Ken Salazar

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the PATRIOT Act conference report currently before the Senate. I start by beginning to make absolutely clear my commitment to law enforcement and our fight against terrorism. I served as Attorney General for the State of Colorado for 6 years, and I am intimately familiar with the specific needs of law enforcement in the fight against terrorism and with the paramount importance of police work in this area. The peace officer's badge I carried with me was a constant reminder of the dedication, performance, and sacrifice that our men and women in law enforcement make every day as they work to keep us safe. At the end of the day, we will keep America safe when the 800,000 men and women who work in local, Federal, and State law enforcement are able to do their jobs and have the tools with which to do their jobs. Accordingly, I wholeheartedly support extending all of the law enforcement powers provided by the USA PATRIOT Act. On September 11, 2001, the magnitude of the terrorist threat was something that galvanized the Nation, and it is imperative that we give law enforcement officers the tools they need to investigate and prosecute terrorists within our borders so that we never face another attack like the ones we saw 4 years ago. While I strongly support measures that allow for the greater information sharing, it is worth noting that as the 9/11 Commission determined, even without the powers of the PATRIOT Act it was well within the reach of law enforcement to prevent the September 11 terrorist attacks. We knew al-Qaida was operating within our borders. We knew suspected terrorists were in flight schools in America learning how to fly planes. As the Presidential Daily Brief of August 2001 clearly showed, we knew of the possibility that Osama bin Laden was determined to strike our Nation with airplanes. We had the information to prevent those attacks. Yet we failed to protect the homeland. As my colleagues know, the key goal of the PATRIOT Act was to lower the ``wall'' between our law enforcement and intelligence agencies that too often prevented the necessary sharing of information among them. That wall is real and existing; it is a legal wall and a cultural wall that is present even today. That wall was recently alluded to in the report card by the 9/11 Commission. That wall exists because in our history of intelligence gathering, every agency has operated within its own silo. There was very ineffective information sharing about the bad guys laterally across the Federal Government agencies. That wall also exists with the failure to share information between the Federal Government and State and local law enforcement. We must do more to break down that wall as we move to a more coherent and integrated approach to go after the bad guys. To the extent the conference report before us breaks down that wall of communication and continues to provide the tools to law enforcement to fight the war on terror, its provisions are positive, and I support them. In addition, there are a number of other provisions in the conference report that are not related to the PATRIOT Act that are also deserving of the support of the Senate. For example, it contains provisions of the Combat Meth Act which I helped introduce at the beginning of this session. This legislation would place restrictions on the sale of products that contain the primary ingredients in methamphetamine to make it harder for criminals to produce the drug in the first place. The conference report also contains provisions to strengthen port security and combat terrorist financing. Without question, the legislation before us contains provisions that are worthy of support, but I am disappointed about the bill's failure to adequately protect the civil liberties of Americans. Today, December 15, 2005, marks the 214th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791. Among the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution is the fourth amendment's guarantee that the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated. Let me state that again because that is what is at stake in this debate. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated. It is ironic that we are now considering passing legislation that would greatly undermine that principle. Instead, we should take this occasion to reflect on the importance of the liberties guaranteed to all of us by that document and to understand that we can give law enforcement officers the tools they need to fight terrorists without sacrificing our constitutional rights and freedoms. I have worked very hard with my colleagues to achieve that goal. Earlier this year, I joined with five colleagues from both sides of the aisle in introducing the SAFE Act. I am proud of the leadership and courage shown by Senators Craig, Durbin, Sununu, Feingold, and Murkowski. That legislation, the SAFE Act, would have extended all of the expiring sections of the PATRIOT Act. It would also have placed reasonable limitations on the way those powers are used to protect America's fundamental freedoms. As the Senate began its work on the process of reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act, I continued to work closely with the SAFE Act sponsors to incorporate our commonsense proposal into the Senate reauthorization bill. Although the legislation reported out of the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees was not perfect, it took important steps to protect the freedom of innocent Americans and passed the full Senate with unanimous support from among the Republican, Democratic, and Independent membership of this body. That is why my colleagues and I fought so hard to see that the conference committee remained true to the Senate-passed bill. Unfortunately, when the details of the draft conference report were released in the week before Thanksgiving, it became clear that the conferees had retreated from the modest civil liberties protections included in the Senate bill. My colleagues and I renewed our request that the civil liberties concerns be addressed. We did not ask for all the provisions of the SAFE Act. We did not even ask for all the provisions in the Senate legislation. Although we could have easily put this issue behind us now if the House had taken up and passed the bill we unanimously adopted in this Chamber, we simply asked the conferees to make modest changes to a handful of critical provisions. Yet those changes were not made. Let me review what some of the remaining concerns are with respect to the conference report. First, section 215. One of the most controversial provisions of the PATRIOT Act is section 215. Section 215 allows the Government to go to a secret court to obtain financial, library, medical, travel, and a whole host of other kinds of records that fall under the extremely vague definition of ``any tangible thing.'' The conference report would also impose an automatic permanent gag order preventing the holder of those records from revealing information about the request. It would not permit the recipient to challenge the gag order. To be clear on that point, in order to obtain a search order under section 215, all the Government has to do is to go to a secret court, the secret FISA court, and claim that the order is relevant to an ongoing terrorist investigation, an application that the court has no discretion, no authority whatsoever to reject. It simply has to do what the Government asks it to do. The legal standard of relevance is extremely low. ``Relevant evidence'' is a very low threshold that can provide no protection to the civil liberties we are trying to protect. In contrast, the Senate bill would have restored a clear and specific standard of individualized suspicion, meaning that the Government would have to show that the records in question are linked to a suspected terrorist or an agent of a foreign power. In addition, the Senate bill would give the recipient of a FISA order the right to challenge the gag order and to receive meaningful judicial review of that order.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for another 3 minutes.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President----

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to reflect for a moment on the service and life of SFC Michael Parrott of Tinmath, CO. Sergeant First Class Parrott was tragically killed last month while serving this Nation in Balad, Iraq. Today would have been Sergeant First Class Parrott's 50th birthday. Mike Parrott was a native of Canton, NC, where he graduated from Pisgah High School in 1974 and went on to earn a degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. His 6-foot-tall frame made him hard to miss in a crowd, but it was his easy smile and brown eyes that first drew the attention of his wife, Meg, when she was a student at UNC-Asheville almost two decades ago. Mike Parrott was honest, opinionated, and unafraid to speak his mind. His wife, Meg, knew how unique Mike was when she discovered that he kept Voltaire in his bathroom. They celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary last month. Mike Parrott was an avid fan of the outdoors and could often be found biking, camping and hiking, activities he and Meg often enjoyed together. Mike rode his bike to and from work, and made it a point to run every day. In fact, this past year, on the day of the Leadville Marathon, Sergeant First Class Parrott laced up his running shoes and ran 26.2 miles in the blazing Iraqi heat. Sergeant First Class Parrott was a true American patriot. Sergeant First Class Parrott served in this Nation's armed forces for more than 15 years in active and reserve duties. Three years ago, he signed up for the National Guard, looking to reach his 20 years of service. He was a member of the 115th Field Artillery Brigade in Cheyenne and was on loan to the 28th Infantry of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard at the time of his death. He had already completed a year's tour in Kuwait with his Wyoming unit but signed up as a loaner to return to Iraq. Sergeant First Class Parrott was an inspiring leader for the men who served under him, some less than half his age. They looked up to his leadership and calm, affectionately calling him ``The Old Man.'' Sergeant First Class Parrott believed that he had a mission to help younger soldiers. He looked forward to being a mentor. Sergeant First Class Parrott and his wife both disagreed with U.S. policy in Iraq, but he did not shrink from his duties. Instead, he rose honorably to serve his Nation in the time it called for his aid. Mr. President, what becomes clear upon reflection is that SFC Mike Parrot loved this Nation. He loved its spirit of dissent and discussion. He loved its wide open spaces and natural wonders. He loved it for providing him the opportunity to be with his wife and family, his friends of so many years that gave him so much. He was the embodiment of Voltaire's remark: ``I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it.'' To