Bob Smith

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, the Senate will now immediately begin consideration of the nomination of Governor Whitman's nomination to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Under the previous order, there will be 30 minutes for debate on the nomination. Following that debate, the Senate will resume consideration of the nomination of Gale Norton to be Secretary of the Interior. There will be approximately 2 hours for closing debate with two consecutive votes scheduled to occur at 2:45 p.m. on the Norton nomination for Secretary of the Interior and the Whitman nomination for EPA Administrator. I now ask unanimous consent that immediately following the votes, the Senate proceed to a period of morning business with Senator Lott or his designee in control of the time until 3:45 p.m. and Senator Daschle in control of the following 20 minutes, beginning at 3:45 p.m.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to honor John A. Vattes, Staff Accountant for the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, upon his retirement. John, who received two Associate Degrees from Hesser College, has faithfully served the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and the surrounding community for many years. In addition to holding the position of Staff Accountant at the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, he has also been the Supervisor of Large Power Billing for Public Service Company of New Hampshire for thirty years. I applaud his hard work and dedication in these positions. In addition to giving to the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and Public Service Company of New Hampshire, John worked tirelessly on New Hampshire political campaigns for former U.S. Senator Gordon J. Humphrey. John has also been a trusted and longtime friend to me for my Congressional elections since the beginning of my political career. He has worked diligently on behalf of New Hampshire political candidates on the local, state and federal levels for over two decades. A veteran of the Korean conflict, Vattes served New Hampshire and his country with honor as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. He has worked selflessly within his local community for the South Little League in Manchester for 5 years as player agent and has served as a member of the Knights of Columbus. John Vattes is truly an extraordinary individual and loyal friend. He has devoted countless hours as a volunteer in his community while still finding time for his family. He and Dotty, his wife of 40 years, are the proud parents of four children: Wendy, Lori, Mark and Shane. John enjoys leisure time pursuing his personal hobbies which include politics, reading, chess, exercising and traveling. I commend John Vattes and wish him the best upon his retirement. It has been a pleasure to work with him in the years past, and it is truly an honor to represent him in the U.S. Senate.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Dean Kamen of Bedford, New Hampshire, whose dedication to the field of technology has earned him the admiration and gratitude of his state and nation. As a testament to his many extraordinary achievements, Dean was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Clinton in 2000 for inventions that have advanced medical care worldwide. His innovative spirit and imaginative leadership have awakened America to the excitement of science and technology. Dean's remarkable career as an inventor began while he was still a college undergraduate, when he invented the first wearable infusion pump. This device rapidly found uses in such diverse medical specialties as chemotherapy, neonatology, and endocrinology. Since then Dean has played a leading role in many major advances in healthcare, such as the insulin pump for diabetics. He was also instrumental in the development of IBOT, a personal transporter developed for the disabled community, which is capable of climbing stairs, traversing sandy and rocky terrain and raise its user to eye-level with a standing person. Nearly a decade ago, Dean founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to motivate America's youth to learn about science and technology, and has personally recruited many of the top leaders of industry, education and government in this mission. He has been recognized for his efforts by prestigious publications such as Smithsonian Magazine and the New York Times, which labeled him a ``New Kind of Hero for American Youth.'' Dean's passion for technology and its practical uses has changed the face of healthcare and inspired a love of science in a generation of American children. Because of his extraordinary achievements, we have a new understanding of ourselves and the world, as well as a renewed hope for the future. It is an honor to represent Dean in the United States Senate, and I wish him all the best in his endeavors.