Congressional Record, Senate, March 3, 2020 — Coronavirus and S. 2657 Energy Legislation
Summary
Congressional Record — Senate for March 3, 2020, beginning at page S1280. Mr. BARRASSO speaks on the coronavirus as a Senator and a physician, stating that the Trump administration is fully engaged in responding to the virus and that it is time for Congress to pass the emergency legislation. Mr. GRASSLEY describes an amendment with Senator UDALL of New Mexico that would increase royalty rates on Federal lands from 12.5 percent to 18.75 percent. Mr. RISCH speaks on S. 2657. The text closes with an Arms Export Control Act notice, TRANSMITTAL NO. 20–12, concerning KC–46 aircraft.
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“Congressional Record, Senate, March 3, 2020 — Coronavirus and S. 2657 Energy Legislation.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-03-03-crec-2020-03-03-pt1-pgs1280-2-46c39ddc0f/
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S1280 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2020
probably, at this point, a bigger num- Mr. President, I look forward to you Texas as an example. Texas charges a
ber of people who we think would be a and I both having a chance to learn 25-percent royalty on its State lands,
percentage of people who would have more about this even today and to while States in the Rocky Mountain
really negative consequences—even learn more as we move forward. The West charge royalties that are some-
death—from this disease, rather than big thing we need to learn now is the where between 16–2⁄3 percent and 183⁄4
all the people who had it and didn’t amount of money we need to have to percent. The royalty rate on Federal
know they had it. spend and how we allocate that money public lands is more than one-third
We have learned in the past, through for a vaccine and other things. lower, at 121⁄2 percent; hence our
outbreaks of a flu strain that we didn’t f amendment—the same as our bill—up-
have a vaccine for, of Ebola, of Zika, dating this and bringing more parity
that what we do to protect people in RECESS between State rates and Federal rates
other countries winds up protecting Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I ask and, of course, absolute parity with off-
people here. We have to be sure that we unanimous consent that the Senate re- shore drilling.
understand that a lot of our fate in this cess under the previous order. The current regulatory system al-
has been determined and will continue The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without lows companies to get a sweetheart
to be determined by what we do to first objection, under the previous order, the deal on Federal public lands. Senator
try to contain this virus and, secondly, Senate stands in recess until 2:15 p.m. UDALL and I are asking our colleagues
to provide the money to be sure that, Thereupon, the Senate, at 12:28 p.m., to fix this for the American people.
when we do have an outbreak, which recessed until 2:15 p.m. and reassem- According to studies done by the
has already begun in our country, it is bled when called to order by the Pre- Congressional Budget Office and the
an outbreak that is really held at the siding Officer (Mrs. CAPITO). Government Accountability Office,
lowest possible level of people im- f modernizing public lands royalty rates
pacted and, if you are infected by this for oil and gas could increase Federal
disease, that you have the ability to ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVA- revenues by as much as $200 million
work from home, to do other things. TION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019— over the next decade and do it with lit-
The hospital is not always the place to Motion to Proceed—Continued tle to no impact on production.
go. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- It is time—hence our amendment—
We are working with State and local ator from Iowa. for my colleagues in Congress to end
health officials right now to see that Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, this oil company loophole and bring oil
that happens. The money that has been the bill before us supports clean energy leasing into the 21st century.
used, I think, has been used effectively. and emerging technologies, so this is I yield the floor.
Clearly, we are trying to agree—be- the perfect opportunity to update an I suggest the absence of a quorum.
tween the House and the Senate and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
outdated aspect related to a legacy en-
the administration—to exactly the clerk will call the roll.
ergy source.
right number. I would say that, at this The senior assistant legislative clerk
Senator UDALL of New Mexico and I
point, the administration has been the proceeded to call the roll.
have an amendment that will close a Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I
most agreeable to whatever money we loophole in Federal energy policy. I
want to provide but, obviously, would ask unanimous consent that the order
want my colleagues to know—and I for the quorum call be rescinded.
like to have that money provided think they do—of my long support for
quickly. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
renewable and alternative sources of objection, it is so ordered.
I feel confident we are going to have energy, and so I agree with the aims of CORONAVIRUS
the resources to deal with this. I feel the Murkowski-Manchin Energy bill.
confident that this will be a problem Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I
The amendment Senator UDALL and I come to the floor today as a Senator as
that will not impact more people than have introduced is the same as the bi-
would usually be impacted by some- well as a physician. I want to do this to
partisan bill we introduced last week. reassure the American people that we
thing like the flu. Again, we need to The title of that bill is the Fair Return
prepare for the very worst and hope for are doing everything possible to com-
for Public Lands Act. This bill was in- bat and contain the coronavirus. Ac-
the very best, but our job right now is
troduced 100 years to the date of the cording to Johns Hopkins University, a
to prepare for the worst things that
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920. well-known medical institution, we
could happen and have the funding
This amendment would increase the here in the United States are the most
available so that we don’t have to go
royalty rates on Federal lands from prepared Nation on the face of the
through a couple of weeks again where
12.5 percent to 18.75 percent. Everybody Earth to protect ourselves in terms of
an easy determination should have
here knows that a royalty is what the preparation for an infectious disease
been reached.
One thing we could have done is to oil company will pay to a mineral like the coronavirus.
have given the administration exactly owner—in this case, the mineral owner Nevertheless, this virus is a global
the amount of money they asked for— is the American taxpayer—and that concern and is a problem with pan-
we could have decided to spend it dif- royalty is paid for the right to extract demic potential. We know the outbreak
ferently—2 weeks ago and then get into oil and natural gas from the lands of started in China. It goes without say-
a discussion of what we need next. the United States. The legislation mod- ing that we are deeply saddened by the
That is not the course we decided to go ernizes the public lands leasing system, loss of life there, as well as here and
down. and it does this for the first time since around the world. We are concerned
We are trying to come up with an royalty rates were set in 1920. about those currently suffering from
amount of money, it appears, that The legislation increases both the the virus. Our focus continues to be on
would get us through this entire inci- share of royalties taxpayers receive protecting the health and the well-
dent with this virus, but it is time to from public lands leasing as well as the being and the safety of the American
get that done. Hopefully, we will see a rental rates. The new rental rate we people. That is where we need to focus.
bill filed later today and the House are offering in this amendment reflects Notably, President Trump’s early
able to vote on that bill before they the current fair market value, while travel restrictions on China have actu-
leave this week. Once that number is the bill also establishes minimum bid- ally helped slow the spread of the
done, I think it will be seen as almost ding standards to lease public lands virus. He has since expanded these re-
certain that the Senate will be able to that will stay in line with inflation. strictions. The President, I believe, has
deal with that bill and approve that This bill is a simple fix by making Fed- acted swiftly, boldly, and decisively to
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number. eral leasing rates the same whether contain the virus and to keep Ameri-
We are going to move forward. I you are on land or offshore. cans safe. Still, this country is not a
think, again, we are going to move for- The royalty rate the bill offers is hermetically sealed bubble. It will
ward in a way that minimizes, as much very comparable to what current leases never be—can’t be. We are likely to see
as possible, the impact that this has on are for oil-producing States on their more cases here in the days and weeks
families and on individuals. State-owned land. We use the State of ahead.