the family of SFC Mike Parrott, including his wife Meg Corwin and his mother Suzanne Parrott, know that the thoughts and prayers of an entire Nation are with you today. We are grateful for Mike's courageous service to the people of America and Iraq. The values he lived by will remain far beyond our time on this Earth, a humble legacy that will live on in every life he touched. a fallen hero: army sergeant luis r. reyes Mr. President, I also wish to reflect on a life of promise taken too soon from us--Army Sergeant Luis Reyes of my home State of Colorado. Sergeant Luis Reyes was 26 years old, a member of the 947th Engineer Company of the Colorado National Guard based out of Durango. He was killed in Kuwait while on his way to Iraq. A native of Denver, Luis was a husband of 6 years to his wife, Christina, and a father of two: Sienna and Nikko. Luis was devoted to his family and community, a man known for helping his friends and neighbors with repair jobs and who loved to work on his truck. After graduating Montbello High School in Denver in 1997, Luis enlisted with the Army and married Christina after finishing basic training. He had just re-enlisted for another 3-year term with the Army and in one of his last phone calls home marveled to his wife about his service in the Middle East, telling her it was a ``whole other world.'' When Sergeant Reyes was killed, his unit was on its way to help Iraq with the complicated task of rebuilding its infrastructure and roads. It was an important mission, which will allow the far-flung villages of Iraq to connect once more with each other and foster the blessings of liberty. A friend of Sergeant Reyes remembered him as a man who would go ``above and beyond'' the call of duty. With his service to this Nation, Luis Reyes did just that. He could have stayed with his young family in the safe confines of Aurora. But he had a passion for serving this Nation and accepted great risk on behalf of all of us. Isaiah 25:8 teaches us, ``The Lord will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord will wipe away tears from off all faces.'' To Sergeant Reyes's wife, Christina, and his two young children, his mother Tomasa and his brother Roger, the thoughts and prayers of an entire Nation go with you during this difficult time. Luis served this Nation with honor and distinction and has left all of us forever in his debt. For that, we all offer our humble thanks. tribute to specialist gregory l. tull

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. I agree with Senator Allard on his understanding and our intent. Once an organization is required to retain holdings in any business enterprise at the direction of an attorney general, those holdings will not constitute excess business holdings as a result of some future directive or another authority coming in and saying something different. That is precisely the kind of uncertainty we are attempting to avoid with these modifications. The special rule continues to apply. Otherwise, these organizations and their benefit to the community could be put at risk by future inconsistent actions driven by political gain rather than by the benefit to the community. And we must not lose sight of the fact that the primary goal of these organizations is to benefit their community. We all agree it is necessary for an organization to have certainty about its status and its exemption from the excess business holdings rules. I commend my colleague from Colorado for his work in having this much needed clarification included in the manager's amendment.

Mr. SALAZAR. I am happy to engage with my distinguished colleague about the intent of this modification. And I, too, am glad that we were able to make these modifications and create a special rule for certain holdings of Type III organizations.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I want to take a few moments of this body's time to remember a true fallen hero, a Coloradan that has been lost to us in defense of our freedoms. Last week, on Veterans' Day, the family of PFC Tyler R. Mackenzie buried him back home in Weld County. A native of Evans, CO, Private First Class Mackenzie was killed in early November near Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee. He was only 20 years old, taken from his family and friends just a few days shy of his 21st birthday. Tyler was a tower of a young man, a six-foot-seven-inch high school football player at Greeley West High School. Tyler's coaches remember him for having held himself to the highest standards and being his own toughest critic. He enjoyed the horticulture classes at Greeley West. He expected excellence from himself and refused to accept anything less. After graduating Greeley West in 2003, Tyler went to work at his family's business, manufacturing kitchen cabinets. He also worked for the Greeley-Evans School District 6. Tyler was a man of faith, active in his church. Tyler also had a sense of humor, and his older sister used to call him ``Monkey'' for his ability to climb across the rafters of the family's basement. But seeking something else, perhaps a larger opportunity to give back to this Nation, Tyler joined the Army in January of this year. He became a member of the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the storied 101st Airborne Division that bravely halted the march of tyranny across Europe during World War II. Private First Class Mackenzie was following a long tradition of military service in his family: his two grandfathers had served in the Navy during World War II, and his father had served as a military police officer with the Army. Private First Class Mackenzie completed basic training in May of this year and was deployed to Iraq on September 28. He had been in Iraq only 6 weeks before his tragic death. Tyler is exactly the kind of young man we as a Nation are so fortunate to have serving in our Armed Forces. He was a young man of intellect, self-discipline, courage and concern. He joined the Army because he wanted to help, to serve his country as his father and grandfathers and so many others had before him. He wanted to ensure that Iraqis knew the full blessings of their new freedom and could share the same opportunities he had here. Tyler's sacrifice on behalf of this Nation is a reminder to all of us of the precious gift we have to live in such a country. To his parents, David and Julie, his sister Nicole and the entire Mackenzie family, this Nation humbly thanks you for Tyler. We are forever grateful for your sacrifice and his. marine lance corporal jeremy p. tamburello Mr. President, I wish to speak for a moment about a brave son of Westminster, CO, lost to us in the fighting in Iraq: Marine LCpl Jeremy P. Tamburello. Lance Cpl. Tamburello was killed earlier this month when his military vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device near Rutbah, Iraq. He was a member of the 1st Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, and was only 19 years old. Jeremy was a straight-A high school student at Ranum High School in Adams County. Jeremy had a gift for science and dreams of serving his Nation in the United States Marine Corps before going on to pursue a degree in computer science. When Jeremy announced his intention to join the Marine Corps, his father, Kevin tried at first to talk him out of it, warning him of the terrible risks of serving during this time of conflict in Iraq. Kevin suggested to his son that he pursue a computer science degree at a technical college. Jeremy's response to his father was respectful, but firm: ``This is what I want to do, Dad. Sign the papers.'' And so in the summer of 2004, Jeremy Tamburello joined the Marine Corps and began his brave journey of service to America. This past August, he was deployed to Iraq. It was a challenge in which he was a firm believer. He cared about the future of the people of Iraq and about the sacrifices made by the over 3,000 Americans in the September 11th attacks. He wanted to serve his Nation and protect those freedoms that all too often so many of us take for granted and help bring them to the fledgling democracy of Iraq. This Nation is blessed to have a young man like Lance Cpl. Tamburello. He served his country with honor and distinction, with a courage and conviction that makes us all so very proud. Lance Cpl. Tamburello did not seek glory or parade honors, but instead chose to humbly serve to help shine the blessings of freedom and liberty to those who had for too long languished behind a curtain of oppression. To Jeremy's family, I can only offer the quiet and humble thanks of a grateful Nation. Jeremy exemplified the nobility and honor, courage and self sacrifice, that has made every American proud of his example. We shall not forget your sacrifice, nor his. Tribute to Staff Sergeant Kyle B. Wehrly

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I agree with my friend and colleague from New York. The Republican leadership should allow this Senate to have a vote on whether we establish an independent Katrina commission. This ought not be a partisan issue. This is not about Republicans and Democrats and Independents. This is not about assigning blame. It is about learning from our mistakes and building a stronger Nation. I hope that President Bush, Senator Frist, and Speaker Hastert will join us and move forward in developing this independent Katrina commission so we can make our homeland even more secure, because what Katrina taught us, without a doubt, is that we as a nation are not prepared. Every day we go without this commission is a day lost. It puts us a day further from finding answers for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, a day further from identifying the gaps in homeland security, a day further from a safer America. I want to say that I, too, have been involved as an attorney general looking at difficult issues that have occurred in my State. I walked through the carnage of Columbine High School, the bloodiest school shooting in America. And so many years later, the answers we sought about why that happened and how it could have been prevented, how we could have improved on interoperable communications, those lessons have not yet been placed on the table. I daresay that without the efforts of the 9/11 Commission, the lessons learned from that most horrific attack on America on 9/11 would not have been learned. In the same way, as we move forward to determine whether we have a Department of Homeland Security that is up to the job of protecting Americans, protecting the homeland, protecting our citizens, it is a major mistake on the part of the United States of America not to undertake this independent review which has been presented in a bill by my colleague from New York. I thank Senator Clinton again for her advocacy for this legislation. I vow to work with her and to try again and again with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I do not believe we can adjourn this Congress without finishing the job on a Katrina commission.