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to honor Robin Comstock of Nottingham, New Hampshire, the newly appointed President and CEO of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, whose enthusiasm, leadership, and dedication have earned her the respect of her peers and the admiration of this state. Robin has served for the past six years as President and CEO of the Portsmouth Chamber. She has an extensive background in running, managing and developing chambers, and has demonstrated success in a number of key areas including economic and community development, technology and tourism initiatives and government affairs. Her success in developing a highly visible seacoast regional hospitality and tourism program, her skill and her record of accomplishment are a tribute to her state and community. If the accolades of peers are any measure of achievement, Robin is at the top of her game. Her energy, enthusiasm and skill have allowed her to accomplish great things for the Granite State, and I have no doubt that she will be a tremendous asset in her new position. It is an honor and a privilege to serve Robin Comstock in the United States Senate, and I wish her all the best.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Alyssa Spellman of Bow, New Hampshire, a young woman whose poise, hard work, and intelligence have earned her the respect and admiration of her state and community. At the age of seventeen, Alyssa has dedicated much of her young life to serving others. This service was recognized publicly when she was recently awarded the Governor's Award for Volunteerism. An accomplished musician and artist, Alyssa has been nominated to Art, Classical Music and Jazz Music All-State. She was also chosen as Female Youth Entertainer, Traditional Entertainer and Rising New Start Vocalist of 1999 by the New Hampshire Country Music Association. After winning these titles, Alyssa continued in her tradition of helping others by performing at benefit concerts to raise money for diabetes and cancer research. Graceful and accomplished, Alyssa recently competed for and won the title of Miss Bedford 2001. She will go on to compete for the title of Miss New Hampshire, with the ultimate goal of winning the Miss America crown. In competition, Alyssa promotes her platform of prevention of teen violence, an issue to which she devotes a considerable amount of her free time. Alyssa is a tribute to her community, and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors. I know that Alyssa will continue to be a fine New Hampshire representative. It is an honor to serve her in the United States Senate.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Percy Hill, an accomplished school teacher from Andover, NH. Percy was recently honored at the Disney American teacher Awards, as one of the 33 honorees selected from a group of 70,000 who were chosen for their creativity in the classroom as well as their teaching accomplishments. Growing up in New England, Percy developed his love for athletics as well as children, spending the past 10 years coaching the Unicycle Team. Working around the clock, he has coached these champions to new levels. They have performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Strawberry Festival of Virginia and even have gone international, performing in Canada. Not only has Percy given his time and energy to coaching, but he has spent countless hours raising the funds for the team's traveling expenses. Percy has managed to fund one hundred percent of all of the trips through massive fund raising efforts, allowing all children to go regardless of their situations outside of practice. He has proven time and time again to be a valuable asset not only to the team, but the community of Andover as well. Aside from Percy's work with the unicycle team he also finds time to volunteer referee both basketball and soccer, proving once again, that Percy Hill puts his dedication to the youth of America at the top of his priority list. He is to be commended on his commitment to Andover Elementary and Middle School, and those students which attend it. The Disney American Teacher Awards were developed as, ``A way of honoring members of the teaching profession, whose talent, commitment, and creativity have a profound and lasting impact on our children as well as our society as a whole,'' according to Michael D. Eisner, CEO of Disney. All of Percy Hill's actions speak volumes of his commitment and impact on the children of Andover, NH. It is an honor to represent him in the Senate.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Daniel Greeley III, of Peterborough, New Hampshire. A Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Division who was serving on the U.S.S. Cole when it was attacked on October 12th, 2000. Daniel is in his 1st year of a six-year enlistment, after having served three years in the United States Coast Guard. Daniel was one of the engine room mechanics on shift when the attack happened. Even though he was on the other side of the ship, the blast waves hit him hard. He suffered cuts and bruises, but nothing nearly as serious as his friends and shipmates. Four of Daniel Greeley's closest friends were killed by the blast. Even after the blast had left a hole measuring 40 feet wide, and 40 feet high, Daniel as well as the other sailors of the U.S.S Cole pushed on. After the blast, the sailors worked frantically to keep the ship afloat until it could be brought to safety. As one of the engine room mechanics, Daniel was forced to push on through the crisis to keep generators running and the boat from going under. He had the lives of more than 200 sailors depending on his skills as an engine room mechanic. Daniel persevered well through the night and into the early morning, facing adversity head on and pushing through. Daniel's actions and bravery speak volumes of his character. Not only has he elected to serve our country, but has done so in a noble manner. He is a true inspiration to the people of New Hampshire. He can hold his head high, knowing he has done his wife Mary, and 14-month-old daughter Angelina proud. As Daniel continues his service, I wish him continued success. He will begin his ACNR schooling in January, an undoubtedly will continue to serve his country with honor and grace. As a fellow sailor, I salute Daniel Greeley III. It is an honor to represent him in the United States Senate.