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March 3, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1281
We all must be prepared, and we working on quarantines and on a vac- your mouth when you cough. Wash
must stay vigilant. Be assured, the cine. That is what they should be your hands frequently. If you are sick,
Trump administration is fully engaged doing. This is a massive, nationwide stay home. Those are the kinds of com-
in responding to this virus. The United undertaking. monsense things people can do at
States has the best public health sys- At every meeting—and I have been home, not just to prevent the flu but
tem in the world, and we have a plan in going to meetings on this since it was also to protect themselves against the
place to combat the coronavirus. Our first noted around the beginning of the coronavirus.
public health experts are working to year. We know about the issue in There is no reason for lots of anxiety
identify and isolate the virus, as well China. People now know about the doc- or for panic. As a nation, we are in the
as to produce a vaccine. tor who tried to get the word out to the right position to deal with the chal-
The fastest you can ever produce a world—who was the first to notice this lenge we face. This administration will
vaccine is several years. We seem to be specific new virus, the coronavirus. He continue to do everything in its power
moving faster than that with regard to was reprimanded by the Chinese for to keep America and Americans safe.
coronavirus. We have seen develop- trying to do what he learned to do as a Now it is time for Congress to do its
ment, but even though it is moving doctor, which was to share medical part—to pass the emergency legislation
faster than ever, it will still take a knowledge and information to try to and get it to the President’s desk.
minimum of a year and 6 months to get ahead of a disease that is pro- Thankfully, we are the most prepared
have a vaccine available and produced gressing. He was reprimanded by the Nation to face this challenge. We have
at a level that could actually impact Chinese Government, and he has subse- harnessed all of the American energy
the population of the country. Since it quently died of the disease. and ingenuity and expertise we need
is a new virus, a new vaccine needs to There are a number of us—and it is for this fight. The key is for all of us to
be developed. The Vice President said bipartisan—who would go as Senators remain engaged and to remain vigilant.
over the weekend that we expect to to briefings. We have been going to As a doctor, I am confident that we
have a vaccine available sometime briefings since the time of the im- will be able to succeed together.
next year, and I agree. peachment. We would have impeach- I yield the floor.
Meanwhile, our strategy for testing, ment in the afternoon and discussions I suggest the absence of a quorum.
for isolation, and for quarantines right about coronavirus in the morning. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
now is helping to lower the risks. Years There has been a focus on this probably clerk will call the roll.
ago, we created an infectious disease longer than most members around the The senior assistant legislative clerk
rapid response team. The goal was to country had been focused on it. At proceeded to call the roll.
make sure that we were ready if the every meeting, we would ask the mem- Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, I ask
time would come, and the time has now bers of the Centers for Disease Control unanimous consent that the order for
come. Test kits are becoming more and National Institutes of Health: Do the quorum call be rescinded.
widely available for States and com- you have the funds you need for the The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr.
munities. We heard today over the things you need to do right now? At all CRAMER). Without objection, it is so or-
noon hour that they are expecting to of those meetings, they said: Yes, we dered.
have enough test kits available around have all we need. S. 2657
the country so that, over the next Now things have changed. They say Mr. RISCH. Mr. President and fellow
week, we can test a million people. We they need additional funds, and they colleagues, I come to the floor today to
are going to continue to use every are right. We agree they need more talk about the American Energy Inno-
available tool we can in this fight. funds for testing, treatment, and vac- vation Act, which is here before the
The White House has created a cine development. It is appropriate Senate and which we are considering
Coronavirus Task Force led by Vice that Congress appropriate that money. this week.
President PENCE. The effort is headed Congress must act quickly and deci- America’s energy landscape has
by top officials at the Centers for Dis- sively in passing a bipartisan emer- changed dramatically since the last
ease Control and the National Insti- gency funding bill. Both parties agree major Energy bill was enacted by Con-
tutes of Health. I had a chance to visit this effort has to be fully funded. We gress more than a decade ago. It is
with a number of them today, specifi- know the initial numbers discussed time to update our outdated energy
cally the infectious disease group were only a starting point. We don’t policy to reflect today’s realities,
through the NIH. We have had a num- know what the total number is going goals, and challenges in the energy sec-
ber of briefings through the Centers for to be, but the team is going to con- tor.
Disease Control. We recently had a tinue to have all the funds they need to The American Energy Innovation
briefing by Dr. Anne Schuchat, the deal with this disease. Act—the business before the Senate
head of the Centers for Disease Control I find it very disturbing to see Demo- today—is the cumulation of more than
in the area helping with our efforts on crats, especially those running for a year of hearings, business meetings,
coronavirus. As she has said, ‘‘Our ag- President, politicizing the issue. This and negotiations in the Energy and
gressive containment strategy here in is a headline in yesterday’s New York Natural Resources Committee. I com-
the United States has been working Times: ‘‘Democrats Hit Trump On mend Chairman MURKOWSKI and Rank-
and is responsible for the low level of Virus.’’ They are talking about the ing Member MANCHIN for their leader-
cases that we have so far.’’ Officials at Presidential candidates running for ship and all of us on the committee in
the CDC and the National Institutes of President, attacking President Trump bringing this strong, bipartisan, ‘‘all of
Health are coordinating with other on the virus. the above’’ energy package to the floor.
Federal officials, and they tend to be The coronavirus is a deadly disease. Included in this legislation are a
working around the clock. It is not a political tool to try to tar number of provisions I have proposed
The administration is making sure and feather President Trump. We need that will benefit Idaho and the Nation.
that State and local officials have all to be working on this together. This First, the bill appropriately recog-
of the resources they need to respond. should not be about Democratic can- nizes the importance of having a strong
Dr. Schuchat said that our healthcare didates trying to defeat President domestic nuclear industry. I represent
system, our businesses, our commu- Trump but about defeating the not just one of the Department of En-
nities, and our schools all have action coronavirus. That is what we ought to ergy’s National Laboratories, but I rep-
plans. be focusing on. resent the Nation’s flagship nuclear en-
Senators have had a number of brief- As a doctor, my focus is on the ergy laboratory, the Idaho National
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ings from officials at the Centers for health of the American people. My ad- Lab.