Mr. SALAZAR. I thank my colleague from New York for her leadership on this very important issue for our Nation. I deeply share her belief that a Katrina commission is, in fact, needed and that we ought not to wait. The headline on the New Orleans Times Picayune editorial page this Sunday was ``Forgotten Already.'' ``Forgotten Already.'' It is about how Washington has already forgotten that Katrina is still an ongoing crisis. It is a shame that Washington has such a short attention span. In the days following the storm, Congress moved quickly to pass a $70 billion hurricane relief effort. We held hearings and we grilled the officials from FEMA. However, because the storm waters have receded, many politicians in Washington feel they can roll their sleeves back down and declare the job is done, the mission is accomplished. That is not the case. Tell the 1,154 children who are missing or who are looking for their parents that our job in Katrina is done. Tell the 129,000 Louisiana residents, 129,000 Louisiana residents who still do not have electricity, that the Federal Government task is done. Tell the 196,000 Katrina evacuees who are currently unemployed, who do not have jobs, that our mission is accomplished. Our job is far from done. We need to do much more to ensure that the individuals and communities along the gulf coast recover, and we have to do a lot more to plug the homeland security vulnerabilities that Hurricane Katrina exposed. What Senator Clinton's legislation would do is establish a Hurricane Katrina commission, similar to the 9/11 Commission. The commission would investigate what went wrong in the Government's response to Katrina and what steps we need to take to make things better. I remember a number of years ago meeting with President Bush and then-Homeland Security Adviser Ridge at the White House shortly after 9/11 with attorneys general from States around the country. At that time, the President was opposed to the creation of a department of homeland security. Later, the President relented, taking the position that in the post-9/11 world, a department of homeland security was necessary for us as a nation to make homeland security a greater priority to protect America. A few years later, I came to Washington as a U.S. Senator to help on that agenda. I want to make protecting our Nation and our homeland a greater priority. Yet 4 years after 9/11, Katrina slapped the Nation with reality. We are not prepared to protect our homeland, even when we have days of warning that American citizens are in the path of the gravest danger. That reality is a shame on the efforts of the last 4 years, but it would be an even greater shame for our Nation not to learn from our failure in the preparation and response to Katrina. We need to learn from those lessons. My colleague's proposed bipartisan commission would help us make sure we prevent failures in homeland security in the future. Therefore, I am proud to stand here with Senator Clinton and 16 other cosponsors in demanding accountability from the Federal Government. I am proud to stand with them for a stronger America.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a member of my staff, Velina Wallick, and a science fellow in my office, John Plumb, be granted the privilege of the floor during the duration of today's Senate business.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to support the Defense authorization bill for the 2006 fiscal year, and to comment on several amendments to the bill that build on the good work of the Armed Services Committee under the leadership of Chairman Warner and Ranking Member Levin. I am pleased that this bill includes an amendment I offered to create a grant program for employment services provided to the spouses of certain members of the Armed Forces. Many of our men and women in uniform change duty stations every 2 to 5 years, wreaking havoc on their spouses' careers. Additionally, when Reservists and National Guardsmen are called to active duty, many of their spouses enter the workforce to make up the difference between civilian and military pay. It is not just those in uniform who make sacrifices for this country. Military families need our support as well. My amendment would create a DoD grant program for workforce boards established under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Many of these centers already provide employment services for military spouses through the National Emergency Grant fund under the Department of Labor, but this fund has been severely strained. This DOD grant program will provide assistance to spouses who have lost their job to accommodate a servicemember's permanent change in duty station. It will also assist spouses who have experienced a reduction in family income due to a servicemember's deployment, disability, death or the activation of a National Guardsman or Reservist. Helping our military families cope with the disruption that comes with deployment cycles and frequent moves is the least we can do, and I thank the managers for including my amendment. I have also cosponsored an amendment with Senator Landrieu that will allow up to $10 million under Title VI, the Defense Health Program, to be used for mental health screenings for members of the Armed Forces. Mental health experts predict that because of the intensity of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan 15 percent or more of the servicemembers returning from these conflicts will develop post- traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. This nearly equals the PTSD rate for Vietnam War veterans, and the Veterans Affairs' National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder estimates rates of PTSD could reach as high as 30 percent. Additionally, concussions both small and large can cause what is known as Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI. While there are no service- wide figures available on how many troops are affected by TBIs, doctors at Walter Reed found that 67 percent of the casualties they treated in a 6-month period had brain injuries. This is far higher than the 20 percent figure that military doctors documented in Vietnam and other modern wars. Because of the number of soldiers affected by TBIs they are being called the ``signature injury'' of the war. Rates of TBI in Iraq and Afghanistan are high because of soldiers' frequent exposure to improvised explosive devices. Thanks to dramatic improvements to body armor and vehicle armor in recent years, these explosions, thankfully, often do not kill a soldier. But the blast jars their brain, often causing bruising or permanent damage. Studies of veterans who suffered TBIs in previous wars indicate that they experience cognitive deficits in social behavior, reasoning, attention, and planning that need effective diagnosis and rehabilitation. Without more mental health screenings, too many of these injuries will continue to go undiagnosed. This amendment will help to diagnose soldiers earlier, and improve their long-term quality of life. I am pleased that it has been included in the bill. This bill also includes an amendment I authored to allow the Office of Special Events within the Department of Defense to provide more support to paralympic competitions in the United States. This is a matter of basic fairness. The Pentagon currently supports Olympic and other international games. This amendment just makes it easier for the Pentagon to support such competitions and this is especially important now, as so many of our seriously injured servicemembers are working to rebuild their lives and find new outlets for their drive and determination. This bill also contains an amendment I authored as a result of a letter I received from one of my constituents. He is an Army specialist and is currently deployed to Iraq. He wrote to me because one of his friends was killed by an IED while sitting in the exposed gunner's seat of a Humvee. His letter reads as follows: Two days ago a good friend of mine was killed in action when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated next to his M1114 Humvee. He was sitting in the gunner seat and pulling rear security. I have seen automated guns that can go on the top of these same Humvees. These guns are controlled from inside the vehicle. Why are these guns not on every Humvee? I do not have the time or the resources over here to check, but if you were to look into it I believe you would be shocked at the percentage of KIA's that were sitting in the gunner's seat of Humvees since OIF 1 in 2003. All I do know is that the four people that were inside the vehicle were physically unharmed. If the answer is money, then I would really like to know how much my friend's life was worth. Since receiving that letter I have been in close contact with the Pentagon about the technology this young specialist is referring to. The Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station, known as CROWS, can move our soldiers out of the exposed gunner's seat and inside the protective shell of an up-armored Humvee. In a CROWS-equipped vehicle, the gunner controls a powerful weapons platform through a computer screen. The system can be mounted on a variety of platforms, and it gives a solder the capability to acquire and engage targets while protected inside the vehicle, out of range of enemy fire or IED attacks. Right now we have a few of these systems deployed in Iraq, and I am told that our soldiers ``hot seat'' them, which means that when one of these Humvees comes back from a patrol or an escort mission, another group of soldiers takes the vehicle out again as soon as they can gas it up. My amendment would express the sense of the Senate that the administration should ask for full funding of this program in their next supplemental budget request. I appreciate the managers' support for my efforts to send a strong signal to the Pentagon about this important priority. Another amendment, which I cosponsored, will resolve the last remaining obstacle to the creation of the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. The amendment authorizes the Department of Energy to spend up to $10 million to acquire the mineral interests on four parcels of land within the tentative boundaries of the refuge. These mineral interests would be acquired from willing sellers. The Departments of Energy and Interior agree that these four parcels represent the areas which include sand and gravel deposits of sufficient value that future mining is possible and which also include significant and unique ecological values that should be protected as part of the refuge. This amendment also resolves the potential claims for natural resource damages that might arise in the future as a result of releases of hazardous substances that have already been identified in the lengthy administrative record of the Rocky Flats cleanup. The State of Colorado trustees with responsibility to pursue such claims, the Colorado attorney general, the director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and the director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, all agree that the expenditure of $10 million to acquire these mineral interests is fair compensation for the waiver of potential Natural Resource Damage claims. The release of hazardous materials not previously identified would not be waived by this amendment, and the Department of Energy would remain liable for such releases, if any. As our brave men and women in uniform continue to perform so admirably in tremendously difficult conditions, and as their families continue to make their own sacrifices, it is vitally important that the Senate has finally acted on this bill. I am committed to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to give our troops the support that they deserve.