George Radanovich

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by my friend from California. There is no benefit from imposing costs of service rates on California or the Western grid. Today the State of California can buy power on the spot market for $45 a megawatt under the FERC price mitigation measures, but chooses not to do so, because those people that are charging more will not sell it to California. They will keep the hydropower behind their dams, or they will choose to sell it for a higher price somewhere else. Unfortunately, the Governor of California put us all in a position of having to endure higher energy costs to prevent more and more rolling blackouts. It truly is not an energy crisis in California as much as it is a crisis in leadership on the energy issue. Price caps will not solve that problem. We have to wait until we get more supply in order to bring down the cost of energy. If we impose price caps on that, we suffer more rolling blackouts. It truly is the law of supply and demand. Had the Governor acted on this issue much sooner, a year ago, we would not even be in this position.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise in opposition to the Green of Texas amendment. This is a punitive stealth amendment that is not helpful to resolving the energy crisis in California. In fact, the manager's amendment already includes provisions to address the concern over the adequacy of interstate gas pipelines in California. I would like all the Members to understand that this amendment does not remove an exemption, it, in fact, imposes a regulation. If we want to remove this so-called exemption from California, why not, out of fairness, remove it also from Texas, Louisiana, Alaska, New York, Ohio, and every other State in the Union? One good rule of thumb in legislating is to abide by the physician's maxim of at least doing no harm. Not only does this amendment do no good, it, in fact, increases harm and damage to the State of California. So please vote ``no'' on this Green amendment.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the CHP 11-99 Foundation for their continuous support of their fellow officers. The CHP 11-99 Foundation provides assistance, benefits, and scholarships for the families of California Highway Patrolmen who need the help. The CHP 11-99 Foundation was founded in 1981 by businessman Bob Weinberg. He started the Foundation when he discovered that there was no organized community support for California Highway Patrol families in times of crisis. Today, more than 3,000 special individuals from all walks of life are providing financial assistance as members of the CHP 11-99 Foundation. The CHP 11-99 Foundation has awarded nearly $1 million in scholarships for educational opportunities to the children and spouses of CHP employees. The Foundation hopes to raise sufficient funds to assure a quality education for all CHP children and spouses who wish to continue their schooling. When tragedy befalls a California Highway Patrolman, CHP 11-99 Foundation can deliver funds to the family within hours. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the CHP 11-99 Foundation and its Board of Directors for their dedication to providing support to the family members of California Highway Patrolmen during their time of need. I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing the CHP 11-99 Foundation many more years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Major Charles ``Chuck'' Monges. Major Monges died of a massive heart attack at the age of 79 on July 24, 2001, in Fresno, CA. Major Monges joined the United States Marines Corps after graduating from high school in 1940. He served for nine years during and after World War II, earning the rank of Sergeant. In 1952, Monges joined the United States Army where he served in the Korean War. After eleven years with the Army, he retired with the rank of Major. Major Monges earned several distinguished awards for his service in the United States Military. During intense combat in World War II, Major Monges risked his own life by dragging a wounded soldier from the battlefield to safety. After his platoon came to his aid, they managed to annihilate the enemy. This extraordinary bravery earned him the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart. In the Korean War, Major Monges earned the Bronze Star and the Soldier's Medal for Bravery. Again, he dragged wounded soldiers away from a dangerous area, even though his own life was in danger. Once they were in a safe location, Monges proceeded to treat the wounds of the injured soldiers. Monges' actions during combat defined him as a true American hero. After his retirement from the military in 1963, Major Monges began his charge to establish a national museum to honor members of the Legion of Valor. The Legion of Valor was established in 1890 to honor recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, the Air Force Cross, and the Distinguished Service Cross. With help from other veterans and the Fresno City Council, Major Monges' dream became reality in 1991. The 10,000 square foot Legion of Valor Museum was put together by a staff of volunteers and is one of the most unique and inspiring military museums in the United States. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory and life of Major Chuck Monges. I wish to send my condolences to his family and friends.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, if I may use a little bit of the gentleman's time to comment on one thing that I think will come up in tomorrow's debate on the energy plan and that is on the issue of price caps. As the gentleman knows, we have been facing that in California quite often; and we have deliberated over it many, many hours when we were putting together this energy plan. As a result, FERC, the Energy Regulatory Commission, came up with what they call the 7-24, which is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week price mitigation observation on the market to make sure that if there were any overcharges that they would all be susceptible to refund. After that imposition, it was interesting, because in California, the ISO, the unit that purchases the energy for California now, out of the Department of Water Resources, had the opportunity, or they were buying power at $80 a megawatt from a hydro facility up in the Northwestern United States, I believe it was up in Washington. They could have enacted the price mitigation measures that were passed by