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. My colleague from Illinois is correct. The bill calls on the scientists themselves to make the determination that a chimpanzee is no longer useful for research and to formally release the chimpanzee to the sanctuary system for permanent cessation of scientific experimentation. The amended version of the legislation allows one exception: In that rare, unforeseen circumstance, where a specific sanctuary chimpanzee may be required because a research protocol he endured in the past, combined with a technological advance that was not available or invented at the time he was released, could provide extremely useful information essential to address an important public health need, then that chimpanzee may be used in research if, and only if, the proposed research involves minimal pain and distress to the chimpanzee, as well as to other chimps in the social group, as evaluated by the board of the sanctuary. Of course, if a chimpanzee currently in a lab setting meets the same criteria, then the bill requires that the sanctuary chimpanzee not be used.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. I agree, it would be good to set the record straight on this issue. The federal government now spends millions of dollars each year for the maintenance and care of chimpanzees who are no longer used in medical research, but are being warehoused in expensive taxpayer-funded laboratory cages. The CHIMP Act will actually save taxpayers money because the sanctuary setting is so much less expensive to build and operate than laboratory facilities. The Congressional Budget Office prepared a cost estimate for S. 2725, the legislation that you and I introduced in June. H.R. 3514, the House counterpart that is now pending in the Senate, is identical to S. 2725 in terms of the cost issues. The CBO concluded that ``the cost of caring for a chimpanzee in an external sanctuary would be less expensive on a per capita basis than if the government continued to house the animals in federally owned and operated facilities. Therefore, the government would realize a savings in the care and maintenance of the chimpanzees after 2002.'' CBO estimated the annual savings after initial sanctuary construction costs to be an average of $4 million per year after 2002. It costs $8-$15 per day per animal to care for chimpanzees in a sanctuary, where they live in groups in a naturalized setting. That is compared to the $20-$30 per day per animal that the federal government is now spending to maintain the chimpanzees in laboratory cages. Even in terms of sanctuary start-up costs, taxpayers will benefit because sanctuaries are two to three times less costly to build than laboratory facilities for chimpanzees. While the federal government is now squandering very high-priced laboratory space warehousing surplus chimpanzees, the CHIMP Act will allow this space to be utilized for animals in research, reducing the need to fund new laboratory construction.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. The Senator is correct on each of those points, which will serve to further limit the possibility of sanctuary chimpanzees being recalled for research. It is my intention, and the intent of the amended legislation, that any such research would rarely, if ever, take place.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. That is correct.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. I thank Senator Durbin and the rest of our colleagues for helping to get this legislation enacted before Congress adjourns. It is time to improve the lot of these animals and do right by taxpayers at the same time.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. I thank my colleague from Illinois for raising those points. I'd also like to address one other issue that may be on the minds of some of our colleagues. That is the question of euthanasia. Fiscal conservatives may question why we should worry at all about the long-term care of chimpanzees no longer used in medical research. The answer is: it's basically a cost of doing business. If the federal government wants to keep using chimpanzees for medical research, it has to assume the responsibility for their care after the research is done. This isn't just my opinion, as someone who cares about animals. It was the conclusion of the National Research Council, an esteemed body under the National Academy of Sciences, which was asked by NIH to investigate the problem of chimpanzees no longer used for biomedical research. The NRC conducted a thorough three-year study and issued a report in 1997--Chimpanzees in Research: Strategies for Their Ethical Care, Management, and Use--which recommended sanctuaries as an ``integral component of the strategic plan to achieve the best and most cost- effective solutions to the current dilemma.'' The NRC report clearly rejects the option of euthanizing surplus chimpanzees, based on views strongly conveyed to the NRC by members of the scientific community as well as the public. ``Many members of the public and the scientific community have called for continuing support for chimpanzees in an