Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Judicial Nominations'' on Thursday, September 29, 2005, at 2 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building room 226.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 29, 2005, for a committee hearing to consider the following nominations: 1. William F. Tuerk, Under Sec for Memorial Affairs, VA 2. Robert J. Henke, Asst Sec for Management, VA 3. John M. Molino, Asst Sec of Policy and Planning, VA 4. Lisette M. Mondello, Asst Sec of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, VA 5. George J. Opfer, Inspector General, VA The hearing will take place in Room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building at 10 a.m.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations be authorized to meet on Thursday, September 29, 2005, at 9:30 a.m., for a hearing entitled ``The Defense Travel System: Boon or Boondoggle?''

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on Aging to authorized to meet Thursday, September 29, 2005 from 10 a.m. in Hart 216 for the purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 29, 2005, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on U.S.-Japan Relations.

Mr. STEVENS

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, is it proper now to speak on the nomination of Judge Roberts?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, having lived and studied alongside one of the greatest legal minds of my generation, I believe Judge Roberts' capability and knowledge of the law is superior to any of his generation. When I was at Harvard Law School, my roommate was H. Reed Baldwin. He had abilities quite similar to those of John Roberts. He was the top of our class, No. 1, and on the Harvard Law Review. He was what I call a Renaissance man. He could handle almost any subject. Unfortunately, he suffered an untimely death; otherwise, he might have once been in the same place John Roberts is today. During the Judiciary Committee's hearings, Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho testified in support of Judge Roberts' nomination. Bruce, whom I know well, was Attorney General for the State of Alaska from 1994 through 2002. He employed John Roberts to represent our State before the Supreme Court on a wide range of issues, including the Venetie case involving Indian country claims and cases related to submerged lands issues, natural resource matters, and the Alaska Statehood Act. As a matter of fact, I met with Judge Roberts then and have met with him since. He has a brilliant legal mind. I am not alone in that opinion. Judge Roberts has been to our State many times, and he has won the respect of Alaskans who hold a wide range of political beliefs and opinions. Judge Roberts also won the respect of the bar association of the District of Columbia, of which I am a member. In 2002, when Judge Roberts was nominated to serve as a Federal court of appeals judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, more than 150 Members of the DC bar sent a letter to the Judiciary Committee of the Senate supporting his nomination. I know many of the bar members who signed this letter. They are a distinguished and bipartisan group of lawyers, law professors, and public servants. I think they said it best: John Roberts represents the best of the bar. I agree with their opinion and the opinion of many Alaskans who have worked with him. I shall vote to confirm Judge Roberts as the 17th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. I urge all of my colleagues in the Senate to do the same. I ask unanimous consent that the letter I mentioned be printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS. I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, passage of S. 1281, the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, is a milestone in our country's continued efforts to open and develop new frontiers. One year after the Columbia space shuttle tragedy, President Bush gave us a bold, new vision for the future of space exploration. This legislation provides the framework we need to implement the President's vision. The Moon is the strategic gateway to the rest of the solar system. It will ultimately be a critical point for many human endeavors. It will support economic growth, cutting-edge research and technology, and innovative partnerships. This legislation also provides NASA with important guidance for its other missions. It outlines a national aeronautics policy, which will be developed by the administration. This policy will enable us to take into account emerging challenges in aeronautics research as we plan our investments going forward. S. 1281 also calls for the implementation of a balanced space science program and highlights the need for better access to data which can meet local and national challenges. This is a bipartisan bill which provides a solid foundation for our current and future space activities. I am pleased we are sustaining our long-standing commitment to space exploration.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak for a minute as in morning business.

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

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a recent article from Petroleum News which is entitled ``Saudi Oil Shock Ahead,'' in which Matthew R. Simmons discusses the relative importance today of oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and discusses the valuable role this area can play in our national energy policy.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the vote on 237 be changed. I voted no and I intended to vote aye. I ask it be changed. It will not change the outcome of the vote.