FERC which would have dropped it down to $40 a megawatt, which was basically the cap that was set. The ISO refused to enact on that cap. Even though the leaders in California were wanting to make sure that they had a price cap, they refused to enact the price cap when they had the ability to do it, because the hydro facility in the Northwest would have kept the water behind the dam for their own use later on, or they could have gone somewhere and sold it at a higher price. This was the real fallacy, I think, behind price caps, because you could never have price caps in California unless you had a for sale agreement in the western grid, which means you would have been calling upon States like Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana to suffer while California would not suffer in price increases or energy reliability, and yet those States that are giving away their hydropower would be suffering higher prices and an increased percentage of blackouts. So it really was a fallacy, and I think it is showing itself to be proven in California now. I am saying this now because this issue is going to come up tomorrow in our debates; I believe that there will be an amendment on price caps. In a free system like what we have, it does not work; and unfortunately, we make other people suffer by even more blackouts and higher prices.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Right. And I think that conservation and renewable energy sources play a big part in the President's overall energy plan. But if we are going to deal with things realistically, we have to understand that a large portion of our energy is consumed by oil, natural gas, and hopefully, a greater percentage of nuclear energy. Right now, the technology says that these are our main energy sources. And we can hedge those and help cut back on those by renewable energy sources and conservation, but it all has to work together. The gentleman has the graph, and a large part is oil and natural gas.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Right. Mr. Speaker, that is why I think the President's plan is wise, because it relies on diversifying our energy sources. We in California are far too reliant on natural gas, as the gentleman mentioned, and one can never put all our eggs in one basket and not expect to suffer at some point in time. So that is why I applaud the President for not just concentrating on say natural gas reserves or supplies, but also on some of the other Nation's resources, like coal reserves, renewable energy sources, nuclear energy and such. Those are all, I think maybe not equally dependent on all of them, but they all have to be a good part of our energy mix, and that is why I applaud the President for making sure that that is a part of this energy plan.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Right. And in California, we pride ourselves as being the seventh largest economy in the world. We rank up there with nations. We are very, very proud of that. But we cannot last long like that if we cannot even supply the basics. This is basic infrastructure we are talking about at an affordable price. When it is more affordable in any other State in the country, business will leave. It will drastically affect the economy of California. So these are the concerns that we have, of course, because being a Californian and those of us that live there, we care about our State and we want to make sure that we get through this reasonably well. But it has vast economic impacts.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Oh, there are. When a rolling blackout happens, unless you are in a district near a hospital somewhere, then you are not protected. And even in that case, you are not protected from some medical emergencies. We had an ophthalmologist, who was doing cataract surgery, in the middle of cataract surgery when the lights went out and they struggled around for about 30 to 60 seconds before they could get their private generators going. The gentleman can imagine, if you are in the chair and you are getting cataract surgery, I assume that you are awake during this whole time, and all of a sudden the power goes out on you. We also have one of the largest plate glass manufacturing plants if the country. There are about four of them all over the place that use enormous amounts of energy and, of course, in order to make glass, you have to heat it up to where it becomes molten and then it goes through a lot of sophisticated equipment before it comes out as plate glass. When you have a power outage for 8 hours, all of that molten stuff freezes up inside all of that sophisticated machinery and you lose every bit of it. So these companies in California have been scrambling to make sure that they have an alternative energy supply to click on real fast once we do get a blackout. This generally makes us more reliant on power sources that are not necessarily energy efficient and environmentally efficient. So generally, what we rely on are power plants that pollute the air more than what we want, certainly, or should allow, and cause, I think, more environmental damage in California. So it is not a good position to be in if one is an energy user or one is concerned about the environment. It kind of swings both ways.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Well, there is a good side, if we want to call it that, to price increases in that it does cause us to conserve energy. Price increases, unfortunately, are the best conservation method there is out there. But, there is a big difference between 20 and 25 percent and a 48 percent increase. It really was not necessary to raise rates that high had he acted earlier in order to affect the kind of savings that we actually could get in California.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Right now, because the Governor waited so long to do any price increases, the PUC eventually raised prices up to about 48 percent. We have a home in California and pay generally when we are not there about $48 a month, and it went up to about, in our particular case, almost $200 a month, even when we are not there on occasion, and so the price increases are very steep in California. Californians are beginning to feel that right now. But they should know that had the Governor acted earlier, the price increases would have only been about 20 to 25 percent and would have corrected the problem and, frankly, saved the State billions of dollars, at least $8 billion, probably $20 billion.