acceptable environment, rather than euthanizing them, even when they are no longer wanted for breeding or research. The committee fully recognizes the financial implication of this position in regard to lifetime funding for all animals and for additional space and facilities for an aging population.'' The report cites the close similarities between chimpanzees and humans, noting that ``[t]here are practical as well as theoretical reasons to reject euthanasia as a general policy. Some of the best and most caring members of the support staff, such as veterinarians and technicians would, for personal and emotional reasons, find it impossible to function effectively in an atmosphere in which euthanasia is a general policy, and might resign. A facility that adopted such a policy could expect to lose some of its best employees.'' In other words, because chimpanzees and humans are so similar, those who work directly in chimpanzee research would find it untenable to continue using these animals if they were to be killed at the conclusion of the research.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Yes, it is my intention and the intent of the legislation that these funds will be drawn from the budget for the National Institutes of Health.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Eric Kingsley as he leaves his position as Executive Director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, NHTOA. Eric's five year tenure at NHTOA has been marked by progress and success. The organization's programs and services have grown to meet the needs and concerns of its members, and have established a strong, stable foundation for the association's future. Through the years, I have grown to value Eric's input on the many issues that significantly impact New Hampshire's timberlands. Eric has done an outstanding job of keeping me, and other policymakers, informed on the issues and has been a true leader in making sure the voice of NHTOA was heard throughout the country. Of all of Eric's achievements at NHTOA, perhaps his most important success came this past spring. Eric helped lead the charge to defeat the Environmental Protection Agency's ill-considered proposal to treat some forestry activities as ``point source pollution'' under the Clean Water Act. These rules, known as the Total Maximum Daily Loads--TMDL Rule--would have required landowners, foresters, and homeowners to obtain federal permits before conducting a timber harvest and could have exposed them to lengthy bureaucratic delays and costly citizen lawsuits. This past May, I held a field hearing in Whitefield, New Hampshire, on the TMDL rule. Eric was a persuasive witness, providing thoughtful and compelling testimony. He also organized hundreds of foresters to ensure their message was heard loud and clear in Washington. Thanks in large part to Eric's leadership on this issue, EPA withdrew the section of the TMDL rules that adversely affected forestry. My staff and I have also worked closely with Eric on issues of importance to the White Mountain National Forest. When the President issued his ``roadless'' initiative stripping the people of New Hampshire and New England of the opportunity to have a meaningful voice in the management of their public lands, Eric was there to ensure we took this Administration to task. Eric also rose to the occasion in the face of destruction from Mother Nature's wrath. The Ice Storm in January 1998 brought unprecedented challenges to New Hampshire's forest lands. Hundreds of thousands of acres were significantly damaged. Eric worked closely with me and my colleagues to help us turn this tragedy into an opportunity. Today, not only has the federal government provided resources to help recover from the storm, but we have a record number of acres under forest stewardship plans. My staff and I have worked with Eric on a wide variety of other issues during his time at NHTOA. I have always been impressed with his dedication and the depth of knowledge he displayed on issues ranging from estate tax reform to rural economic development. Eric has always been an effective and honest advocate for the causes he holds close to his heart. I know he will be greatly missed by NHTOA's 1,500 members. I wish Eric well in all his future endeavors, and am confident he will succeed in whatever pursuits he chooses. It is an honor to represent him in the Senate.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Mary Jane Colton, who will retire from my staff next week after 20 years of service to the people of New Hampshire as an employee of the U.S. Senate. Mary Jane is known throughout the state for her compassion and success in helping New Hampshire citizens with problems they may be having with the federal government. As a chief caseworker on my staff, and as State Office Director for Senator Gordon Humphrey before me, she was critical in managing a constituent service operation that was second to none. Mary Jane helped many senior citizens, veterans, parents, and communities with problems they had with the federal government. From assisting a small community in its battle to receive its own zip code, to helping a local veteran get a long-awaited service medal, Mary Jane's legacy has had a great impact on the Granite State. Mary Jane's compassion is also evident in her home and personal life. For many years she has cared for her elderly and infirm parents in her home, so they would not be separated by being placed in a state nursing home. As Mary Jane leaves public service, I wish her the best in all of her future endeavors. I know she will be working full-time on her passion: Antiques. She will now be able to focus on her on-line antiques business--an enjoyable and hopefully lucrative second career. Good luck, Mary Jane. Thank you for all that you have done for me and for the people of New Hampshire. It is an honor to represent you in the U.S. Senate.