Disease Control and the National Insti- vice for those who may be watching is Nuclear power is the Nation’s largest
tutes of Health. They are working on the same commonsense advice you source of reliable, carbon-free energy.
ways to identify the virus and test for would take if you were saying ‘‘I want To date, nuclear powerplants have pri-
the virus and ways to treat people who to avoid getting the flu during flu sea- marily served one purpose—to produce
are infected by the virus. They are son,’’ and it is flu season as well. Cover electricity—but we are discovering
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S1282 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2020
through the work at the Idaho Na- tive, predictable, and, importantly, tives are one of the most effective tools
tional Lab that this is only the tip of take a shorter period of time. we have in our toolbox to increase re-
the iceberg as far as the work a nuclear Lastly, I am proud that this legisla- newable power sources like wind and
reactor could do. tion contains language from the PRO- solar and the energy storage tech-
The INL and the Department of En- TECT Act that will modernize our elec- nology that enables them to work as a
ergy are currently working to dem- tric grid and enhance cyber security ef- baseload power.
onstrate that nuclear reactors can be forts. I don’t need to spend any time on Second, we should put commonsense
adapted to produce other products like cyber security. It is important for our limits on one of the worst greenhouse
hydrogen, steam, and, importantly, electric grid. It is one of the favorite gases—methane. The U.S. oil and gas
heat. To accelerate this research, targets of terrorists around the world. boom means that we are emitting 13
Ranking Member MANCHIN and I intro- They usually go through cyber secu- million metric tons of methane every
duced the Integrated Energy Systems rity. year. That is 60 percent more than EPA
Act to help improve the long-term The worldwide adoption of digital au- estimates. Methane is 84 times more
competitiveness of our current fleet of tomation technology has created great powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas
nuclear reactors. That bill is included benefits, but it also introduces signifi- in the short term.
in the larger bill we have before us. cant cyber vulnerabilities to critical Industry says they want to control
While we must keep our existing fleet energy infrastructure. I am proud that methane pollution. They were prepared
of reactors online, we must also usher the solutions to many of these chal- to live with limits on public lands in a
in the next generation of advanced nu- lenges are being developed at the Idaho 2016 rule from the Bureau of Land Man-
clear reactor designs. This is particu- National Laboratory, which is the agement. In 2017, the Senate rejected
larly exciting at this point in time. world leader in critical infrastructure, an attempt to repeal that rule on a bi-
The bipartisan Nuclear Energy Leader- control systems, and security research partisan basis. But the Trump adminis-
ship Act will address key supply chain in those areas. tration eliminated the rule due to lob-
and other challenges associated with Protecting our electric grid is one of bying by the worst polluters in the in-
developing small, modular, micro, and the most pressing security challenges, dustry. We should restore that rule,
other advanced designs. This act is also and we must incentivize the energy and I have filed an amendment to do so
included in the larger bill before us sector to deploy the most advanced immediately.
today. That bill, NELA, will enable the cyber security technologies. We should also act to phase out HFCs
The additional authorities and tools
Federal Government to partner with and include a strong energy efficiency
in these bills are critical to both our
the private sector to demonstrate and program for buildings. Then this bill
energy and national security, and I am
commercialize these technologies, and could make a small but meaningful
committed—hopefully along with all of
the INL’s National Reactor Innovation contribution to the climate change
my colleagues here in the Senate—to
Center will play a key role in making fight.
seeing those matters cross the finish Within the confines of this bill, there
these designs a reality.
When looking toward a clean, reli- line in this important act, which fi- is a problematic and anti-environ-
able, and secure energy future, the im- nally reaches us at this critical time. mental section that deserves serious
With that, I will yield the floor to my
portance of rare-earth minerals cannot scrutiny. I am talking about the con-
distinguished colleague from New Mex-
be overstated. In Idaho, we have the troversial American Mineral Security
ico.
Nation’s only significant domestic de- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Act—a bill that saw significant opposi-
posit of cobalt—a mineral that is vital ator from New Mexico. tion in the Senate Energy and Natural
for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, thank Resources Committee. Including this
military hardware. Yet, instead of min- you for the recognition. bill in this package is problematic be-
ing and processing this mineral in the Let me begin today by commending cause it would ‘‘streamline’’ the Fed-
United States, we import our supply the efforts of Senators MURKOWSKI and eral permitting process for hard rock
from China. MANCHIN for working across the aisle mining. Streamlining the approval
Cobalt is just one of many minerals to bring an energy bill to the floor. process means arbitrary deadlines and
the United States relies on imports for. This bill has positive initiatives— reducing public input on massive min-
We need to start prioritizing domestic promoting energy efficiency, modern- ing projects that could cause further
supply and processing our critical min- izing the electric grid, and research environmental destruction on public
erals for our energy and domestic secu- funding for clean energy—but the full lands.
rity future. I appreciate that we have Senate deserves a chance to be heard Mining is a messy business. Surface
also included this act in the big bill on the important issues at stake with mining ravages the earth. Heap leach
that is in front of us. This is the Amer- this bill; namely, energy. mining produces what is called acid
ican Mineral Security Act, and it Most importantly, we must take real mine drainage that spews a mix of
prioritizes our energy independence. action on climate change and address a acidic water and heavy metals into
I am also pleased that the key provi- problematic provision in this bill to streams and contaminates ground-
sions of my bill, the Enhancing Geo- limit environmental reviews of massive water. An astounding 40 percent of
thermal Production on Federal Lands and potentially toxic mining projects. western headwaters are contaminated
Act, were also included. That act is in- Everywhere we look, we are experi- by mine runoff. Those headwaters are
cluded in the larger bill. encing the devastating effects of cli- where we get our drinking water.
Idaho has long been a world leader in mate change—whether they are hurri- There are two controversial mine
the development of geothermal tech- canes along the southeastern coasts, proposals in New Mexico right now—
nologies. In fact, the Idaho State Cap- flooding in the Midwest, drought in the the Terrero Mine in the Pecos and the
ital Building is the only State capital Southwest, or out-of-control wildfires Copper Flat Mine near Hillsboro, NM.
in the United States that is heated in California—and we are careening too Both of these mines are of significant
solely with geothermal energy. close to climate change tipping points concern to local farmers, ranchers,
There is significant potential to ex- that scientists warn will doom the Tribes, and residents who are worried
pand this renewable energy in Idaho planet. about water pollution.
and indeed across the Western United The bill before us does not set targets Under this provision, almost any-
States, and most of this potential ex- to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to thing could be labeled a ‘‘critical min-
ists on federally managed lands. Unfor- the levels required to meet global tar- eral.’’ Mining permits will get pushed
tunately, developers looking to harness gets or transition us to a clean energy through, while limiting local commu-
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this resource on Federal lands must economy, which is where we need to nity input. I am strongly supporting an
navigate a labyrinth of regulations. head, and we need to be heading there amendment from Senator STABENOW to
The provisions in this bill will unleash fast. A few things would dramatically strike this provision.
our Nation’s vast geothermal resources improve this bill’s climate impact. The proponents of this critical min-
by making the current permitting re- First, we need to add clean energy erals bill have some valid points. Of
view process more efficient, cost-effec- tax incentives. Clean energy tax incen- course we need certain metals for our
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March 3, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1283
economy, including a clean energy this toxic stew—this yellowish, toxic Benton Counties. I have seen floods,
economy, but we cannot forget that stew—that ran for a number of days. and I have seen fires. The damage they
the mining industry has gotten one of The right to mine on Federal lands cause is terrible, but there is nothing
the biggest free rides on the back of royalty-free maybe made sense 150 quite like seeing what a tornado can
the taxpayer in American history, all years ago. A free ride makes no sense do. It can arrive in 30 seconds or 1
the while leaving the taxpayer holding now. It is a sweetheart deal for the minute and be gone and leave behind it
the bag for their toxic legacy. mining companies that can’t be justi- death and buildings laid flat to the
Hard rock mining on Federal lands is fied by today’s fiscal or environmental ground. I can’t imagine what it must
governed by the General Mining Act of realities. The old joke in the West is be like for that to happen at 1 in the
1872—that is right, 1872—a 148-year-old that the mining company gets the gold, morning when nobody knows it is com-
law. President Ulysses S. Grant signed and the American people get the ing.