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I think together we represent both the East and West Coast versions of national energy. I want to thank the gentleman for providing this time. Also I want to thank the President of the United States for putting together an energy policy for this country, because it has been so long overdue and so important. I thank him for providing the leadership on this issue. So much can be done when you are President of the United States, and yet so many presidents I think tend to look at what the polls are and judge their administrative actions and their job as president by what the polls dictate. We had a similar situation like that in California about a year ago, last May, when it looked like it began to become apparent that a law that was passed in 1995, a phony deregulation bill, I guess I would call it, began to show signs of wear and tear on energy in California. Consequently, the prices of energy in California began to kind of jump through the roof, starting in San Diego. Unfortunately, the leadership in California looked at the polls, and the polls said that if you did what was necessary, you might suffer in your polls, at least on a temporary basis, because the remedy for that was a very, very modest increase. About a year ago it would have been something like 20 to 25 percent in power rates would have brought things back in line, in addition to negotiating long-term contracts in California. It would have corrected the flaws in this 1995 deregulation bill. Because that leadership was not provided in California, of course, we began to be familiar with the terms ``rolling blackouts'' and ``price spikes'' and ``$3,800 power,'' these kinds of things. It was because the leadership was not provided at the State level. It makes me more appreciative of this president, the fact he has come up to the plate and decided to take on issues that may not be all that popular. But they need to be addressed in this country. Because as in California, and we are thankful that the temperatures have not gotten too hot, that we have not had the rolling blackouts, yet, that we had anticipated for this summer, but the threat is still there, and because the President is tackling I think the energy situation in the United States, I think it will save a lot of the rest of the country what California has had to go through in learning tough lessons. So, the President is providing the leadership, and I think it is up to us in the House to pass his package, which I fully support. It is a balanced package. It is not over reliant on any one type of energy. It spreads our liability through many, and also makes us more dependent on our own resources, which I think is really the moral thing to do in the United States. As much as we do not like a power plant perhaps in our backyard, we certainly do like to flip the switch and see the lights come on, and we certainly do like to turn the faucet and see water come out of it. That is the bottom line for the United States. So, again, I applaud the President. I think he is doing a great job in his policy. I support this energy plan, and I look forward to its passage in the House tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Pennsylvania yielding me time.

Mr. RADANOVICH. I want to thank the President for bringing to the Congress his energy plan, and I hope we pass it tomorrow by wide margins.

Mr. RADANOVICH. All due to increased technology.

Mr. RADANOVICH. I think if the gentleman were to go to the coldest, most barren, desolate, unappealing part of the world, that would be the North Slope. I think because so many people have not been there, there is this assumption that caribou are running wild among mountains and there are streams and waterfalls and everything. This is not an appealing place. I think people need to remember that, that it is not representative of the beautiful State of Alaska at all. This is a cold, barren, desolate place that we would not want to be there.

