Peter Visclosky

Mr. VISCLOSKY

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman would yield, the vote on the Bonior amendment would be the first vote in sequence tomorrow morning?

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as may consume. Mr. Chairman, I would encourage at the outset of my remarks all of the Members of the body to support the energy and water appropriation bill. I would also at the outset note that the long-standing Alabama and Indiana connection, as they call it, that was established many years ago by Mr. Bevill from Alabama and Mr. Myers from Indiana, has now been reestablished on that particular subcommittee. I want to very sincerely thank the gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Callahan) for his leadership on the subcommittee. He has been a leader. He has been trusting of all of us on this subcommittee. He has been open, he has been fair, and he has been decisive. He has put together a very good work product in a bipartisan fashion, and I strongly support it. I also do want to thank all of the members of the subcommittee, who have worked so hard also to put this legislation together. Last, I want to especially thank those who have done the work, the staff: Bob Schmidt, Jeanne Wilson, Kevin Cook, Tracy LaTurner, Paul Tumminello; the personal staff of the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan), Mike Sharp and Nancy Tippins; and our side of the aisle, David Killian, Richard Kaelin, and Jennifer Watkins, a former staffer. I do appreciate the work that the staff has done. The President asked for $1 billion worth of cuts for the programs represented by this legislation; and under the leadership of this subcommittee, those cuts have essentially been restored. We are $187 million over the current year level, that is less than a 1 percent increase, but this bill does meet critical demands faced in the infrastructure and energy arena by our Nation. I am particularly happy that as far as water infrastructure, there is a $591 million plus-up in this bill, and some of the other attributes I would mention is the increase in environmental funding over the administration request. This funding increase is essential to achieving long-planned program milestones, assuring compliance with the law, and avoiding unnecessary stretch-outs that could simply lead to higher costs. I am also very happy that in the nonproliferation accounts, we have increased the amount over the President's request by $71 million, and the current bill now has $774 million contained therein. I also think it is important for all of my colleagues to understand that the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) indicated during markup that he plans to conduct a hearing in July relative to this issue and all of the needs as far as our concern over the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the materials thereto. I look forward to joining him to ensure that these critical programs get the scrutiny and the attention that they deserve, and I also wish to commend especially the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards) for his leadership on this issue. The bill also provides $733 million for renewable energy resources, and that, again, is an increase of $100 million over the administration's request. This is a very good bill, but at the conclusion of my remarks, I would just make a couple of points about our underinvestment in infrastructure in this Nation. I do regret, through no fault of anyone on the subcommittee, that I believe we are still $10 million short as far as the Army Corps of Engineers regulatory budget, as far as making sure that the Corps can efficiently and without delay proceed with their regulatory burden. I regret that we were not fully able to fund that account, but we have included it at the administration's request. Additionally, it should be understood that the Corps asked for $6 billion because they felt that was, in fact, the national need. As far as water, we have $4.468 billion contained in the bill. At this rate, unfortunately, authorized projects by this Congress will increase, that have not been started, from $38 billion this year to $40 billion in the next fiscal year. We will see the Corps' backlog of critical maintenance increase from $450 million this year to $864 million next year. However, I would point out in the supplemental, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) did agree to plus up critical maintenance as far as dams under the Army Corps critical control by $23.7 million last week. They certainly recognized the need. The Corps last year in testimony before the subcommittee also indicated that to proceed as efficiently as possible and in as economical fashion as possible, they really needed about another $700 million a year for those existing authorized projects that we are already providing funding for, and, clearly, there is a shortfall. The last category I would touch on is water infrastructure, primarily sewers. This body, the other body and the administration combined over the last several years have authorized 202 sewer programs, only 44 of which are actually funded, 22 percent. The needs and requests are about $2.5 billion, and, again, I do think we have a shortfall in this country. The American Society of Civil Engineers and the U.S. EPA would indicate that to simply bring up existing infrastructure for clean drinking water, we would have to expend an additional $11 billion for wastewater, $12 billion. Clearly, the resources as far as the allocations do not exist. Mr. Chairman, the chairman has done an exceptional job with the resources we were given. This is a very good bill. However, I do think the administration and the Congress someday, whether it is water or other economic infrastructure, has to face the fact that we need to invest more money. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard), a valued member of the subcommittee.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I would simply follow up on the colloquy that the gentlewoman from California and the gentleman from Alabama had and would note that the committee directs the Secretary to report back by September 1 of this year in anticipation of the conference. So I do appreciate the chairman's cooperation. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo).

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), a member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor). (Mr. PASTOR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley). (Mr. Crowley asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind).

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I understand that the majority has no further speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. And no further amendment will be offered tonight, we will do our unanimous consent, and the first vote in the morning would be the Bonior amendment?

