Pete Domenici

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there be a period for the transaction of routine morning business until 2 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. I appreciate the Senator from Utah's concerns. I would be happy to work with him to resolve this issue. Rodeo Lake

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Indiana, the very distinguished Senator from Indiana. I thank him personally for accommodating us today. I think he does make a point, and maybe he should not give up, because it seems to me, with a little bit of negotiation--this catches some people by surprise--but we have cleared that very bill--well, it was an amendment when we cleared it. We had taken it to the House and had trouble in the House with it. Clearly, we haven't had problems in the Senate. The situation is such that somebody can talk on it and not let us vote. The distinguished Senator from Indiana agrees with the Senator from New Mexico--and I thank him for that--that we ought to proceed and finish this bill. That is what he has done. I very much appreciate it, and the Senate appreciates it.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, we have one amendment that is working its way through the clearance process, but it has not been cleared yet. Having said that, it is my understanding that there is no amendment pending at this point, is that correct, Mr. President?

Mr. DOMENICI. I concur with the Senator from Nevada's understanding of the current circumstances regarding the status of that contract. I understand the Department of Energy has engaged in a rigorous review to determine at what price and for what period of time it should enter into such a contract.

Mr. DOMENICI. I concur with the Senator from Vermont as to the importance of the Vermont gasifier. I concur that it would be desirable to provide funds for that project. In conference, as we reach agreement with the House on the allocation of funds for Biomass, I will work to provide that funding.

Mr. DOMENICI. Yes, the Senator is correct. In Fiscal Year 1998 and 1999 we included funding for the Remote Power Initiative to support deployment of solar, wind, fuel cell, biomass, and other energy technologies in remote areas to address their energy challenges. Last year, you highlighted the energy demands and environmental constraints of ski area operations as one example of this problem facing remote areas. As you noted, ski areas in Vermont were one of the leading sources of NOx emissions due to use of inefficient and polluting diesel engines for operations. This is the kind of problem the subcommittee had in mind when proposing the Remote Power Initiative.

Mr. DOMENICI. I thank the Senator from Arkansas for his comments. The Senator is correct. The Subcommittee had great difficulty in providing funds for several needed and worthwhile projects. I understand the importance and national significance of the Grand Prairie Project and pledge my support in conference for Grand Prairie if there are sufficient resources.

Mr. DOMENICI. The Committee understands the importance of this project and will work in Conference to see what develops.

Mr. DOMENICI. I thank the Senator from Rhode Island for his continued interest and involvement in the Devils Lake matter. The answer to both of the Senator's questions is ``no.'' The bill language that you cited, which was originally negotiated by the two of us, Senator Bond and our colleagues from North Dakota last year, would be fully applicable. The committee report does not waive NEPA, the Boundary Waters Treaty or any of the other conditions found in the bill language. In summary, the Executive Branch would need to fulfill the economic and technical justifications, the reporting and budgeting requirements, as well as the NEPA and Boundary Waters Treaty terms, before any of the appropriated funds can be expended for outlet construction. The report language signals our expectation that the Executive Branch would make full use of the emergency provision currently available under NEPA and that all steps would be taken to expeditiously fulfill the requirements of the Boundary Waters Treaty in the event that rising lake levels warrant accelerated construction of the outlet.