it to help settle the West and to spur shaft—and that is literally true. I will be in Tennessee on Friday when
economic development. Still in effect My amendment to reform the 1872 the Senate concludes its business this
today, the act allows mining compa- mining law that Senators HEINRICH and week and will be visiting those areas.
nies to mine gold, silver, copper, ura- BENNET are cosponsoring ends this free Our office has been in touch with may-
nium, and other precious metals on ride by doing two simple things: It sets ors in all of the counties and commu-
Federal lands without paying one dime a royalty rate between 5 and 8 percent nities affected. Senator BLACKBURN and
in royalties—not one dime. That is in on mining on Federal lands, the public I are working together, along with the
sharp contrast to coal and oil and gas lands, and provides for cleanup of aban- rest of the Tennessee delegation in the
companies that pay billions in royal- doned mines paid for by royalties and House, to make certain that we give
ties every year for the right to extract an abandoned mine reclamation fee of 1 full Federal support to Governor Lee.
resources—resources owned by the pub- to 3 percent. The President talked to Governor Lee
lic and which are coming off public The House Committee on Natural Re- today, and, as a result of that call, the
lands. The current rate paid by coal, sources approved broad mining reform White House put out a statement indi-
oil, and gas is 12.5 percent. These same legislation last year. This bill could be cating the President may be in Ten-
mining companies often pay royalties coming to the House floor soon and is nessee on Friday. That would be wel-
probably headed in our direction over comed as well.
of similar payments when they operate
here at the Senate. Mining reform is
overseas but not here in the United CORONAVIRUS
decades and decades overdue. It is only Mr. President, let me speak for a mo-
States.
Since 1872, mining companies have fair to address this injustice before we ment about the coronavirus. The coun-
taken $300 billion—that is billion with give mining companies new perks, even try was transfixed by the impeachment
a ‘‘b’’—from public lands. The U.S. if they can be justified, and enacting a process for about a month, and now
Government Accountability Office esti- royalty and reclamation fee is a they are transfixed by the coronavirus,
healthy start on that process. but this is different. This is personal.
mated that in 2010 alone hardrock min-
I thank, again, Senators MURKOWSKI
ing earned $6.4 billion from public This could affect each of us. When I am
and MANCHIN for their work. I hope we
lands. That would have yielded $800 home—and I am sure when the Pre-
can return to the regular order, to the
million per year for the American tax- siding Officer is home—there are lots
idea that we are going to have a bill on
payer if mining were treated the same the floor and that we can have amend- of questions about the coronavirus.
as coal, oil, and gas. I want to speak this morning about a
ments and have the process work as it
The shocking fact is, foreign-owned hearing that we had in the Senate’s
normally does and improve the bill on
companies are often the beneficiaries. Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
these important points. If we cannot, I
For example, 83 percent of the compa- sions Committee that was reassuring
think the path for this bill becomes
nies that mine or explore for uranium to me and, I think, to the Democrats as
much harder.
in the United States are foreign owned; Now, on another subject before I con- well as the Republicans there. It was
64 percent of the companies that clude, I want to voice my support for reassuring because we had four re-
produce gold are foreign owned. the remarks Senator GRASSLEY gave spected professionals from the govern-
The out-of-date mining law not only earlier today on the oil and gas royal- ment with broad experience in dealing
shortchanges taxpayers; it short- ties. We filed an amendment together, with public health crises—whether it is
changes the environment. The same in- based on our bill, to update those roy- anthrax, Ebola, or other coronaviruses.
dustry that seeks permitting relief alties and other leasing items for the We have had all of that in the United
from Congress today does nothing to first time in 100 years. It is a long over- States in the last 25 years, and we have
pay for cleanup at the tens of thou- due topic, and I hope to see increasing dealt with that.
sands of abandoned mines scarring our bipartisan support in the near future. At the end of the hearing, Senator
public lands. The GAO estimates that We have a historic oil boom in this MURRAY, the ranking Democrat on the
there are 33,000 abandoned mines across country, much of which is using public committee, and I, and the Democrats
the West that are degrading the envi- lands, and the public has a right to see on committee who aren’t bashful, and
ronment. One study found that 20,000 a fair value for those resources. the Republicans on committee who
gallons per day of toxic water from 43 We also have a large and growing aren’t bashful, but I think I can speak
abandoned mine sites are polluting budget deficit and a major climate for them in saying those four profes-
streams, ponds, and groundwater. change problem. Bringing oil and gas sionals, many of whom have worked for
What is wrong with these numbers? royalties into the 21st century would 25 or 30 years in terms of helping our
The American taxpayer is stuck with be a bipartisan win on all of those country deal with health crises, con-
the bill, and the local and regional fronts. tinue to earn our respect. We believe
communities are stuck with the dev- I yield the floor. I see my good friend, what they tell us, and they promised to
astating environmental and public the Senator from Tennessee, is here. tell us the truth.
health impacts. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- When I saw the Vice President earlier
Now, witness this: the Gold King ator from Tennessee. today, I said to him: Mr. Vice Presi-
Mine that gushed 3 million gallons—3 TENNESSEE dent, I am glad that you have been
million gallons—of this toxic yellow Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I placed in charge of this. As a former
stew into the Animas and San Juan am on the floor to speak about the Governor, I think it makes sense to
Rivers and across my home State of coronavirus, but first let me express to place a Vice President—that indicates
New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, the families in Tennessee my heartfelt the highest level of attention—and a
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
and the Navajo Nation. It has been 4 concern for them as the result of a tor- former Governor, someone who is ac-
years since this spill, and the States, nado that swept through Middle Ten- customed to working with States and
Tribes, and local communities have nessee last night while people were local governments, in charge of a prob-
still not been fully reimbursed. This sleeping. lem that is going to be solved pri-
was a normal river in the West that The number of deaths is 22 so far in marily by our exceptional State and
looked clean and pristine. Here it is, Nashville, and in Wilson, Putnam, and local public health systems. So I think
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S1284 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2020
you are exactly the right person to be tion from the coronavirus, but you lions of us who will get the flu this flu
in charge. don’t have to take my word for it. season. Fifty thousand Americans, on
My advice to him was to let the pro- Take the word of the professionals who average, die from the flu each year—
fessionals do the talking because peo- testified this morning before the Sen- 50,000 Americans. It might be 30,000 one
ple believe them. If the President and ate’s Health, Education, Labor, and year and might be 70,000 in a very bad
the Vice President give their view, Pensions Committee or take the words year. But there are a lot of people who
they are entitled to do it, but someone of what the New York Times said a die from the flu.
