Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. We appreciate that and look forward to conferring with the Senator on that. I will talk to Senator Murkowski, too, about any plans he may have. I know he wants to get this done. But he is also sensitive to concerns that exist. We will continue to work to find a way to make this happen.

Mr. LOTT. Madam President, we should go ahead and clarify, there was not objection to this?

Mr. LOTT. Let me revise that request and/or that notification and see if we can get unanimous consent that we have the cloture vote on Wednesday, February 3. We will notify Members exactly what the time will be. In the meantime, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived and then not put in the limiting of the time.

Mr. LOTT. Let me say, while I believe very strongly that this legislation needs to be passed and is an issue that has tremendous environmental consequences and concerns we have to address, I think the Senator from Nevada would also acknowledge that we have always been sensitive to the need for him and his colleague from Nevada to know what is going on, to not be surprised, have a chance to make their statements, offer amendments, and resist in every way. I am very sympathetic to the need for them to have that opportunity. We will protect their rights as we go forward. We appreciate the way the Senator has approached it also. I now withdraw the motion to proceed.

Mr. LOTT. Madam President, the cloture vote will occur on Wednesday, February 2. I will notify Members when the time has been established. Of course, I will confer with the Democratic leadership about the exact time. In the meantime, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived and the cloture vote occur immediately following the passage of the bankruptcy bill after the use or yielding back of 30 minutes of debate time, equally divided in the usual form.

Mr. LOTT. Having heard the objection then, I move to proceed to S. 1287 and send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the nuclear waste bill, S. 1287, following passage of the bankruptcy bill.

Mr. LOTT. The consent would be for the Senate to proceed to the nuclear waste bill, S. 1287, following passage of the bankruptcy bill.

Mr. LOTT. I understood the Senator would object. I think it is very important, though, that we move this legislation forward.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Madam President, in a few moments, I will ask unanimous consent to proceed to the nuclear waste bill. However, I will withhold that request until Senator Reid is able to reach the Chamber. I thought while we were waiting on his arrival I would go ahead and make some remarks about this very important legislation. We will, for the information of all Senators, continue to work tomorrow on the bankruptcy reform package and the amendments that have been agreed to. We hope to make good progress tomorrow. We will have recorded votes on Tuesday, but as to exactly when we will be able to finish it will require some communication with both sides of the aisle. It could be that we will not be able to finish until sometime Wednesday. After that, of course, we hope to be on the nuclear waste issue.