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss an urgent problem that continues to confront this great Nation. The problem is simply stated. Today, America is held hostage to our overdependence on foreign oil. That dependency is continuing to grow at an ever-alarming rate. America deserves better. The problem is a result of the malignant neglect of the United States of a meaningful national energy policy for the last three decades. From the formation of OPEC and President Carter's national statement that we must embrace energy independence with ``the moral imperative of war,'' Washington has been stuck in the swamp of inaction. It is time to change this neglect and, for the sake of ourselves and for our children, find our way out of this swamp of inaction. Ever since 1970, America's domestic production of oil has been dropping. And ever since, many speeches have been given in Washington about the importance of achieving energy independence. Many of us remember the speeches of Richard Nixon and President Carter in the 1970s and the 1980s. In 1973, following the formation of OPEC, President Nixon gave a speech to the Nation where he said: our overall objective . . . can be summed up in one word that best characterizes this Nation and its essential character. The word is ``independence.'' Then again in 1980, President Carter spoke to the Congress at his State of the Union address. In that speech, President Carter said: Our excessive dependence on foreign oil is a clear and present danger to our Nation's security. The need has never been more urgent. At long last, we must have a clear, comprehensive energy policy for the United States. That was President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Well, here we are in 2005 and the Nation has miserably failed to achieve any meaningful reform and any progress toward energy independence. Instead, we have retreated and gone backward. We have become more dependent on imports of foreign oil. The words of President Nixon and President Carter today in 2005 sound hollow because there has not been action to follow the words that have come out of Washington. I am sure both President Nixon, if he were alive today, and President Carter today would be frustrated with the refusal by Washington, the refusal by the White House, to move this great Nation toward energy independence. I, too, am tired of this talk, and I believe many of my colleagues in this Chamber are tired of this talk. I am tired of the maneuvering of Congress to protect the special interests, and it is time for us to take action. The facts do not lie about the national energy crisis that we are in and how we are being held hostage to the whims of foreign governments. The conclusion is inescapable when one reviews the facts. Let me review just a few of those important facts. One, Americans today consume one- quarter of the world's oil, but we only stand on top of about 3 percent of the global reserves. So we consume one-quarter of the world's oil, but we only have 3 percent of the world's reserves. Currently, the OPEC member countries produce about 40 percent of the world's oil, but they hold 80 percent of the proven world reserves. That is a second fact that should be alarming to us because 85 percent of those reserves are in the greater Middle East in countries such as Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Third, 22 percent of the world's oil is in the hands of state sponsors of terrorism under U.S. or U.N. sanction, and only 9 percent of the world's oil is in the hands of free countries. Today, as we debate the Department of Defense authorization bill to make sure that we remain a strong America, this ought to be something in the back of our minds and in the front of our minds, that we cannot really have a strong America unless we address this most fundamental national security threat of our overdependence on foreign oil. In the 1970s, this Nation imported about a third of our oil needs. Today, we import almost 60 percent, and the projections are that 20 to 25 years from now we will be importing 70 percent of our oil from foreign countries. Fifth, we are importing more oil at a time when other growing nations such as China continue to grow in their importation of oil from other countries. China, today, has become the No. 2 petroleum user on the entire globe. Experts predict that China's 1.2 billion people and its large and rapidly growing demand for oil will have serious implications for the United States and for oil prices and supplies at home. Fully one-quarter of the U.S. trade deficit today--those of us like my colleague from Oklahoma who is here today, who is concerned about the growing deficits that we have in America today, understand that one-quarter of the U.S. trade deficits are associated with oil imports. The problem that we face for sure is due in part to dwindling resources in America. Domestic reserves of oil and natural gas are declining although our demand continues to grow. However, the reality is that there has been a deliberate unwillingness to address this problem in America. As proof, the average American vehicle gets fewer miles per gallon today than it did in 1988. That is right. Even though transportation fuels represent about two-thirds of our demand for petroleum products, our current fuel economy is worse today than it was 17 years ago. According to EPA estimates, back in 1988 passenger vehicles in America had an average fuel economy of 26 miles per gallon. Today, in the midst of this national crisis, we have 50 million more passenger vehicles on the road and the average fuel economy has declined to less than 24 miles per gallon. That is going in the wrong direction. How is it possible that the world's biggest economy with the world's best scientists and engineers, we, the United States of America, are doing worse today on fuel economy than we were 17 years ago? We find ourselves in this mess because we have not taken our energy consumption problem seriously. Since most of the known oil reserves lie in one specific region of the world, the Middle East, our addiction to foreign oil means that we will continue to be held hostage to the whims of despotic or increasingly unstable regimes. Ominously, the money we pay today for foreign oil helps pay for the activities of extremists and terrorists around the world who hate the United States and the West in general. We only need to recall the horrors of 9/11 to know how real that hatred is. Even worse, the money pit grows deeper because we as a world consume more oil and that oil becomes more expensive and the money that keeps some of these regimes in place gets more concentrated in the hands of these few countries. So, yes, America is held hostage and in a tighter and tighter grip. There is only one way for us to fix this. America must stop the rhetoric, and we must embrace a true imperative of energy independence. I wish to say a word about the work of this body, this Congress, in the last year with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. I wish to say two things about that legislation. It was the first time in 13 years that any significant energy legislation came out of Washington, DC, again, demonstrating the malignant neglect. There are two important lessons we should take from the act. The first is it was a good template of bipartisan cooperation. In this body, with more than 80 votes, Republicans and Democrats coming together saying we need to embrace a new National Energy Policy Act, we are making a statement that this is an important issue for the American people. We ought to find more places where the American people can get that kind of bipartisan action on the part of the Senate, the Congress. Second, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 did some good things in making us move forward toward energy independence. It embraced an ethic of energy conservation, of which all of us should be proud, and included in that are efficiency standards for the 14 appliances that are most commonly used in our homes. That is an important step for the United States of America to take because we know from the experts at the Department of Energy that we currently waste about 62 percent of the energy we consume. Second, the 2005 Energy Policy Act also took some major steps forward with regard to renewable energy. We embraced an ethic that said we can start growing our way toward energy independence. We increased the amount of ethanol that will be produced in America so we will have 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol being produced by 2012. That is only 5 years away. That will be very helpful to us as we move toward energy independence. Third, the new technologies that were embraced in this law are important. When we look at the possibility of coal gasification, we know the huge reserves we have in America can be used in a way to help us fill up that menu board that we must fill up if we are going to find our way toward energy independence. Finally, there are approaches in the legislation that will help us with the balanced development of our current natural