will think they are simply justifying couple of days ago on its front page in The flu is a respiratory disease, just
what they are doing. If the Democrats, the Sunday newspaper in describing like the coronavirus is a respiratory
on the other hand, say something the situation in the United States. disease. It is a different respiratory dis-
about the coronavirus response, some- Here is what the Times said: ‘‘Much ease, but the symptoms are similar:
one will think, well, they are just criti- about the coronavirus remains unclear, fever and a cough.
cizing President Trump. and it is far from certain that the out- We also learned this morning from
But if Dr. Fauci, for example, who for break will reach severe proportions in the professionals who told us this: For
over 35 years—since 1984, which is a the United States or affect many re- 80 percent of the people who are in-
long time, working for President gions at once.’’ Continuing, the New fected with the coronavirus, it is a fair-
Reagan, President H. W. Bush, Presi- York Times: ‘‘With its top-notch sci- ly mild experience. Twenty percent—
dent Clinton, President George W. entists, modern hospitals and sprawl- mainly older people—are sicker, and
Bush, President Obama, and President ing public health infrastructure, most they are the ones who need the atten-
Trump; working on HIV/AIDS; working experts agree, the United States is tion.
on anthrax; working on two Ebola among the countries best prepared to Those are some of the things we
epidemics—if Dr. Fauci answers a ques- prevent or manage such an epidemic.’’ learned this morning from the profes-
tion and tells us something, we believe That is the New York Times’ front sionals who have been working on
that. What we need is accurate infor- page assessment 2 days ago. epidemics or potential epidemics for a
mation for the American people about Now, in addition to the possible ef- long time.
exactly where we stand with this crisis fect on the lives of Americans, this
What should we do about it? Let’s
and what we need to do in Congress problem can disrupt our economy.
start with what we have done about it.
that we have not already done. Twenty percent of what we import, ac-
I think it is important for the Amer-
So, in the next few minutes, I would cording to our Trade Representative,
ican people to know that. Let’s start
like to talk about what we heard this comes from China. So we are not just
with Congress. This is not our first
morning and to compliment those four talking about medicines or masks. We
rodeo, so to speak. We have faced pub-
professionals who were there: are talking about parts of cars or
lic health threats for the last 20 years.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, is the Principal chemicals, such as those for Eastman
There are Members of Congress and
Deputy Director of the Centers for Dis- Chemical in East Tennessee, which em-
staff who were here during the anthrax
ease Control. She has had 30 years ploys thousands of people. It can cause
attack in 2001, nearly 20 years ago. In
working with infectious diseases, most our economy to slow down and econo-
2003, we saw SARS. That was another
of that time with the CDC. mies in the rest of the world to slow
type of coronavirus. Then, in 2009, the
Dr. Fauci I just described, working down.
flu pandemic killed more than 150,000
with six Presidents. I believe he has The purpose of our hearing this
people around the world. Then there
virtually universal respect here for morning was, first, to get an idea of
were the Ebola outbreaks in 2014 and
truth-telling and competence. what Americans needed to know about
2018.
Dr. Robert Kadlec. He is the Assist- the coronavirus. We learned some
ant Secretary for Preparedness and Re- things. We learned that, based on the After every one of those incidents,
sponse at the Department of Health data that we have and that has been re- Congress, working with Democratic
and Human Services. He used to advise ceived just in the last couple of days and Republican Presidents, tried to
the Department of Defense, and then from China, we haven’t seen many chil- prepare the Federal Government to be
he helped Senator BURR to write the dren infected by the coronavirus. They ready for the next problem.
legislation that set up the agency that may be, but the average age of the peo- After anthrax, we created Project
helps us be better prepared to deal with ple who seem to be infected by it is 50, BioShield to develop and stockpile new
such health crises as we might experi- and the people who get the sickest are treatments and vaccines. After the 2003
ence here. people who are already sick. SARS outbreak, in 2006, Congress cre-
Then Dr. Stephen Hahn. He is the The second thing we have learned ated the Pandemic and All-Hazards
newest one of the four in terms of com- seems so simple it doesn’t seem to be Preparedness Act. Senator BURR of
ing to the government, but he has been true. What can we do about the North Carolina was the principal au-
the head of the MD Anderson Cancer coronavirus? How can we keep from thor. It guides the government on how
Center in Texas, one of the most re- getting it? Wash your hands. Wash to respond to public health emer-
spected institutions in the world. your hands. I find myself now doing it gencies, and it created a fund the gov-
So those are the professionals that a few more times a day, and I didn’t ernment can use to respond quickly to
we heard this morning. used to do it as often. problems that come up.
Now, what did we hear? We heard Our hands pick up germs from our Last year, Congress provided more
that the coronavirus is alarming in cell phones or from the rails we touch than $4 billion for public health and
terms of what is happening around the or from the hands we shake or from the preparedness programs. When a crisis
world. There are 90,000 cases or more seats in front of us on the airplane. occurs, like this coronavirus—all of
and 3,000 deaths. All of this has hap- Then what do we do? We put our hands which has happened since the first of
pened in the last 2, 21⁄2 months, so far on our face many more times an hour the year, maybe a little since Decem-
as we know. than most people are aware. That is ber, but mostly since the first of the
What has happened at home? What the single biggest way this spreads. year—money is often needed quickly,
has happened at home here in the Wash your hands. That is what Dr. so Congress created a couple of funds
United States is that we have slightly Fauci says—the professional who has the agencies can take money from. One
more than 100 cases that are detected. been working on these diseases for dec- of them is the Rapid Response Fund.
About half of those are Americans who ades. Secretary Azar has already taken $105
were traveling and had to be brought Here is something else we learned to million from that fund for this
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
home and were repatriated, as we say, put the coronavirus into context. We healthcare issue. We have given him
and the other half have been detected are just past the peak of the flu season. the authority to take another $136 mil-
here. Unfortunately, we have had six Most of us know about the flu. We have lion, which he has done.
deaths. a vaccine for the flu—not for the The President has recommended $2.5
It is fair to say that citizens in the coronavirus, but for the flu—and most billion more. Congress, with many dif-
United States are at low risk for infec- of us take it. But there are tens of mil- ferent suggestions having been made,
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March 3, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1285
this week is likely to approve addi- Are we going to be able to contain of our democracy. Those doing the sup-
tional funding to do whatever our pro- the coronavirus in the United States? I pressions don’t even pretend to hide
fessionals tell us needs to be done to go back to what the New York Times their intent.
keep us safe and help protect our econ- said on its front page on Sunday. We In November, a senior adviser to
omy. have experienced dealing with new dis- President Trump’s reelection campaign
In addition to what Congress has eases in the United States. We have came right out and said the quiet part,
done, our various Presidents have done professionals who, for several decades but he said it out loud. He observed
even more. For example, President through several administrations, both that ‘‘traditionally . . . Republicans
Obama, if you will remember, sent our Democratic and Republican, have been [suppress] votes,’’ and then he pre-
military to Africa to deal with the successful in doing that. We have dicted that voter suppression is ‘‘going
Ebola outbreak before it came here. Presidents, both Democratic and Re- to be a much bigger program, a much
That was quite an extraordinary ac- publican, who have taken strong Exec- more aggressive program’’ in 2020.
