it has allowed railroads wishing to abandon a line to enter into a voluntary agreement with a trail-managing agency, to turn the abandoned right-of-way into a trail for bicycling, walking, snowmobiling, horseback riding and the like. Railbanking is a complex and sensitive issue that is in the jurisdiction of the Senate Energy and Commerce Committees. I am pleased that Senator Brownback has worked with the Chairman and ranking members of both of these committees and with the National Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to come to an agreement that does not limit the development of rail trails or detract from the good work done by the railbanking program.

Mr. CHAFEE. He certainly is. Why don't you go ahead, and we will try to round up the Senator from Iowa. Amendment No. 1968 to Amendment No. 1963 (Purpose: To prohibit extension of inequitable ethanol subsidies)

Mr. CHAFEE. Thank you. Now, it is my understanding that this amendment does not, in any way, amend existing abandonment proceedings as regulated under the Interstate Commerce Act. Is that correct?

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Michigan for his kind comments about the work we did. He is right; he can clearly be labeled persistent, and he worked very hard on this. He represents his State with great vigor; I can testify to that. And he can be satisfied with what was accomplished here. So I congratulate him for the work he did.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, the Senator from Michigan is quite right; this amendment is acceptable at this time.

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

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, this amendment is acceptable to this side.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. The requirement that they file an amendment. We have dealt with some 200 amendments. That, it seems to me, pretty well covers the field. So I would not have hurt feelings if there were no amendments filed by 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. CHAFEE. I hope everybody does not feel----

Mr. CHAFEE. Tomorrow, the Senate, Madam President, will be in a period of morning business from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., by a previous order, the Senate will proceed to a rollcall vote on the McCain amendment to S. 1173, the so-called ISTEA II legislation. Following that vote, the Senate will attempt to complete action on the bill. In addition, the Senate may begin the consideration of S. 414, the international shipping bill, and H.R. 2646, the A-plus education bill. Therefore, Members should anticipate a busy voting day with votes occurring into the early evening.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CHAFEE. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be agreed to.

Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, Senator Roth has an amendment to the resolution at the desk. I ask for its consideration.

Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar No. 319, S. Res. 174.

Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, I understand there is an amendment at the desk to the preamble.

Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; that the motions to reconsider the above actions be laid upon the table; and, finally, that any statements regarding this legislation appear at the appropriate place in the Record.

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

Mr. CHAFEE. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, as amended.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 12, 1998, and that immediately following the prayer, the routine requests through the morning hour be granted and the Senate begin a period for the transaction of morning business until the hour of 10:30 a.m. with Senators permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes each, with the following exceptions: Senator Dorgan, 15 minutes; Senator Leahy, 15 minutes.

Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, I also ask unanimous consent that at 10:30 a.m. the Senate resume consideration of S. 1173, the highway bill, and immediately proceed to a vote on or in relation to the McCain amendment No. 1726 regarding demonstration projects.

Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, I further ask unanimous consent that Members have until the hour of 10 a.m. to file first-degree amendments to S. 1173.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, as amended; that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; and that any statements relating to the bill appear at the appropriate place in the Record.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 11, 1998, at 2:30 p.m. in open session, to receive testimony on U.S. national security space programs and policies and the Department of Defense budget request for fiscal year 1999 and the future years Defense program.