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I urge my colleagues to allow the body to move forward with regard to the nuclear waste storage bill. More than 15 years ago, Congress directed the Department of Energy to take responsibility for the disposal of nuclear waste created by commercial nuclear powerplants and our Nation's defense programs. Today, there are more than 100,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel that must be dealt with. Quite some time has now passed since DOE was absolutely obligated under the NWPA Act of 1982 to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel from utility sites. All across this country, we have sites where nuclear waste products are in open pools, cooling pools. Many of those are filling up. A number of States have a major problem. In my opinion, this is one of the most important environmental issues we have to face as a nation. We have to deal with this problem. There have been billions of dollars spent on it. There has been time put into thinking about the proper way to do it. States all across this country, from Vermont to Mississippi to Minnesota to Washington, believe very strongly that we need to address this issue. Apparently today, DOE is no closer in coming up with a solution. This is totally unacceptable. This is, in fact, wrong, so say the Federal courts. The law is clear, and DOE has not met its obligation, so the Congress must act. I am encouraged that Senator Murkowski and his committee have addressed the issue and they have come up with a different bill than the one we considered the year before last. They have made concessions, they have made improvements, and I thought we had a bill that was going to be generally overwhelmingly accepted. I do think when we get over procedural hurdles, when the final vote is taken on this nuclear waste disposal bill, the vote will probably be in the high seventies or eighties when it is actually voted on, and that is an important point. The Senate will vote by overwhelming numbers for this legislation, so we need to move through the process. I know there is opposition from the Senators from Nevada, and they have to have an opportunity to make their case and offer amendments if they feel the need to do so, as well as other Senators. But I think it is so important that we cannot allow it to languish any longer. It is a bipartisan effort that came out of the committee. It is safe, practical, and it is a workable solution for America's spent fuel storage needs. This is the proper storage of spent fuel, and it is not being done in a partisan way. It is dealt with as a safety issue. Where is DOE? Well, about where it is always, I guess. What is their solution? If not this, what? They have not given us any answers or any indications of how they would like to proceed with this. All of America's experience in waste management over the last 25 years of improving environmental protection has taught Congress that safe, effective waste handling practices entail using centralized, permitted, and controlled facilities to gather and manage accumulated waste. I took the time to go to Sweden and France and to meet with officials from the private sector in Britain. I looked at how they have dealt with their waste problem. They have dealt with it. Sweden has; France has; Britain and Japan; but not the United States. Why? We are the most developed country in the world, yet we have not dealt with this very important issue. So after over 25 years of working with this problem, DOE has still not made specific plans. The management of used nuclear fuel should capitalize on the knowledge and experience we have. Nearly 100 communities have this spent fuel sitting in their ``backyards,'' and it needs to be gathered, accumulated, and placed in a secure and safe place. This lack of a central storage capacity could very possibly cause the closing of several nuclear powerplants. These affected plants produce nearly 20 percent of America's electricity. Closing these plants does not make sense. But if we do not do something with the waste, that could be the result. Nuclear energy is a significant part of America's energy future and must remain part of the energy mix. America needs nuclear power to maintain our secure, reliable, and affordable supplies of electricity. At the same time, nuclear power allows the Nation to directly and effectively address increasingly stringent air quality requirements. I challenge my colleagues in the Chamber, on both sides of the aisle, to get this bill done. We spent a lot of time on it the year before last. We ran into the blue slip problem with the House. We will not have that problem with this bill. The citizens in these communities are looking for us to act. The nuclear industry had already committed to the Federal Government about $15 billion toward building the facility by 1998. The industry has continued to pay between $40 and $80 billion in fees for storage of this spent fuel. It is time for the Federal Government to honor its commitment to the American people and to the power community. It is time for the Federal Government to protect these 100 communities to ensure that the Federal Government meets its commitment to States and electricity consumers. The 106th Congress must mandate completion of this program--a program that gives the Federal Government title to waste currently stored on- site at facilities across the Nation, a site for permanent disposal, and a transportation infrastructure to safely move the used fuel from plants to the storage facility. Again, I have had people express concerns to me about how this can be done safely. I actually took the time to look at the equipment that is used to move this spent fuel in other countries, particularly in France, and they have done it safely, without a single incident--no problem ever. Again, they are doing it in France. Can't we do it in America? Our foot dragging is unfortunate. It is unacceptable. Clearly, we must move this legislation. The only remedy to stop the delays--and it is a timely action--is for the Senate to consider this in the 106th Congress. Let's move forward and get this legislation done. Madam President, I see Senator Reid is here.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to House concurrent resolution 241 authorizing the address for this evening.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, the Senate will momentarily proceed as a body to the Hall of the House of Representatives to hear the President's State of the Union Address. However, we have a few housekeeping items to consider prior to our departure.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the President of the Senate be authorized to appoint a committee on the part of the Senate to join with a like committee on the part of the House of Representatives to escort the President of the United States into the House Chamber for the joint session to be held at 9 p.m. this evening, Thursday, January 27, 2000.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk due for its second reading. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a second time and an objection having been heard for further consideration.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. As a reminder to Members, the Senate will not be in session on Friday. We will reconvene Monday at 12 noon, and at 2 p.m. resume consideration of the bankruptcy bill. Several amendments are scheduled to be debated; however, no votes will occur during Monday's session of the Senate. The next votes will occur on Tuesday at a time to be determined by the two leaders. I emphasize that there will be votes on Tuesday. We will notify Members as to the time some time during the day on Monday. I yield the floor so that Members can assemble to proceed to the House of Representatives.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Let me say to the Senator, being from the Mississippi gulf coast, I am not quite sure I know how to appreciate all this white stuff since we do not have it, but I think we made the right decision, a safe decision, for our colleagues and for our staffs. I thank the Senator for the work he has done on the bankruptcy bill. Without the work of the Senator last year, we would not be in the position of being able to finish the pending amendments and, hopefully, the entire bill by tomorrow. I know the Senator is still working on it. We did vitiate the cloture vote yesterday so that that will not occur, and we did lock in an agreement as to how to go forward, what amendments would be considered and voted on, to complete its consideration. I know the Senator has indicated he thinks we can do that. So has Senator Daschle. And we will work with the Senators to try to make that occur. I thank the Senator for his effort. I hope he will continue to do that.

Mr. LOTT. I also ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess on Wednesday from the hours of 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. so that the weekly party conferences can meet. Those conferences would have occurred, I believe, today--I know in our case; I think with the Democrats, too. But in view of the weather, we will reschedule them for tomorrow, and thus the necessity of this recess.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until the hour of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 26. I further ask consent that on Wednesday, immediately following the prayer, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate then resume debate on S. 625, the bankruptcy reform bill, as under the previous agreement.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the second reading of House Joint Resolution 84 and Senate bill 1999 be deemed to have occurred and that objection be heard to the further consideration of these measures at this time.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. For the information of all Senators, the Senate will immediately resume consideration of the bankruptcy reform legislation at 11 a.m. tomorrow. We did move the starting time from 9:30 to 11 a.m. to allow time for our staffs to be here and have time to prepare for the session, but we will go right into the business of consideration of the amendments that have been agreed to. Under the previous consent, time agreements have been made on most of the remaining amendments, and therefore it is hoped that a final vote would occur on Wednesday on the bankruptcy bill. That could occur late in the afternoon or even in the early evening, but I think it is important that we try to finish that legislation on Wednesday.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I must say, once again, welcome to my colleagues and the Chaplain and a hardy band of brothers and sisters who serve as our staff. It is very tough today to be in the Nation's Capital with, I guess, 8 or 10 inches of snow on the ground and more on the way. I note, of course, to the Senator from Montana, it is nothing unusual for him; he is used to this kind of snow, I guess. To our Chaplain, I say thank you for being here this morning with your beautiful prayer, as always. On our leadership team, I thank Senator Nickles, Senator Mack, Senator Craig, and Senator McConnell for being here today. We have already had a leadership meeting. I thank Senator Reid for being here on behalf of the Democrats. I had several conversations early this morning with officials, the police, and also with Senator Daschle, about how to deal with the weather. It is a massive snow and certainly there is a great deal of danger in the amount that has come down. With the difficulty in the ability to move around and with a lot of our staff and Senators living out in Virginia and Maryland, it made sense to join the rest of the Federal Government and be closed today. However, due to the Senate rules, we have to be here for a few minutes so that we can adjourn to reconvene tomorrow. We had already entered the order that we would be here today at the assigned hour of 11:30 a.m., and so we had to be here. But we will go on with business that we must do today, and then everyone will be able to go home safely before it gets even worse this afternoon.