tion. President George W. Bush sent utive action, including this one, to pro- In May 2019, Tennessee enacted a dra-
Centers for Disease Control scientists tect the American people. conian law imposing criminal penalties
around the world to help with the In short, while this is an alarming against voter registration groups who
SARS epidemic. In the same way, problem around the world—surely, submitted so-called deficient registra-
President Trump has done something more Americans will become infected— tion forms. In October 2019, Florida’s
that hasn’t been done in this country most experts agree that we are fortu- State legislature tried to undo a con-
for over 50 years. At a time when there nate that the United States is the stitutional amendment overwhelm-
were only six confirmed cases of country in the world with the sci- ingly approved by Floridians to restore
coronavirus in the United States, this entists, with the resources, and with voting rights to former felons. This is
administration announced they would the experience to do the best possible something we take for granted in
quarantine Americans who may have job of containing the spread of this Vermont—that they can vote. These ef-
been exposed to the virus while in virus. forts have thankfully been halted, at
China and would not allow foreign na- I yield the floor. least temporarily, in the courts. There
tionals who traveled to China in the The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. will be other States that attempt what
last 14 days to enter the United States, FISCHER). The Senator from Vermont. Florida and Tennessee tried—or even
and warned Americans not to travel to 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY worse. And those who value the sanc-
China and, more recently, to think Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, 55 tity of the vote will be engaged in an
more carefully about traveling to parts years ago, a courageous band of civil endless war of Whac-A-Mole in the
of Italy or South Korea. The President rights activists, including the fearless courts to stop these un-American ef-
added Iran to these travel restrictions JOHN LEWIS, began a march for what forts to suppress the right to vote.
more recently. many of us considered a sacred right to Why have States been given such free
Dr. Fauci, the National Institutes of vote. They marched from Selma to rein to suppress the minority vote? It
Health professional whom we heard Montgomery, and they marched in the is because of the disastrous 2013 Su-
from this morning, said that without face of unspeakable violence. They preme Court decision, Shelby County v.
those Executive actions, we would have shed their blood for access to the bal- Holder. That gutted section 5 of the
many more cases right now. lot. While much has changed in the last Voting Rights Act, which had been
The third thing the administration 55 years, this struggle for voting equal- voted on by both Democrats and Re-
has done is to develop a test to diag- ity, and this march for progress, con- publicans. It gutted it. It crippled the
nose whether you have the tinues. Federal Government’s ability to
coronavirus. We didn’t have that before On Sunday, I was inspired yet again proactively prevent discriminatory
because this is a new virus. The admin- by my hero, my dear friend, now-Con- changes to State voting laws.
istration is rapidly working on that— gressman JOHN LEWIS, who summoned In the wake of Shelby County, States
not as fast as everyone would like, but depthless strength to lead thousands in have unleashed a torrent of voter sup-
fast, so far as I can tell. commemorating the anniversary of pression schemes, some almost imme-
The FDA is working with 65 private Bloody Sunday. This was not merely a diately after the decision came down,
sector test developers in addition to commemoration; it was a clarion call knowing full well that the Federal
the 46 labs in 38 States who are using to action. Those of us who know the Government can no longer serve as a
the Centers for Disease Control test. Congressman know he has been seri- shield against disenfranchisement. Our
The goal is to have in place kits that ously ill but has not given up the fight. democracy depends on these changes—
will allow 1 million tests to be done In fact, Congressman LEWIS’s voice and changing now. The proliferation,
shortly. booming over the crowd reminded us the threats to the right to vote in the
As far as a vaccine, the professionals all to ‘‘continue to fight . . . now more wake of Shelby County, makes it un-
are working on a vaccine more rapidly than ever.’’ mistakably clear that we need the full
than any vaccine ever before, but it ‘‘I’m not going to give up,’’ he thun- protections of the Voting Rights Act.
still takes more than a year. However, dered. ‘‘I’m not going to give in.’’ I am That is exactly why, for years, I have
the President met with drug manufac- proud to stand with my dear friend, championed, authored, and I have re-
turers to see if existing treatments Congressman JOHN LEWIS. introduced the Voting Rights Advance-
might be used earlier. Our National In the past several years, a number of ment Act. I reintroduced this legisla-
Laboratories have gotten involved as States have done all they could to dis- tion again in 2019. I note it is a bipar-
well. enfranchise tens of thousands of minor- tisan bill. I should repeat this. It is a
As we look at the impact of the ity voters. Their tactics were often bipartisan bill. Republicans and Demo-
coronavirus, we think mostly about brazen and transparent. While these crats alike support it to restore section
our own health, but we also see other voter suppression schemes took many 5 of the Voting Rights Act and improve
issues, such as the effect on our econ- forms—from sweeping purges of voter and modernize that landmark legisla-
omy. 13 percent of the facilities that rolls to arbitrary, new identification tion, and provide the Federal Govern-
make active ingredients for drugs are requirements—they all shared one pur- ment with other critical tools to com-
in China. We need to take a look at pose and one purpose alone: making bat this full-fledged assault on the
that. voting more difficult for minorities franchise.
I would like to conclude where I and the marginalized. As a Federal A total of 47 Senators publicly stated
started. People ask me: What can we do judge observed when he struck down they support this commonsense effort
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
about the coronavirus? The answer is one such State’s voter ID law, it sought to protect the right to vote. Why don’t
as simple as wash your hands, drink a to disenfranchise ‘‘African Americans we bring it to a vote? If people want to
lot of water, and isolate yourself if you with almost surgical precision.’’ continue these suppressions, let them
feel sick. If you have a fever and a Today, we are seeing a reprise of vote that way. If they want to allow
cough, call your doctor. Stay home, these efforts ahead of one of the most people to vote, let them vote that way.
and don’t infect your neighbors. consequential elections in the history If the majority leader would simply let
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S1286 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2020
it come to a vote—right now it is being sive energy package to the Senate windy periods and on those sunny days
stopped by one person. If the majority floor. Under their leadership, the com- we could figure out how to store the
leader would simply let it come to a mittee has worked very hard to craft a energy that is produced so that it may
vote, it would pass. The House has al- bipartisan package that seeks to lower be released later for electricity on the
ready passed its companion version of energy costs for consumers, to diver- grid, what a difference it would make.
my legislation. sify our energy portfolio, and to facili- Off the coast of Maine, offshore wind
I find it offensive for those who claim tate and encourage the use of cleaner turbines can produce electricity almost
this bipartisan, bicameral legislation is energy sources. 50 percent of the time due to our rel-
some kind of partisan power grab. In The American Energy Innovation Act atively persistent offshore winds, but
America, it is the governed who possess includes several bills that I either au- with next-generation energy storage
the power. Restoring their power is not thored or cosponsored, including the technology, we could utilize this wind
partisan. Restoring their power is what Better Energy Storage Technology power closer to 100 percent of the time
it means to be a democracy. Act, known as the BEST Act, which by storing the electricity that is pro-
I say to my friend the majority lead- supports energy storage research and duced so that it may be used when the
er, to Senator MCCONNELL: All eyes are development; the Weatherization En- wind is not blowing. That is why I am
on you. Will he release the Voting hancement and Local Energy Effi- so excited about the potential for im-
Rights Advancement Act from his leg- ciency Investment and Accountability proving our energy storage tech-
islative graveyard and do it before the Act, which reauthorizes the Weather- nologies.