Mr. DOMENICI. The Senator is correct.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. I say to the Senator, I don't think you need unanimous consent.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, let me say to Senator Allard and to the people of your State, because the community of interests have come together--and much of that is attributable to your leadership--we are now able to say to all of the country that we finally have one of these sites that must be cleaned up, that has a date, a date certain, that it will be cleaned up. Now, that is a rarity. If the American people knew how long it takes us to clean up one of these sites because of a variety of reasons--some of which are not very good, yet we are stuck with them--they would be delighted, as I am, that we now have one that can be cleaned up and completed and we can say this is part of history in that area, and the surrounding communities are rid of this waste. We saw that daylight, and we put in extra money. We are not apologetic in a tight budget year to say we put more in because we have to have some successes. We are busy spending our taxpayers dollars in projects of cleanup that we cannot even tell you will ever get cleaned up. Some of the things causing that we can't even change here on the floor of the Senate unless we go back and undo State law and have more hearings and look at contracts. Maybe that ought to be done, because there is a bit of irrationality regarding some of the projects of cleanup that now turn out to be situations where, when the project was in full bloom and operating to produce whatever it was producing for the nuclear deterrent system, they had fewer workers then than they have cleaning up. The Senator probably found that in his research as he familiarized himself with this particular dilemma. I am very pleased that people like you went to the community and clearly indicated that there aren't a lot of options. If they don't want to let some of these things happen, it will all stay there. You told me that. You took the lead in convincing many people that those who didn't want one thing done, unless it was absolutely beyond perfection, with no possible risks involved for anyone or anything, that we wouldn't move a bit of this waste under those conditions. I laud you for that. I am glad we found money to put in to take care of it quickly.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, we want to say to the leadership of the Senator's community there in his State, at least you understand we don't have a clean project that is going to go on forever. We are not past that stage in some areas. Some people think that paychecks by the hundreds of millions ought to be coming on for another 100 years. I don't know how we are going to be able to do that. Costs will keep going up. We have to find some satisfactory ways, with our intelligence, science, and innovation, to do some of these things better. That is what is happening there. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, it is a pleasure to join with Senator Kennedy in support of the PRIME Act, ``Program for Investment in Micro- Entrepreneurs Act of 1998.'' Starting one's own business is a part of the American dream. There are thousands of creative and hardworking men and women who believe they have a solid idea for building a new business. The realities of beginning a business are that it takes more than luck, hard labor, and dedication to make it work. There are often overwhelming obstacles for would-be small and micro entrepreneurs, due in part of the complexity of local, state and federal laws, the necessity of understanding the intricacies of marketing, feasibility studies, and bookkeeping practices, as well as finding a source for capital. Entrepreneurs usually need basic assistance to bring their idea to a viable business enterprise. They need training, technical assistance, and mentoring. Under this bill grants will be available through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, matched at least 50 percent in non-federal funds, to help experienced non-profit organizations provide the assistance these new businesses so urgently require. Fifty percent of these grants will be awarded to applicants serving low-income clients, and those serving equally both urban and rural areas. From so many case studies and histories of successful businesses, we know that enthusiastic entrepreneurs can sustain and build their businesses when these organizations are available to provide critical training and professional, technical assistance. I have had the pleasure of visiting countless new micro-level businesses in my State of New Mexico, a great majority of whom received assistance from the very competent WEEST Corp organization, now located in five different sites throughout our State. This organization not only provides key technical assistance and training and access to low interest revolving loans, but it also provides mentoring and information about sound business practices to ensure their creative ideas become viable business entities. Micro and small businesses are an absolutely critical component of our national economic growth. The Small Business Administration, for example, lends excellent support to entrepreneurs. At the small time, the PRIME Act will establish a complimentary program by enabling intermediary organizations to serve a more micro-level entrepreneurs who need specialized and hands-on assistance. This is a good investment for the future, and will be returned many fold by the creation of businesses that can contribute to the growth of the family, local, and national economies. There are many success stories we can all point to about the business that began with an idea and eventually grew into a major global corporation. It all began with the basic tenacity of a businessman, woman, or family. We have no way of knowing how many more such success stories will be told in the future. It is guaranteed, however, that there are thousands of such extraordinary entrepreneurs willing to provide the ideas and hard labor to make it happen, and with a little help, they will be successful. Again, I am pleased to join Senator Kennedy in cosponsoring the PRIME Act. Whatever we can do to assist who want to be self-reliant, successful entrepreneurs, with a piece of the American dream, is an investment well worth taking.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, it is a pleasure to join with Senator Kennedy in support of the PRIME Act, ``Program for Investment in Micro- Entrepreneurs Act of 1998.'' Starting one's own business is a part of the American dream. There are thousands of creative and hardworking men and women who believe they have a solid idea for building a new business. The realities of beginning a business are that it takes more than luck, hard labor, and dedication to make it work. There are often overwhelming obstacles for would-be small and micro entrepreneurs, due in part of the complexity of local, state and federal laws, the necessity of understanding the intricacies of marketing, feasibility studies, and bookkeeping practices, as well as finding a source for capital. Entrepreneurs usually need basic assistance to bring their idea to a viable business enterprise. They need training, technical assistance, and mentoring. Under this bill grants will be available through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, matched at least 50 percent in non-federal funds, to help experienced non-profit organizations provide the assistance these new businesses so urgently require. Fifty percent of these grants will be awarded to applicants serving low-income clients, and those serving equally both urban and rural areas. From so many case studies and histories of successful businesses, we know that enthusiastic entrepreneurs can sustain and build their businesses when these organizations are available to provide critical training and professional, technical assistance. I have had the pleasure of visiting countless new micro-level businesses in my State of New Mexico, a great majority of whom received assistance from the very competent WEEST Corp organization, now located in five different sites throughout our State. This organization not only provides key technical assistance and training and access to low interest revolving loans, but it also provides mentoring and information about sound business practices to ensure their creative ideas become viable business entities. Micro and small businesses are an absolutely critical component of our national economic growth. The Small Business Administration, for example, lends excellent support to entrepreneurs. At the small time, the PRIME Act will establish a complimentary program by enabling intermediary organizations to serve a more micro-level entrepreneurs who need specialized and hands-on assistance. This is a good investment for the future, and will be returned many fold by the creation of businesses that can contribute to the growth of the family, local, and national economies. There are many success stories we can all point to about the business that began with an idea and eventually grew into a major global corporation. It all began with the basic tenacity of a businessman, woman, or family. We have no way of knowing how many more such success stories will be told in the future. It is guaranteed, however, that there are thousands of such extraordinary entrepreneurs willing to provide the ideas and hard labor to make it happen, and with a little help, they will be successful. Again, I am pleased to join Senator Kennedy in cosponsoring the PRIME Act. Whatever we can do to assist who want to be self-reliant, successful entrepreneurs, with a piece of the American dream, is an investment well worth taking.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. This is a good bill we passed. It has a lot of interesting and needed policy decisions, projects and programs. We will have a very difficult conference with the House because they have some noticeably different priorities, especially when it comes to spending more money on water projects than we were able to spend. There will be less on research on DOE's nondefense research projects. But, overall, I am most particularly pleased with the nuclear part of this bill, for nuclear research, which we have five or six more new nuclear research projects, three that the President asked for, three that we asked for. You know, the United States is very much behind the world on matters of nuclear power and nuclear science and nuclear engineering. Frankly, the world is moving in that direction. We were the beginners. We were the ones who started it. We were heralded as the world's most knowledgeable and efficient, and we are going to play some catchup, but catch up we will do, in the next decade, because nuclear power and nuclear energy will come back in the world. Whether America makes policy decisions sufficiently to give it a chance or not, only time will tell. But some decisions of the past 20 years, with reference to nuclear activities, have been about as inconsistent with what is happening in the world as anything anyone could imagine, based on wrong premises, expecting action in the world that never occurred. Those things are going to have to be debated. A few of them start to move here. But, over the long run, there will be very significant debate about what happens to nuclear power and nuclear activities in the United States. Right alongside that, while all that is going on that I have described, be it negative or however one would categorize it, clearly the Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship, which we are using in lieu of any further underground testing to protect our nuclear arsenal and make sure it is safe and trustworthy, is generating some of the most exciting new physics and science of anything going on in the world. Indeed, our great scientists and engineers are producing instrumentation, computerization, and new methods of looking inside of nuclear bombs to see what is really going on so we can replace the right parts, since we do not make any new ones. This is all very exciting and is adding a great dimension of science activity while a very valuable thing is being done for our country. Expensive it may be, but the right thing, without question, it is. With that, more will be said during the year on those issues. I thank, in conclusion, my ranking member, Senator Reid. I believe between us we not only work well together but I think we have helped each other make this bill a better bill. For that, I am very grateful to the Senator from Nevada, and I thank him very much. I yield the floor.