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of the conference report to accompany S. 2796, the Water Resources Development Act.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. I am also pleased to discuss this provision.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. I would concur; it is not the intention of the conferees that this provision be interpreted as granting pre- approval to standards which have not yet been developed and which Congress has not reviewed.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Yes, as use din this section, the term resource improvement is intended to convey the concept of an improvement to the natural resource. The alternative interpretation would not be consistent with the parallel directive that the standard embody the principles of water conservation.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. I also appreciate the financial hardships faced by communities in West Memphis as well as in many other areas of the country. I also expect that the amendments to the Ability to Pay provision contained in this Conference Reports will increase the Corps' use of this provision and, thereby, the relief provided to communities with financial hardships. In addition, it is important for Congress to monitor the implementation of the Ability of Pay provision. To accomplish this, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, of which I am the chairman and Senator Baucus is the ranking member, will hold oversight hearings next year on the Corps' historical and current performance as it relates to the application of Ability to Pay provisions of the Water Resource Development Act.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. I concur with the ranking member's interpretation.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, at this time, I ask unanimous consent that the conference report be adopted, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to this measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I wish to make a couple of comments on the legislation that we just adopted. This has been a long time coming. It is a culmination of some--actually, the Everglades portion of this legislation took a year of work. We had a hearing in January at the Everglades. This is a very exciting time for those of us who have worked on this. I want to briefly give a quick overview of that and recognize a few people who have been involved. This is a good bill. I am proud that we passed it. It is fiscally responsible. It recognizes our obligation to preserve one of the most important and endangered ecosystems in the Nation, if not the world: America's Everglades. I thank the Senate conferees--Senators Warner, Voinovich, Baucus, and Graham--for their hard work and dedication. I thank Chairman Shuster and the House conferees for their cooperation as well. I am proud of this bill. This is not a bill that includes numerous unnecessary projects. The committee established some tough criteria, and we stuck to those criteria. I am proud that the conference agreement on WRDA 2000 does not contain any environmental infrastructure projects. As those who requested such projects know, the committee has a longstanding opposition to including environmental infrastructure projects in WRDA. Unlike what has happened in the past, the Senate conferees were able to hold firm, and the House accepted our position, for which we are grateful. These types of projects, in my view, should be funded through the State revolving loan funds and not by the Army Corps of Engineers. From the time this WRDA process began, the committee received requests to authorize more than 300 new projects. By holding firm to our criteria--the conference report to WRDA--we were able to authorize 30 new projects, 57 new feasibility studies, and a number of other project-related provisions. As I said before, Senator Baucus and I are committed to examining next year the infrastructure issue, and other issues, relating to the operation and management of the Corps. This will include hearings on the Corps reform. Let me talk specifically for a moment on the Everglades. There is an important element that separates this WRDA bill from all others and is what makes it so historic. This bill includes our landmark Everglades bill, S. 2797, the Restoring the Everglades, an American Legacy Act. It has been clearly demonstrated that the Everglades are in great peril. Without acting now, we could lose what is left of the Everglades in this generation. But Congress is prepared to move forward and make good on a problem the Federal Government greatly contributed to causing. It has been clearly demonstrated that the Everglades is a Federal responsibility. Lands owned or managed by the Federal Government--four national parks and 16 national wildlife refuges--compromise half of the remaining Everglades and will receive the benefits of restoration. The State of Florida has stepped up to the plate thanks to Gov. Jeb Bush and his legislature in Florida, on a bipartisan basis. The Everglades portion of WRDA has broad bipartisan