elections? Will he simply allow an up- ization Assistance Program; the Wind We all think of batteries. Certainly,
or-down vote on this legislation to re- Energy Research and Development Act, coming up with better, more efficient
store the bipartisan Voting Rights Act which supports targeted investments in batteries with which to store elec-
of 1965? History is watching. wind energy; and the Energy Savings tricity is part of the answer, but there
As my hero and friend JOHN LEWIS and Industrial Competitiveness Act, as are other technologies that are going
powerfully reminded us this past Sun- well as the Streamlining Energy Effi- to be available if we make a concerted
day, ‘‘We’ve got to make America bet- ciency for Schools Act, which both pro- effort to devote resources to research
ter for all of her people. . . . We’re one mote energy efficiency. and development and deployment.
people, we’re one family.’’ I agree. The I am particularly pleased that this For these reasons, I am especially de-
right to vote for all Americans is the agreement includes legislation I au- lighted that the BEST Act was in-
beating heart of our form of govern- thored with Senator HEINRICH. It is cluded in this package, and I hope it
ment. Indeed, it is the very right that what is known as the BEST Act, the will be enacted swiftly.
gives democracy its name. Let us show Better Energy Storage Technology Next, I would like to turn to a pro-
the world we are deserving of that Act. This bipartisan bill would support gram that is very important to many
name. Let us show the world the con- energy storage research and develop- low-income families and seniors in the
science of the Senate is that we will go ment, which would, in turn, advance State of Maine, and that is the weath-
forward and vote it—vote for it or vote the deployment of renewable energy. erization program. I thank Senators
against it but vote it. Don’t just keep Federal investments in the research, MURKOWSKI and MANCHIN for including
it from coming to a vote. development, and deployment of en- the bill that I authored with Senators
Unfortunately, when you keep it ergy storage technologies would enable COONS, REED, and SHAHEEN that reau-
from coming to a vote, it looks too the expansion of renewable energy thorizes the Weatherization Assistance
much like what we are trying to do to sources that are essential in combating Program.
a lot of people, especially minorities in climate change. Through my position on the Com-
this country, is keep them from voting. Energy storage systems actually pro- mittee on Appropriations, I have
We have Republicans and Democrats in vide a wide range of benefits. First, worked with my colleagues to secure
this body. Let us vote up or down on these technologies increase the reli- an increase of $51 million for weather-
this. Most importantly, as we do in my ability and resiliency of our electric ization assistance for fiscal year 2020.
State of Vermont, we fight to make grid by limiting potential disruptions. In fact, virtually every year, this is
sure every Vermonter gets to vote no Energy storage allows for the better something on which I and the Senators
matter what their party is, no matter management of supply and demand on whom I mentioned work together to
where they live, no matter who they our Nation’s power grid. achieve. Oftentimes, regrettably, the
are. Let’s see if we can do that for the Second, this type of technology can President’s budget eliminates the fund-
rest of the country. We would be a bet- decrease energy costs. In the State of ing for the weatherization program,
ter country for it. Maine, the price of electricity can rise but with bipartisan support, the mem-
I yield the floor. steeply during the coldest days of the bers of the Committee on Appropria-
I suggest the absence of a quorum. year. In late 2017 and early 2018, very tions work hard to include it in the
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cold temperatures in New England led funding bills. One reason we do so is
clerk will call the roll. to higher energy costs that amounted that, whether it is insulating them or
The senior assistant legislative clerk to more than $1 billion being spent in replacing windows or installing heat
proceeded to call the roll. the wholesale energy market in only 15 pumps, weatherizing our houses pays
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask days. off. In fact, on average, weatherization
unanimous consent that the order for The next generation of energy stor- returns a 4 to 1 on the investment.
the quorum call be rescinded. age technologies could also help to Since 2010, the State of Maine has re-
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. CAS- transform our grid, meaning that we ceived a little more than $22 million in
SIDY). Without objection, it is so or- would no longer need to generate more funding, and it has been able to suc-
dered. expensive power to meet demand dur- cessfully weatherize nearly 2,500 homes
S. 2657 ing the hottest and coldest days of the and rental units across the State. What
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise in year. Instead, we could use more af- a difference that has made to the fami-
support of the American Energy Inno- fordable sources of energy that have lies who live in those homes and to the
vation Act—a compilation of energy- been stored for later use. seniors who were once living in drafty
related measures that has been re- Finally, energy storage systems can homes, for their energy costs were
ported, with bipartisan support, by the allow for more intermittent renewable much higher than they needed to be be-
Senate’s Committee on Energy and sources, such as wind or solar power, to cause their homes were not well insu-
Natural Resources. be placed on the grid and to be used lated. It also makes those homes a lot
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Let me start by recognizing the tre- precisely when they are needed. Think more comfortable for our seniors and
mendous efforts of the very committed of that. Right now, if the wind is not low-income families.
and dedicated chairman of that com- blowing, obviously we are not pro- Encouraging the adoption of energy
mittee, LISA MURKOWSKI, and of the ducing wind energy. If the Sun is not efficiency measures is one of the easi-
ranking member, JOE MANCHIN, and shining, we are not producing solar- est, yet effective mechanisms for re-
their work in bringing this comprehen- generated energy. Yet, if during those ducing energy consumption, lessening
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March 3, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1287
pollution, and ultimately saving to join me in supporting the adoption living, not throw a few people off So-
money for families, businesses, com- of the American Energy Innovation cial Security disability, not eliminate
munities, and governments at all lev- Act. This is an area where we can truly survivors’ benefits; he wants to abolish
els. make a difference for our constituents, Social Security. You heard that right.
In addition to weatherization, this our communities, our States, our levels President Trump, on the stump—he
comprehensive package supports cru- of government, and for our country. came to Ohio many times, my State,
cial investments in renewable energy, Let’s get on with the adoption of this and around the country—promised he
including the Wind Energy Research very worthwhile package of energy would protect Social Security, but now
and Development Act that I introduced bills. he puts Stephen Schwartz on the
with Senator SMITH. This bill would re- I yield the floor. bench, a judge who wants to abolish it.
authorize the Department of Energy’s I suggest the absence of a quorum. Stephen Schwartz wrote that Social
Office of Wind Energy. It would support The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Security benefits were intended to pre-
grants in order to improve the effi- clerk will call the roll. vent ‘‘outright starvation.’’ He wasn’t
ciency, reliability, and capacity of The senior assistant legislative clerk sitting at this desk, to be sure, in the
wind energy generation. The Aqua proceeded to call the roll. 1930s when Social Security was started.