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I have no objection.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. I would join the chairman in opposition to the amendment. I appreciate what the gentleman wants to do; but as I pointed out in my opening remarks, the Chair, myself, as well as members of the subcommittee and the full Committee on Appropriations, have added $100 million to the renewable accounts. Secondly, while the gentleman pointed out that our figure is $33 million over the President's budget request for general investigations for the Army Corps, I would also point out the President's request of $600 million was under this year's funding level, and we are still $32 million under this current funding year level. The Army Corps cannot take that hit. I am adamantly opposed to the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I object momentarily.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise to join the chairman in strong opposition to this amendment. First of all, coastal shore protection projects are equivalent to flood protection for inland communities. This proposal places storm damage prevention and shore protection projects at a cost- sharing disadvantage with comparable inland flood control projects. It will disproportionately affect poor communities which will be unable to raise adequate funds for these projects. It also violates the cost- sharing agreements already in place for some ongoing shore protection projects. It abrogates existing, ongoing, long-term contracts with non- Federal sponsors, and it is inconsistent with the agreed cost-sharing adopted by the WRDA legislation of 1986. Mr. Chairman, I am strongly opposed to the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. VISCLOSKY

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, if I can make an inquiry to the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that the procedure tomorrow morning is that the House will go into session at 9 a.m., and we will immediately begin to vote on those matters that have been deferred, beginning with the Tancredo amendment, relative to the general investigations dealing with $9.9 million, that would be a 15-minute vote; the second Tancredo amendment would then be a 5-minute vote in sequence; the Hinchey amendment would be a 5-minute vote; the Kucinich amendment would be a 5-minute vote; and then there would be a 5-minute vote on the Bonior amendment? Those all would be taken together? There would be no break in time after the Kucinich amendment and the Bonior amendment?

Mr. VISCLOSKY. I yield to the gentleman from Alabama.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. VISCLOSKY

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I essentially would explain the amendment that is for $23.7 million for desperately needed rehabilitation, repair, and safety measures at dams under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers. It is meant to improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of these facilities that are already in place, and with the recognition that if we can improve efficiency by 1 percent, we can generate an additional $3.3 billion kilowatt hours of electricity without the construction of any additional facilities. It is my understanding that the majority has agreed to the amendment. I simply want to use my time to thank the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Young), the gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Callahan), and the gentleman from California (Chairman Lewis), for their deep consideration and approval of this measure.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, the staffs and Members are conversing about the amendment that I am offering for $23.7 million for dam safety and efficiency improvement. I believe we have reached an agreement, but we do not have the final language prepared. I simply want to preserve the prerogative to return to this point in the bill.

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I will be offering an amendment. We are working with the majority to refine the language. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to be allowed to return to this portion of the bill to offer my amendment.

Mr. VISCLOSKY

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, on May 23, 2001, I was unavoidably absent due to my attendance at a funeral in my district for Ms. Helen Savinski, a very dear and personal friend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 144, 145, 146 and 147, and voted ``nay'' on rollcall votes 135, 136, 137 and 143.

Mr. VISCLOSKY

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to announce that the Silver Bell Club, Lodge 2365 of the Polish National Alliance of the United States, will be hosting the 28th Annual Hank Stram-Tony Zale Sports Award Banquet on May 21, 2001, at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana. Twenty outstanding Northwest Indiana High School athletes will be honored at this notable event for their dedication and hard work. These outstanding students were chosen to receive the award by their respective schools on the basis of academic and athletic achievement. All proceeds from this event will go toward a scholarship fund to be awarded to local students. This year's Hank Stram-Tony Zale Award recipients include Stacey Bailey of Hammond Clark High School, Michael Baron of Andrean High School, Phillip Barszczowski of Bishop Noll High School, Jason Carson of Lake Station Edison High School, Katie Dyer of Merrillville High School, Laura Helhowski of Hebron High School, Corrie Kaczmarek of Highland High School, Mark Korba of Portage High School, Amanda Meyer of Lake Central High School, Derrick Milenkoff of Hammond Morton High School, Sunny Oelling of Valparaiso High School, T. J. Pruzin of Crown Point High School, Courtney Schuttrow of Lowell High School, Kathryn Sliwa of Munster High School, Michael Tomaszewski of Griffith High School, Keith Turpin of Calumet High School, Robby Vrabel of Whiting High School, Natalie Vukin of Hobart High School, Christine Wajvoda of Hanover Central High School, and Sarah Zondor of Crown Point High School. The featured speaker at this gala event will be Mr. Tom Dreesen. Tom Dreesen's name has appeared on major venue marquees in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Reno and Atlantic City with artists like Frank Sinatra, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole and Sammy Davis, Jr. Dreesen, who opened for Frank Sinatra for well over a decade in club and concert appearances throughout the United States and Canada, has also appeared in many network television shows including the ``Tonight Show,'' as well as ``Columbo,'' ``Gabriels Fire,'' ``Murder, She Wrote'' and ``Touched by an Angel.'' Kelly Komara, one of Purdue Women's Basketball's strongest players, will also be in attendance at this memorable event. Kelly was raised in Schererville, Indiana and graduated from Lake Central High School, where she played basketball and was named Indiana's Miss Basketball. While attending college at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Kelly has been an integral part of Purdue's successful basketball team. With Kelly's quick shooting, ball-handling skills and accurate free throws, she helped lead the Boilermakers to the final round of the 2001 NCAA tournament. Additionally, Kelly was named the Mideast Regional's Most Outstanding Player. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my distinguished colleagues to join me in commending the Silver Bell Club, Lodge 2365 of the Polish National Alliance of the United States, for hosting this celebration of success in sports and academics. The effort of all those involved in planning this worthwhile event is indicative of their devotion to the very gifted young people in Indiana's First Congressional District.