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

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 2727 previously agreed to be modified with the changes now at the desk. We made an error in where we put a number and we are just correcting it to what it ought to be.

Mr. DOMENICI. The USEC privatization legislation sets a cut-off at the date of privatization. Environmental liabilities that occur after the date of privatization--when USEC is no longer government owned--are not the responsibility of the Federal government. Liabilities incurred prior to that date--when USEC is government owned--remain the responsibility of the government.

Mr. DOMENICI. The Senator is correct, USEC does maintain a fund specifically earmarked for the cleanup of this material.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I have already stated for the Record and for the Senators what the situation is on this bill. The managers' staffs are working on a managers' wrap-up amendment, which we think we can have done by 2 o'clock. Senator Coats will be here to offer an amendment. There will be nothing we can do until 2 o'clock.

Mr. DOMENICI. Then the Senator can do whatever he wants--leave it in and we have a fight or take it out and we accept it. Mr. President, I am not committing that I will return in the conference with this fully funded. I don't know that I can do that. What I am suggesting is I will do my dead-level best. I don't go there with the intention of throwing the amendment away. I go there intending to try to see if we can fund it. I have every confidence that we will find some money to exceed what is in the bill. Now, whether it can be exactly this amount or not, I have no idea at this point. That will be the dynamics, and a lot of things in the amendment that are very difficult that I am not agreeing to right now. I am agreeing to accept the amendment and we will take it to conference on those terms. The Senator can rely on what I have just said. With that, if he will remove the handwritten part that was added, that is fine. If he does not want to, then clearly I don't have any reluctance to having a full-blown debate on this amendment today. I have plenty of time. I don't want to do that if we can get it done the way we have just talked about, otherwise we will just proceed.

Mr. DOMENICI. Has the modification taken place?