resources, including the appropriate development of oil shale within my State of Colorado. While I have been a fan of our 2005 legislation, I believe there is more that we must do to set America free from the overdependence on foreign oil. We need to do more. There is a hard winter ahead for many Americans. Gas prices remain very high. Diesel prices remain even higher. This directly affects the pocketbooks of people across America. In Colorado, as across the Nation, high fuel prices affect everyone, and they also hit our agricultural producers and perhaps hit them the hardest. Farming and ranching equipment uses diesel fuel. When you have to tend to hundreds of acres, you use a lot of it. Americans are in for a one-two punch on energy prices this winter because home heating prices are going to be high as well. The cost of natural gas is at an unprecedented level and, similar to the high prices at the pump, the resulting high heating costs will affect every American. We should take action. Back in August I remember traveling around in places where I saw gas prices hit $3 for the first time around. Yet through the ravages of Katrina and Rita and the escalation of gas prices over the last several months, we in Congress have had a few hearings but we have not taken action to deal more effectively with the crisis at hand. We must do more. We must begin now. I suggest we start in the following three ways. First, we should embrace a national price-gouging law. That is a law which was discussed by Senator Bingaman and Senator Stevens in a hearing that was held in the Senate last week. The oil companies should have nothing to be afraid of with respect to price gouging because they say they have not engaged in price gouging. But we need to have a definition of what price gouging is so in the future we can make the determinations as to whether price gouging has occurred on the backs of the American people. We ought to be able to pass a price-gouging law in America today. Second, we need to immediately embrace conservation emergency efforts for the year 2005 and for this winter. The years of malignant neglect have suddenly caught up with all of us, and we need to conserve energy for this winter. I believe we need to pass an Emergency Energy Conservation Act of 2005. I have promoted a number of proposals on the floor of the Senate, as have several of my colleagues. On the House side, the story is the same. There are many good ideas available to this Congress that will encourage conservation. But we do not have time to wait. We need to act now, before the cold days of winter are upon us. Finally, we need to continue to put the spotlight on the possibilities and opportunities of renewable energy. Today, the nation of Brazil produces about half of its energy supply from renewable energy. They have truly embraced and achieved a goal of energy independence. If Brazil and other countries that are less prosperous, Third World countries, can in fact achieve energy independence by looking at renewable fuels, why can't we in the United States do the same? I believe we can. More production of renewable fuels combined with more development of wind, solar, biomass, and other renewable resources will move the United States closer to energy independence. At the same time, renewable energy production will directly benefit those agricultural and rural communities hardest hit by high energy prices. Harvesting renewable energy from our Nation's farmlands and wide open spaces is perhaps the most important opportunity to come to rural America in the last 50 years. A group called the Energy Future Coalition, composed of leading conservatives and leading progressives--from across the political spectrum--is working toward harvesting 25 percent of America's energy demands by the year 2025. I believe we can do even better than that, and there are experts within the Department of Energy who believe that we can do that. There is a lot of work ahead of us as we deal with what I believe is one of the two most important domestic issues that face America and that is energy and how we get to energy independence. It ought to be at the forefront of the work of this Senate and this Congress. In conclusion, this country has an Energy bill and it is a good first step. However, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 does not do enough to prepare America for the future. The events of the last several months prove that. We can do better with a more comprehensive long-term energy policy that hammers home on two simple points: energy efficiency and developing renewable resources. America can do better. America deserves better. America can do better with true deeds that move us to energy independence, with deeds that transcend the rhetoric of Washington and the stalemate of Washington for the last 30 years. I yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I yield the floor for a unanimous consent request by my colleague from Oklahoma.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, this weekend we will all return home to our States and march in parades and participate in memorial events. Personally, I am always humbled to meet with men and women who heard duty calling and answered without hesitation. When duty called for brave Americans to stand against the spread of tyranny and oppression-- whatever its many forms--they answered. They were willing to go anywhere--from the shores of Normandy to the islands of the Pacific to the jungles of Southeast Asia, to Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf-- they put their lives on the line for our safety and freedom. And in exchange for that, our Nation owes them sincere gratitude and a promise of support when they return. During World War II, my father was a soldier and my mother worked in the War Department. During that time, my uncle Leandro was killed in Europe. My parents knew firsthand about the ultimate sacrifice to protect America. They taught me the fundamental values I hold dear-- love of family, community, country and God. My dad taught me something else. Four years ago, my father died at the age of 85. Even though his mind was wracked with Alzheimer's, my father's last wish was to be buried in his World War II uniform. My dad knew that there is no greater honor, in life or in death, than to love our country. When I got to the Senate, I asked to serve on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. I wanted to fight for heroes like my father, uncle, brothers, and nephews. In fact, my brother John, himself a veteran and Congressman from Colorado's third district, will speak at Veterans Day events across his district tomorrow. Like millions of other veterans, whose actions matched their ideals, it is time the Nation acted to keep the promises it made to veterans. Veterans Day is an opportunity for all of us to come together to hold parades and give speeches. Veterans all will hear from a number of politicians tomorrow. It reminds me of something a young Ben Franklin wrote to his mother and father in 1738: the scripture assures me that at the last day we shall not be examined by what we thought, but by what we did . . . that we did good to our fellow creatures. John Kennedy put it another way: As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. Veterans Day is an important day, and veterans deserve every single word of praise that politicians utter. But our veterans deserve more than good speeches. They need the Government to keep the promises it made to them. We need to keep our promises to our soldiers at all stages of their lives, from when they first serve, to when they return home, to when they pass away. Our military faces very different and daunting challenges as we begin the 21st century. We are fighting an enemy with a singular obsession-- nothing less than the destruction of our way of life. We must provide our military with the resources to fight the war on terror and keep us safe. And just as we must protect our soldiers in battle, we must serve them when they return home. Many of our veterans have seen and experienced things that will torment them for all of their days. Many return to us damaged physically and emotionally. Many will rise from the worst of it and work to help others to do the same. Colorado has 433,000 veterans who have fought for our freedom, and our state has more than 13,000 soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to show these heroes that we will support them when they come home. Earlier this year, I was alarmed when I learned the VA had a $1.3 billion budget shortfall and was delaying construction and rearranging funds to hide the gap. I was proud to work with my colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee to pass $3.5 billion in additional funds to cover the shortfall this year and next. This is an important first step, but we need to make sure that veterans never have to worry about losing their health care again. First, we need to make sure that the VA's budget process works. I have worked with my colleagues to successfully launch a Government Accountability Office investigation into what went wrong at the VA. I also authored legislation that passed the Senate to make sure that we are not surprised by this kind of news in the future. Second, we need to ensure that the VA's budget is not dependent on the political whims inside Washington. I believe we need to make VA funding mandatory so that VA never has to ration care and veterans never have to worry about losing their coverage. Colorado's veterans deserve a new state-of-the-art veterans hospital at Fitzsimons. When negotiations between the VA, the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority, and the University of Colorado broke down, I was proud to step in and help restart negotiations. This remains one of my top priorities in the Senate, and I am optimistic about the hospital's prospects. Colorado's veterans will get a new VA medical center at Fitzsimons. But veterans in the metro area are not the only ones who need better care. In many rural parts of Colorado, veterans are being forced to drive hundreds of miles to get basic health care at overutilized facilities. This distance can lead to delayed care. And in the case of our aging veterans, the trip can be damaging to their health. That is just unacceptable. Across Colorado, many brave and dedicated State officials and veterans groups are providing transportation services to rural veterans. Such