support. Every major constituency involved in Everglades restoration supports our bill. These bipartisan and wide-ranging supporters include the Clinton administration, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the Seminole Tribe of Florida; industry groups, including Florida Citrus Mutual; Florida Farm Bureau, the American Water Works Association; Florida Chamber of Commerce; Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, Southeast Florida Utility Council, Gulf Citrus Growers Association, Florida Sugar Cane League, Florida Water Environmental Utility Council, Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, Florida Fertilizer and Agri-chemical Association; and many environmental groups. To name just a few: National Audubon, National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, Center for Marine Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, National Parks Conservation Association, the Everglades Foundation, the Everglades Trust, Audubon of Florida, 1000 Friends of Florida, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense, and the Sierra Club. It is pretty unusual to bring the support of that many people on a major environmental bill to the Senate. I am proud to do it. The Everglades bill is a great model for environmental policy development. It is cooperative. It is not prescriptive. It is bipartisan, and it is flexible and adaptive. We can change things. If we don't like what is going on, if something isn't working, we pull back and try something new. It establishes a partnership between the Federal Government and the State and many other private groups as well. Our colleagues in the House suggested improvements to the Everglades piece, and we made those. While it didn't always look promising, we will see this bill become law before we go home, in the very near future, when the House passes it and the President signs it. Last June, Bruce Babbitt called this ``the most important environmental legislation in a generation.'' I agree. It took a lot of courage to work this through. This passed the Senate 85-1. It has broad support. And it will pass overwhelmingly in the House very shortly. It is almost dangerous to mention anyone because once you mention one, you are sure to omit some very important contributors. So with apologies to anybody I miss, I thank the late Senator John Chafee because he started this committee's efforts on the Everglades. I went to Florida in January. I told the folks in Florida this would be my highest priority and there wouldn't be much difference between John Chafee and Bob Smith on saving the Everglades. I kept my word. I thank the Senate conferees: subcommittee Chairman George Voinovich, Senator John Warner, ranking member Senator Max Baucus, Senator Bob Graham from Florida. I also thank Senator Connie Mack and Governor Jeb Bush of Florida for their unrelenting efforts on the Everglades. Time and again we talked with them. We kept working with them throughout. From the administration, Carol Browner has been very helpful throughout this affair. I thank Mary Doyle and Peter Umhofer, Department of Interior; Joe Westphal, Michael Davis, and Jim Smythe from the Department of the Army; Gary Guzy from EPA; Stu Applebaum, Larry Prather, Gary Campbell and many others from the Corps of Engineers; and Bill Leary from CEQ. From the State of Florida, I thank David Struhs, Leslie Palmer, and Ernie Barnett from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Kathy Copeland from the South Florida Water Management District. I thank the Senate legislative counsel: Janine Johnson, Darcy Tomasallo, and Tim Trushel. I thank the following staff members: from Senator Graham's staff, Catharine Cyr Ranson and Kasey Gillette; Senator Mack's staff, C.K. Lee; Senator Voinovich's staff, Ellen Stein and Rich Worthington; Senator Warner's staff, Ann Loomis; Senator Baucus' staff, Tom Sliter, Jo-Ellen Darcy, Peter Washburn, and Mike Evans; and my staff, Dave Conover, Ann Klee, Angie Giancarlo, Chelsea Henderson Maxwell, Stephanie Daigle, Tom Gibson, and Jeff Miles. It was a great bipartisan effort. In spite of many roadblocks over the past several months, we were able to work this bill through in a bipartisan manner. I am truly grateful to everyone on both sides of the aisle for their tremendous support through a very difficult effort. There were literally hundreds of projects that the staff had to pore through, and we did it. When we look back on our careers, when we leave here and look back and say, What did I accomplish? I think we will be very proud of the vote to save the Everglades. I guarantee it. It will be right up there at the top. Once those Everglades are safe, we can say, when the time came to stand up and make a difference, we did. When I became chairman, I promised to make the Everglades my highest priority. I did. I also said we needed to look forward to the next generation, rather than the next election, in environmental policy. We are now poised to send the President a conference report on WRDA that has the support of every major south Florida stakeholder, the State of Florida, and the administration. Restoration of the Everglades is not a partisan issue. We proved it. The effort has been bipartisan from the start. I congratulate my colleagues for daring to take the risk to support this noble effort to save a national treasure. We need to view our efforts as our legacy to future generations, and this will be this Senate's legacy to future generations. I yield the floor.