Mr. STEVENS

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, in August, the voice of the Anchorage Times printed an article authored by my good friend Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu. Dr. Akasofu is the director of the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks. He is one of the world's leading experts on Arctic science and global climate change. Given the interest some of our colleagues have recently shown on this subject, I ask unanimous consent that Dr. Akasofu's article be printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I trust Dr. Akasofu's research and opinions. He has published more than 550 articles and is the author or coauthor of 10 books. His work has shown that he is an expert in Arctic research. It has shown that while there is little doubt the Earth's temperature is changing, there is still much debate about what is causing this change. In his article, Dr. Akasofu says that the: [One] thing we do know is that there is no definitive scientific proof that all of the present global warming is attributable to humans, or caused by the greenhouse effect. Some of the changes we are seeing are the most recent stage in a historic evolution. In Alaska, our glaciers have been receding since 1800, long before the advent of the so-called greenhouse gases. In the past 100 years, the Sun has been giving off additional energy, which is likely responsible for one-third of the .6-degree Celsius increase in global temperature. And there is now the so-called Atlantic and Pacific oscillation that may be dumping more heat, that is, warm ocean water, into the Arctic Ocean. Changes in climate and weather patterns are not isolated events. They are part of a long-range historic trend or trends. One cannot arrive at sound conclusions about the causes by observing the changes which occur in their own lifetime. Reliable conclusions can only be reached by sound science and the type of research being conducted by Dr. Akasofu and his staff. We must not substitute our own casual judgment for sound science. This will only lead to confusion. And Dr. Akasofu warned that: The danger from such confusion and hysteria may be even greater than from global warming itself. The effects of global climate change are real. Regardless of the cause, changes are underway in the Arctic regions, including Alaska, and we must deal with these effects. But we must also allow the scientists to reach scientifically based conclusions on what is causing this phenomenon. The basic problem we face is distinguishing between natural causes and human impact. The Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Global Climate Change, chaired by Senator Vitter and cochaired by Senator Lautenberg, held a hearing on global climate change policy in July. During that hearing, I asked Dr. James Mahoney, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, about the situation and he told me: Sometimes there are . . . political arguments that want to go in one extreme or the other. The scientific argument is much more complicated in the middle. Figuring out what is really happening in the Arctic will be very important to answering the overall question of global climate change, and I am dedicated to pursuing this. As far as the United States is concerned, the evidence of global climate change is more apparent in Alaska than anywhere else. We should prepare for its effects, but I want to seek sound science before we enact policies aimed at its causes. We have created two subcommittees in the Commerce Committee that deal in some way with global climate change, and we will continue in our committee to address this issue. But I think it is very dangerous to make, as Dr. Mahoney called them, the ``political arguments.'' We must follow science on this issue, and I commend Dr. Akasofu for leading those efforts. Mr. President, I thank the chair. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I rise in support of a Senate resolution which I submitted commending the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, which is celebrating its 15th year under the continuing strong leadership of its founding chairman, John Kluge. The James Madison Council is the first private sector advisory body in the history of the Library of Congress. With the approval of the Joint Committee on the Library, which I have chaired and served on for many years, Librarian of Congress Jim Billington established the Council in 1990 as the Library's primary philanthropic body and link to the business community. It consists of public-spirited citizens dedicated to helping the Nation receive the full benefits of the Library of Congress's incomparable educational, scientific, technological, and cultural resources. In its 15 years of unprecedented private support of the Library, the Madison Council has acquired hundreds of items for the collections that would have otherwise been unattainable through Federal appropriations alone, including the famous Waldseemuller map, the first map to bear the name ``America''; the $45 million dollar campaign to launch the National Digital Library, which provides free internet access to 10 million of the most important materials in the Library's collection; the Library's bicentennial celebration in 2000 which featured the recreation of Thomas Jefferson's library; the establishment of the John Kluge Center, a major scholarly center, and its accompanying Kluge Prize in the humanities; and the National Book Festival, in conjunction with First Lady Laura Bush, promoting literacy and the joys of reading, which is taking place this weekend. This resolution commends and thanks the James Madison Council, particularly its chairman, John Kluge, one of the most patriotic and generous philanthropists I have known, and looks forward to its continued success in supporting the world's greatest library in the years ahead.