volunteer programs currently exist in Alamosa, Denver, La Plata, Moffat, Prowers, and Weld counties. These are successful, but financial uncertainties put them in jeopardy. I am proud to have introduced the VetsRide Act to help programs like these survive. The bill provides small grants to groups that provide transportation or otherwise assist veterans in rural areas. This bill has earned the support of 17 Senate cosponsors including 8 Republicans. I hope to get this legislation approved so that we can continue these transportation programs that are a lifeline to our rural veterans. In August, I hosted a field hearing on rural veterans issues in Grand Junction. Based on that hearing, I introduced legislation to require the VA to reevaluate outdated policies that disadvantage rural areas in the placement of new VA clinics. In September the Senate passed that legislation, which hopefully will help clear the way for the veterans of northwestern Colorado to get a clinic that they deserve. In addition, I have introduced critical legislation to improve care for veterans living in rural areas, blinded veterans, and our elderly veterans. These are three areas where the VA is not doing enough, and a relatively small investment can make a major difference in our heroes' quality of life. As we celebrate this Veterans Day, I am reminded of a sad fact. By 2015, the veteran population in Colorado is expected to fall by 49,500. Most of those will be World War II and Korean War veterans who will take their rightful places of honor next to the heroes buried in the four veterans cemeteries spread across Colorado. I believe we need to honor the men and women who sacrificed so much for our freedom by giving them a burial option close to their homes. Yet one of the Nation's largest veterans communities, Colorado Springs, does not have a veterans cemetery. There are more than 105,000 veterans in the Pikes Peak Region. Despite this, the nearest veterans cemetery is at Fort Logan, a 70-mile trip from Springs through heavy Denver traffic. I have cosponsored legislation that would fix this inequity and hope it will be passed by the Congress. I have also cosponsored legislation this week to close a terrible loophole in the law that allows capital offenders to be buried at national cemeteries. Our veterans deserve the dignity of not being buried next to murderers and monsters. Since the American Revolution, nearly 1.2 million American soldiers have died defending this country. Their valor is an example to us. It requires us, the living, to ensure that the country they fought for continues to be worthy of their sacrifice. Colorado and the Nation will not forget what our veterans have done and continue to do for us. We owe veterans our gratitude and our lifelong support.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to express my deepest sympathies to the people of Jordan, and to all of those affected by the terrorist attacks that occurred yesterday in Amman. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his al-Qaida organization in Iraq have taken responsibility for this attack, and if this is true, they have added still more blood to their hands. These attacks on civilians--guests, workers, a wedding party at three hotels in Jordan's capital brutally illustrate the hateful agenda of the terrorists. The hotels themselves may have been associated with the West, but reports indicate that the victims of this terrorist attack were Americans, Palestinians, Chinese, Indonesians, Syrians, Saudi Arabians, and, of course, Jordanians. Just as global terrorist networks threaten all people of all faiths, so too did this attack cause terrible pain and loss for families and communities around the world. Every time I read headlines like those we all read this morning, I am reminded of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The American people know something about how the people of Jordan feel today. We feel grief, but we also feel outrage, and these feelings merge into unshakable resolve. We will work in partnership with countries and communities around the world to resist and to defeat those who would have us live in fear.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, in a few minutes my colleagues here in the Senate will be voting on an amendment sponsored by Senator Wayne Allard and myself, amendment No. 2423. I am here to speak for a few minutes to urge my colleagues to support the amendment. This is an important amendment that recognizes the great work the employees at Rocky Flats have been doing on behalf of our Nation for a long time. When Rocky Flats was first proposed to be cleaned up, as the place where plutonium triggers were being manufactured for the United States of America and for national security, it was contemplated that we were undertaking a project that would take many years. Some had suggested it would take as long as 60 years to clean up Rocky Flats at a cost of $35 billion. Yet when all was said and done, because of the great work of both Democratic and Republican administrations, and these dedicated workers, we were able to accomplish the task in just over 5 years as opposed to 60 years and at a cost of $7 billion as opposed to $35 billion. It was anticipated at the time when the contracts were executed that the cleanup in no way, shape, or form would ever be accomplished any earlier than December 15 of 2006. Yet because of the great work that has been done, the work has now been finished. It is unfair, from my point of view, to penalize the employees who performed this great work on behalf of our national security in this cleanup by simply not providing them with the benefits that had been anticipated with a December 15, 2006 termination date for this contract. What this amendment will do is provide up to $15 million for the life and health insurance benefits for these employees. These men and women were exposed to radioactive elements and other toxic compounds that we are still trying to identify, and in amounts that even today we can only guess at. We do not know what they were exposed to, how much, or when they were exposed to these radioactive materials. We know for sure many have suffered serious illnesses and many have died as a result of these exposures. Under the current employment contract, these workers would become eligible for full retirement benefits, including health benefits and life insurance benefits, if the work had been completed on December 15 of 2006. But because the work was completed before that time, these employees will not be eligible for these benefits unless we correct an inequity with the amendment that has been proposed. The extraordinary efforts of these employees at Rocky Flats who worked long hours under very difficult conditions must be recognized by providing them with these benefits. We believe these workers are entitled to receive these benefits because the cleanup of Rocky Flats, which was expected to be completed by December 15, 2006, has now been completed. We believe it is important that we recognize the employees at Rocky Flats who, at significant sacrifice to themselves and their families, created an opportunity for this Nation to learn how we can clean up our Department of Energy facilities. In sum, what I would say to my colleagues here in the Senate is that what we have done at Rocky Flats, through the cleanup effort there, is to demonstrate to the Nation how we can move forward in an expedited fashion and clean up contaminated sites such as the one we had at Rocky Flats. I am grateful for the work of my colleague from Colorado, Senator Allard, who has been leading our joint efforts on this amendment. At the end of the day, we hope all of our colleagues will recognize that these employees have done a very valuable job for our national security. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this amendment. I yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I voice my opposition to the reconciliation bill before the Senate today. America can and should do better. This bill, which masquerades as a vehicle to help shrink the deficit, is actually a part of a broader, fiscally irresponsible package of policy and legislation that will actually increase the size of the deficit by over $30 billion in the next 5 years, even as this bill cuts programs that are important to the most vulnerable Americans. In other words, this series of proposals moves America in exactly the wrong direction. This bill moves in the wrong direction when it comes to agriculture. Agriculture program spending amounts to about 1 percent of the spending in the Federal budget, however, at a time when fuel prices are at a record high and many rural areas in Colorado across the country continue to feel the effects of weather-related natural disasters, agriculture programs have been forced to take $3 billion worth of cuts. These cuts will come out of the programs that farmers, ranchers and rural communities count on most, including commodity program payments and conservation programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, CRP. During my time in the Senate I have spoken many times about my concern that too often Washington leaves our rural communities to wither on the vine. I believe that this budget reconciliation package only contributes to their decline. This bill moves in the wrong direction when it comes to health care and education. The bill cuts college student aid by over $7 billion, creating less opportunity for young Americans when we should be in the business of creating more. It makes deep Medicaid and Medicare cuts, hurting the poor, elderly, and disabled who struggle with healthcare costs. Because of this bill, seniors will see a 33 percent increase in premiums for Medicare Part B. Because of this bill, independent, community pharmacies, particularly in rural areas, will see a change in reimbursement formulas that could force them to close their doors, further eroding access to health care in this country. This bill moves in the wrong direction when it comes to the environment and to energy policy. It would open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Ultimately, this fight is not about barrels of oil, it's about the deeper moral decisions we make as a nation about how best to address our energy needs. Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge won't do a thing for gas prices this winter. It won't do a thing for gas prices in 10 years or even 15 years. In fact, it won't do a thing for energy prices ever, because even if this provision passes and becomes law, the total amount of ``technically recoverable oil,'' according to the administration's own estimates, would reduce gas prices by only a penny--and then, not before 10 to 15 years from now. This reconciliation bill does not reflect the right budget priorities. This bill tightens the squeeze already being felt by so many hardworking Americans trying to make ends meet as oil and gas prices soar and winter approaches. Adding insult to injury, these irresponsible cuts will not even help the country with the bottom line, because they are being combined with tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans that exceed, by tens of billions of dollars, the value of the cuts themselves. The average benefit of these tax breaks for those with incomes more than $1 million would be $35,491. But for those with incomes under $50,000, the average benefit comes to $6. America can do better.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to speak about the fiscal year 2006 Agriculture appropriations bill. I want to thank Chairman Bennett and Ranking Member Kohl for their long, hard work on this important bill. In the current fiscal environment, it is extremely difficult to put together an Agriculture appropriations bill that meets the needs of rural communities across the U.S., and I believe that Senators Bennett and Kohl have done an admirable job. I am very pleased that two of my amendments that were adopted during Senate consideration of this bill were included in the final conference report--specifically, my first amendment will result in a thorough review of the impact the increased cost of gas, natural gas, and diesel is having on farmers, ranchers, and rural communities; and my second amendment will help to address ongoing bark beetle infestation problems. In addition, I am pleased that Colorado State University will receive funding for several important agricultural research programs such as infectious disease research, Russian wheat aphid research, and beef cattle genetics research. Unfortunately, I am still concerned about the rural communities this conference report is primarily designed to assist. I am concerned that we are not doing everything we can on behalf of those farmers, ranchers and agri-businesses that continue to play a vital role in our Nation's rural communities. We are not making the necessary investments to keep our young people in these communities, and we are not making the necessary investments in research and development that will allow those communities to compete economically. I am also concerned that this bill includes yet another delay for country-of-origin labeling. I believe this is a commonsense provision that will provide American consumers with information about where their food is coming from--information they need and deserve. Common sense dictates that if we can label where our shirts and socks are made, we can surely label where our meat and other kinds of food come from. I was disappointed to see this provision in the conference report, one that I believe will prevent our consumers from receiving the information they need to make an informed choice--the choice to buy American meat. We can do more. Here is what I am hearing from my State: During harvest, agricultural producers are some of the largest fuel consumers in the U.S., and producers are facing enormous fuel costs. In Grand Junction, CO, diesel prices are over $3.00. I have heard from one Colorado farmer in Kit Carson County who has estimated that, in order to harvest this year, he will need an additional $46,000 to cover fuel costs alone. I have also heard from a farmer in northeastern Colorado who, in order to cover the increasing price of fuel, has applied for additional loans at his bank--only to be turned down because he is already overextended with existing loans. That is why I am so pleased this bill now includes my amendment to require the Secretary of Agriculture to work with the Secretary of Energy to produce a comprehensive report on the impact of high gas prices on our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities across the country. That data is the first step toward a comprehensive solution that will help these communities address these terrible prices. When you consider that these increasing fuel costs come on top of both natural disasters and an overall budget picture that has resulted in $3 billion worth of cuts to important agricultural programs, it is painfully clear that we must do more to help our producers. I believe we must cooperate to provide our rural residents with increased rural development and sustainable agricultural opportunities as well as reasonable commodity supports and eligibility guidelines to ensure that Federal supports go to the family farmers who are the intended beneficiaries. Our family farmers, ranchers, and rural business people deserve fair farm, rural development, and conservation programs. They also deserve a safe food supply and other policies that help create more successful communities. I will support this bill, which is a step in the right direction. However, I do so with the recognition that it is not the whole answer, and that we must continue to fight--fight for the important investments that will assure our rural communities that we have not forgotten them.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President. I rise today to pay tribute to a trailblazing American and former Member of Congress, the Honorable Edward R. Roybal. It is an honor to speak about this incredible man, who on Monday passed away at the age of 89 and was an inspiration to me and to millions of Hispanics across our Nation. First, I must offer my heartfelt condolences to the Honorable Roybal's wife, Lucile; his daughter, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal- Allard, who is in her seventh term representing California's 34th District; his other daughter, Lillian Roybal-Rose; and his son, Edward R. Roybal, Jr. When elected to the House of Representatives in 1962, Congressman Roybal became the first Hispanic to serve in Congress in nearly 100 years. He represented the people of California's 30th Congressional District and served on behalf of the public interest during a very difficult and tumultuous time in our Nation's history. As a 5th generation product of rural Colorado, my childhood at Los Rincones, my family's ranch in the San Luis Valley, was a far cry from Congressman Roybal's on the streets of East Los Angeles. Our family's house was small--in fact, my five of the eight siblings shared a small room and two beds. We did not have running water or electricity until 1981. However, even though we did not have electricity, I, like many other Latinos across this Nation, knew who the Honorable Ed Roybal was. It was people like Congressman Roybal, and Cesar Chavez who inspired me to dream of serving our country as Colorado's Attorney General and later here in the United States Senate. As a Hispanic American, he provided a shining example of just what I could accomplish if I heeded my parent's advice to get my education and work hard in all my endeavors. Today, as I speak as one of 100 in the Senate, I firmly believe that I am standing on the shoulders of many giants, in particular, Congressman Roybal. Congressman Roybal lived by the fundamental values that make this country the greatest country in the world and the place I am privileged to call home. He fought social injustice on the streets, in our classrooms, and in the halls of Congress. Like my parents, he was a part of the American generation who grew up during the Great Depression and came of age during World War II. He served our country in the U.S. Army and defended our rights and privileges afforded under the Constitution in battle. I am certain that this experience served him well when he served on the House's Veteran Affairs Committee. Throughout his life, he gave voice to the disenfranchised and offered hope to the sick. When the tragic HIV/AIDS epidemic began to sweep our Nation, Congressman Roybal answered the call to duty and worked to provide funding for research and health services. During a time when many of our Nation's laws and several in out Nation's leadership tolerated and enabled political disenfranchisement and unequal educational and employment opportunities, the Honorable Ed Roybal organized and inspired his community to insist on equality and to embrace their ganas to change society. Mr. President, ``ganas'' means ``to have a will to achieve.'' The Honorable Roybal had the ganas to right injustices in America because he believed that he had the obligation to make this country a better place for his children and my children when he left it. I believe that he did accomplish his great goal. He did this by the work he did in Congress as well as the work he did when he was away from Washington, DC. In 1976, Congressman Roybal joined with his colleagues Congressman ``Kika'' de la Garza and Congressman Baltasar Corrada, in establishing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The purpose of the CHC was and is to advocate on behalf of and represent the interests of Hispanic across the nation and in Puerto Rico. Representative Roybal was the Caucus's first chairman, and his the continued work of the Caucus, the first forum in the United States Congress for Latino elected Members to formulate a common collective legislative agenda, is a part of his legacy. In addition to the Caucus, Congressman Roybal was instrumental in the founding of non-profit organizations like the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Through these organizations, the fruits of his efforts can still be felt throughout the country today. As I reflect on the life and work of the late Representative Roybal, I am reminded of a prayer written by another civil and human rights leader, Cesar Chavez: Show me the suffering of the most miserable; So I will know my people's plight. Free me to pray for others; For you are present in every person. Help me take responsibility for my own life; So that I can be free at last. Grant me courage to serve others; For in service there is true life. Give me honesty and patience; So that the Spirit will be alive among us. Let the Spirit flourish and grow; So that we will never tire of the struggle. Let us remember those who have died for justice; For they have given us life. Help us love even those who hate us; So we can change the world. I join with the thousands of Americans in mourning the loss of this trailblazing leader.