Mr. RADANOVICH. I have to say if the North Slope were a Third World country, we would already be using those resources, and in a way that was far more harmful to the environment than under the President's plan right now. It is unfortunate, but Americans consume 25 percent of the energy consumed on the Earth. Yet we only provide about 2 percent from our own natural resources. To me it is very hypocritical when we are that willing to consume that much; yet we are less willing to use our own resources to do it. The fact is, if the North Slope were a Third World country, we would be exploiting that oil right now; and the environmental standards would be lower than the ones we are placing on it at this time.

Mr. RADANOVICH. They did, yes.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, today we pause to remember the anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus. Twenty-seven years ago an estimated 35,000 armed Turkish troops invaded the small peaceful Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Nearly 200,000 Greek Cypriots lost their homes and became refugees in their own country. To this date, Turkish troops continue to occupy 37 percent of Cyprus' territory. Simply put, the status quo in Cyprus is unacceptable and continues to have a detrimental effect to the interests of the U.S. in the eastern Mediterranean. Without question, improving the relations and cooperation between Greece and Turkey, two key NATO allies, is key to strengthening the stability of the region. Therefore, I urge the two parties to take the long steps needed to demilitarize and launch a much needed initiative to promote a speedy resolution on the basis of international law and democratic principles. We must have lasting peace and stability on Cyprus.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sam Kadorian for being named ``Man of the Year'' by the Armenian-American Citizen's League (A.A.C.L.). Mr. Kadorian received the award at the A.A.C.L.'s 68th Annual State Convention held in Van Nuys, CA. Sam Kadorian is a survivor of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and a longtime member of the A.A.C.L. Sam was eight years old at the time of the genocide and narrowly escaped death. He was on the bottom of a pile of bodies that were being stabbed with swords. One of the swords missed his chest by inches, leaving only a scar on his right cheek. Sam and his mother survived, but unfortunately Sam lost his father, brother, two sisters, and other friends and relatives in the Armenian Genocide. Sam and his mother eventually boarded a ship for the United States, deciding to settle in Chicago. At the age of 35 Sam joined the United States Army where he served as a photographer. After his time in the U.S. Army, Sam moved to Southern California where he joined the Arrmenian-American Citizens' League. Since joining the A.A.C.L. Mr. Kadorian has been very active in the Los Angeles Chapter, serving in many capacities. Mr. Speaker, I want to honor Sam Kadorian for being named ``Man of the Year'' by the Armenian-American Citizen's League. I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing Sam Kadorian many years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Imam W. Deen Mohammed for work to promote peace and Justice in the Islamic community. Mr. Mohammed is the current President of the Muslim American Society. In 1992, Imam W. Deen Mohammed was the first Muslim to deliver an invocation on the floor of the United States Senate. In addition, he was invited to participate in the Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies and offered a prayer at those ceremonies. In 1995, the World Conference on Religion and Peace selected Mohammed as International President of their organization. Imam W. Deen Mohammed is a recipient of the Luminosa Award from the Focolare Movement for his promotion of peace and inter-religious dialogue. In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed Mohammed to the Religious Advisory Council within the State Department. Mohammed has also worked to establish a genuine dialogue with leaders of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and other faiths in his promotion of universal human excellence. Mr. Speaker, I wish to honor Imam W. Deen Mohammed for his efforts in support of human excellence. I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing him many more years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Carlin Manufacturing on the occasion of their 20 year anniversary. Carlin Manufacturing is the world's leading manufacturer of mobile kitchens and specialty vehicles. Carlin Manufacturing built its first mobile kitchen in 1980. Today, Carlin Manufacturing does business in over 30 countries. Each unit is custom built to suit the needs of their customers. Carlin Manufacturing has proven that high quality is essential through their careful quality checks during construction of the units. Carlin Manufacturing has designed a wide variety of mobile kitchens for various uses. They have designed everything from units for commercial mobile restaurants to camouflage kitchen units that were used in Kuwait during the Gulf War. No matter the need, Carlin Manufacturing has always provided high quality mobile kitchens and serving facilities. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Carlin Manufacturing for its innovation and twenty year career in design of mobile kitchens. I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Carlin Manufacturing and wishing them many more years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church for its 100 years of service to the Armenian community. The church was founded with only fourteen members on January 26, 1901. The first Armenian settlers to the area did not speak English. They formed the Armenian Congregational Church so they could worship together, in their native tongue. Although it started with small numbers, church membership has grown steadily over the years. In its 100 years, the church has had eight full-time pastors and several interim pastors who have all served with much pride. Church members remain very dedicated to the church congregation, and the numbers continue to increase. Members of the church are committed to their congregation, raising every dollar themselves for the construction of new buildings. Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church has had three different houses of worship, all increasing in size to meet the demands of the congregation. The church has also established two additional funds, with all the income from those funds to be used solely for church needs. Many community members have found a home within Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church for its dedication to the community over the past 100 years. I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church and its members many more years of continued success.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Armenian Technology Group's efforts to assist the development of rural private enterprise in the Caucasus and Central Asia regions of the former Soviet Union. Both as a farmer and as one of this body's Representatives from the world's most prolific agricultural regions, the San Joaquin Valley, I appreciate ATG's work around the world. Just last week, ATG announced the results of its seed multiplication efforts in Armenia. ATG did not merely double the production of wheat in Armenia--the organization was responsible for creating a net four hundred and thirty percent increase in wheat yield. This, Mr. Speaker, is one of the great success stories in America's foreign assistance history. It is why I am pushing for ATG to receive the resources necessary to replicate its work along the legendary Silk Road in Central Asia. The Central Asia region has not witnessed the type of market-driven successes that we had hoped for at the time of the dismantling of the Soviet Union. I am confident, however, that ATG can help these countries move on the path to economic and market reform and eventual prosperity. Mr. Speaker, I invite you and our colleagues in this distinguished House to learn more about ATG and the amazing work it has done. May the organization continue to be allowed to prosper in Armenia and elsewhere--it is truly one of America's treasures that we can share with the rest of the world.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Leo Kolligian for his extensive contributions to the educational community in California's San Joaquin Valley. Most recently, Mr. Kolligian's commitment to education was demonstrated by a generous gift made to the University of California, Merced. Mr. Kolligian, a longtime University of California regent, has been a strong proponent of expanding the UC system to respond to the increasing demand for quality public higher education in the state of California. As chairman of the Board of Regents, Mr. Kolligian was at the forefront of the efforts to add three new campuses in the University of California system. The first of these will be built in Merced, in the San Joaquin Valley. A ceremony was held at the UC Center in Fresno, CA, announcing that the library on the campus of UC Merced will be named after Mr. Kolligian and his late wife Dottie. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to honor Leo Kolligian for his dedication and generosity to education in the San Joaquin Valley. I urge my colleagues to join me in lauding his commitment to expanding the educational opportunities available to the people of California.