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, earlier today, the Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Kevin Martin, created a new FCC bureau dedicated to public safety and homeland security functions. The new FCC bureau will be named the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and will handle issues that are currently spread over several separate FCC bureaus and offices. For instance, it will handle enhanced 911 calls. It will handle priority emergency services, an emergency alert system, disaster management coordination, and communications infrastructure protection. My generation relied on radio. Now all of us have different forms of communications. But there was no uniform communication mechanism such as radio was back in the 1930s or 1940s. Chairman Martin's reorganization recognizes the change in the technologies that can be used for emergency communications. I commend the FCC, under Chairman Martin, for its leadership in directing the Universal Service Program to play a significant role in rebuilding the communications infrastructure, something that they have announced today also. Since its inception, the focus of the Universal Service Program has been on ensuring that all Americans are connected and able to communicate. As the citizens of Louisiana and Mississippi rebuild and return to their homes, they need to know that they can pick up their phones and make a call, which is why we have universal service. The steps that the FCC announced today, giving priority to rebuilding activities using universal service funds will help both in the short and long term. The FCC is using these universal service funds temporarily to support wireless handsets, coupled with a package of free minutes for evacuees and people still in the affected area that are without telephone service. The FCC is also helping health care providers and the Red Cross shelters by modifying the health care program to double discounts for public and nonprofit health care providers. The FCC is allowing health care providers to submit new or revised universal support applications--requests for the money--for 2005, since their needs have obviously changed. On the rebuilding front, universal service will help schools reconnect to the Internet, consumers reconnect to their phones, and telephone companies to rebuild. Specifically, the FCC is designating schools and libraries struck by the hurricane to receive the highest level of priority under the E-Rate Program for 2005 and 2006. They are allowing schools and libraries serving evacuees to amend their 2005 application to account for the unexpected increase in population. They are using the Link-Up Program to provide support to pay the cost of reconnecting consumers to the network as the disaster- struck area is rebuilt. And they are providing BellSouth flexibility to use high-cost model support to rebuild wire centers affected by the hurricane. In other words, this is a unique use of universal service funds. It took courage to do so. I am proud to hear of the FCC's willingness to work around the clock to assist companies in the affected areas with needed waivers. I also commend the FCC for its plans to establish the new Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. We have all seen the devastation and communications outages caused by the massive flooding and the storm surge. Certainly, we will have to look at improving our Nation's alert and disaster warning systems as well as our communications interoperability. As chair of the Commerce Committee in the Senate, along with my cochair and good friend, Senator Dan Inouye of Hawaii, I intend to work closely with my colleagues in the Senate and the House, the FCC, and others on these issues. We will pursue permanent solutions. Chairman Martin and the FCC members deserve credit for having acted so rapidly to deal with the disaster-related issues before us today. I thank the Chair and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, let me thank the distinguished Democratic whip for letting me precede him in making this statement. It was with great sadness that I learned of Chief Justice Rehnquist's passing, and even more sad when I joined the Senate to pay our last respects to him this morning. I first met Bill Rehnquist in 1952. We were both young lawyers here in Washington, DC. We each had taken jobs here in Washington after finishing law school and in the course of many months became very good friends. In fact, my first date with my first wife was double-dating with Bill Rehnquist. We had both served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and we were comrades in the deepest sense of the word. I respected Bill personally then and professionally. He was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Jackson. He took his responsibilities to the Court and to the American people very seriously. Bill Rehnquist was devoted to the rule of law and to our democratic system. In many of our Nation's most turbulent moments, we relied upon Chief Justice Rehnquist's commitment to the law to steer us toward calmer waters. History will remember his evenhandedness and his impartiality in the face of tough decisions. During the impeachment process, which he chaired in the Senate, the Chief demonstrated his fairness and his commitment to follow precisely our Constitution and the precedents of the past. It was during that time that I once again had the privilege of sharing lunches and coffees and just talking off the floor with my great friend of the past. Bill Rehnquist was a humble and gracious man, as we all know. Among his clerks and among his friends, he was known just as ``the Chief,'' and he was guided by the belief that no man is more important than the nation or the institution he serves. It was this belief that guided his efforts to narrow the concept of judicial activism and restore our system to its constitutional roots. I didn't always agree with Bill Rehnquist. As a matter of fact, as young lawyers, we had a lot of arguments. But I knew he was a brilliant man, and he proved to be a great administrator for our Supreme Court. Those of us who knew the Chief respected his commitment to law and valued his advice and counsel. His friends were from all walks of life. He counted law clerks, Senators, Congressmen, and Presidents among his friends. He embodied the lines in the Rudyard Kipling poem, ``If.'' Bill Rehnquist could ``walk with kings'' without losing ``the common touch.'' Those of you who knew him will miss the Chief's wry sense of humor. As a matter of fact, inspired by a costume from his favorite Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, he is the only Justice who added four gold stripes to each sleeve of his black Supreme Court robe. He also loved a practical joke. One of my favorite stories is an April Fools' prank played on Chief Justice Warren Burger, with whom I also served at the Department of Justice. Bill put a life-size photo of Warren Burger on the front steps of the Supreme Court building with a sign asking tourists to pay $1 to get a picture with the Chief Justice. Remember, it was April Fools' day. He then drove the Chief Justice by those steps so he could see his reaction to this prank. But he said once to me, ``The Chief Justice brings to the office no one but himself.'' This may be true, but this Chief Justice leaves office with the gratitude of our entire Nation. You can see it today in those long lines over by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has lost a great legal mind, the country has lost a devoted public servant, and I have lost another good friend. Catherine and I extend our deepest sympathies to Bill's family and friends. He will be missed by all--greatly by me.