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to lend my support to amendment No. 2262 to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2006. I am proud to be cosponsor of this amendment, which was introduced by Senator Bingaman. The amendment adds $60 million to key education programs that are critical to improving Hispanic educational opportunities. If approved, the money will be put to good use by State and local entities to invest in our country's most precious resource: Our youth. The Hispanic community is an integral component of our American workforce. By ensuring that the 8.7 million Hispanic youth enrolled in our Nation's schools succeed in education, we make a down payment on our Nation's future economic security. I note that the Hispanic Education Coalition, a group of diverse national education, civil rights, and Hispanic organizations, supports amendment No. 2262. The amendment will restore $5 million in funding to the School Dropout Prevention Program that was authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act, and long championed by my colleague Senator Bingaman. It increases funding for civics and English as a Second Language, ESL, programs by $6.5 million for parents, workers and citizens who want to learn more about our country's history and enhance their language skills in English, the language of opportunity in America and throughout the world. In addition, funding for two small but incredibly effective programs, the High School Equivalency Program, HEP, and the College Assistance Migrant Program, CAMP, would be reinstated to their Fiscal Year 2004 levels. As a product of rural America, I have known and met many migrant worker families. They work hard to provide the wonderful grains, vegetables, and fruits we eat at our dinner table. In Colorado and other parts of the country, HEP-CAMP works to keep migrant students in high school through graduation, with the ultimate goal of sending them off to college. This amendment also provides an additional $13 million in funding for Parent Assistance and Local Family Information Centers. The Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center in Denver uses this funding to help low income parents understand and navigate the school system and encourages their involvement in the school community. Parental involvement is critical to children's success and I strongly support efforts that engage parents in their children's education. Finally, there are modest increases for our Nation's Hispanic-Serving Institutions and for bilingual and migrant education. I urge the Senate's support of amendment No. 2262 because I believe we will all reap the benefits of increasing Hispanic educational achievement.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life of Rosa Parks, a true American hero. I was proud to be a cosponsor of S. Res. 287, introduced by my colleagues, Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow and passed unanimously last night, which pays tribute to Mrs. Parks' accomplishments and expresses the Senate's condolences on the occasion of her passing. When I heard of Mrs. Parks' death late Monday night, I was reminded that each of us has the ability to change the course of this country, to shape our shared destiny, and to bring us closer to being the Nation we aspire to be. Rosa Parks' role in our America in progress can not be overstated. Her single act of defiance drew international attention. More importantly, her action set in motion the modern civil rights movement and eventually led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Almost 50 years ago, in Montgomery, AL, Mrs. Parks directly confronted Jim Crow, when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger riding on the city's bus. At the time, Mrs. Parks was working as a seamstress for the Montgomery Fair Department Store. And she had been working to help build a better America long before her famous act of courage on that bus. She had been actively involved in the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, serving as an officer. She had assisted the NAACP in voter registration drives and attended organizing trainings at the Higlander Folk Center, an educational center for workers' rights and racial equality in Tennessee. Years later, when recalling her actions and her subsequent arrest, Mrs. Park had this to say: At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in. However, that one day catapulted her to a leadership role in the civil rights movement and began the great 381 day Montgomery boycott of the bus system by African Americans and others dedicated to equal rights. A young 26-year old Baptist minister, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., organized the boycott. Throughout her life, Rosa Parks remained a committed civil rights activist. In the 1980s she worked in the anti-apartheid movement, and opened a career counseling center for black youth in Detroit with her husband. She served the United States as an aide to U.S. Congressman John Conyers, a great civil rights leader in his own right, for many years. In the last years of her life, Mrs. Parks was recognized for her role in our country's history. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded to civilians making an outstanding contribution to American life in 1996. In addition, President Clinton presented Mrs. Parks with the Congressional Gold Medal, the Nation's highest civilian honor, in 1999. Despite the international attention and acclaim she received and the many lectures and addresses she gave as a public figure, Mrs. Parks has been described as quiet and reserved by her friends, co-workers and those who knew her best. When she spoke, she spoke with a purpose. She was indeed the mother of the civil rights movement, and her passing marks the end of an era that changed the landscape of America. Today, I honor the courage and wisdom of Mrs. Parks. I thank her for inspiring countless generations to dream of an America, and a world, that respects and includes all of its citizens.

Mr. SALAZAR

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, Senate amendment No. 2226 will provide Impact Aid to the children of the service personnel in Fort Carson, CO. It will restore $1.2 million in needed educational Impact Aid funding to the El Paso school district. The money for this amendment has already been appropriated and sits within the Department of Education. The El Paso school district educates thousands, serving our men and women at the Fort Carson military base. Many loved ones of the students and staff of the El Paso school district have been deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In fact, over 11,000 soldiers from Fort Carson are currently deployed in Iraq today. That is one-half of the fort's total force. Due to a technical error, the Department of Education denied the school district access to $1.2 million set aside for that school district's program. The result is the district may have to eliminate as many as 12 teachers and teachers' aides positions. This amendment simply corrects a technical error between the district and the Department of Education and permits the school to access money already set aside for it. I note, too, that I have discussed this issue with the HELP Committee. Chairman Enzi and Ranking Member Kennedy have graciously consented to the inclusion of this amendment on this bill. I have also been in close contact with Senators from Arizona and New Mexico who face similar challenges. They support this measure as well. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set this amendment aside to call up amendment No. 2224 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive the applicable sections of the act for purposes of the pending amendment. I ask that we dispense with a rollcall vote and that we just do a voice vote on this amendment at the appropriate time.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, amendment No. 2223 addresses a serious and growing problem that we face in our urban and rural communities. As attorney general of Colorado, I saw firsthand the growth of methamphetamine problems in communities throughout my State. Meth usage has increased in rural towns and communities across our Nation. Some of the facts are startling. According to the National Association of Counties, meth use is the Nation's most serious local drug problem today. Secondly, 58 out of 500 county law enforcement officials have said methamphetamine use is, in fact, their largest problem. Third, 87 percent of county law enforcement officials reported increases in meth arrests in just the last 3 years. In the West, methamphetamine use is a growing problem. Between 67 and 75 percent of the western counties rated meth as their No. 1 drug problem. The labs for meth production are rising in rural areas. Because meth can be made in the home and has harsh effects on the environment, it is easier to hide from authorities in rural areas. Three of our most rural States--Missouri, Iowa, and Tennessee--have the highest number of meth labs, with over 5,000 meth labs in those three States alone. Meth labs in Colorado have been on the rise, with over 225 meth labs this last year in my State. In a report by Congressional Quarterly, the Drug Enforcement Agency said that meth use is the No. 1 drug threat in rural America. The production of meth has spiked, from 327 labs nationwide being busted in 1995 to over 17,000 meth labs busted in 2005; that is, in a period of 10 years, we have gone from busting 327 meth labs to over 17,000 meth labs. Our health infrastructure has dealt with the meth use increase as well, with emergency room visits due to meth use doubling in 7 years. This amendment I have proposed will restore $15 million in funding to the Safe and Drug-Free Schools State grant program, which funds virtually all of the drug prevention programs in our Nation, to ensure that our schools and communities are as safe and drug-free as we can make them. We need to help our young people understand the dangers of drugs, including meth, and this amendment takes an important step toward making this issue the Federal priority it should be. Mr. President, I thank my good friend from Pennsylvania and yield the floor.

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.