Mr. RADANOVICH

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Central Unified School District Superintendent George Keledjian. After many years of dedicated service to the district and the community, Mr. Keledjian has announced his plans to retire. George Keledjian has an extensive educational background and a remarkable life story. After completing high school in Cyprus, Keledjian attended the Teacher's Training Institute where he decided education would be his focal point. While teaching high school in Lebanon, he earned the equivalent of three dollars a month. After five years of teaching in Lebanon, he boarded a ship for Pasadena, CA. Keledjian then attended Point Loma Nazarene College. After four years of schooling he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees, both in Education. He began working towards his Ph.D., but due to a serious car accident he was unable to obtain his degree. After many years teaching at a junior high school in Southern California, George Keledjian came to Fresno, CA in 1966. He became Principal at Madison Elementary School in 1971. In 1984, he accepted the position of Superintendent of Central Unified School District. In his 35 years with the district, Keledjian has overseen the building of five new schools and the renovation of many others. Performance on standardized test scores has increased to above state and county averages. Under George Keledjian's management, the district's General Fund remains financially solvent. He has also led many Central Unified schools to recognition for various awards. Two schools were recognized as California State Distinguished Schools; one school was recognized as a Bonner Foundation Virtues and Character School; two schools were recognized as 2000 Governor's Reading Award Recipients; and Central Unified's Future Farmers of America program is recognized nationally. Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to George Keledjian for his accomplishments and his years of service to Central Unified School District. I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing George Keledjian a happy retirement.