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Again, I thank the Senate and the leaders for their courtesy.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, let me thank the two leaders for their courtesy. Last Thursday it was my privilege to meet on the Capitol steps with a group of Boy Scouts from my State, 71 young Scouts and 9 adults, which included 5 distinguished Boy Scout leaders. As we all know, we have heard the news, a tragic accident occurred at Fort A.P. Hill, and four of those leaders have passed away. Another is seriously injured. It has been a shock to the Alaska community, certainly a shock to the Jamboree. We are working with the Army. This occurred on an Army base, and there is a CID investigation going on, as well as a Virginia State investigation, to determine the cause of this tragedy. Clearly, there are 71 young men down there who are very shocked and very disturbed over this tragedy. I want to thank the leader for his comments and the Chaplain for the mention of these men in his opening prayer. It is impossible for us to fathom a tragedy of this sort. In any event, I want to say to the Senate and to the Alaskan people we will do everything we can to help these young men and to comfort them and make certain they are cared for in this period of mourning the loss of these distinguished Boy Scout leaders. I ask unanimous consent that statements that appeared in the Anchorage Daily News this morning about this incident and from the Washington Post reporting on the incidents be printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to recognize the service of an outstanding leader and public servant. After more than 32 years in uniform, MG John W. Holly will soon retire and move into private life. Four years ago, Major General Holly was appointed Program Director of the Joint Program Office of Ground-Based Midcourse Defense. For the past year he has also served as the Deputy Director of the Missile Defense Agency, overseeing the direction of all other ballistic missile defense programs in the agency. The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System is not your run-of-the-mill weapons program. It is virtually global in scope, spanning 12 time zones, from the United Kingdom to the outer reaches of the Aleutian Islands. It has required upgrades to early warning radars from the Cold War era and the development of the most advanced sea-going X-band radar ever built; this equipment was then linked with communication centers throughout the United States and firing sites in Alaska and California. This effort has also involved the development, testing, and deployment of an interceptor- and-kill vehicle that closes in on its target at speeds of up to 18,000 miles an hour and hits within centimeters of its aim point. Each of the major systems involved in this effort and many of their component parts were built under different contracts, often by different manufacturers, at different times, and with different technologies. The entire system is being developed and acquired by non- traditional methods, which ensure we deploy effective defensive capabilities to our troops as fast as possible. And, of course, all of these pieces must work together as one, flawlessly, every time and on very short notice. Since the 1960s, Americans have dreamed of having this type of capability, and in the past 3 years we have made remarkable progress. None of this would have been possible if President Bush had not withdrawn the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in June 2002. And much of our success can be attributed to the dedication and leadership of Major General Holly. Major General Holly was ideally prepared for his responsibilities at the Missile Defense Agency. His experiences at the platoon through corps levels gave him an understanding of what it means to support our men and women in uniform. His management experience in research, development, and acquisition--especially in rocket propulsion and guidance--honed his ability to integrate complex systems and move all of the essential parts through development at the same time. In short, Major General Holly was the right man, in the right place, at the right time for our missile defense needs. Americans are deeply indebted to him for answering the call to serve. Like many of my Senate colleagues, I often had the opportunity to meet with Major General Holly. Many of those visits took place in Alaska. And like many of my Senate colleagues, I have always been impressed with his integrity, commitment, and leadership skills. Under Major General Holly's leadership, we have cut a new path through uncharted territory. He personally oversaw the emplacement of silos and interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. He showed what could be done if you provided the right guidance, tools, and motivation. Americans owe Major General Holly a debt of gratitude for a lifetime of selfless service and for his profound contributions to our Nation and our security. Those of us in the Senate will miss his leadership and his counsel. We wish him and his family all the best in the years ahead.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, for the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the Records on the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that these nominations lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, as my colleague, Senator Coleman knows, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa is an issue of paramount importance. The international community is at a crucial crossroads in the effort to treat and more importantly, stop the spread of this disease.