Ventus program, which aims to be the Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask Obviously, he didn’t understand that
first floating, deepwater, offshore wind unanimous consent that the order for Social Security was one of three legs of
project in the United States, has been the quorum call be rescinded. the stool: Social Security, private pen-
under development by the University The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without sion—we don’t have too many of those
of Maine and a consortium of both pub- objection, it is so ordered. anymore—and then savings that work-
lic and private partners for many years STEPHEN SCHWARTZ ers were able to accrue.
now. That consortium and the Univer- Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, the U.S. He says that Social Security was
sity of Maine, in particular, could ben- Senate used to be called the greatest there to prevent ‘‘outright starvation,’’
efit from these targeted investments in deliberative body in the world. It is the that Social Security has ‘‘become a
offshore wind energy. Senate where, at this desk, Hugo Black standard component of most retire-
Finally, another important compo- wrote labor law reform. Essentially, he ment programs.’’ That is kind of the
nent of this comprehensive bill is en- and another Senator in the U.S. Senate point, to make sure that every single
ergy efficiency. I am pleased that the and President Roosevelt created collec- American who works her whole life and
Energy Savings and Industrial Com- tive bargaining. It is the desk in the pays into the system can have a decent
petitiveness Act is included in this Senate Chamber where Senator McGov- retirement. But for this man, Stephen
package. As an original cosponsor of ern from South Dakota passed legisla- Schwartz, the man President Trump
this bill, which is also known as the tion with Senator Dole across the aisle and Leader MCCONNELL want to put on
Portman-Shaheen energy efficiency for feeding programs for hungry people a Federal court with jurisdiction—this
legislation, I recognize that it can in the United States. isn’t one of those lifetime judges who
kick-start the use of energy efficiency I just met with a number of people are in one district that can do a little
technologies that are commercially from the Cleveland Food Bank, the bit of damage in the Northern District
available right now and can be de- Middle Ohio Food Bank, and Second of Ohio or in the Southern District of
ployed by residential, commercial, and Harvest Food Bank. The McGovern- Alabama—they can do plenty of dam-
industrial energy users. It can also im- Dole legislation also fed hungry kids age. But this is a man whom President
prove the energy efficiency of the Fed- around the world. Trump and Leader MCCONNELL want to
eral Government, which happens to be This is the body that used to do those put on a Federal court with jurisdic-
our Nation’s largest consumer of en- kinds of things—the greatest delibera- tion over the whole country. As long as
ergy. tive body in the world. But under Lead- people aren’t literally starving to
I congratulate the bill’s sponsors, er MCCONNELL, whose office is down the death in retirement, that is enough, he
Senators SHAHEEN and PORTMAN, for hall, we see something different. The seems to think.
crafting this commonsense bill and for focus of this body has pretty much I would like Mr. Schwartz to come to
their relentless efforts in getting it been one job, and that is confirming Ohio. I would like him to come to Gar-
across the finish line. young, 38-, 40-, 42-, and 45-year-old field Heights. My wife and I live in the
Again, I express my appreciation to judges—extreme judges—who always city of Cleveland. Garfield Heights bor-
Chairman MURKOWSKI and Ranking put their thumbs on the scale to sup- ders the city of Cleveland. I would like
Member MANCHIN. port corporations over workers, to sup- him to come to Garfield Heights and go
I would also like to highlight another port Wall Street over consumers, and to Carlo’s Barber Shop with me some-
energy efficiency bill that is included who put their thumbs on the scale to day and just listen to people talk.
in this package, and that is the support insurance companies over pa- Carlo cuts the hair of a whole lot of re-
Streamlining Energy Efficiency for tients and drug companies over pa- tired people. I would love to hear him
Schools Act, which I sponsored with tients. Even by the low standards—and, listen to the retired machinist or the
Senator MARK WARNER. my gosh, they are low—we have come retired teacher and say to them that
In Maine, our schools have made tre- to expect from Senator MCCONNELL and this gentleman wants to serve in the
mendous progress on energy efficiency, the majority in always, always sup- Federal Government, appointed by the
but it can be challenging for schools to porting the rich, always fighting for President of the United States, and
take full advantage of programs that the largest corporations, always fight- thinks that Social Security should be
lower energy costs, in part because ing for the people who have privilege eliminated. I want him to talk to the
school officials may not know where to against struggling families, against nurses and the barbers and the teach-
start. A lot of these programs are scat- workers—40 percent of people in this ers. I want him to talk to Americans
tered in different agencies across the country don’t have $400 to their name who have paid into Social Security for
Federal Government. if they have an emergency to meet. In- their whole lives.
Our bipartisan bill would create a co- stead of dealing with that issue, it is Social Security is called social insur-
ordinating structure within the De- more tax cuts for the rich. It is more ance. It is like unemployment benefits.
partment of Energy that would stream- cuts to Medicaid or to food stamps or It is like Medicare. Social Security—
line available Federal energy efficiency to the SNAP program or any of these you pay in every paycheck unless you
programs, assist school administrators things. are really rich. Then you only pay in
with navigating available Federal fi- Even by the low standards we have for a few months. But you pay into it
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
nancing, and thus reduce school build- come to expect from Leader MCCON- every paycheck, understanding that it
ings’ energy costs. NELL and President Trump, this nomi- is insurance, it is social insurance. You
Again, I want to thank the com- nation I am going to talk about today, pay in, and then when you retire or if
mittee leaders for their excellent work Stephen Schwartz, is appalling. In one you get disabled—or if you die, your
on this package of energy legislation, sentence, he wants to abolish Social children get the survivors’ benefits.
and I would urge all of my colleagues Security—not scale back the cost of You pay in, paycheck after paycheck
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S1288 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2020
after paycheck, and then when you exploded. We know what the corporate the process and the procedure of how
need it—that is the whole point of in- crowd’s plan always is to deal with this all comes together, maybe we are
surance—for disability, when you need deficits. You come into office, you cut still in a little bit of a learning curve.
it for survivors’ benefits, if someone in taxes on rich people. The deficit goes I have had an opportunity in previous
the family—if the breadwinner in the up to over $1 trillion. So what do you Congresses to be that first legislative
family dies or you need it for retire- do? Oh, my gosh, the deficit is up. We vehicle that we have really taken on in
ment, then you get it. have to cut spending. Go after Medi- a period of time. We have worked
It is one more broken promise to care. Go after Social Security. Go after through some of them successfully be-
workers by President Trump, one more Medicaid. Go after SNAP. Go after, in fore—one, famously unsuccessful. I
betrayal. my State, the Manufacturing Exten- don’t want this to fall into the ‘‘fa-
Remember, at the beginning of the sion Partnership, the MEP, which helps mously unsuccessful’’ category, so I am
year, President Trump went to Davos, local businesses create jobs. He cut encouraging Members to look criti-
that sort of hoity-toity place in Swit- that to zero. He has cut programs and cally at the bill we have introduced,
zerland. While he was hobnobbing with all kinds of things that matter to the American Energy Innovation Act,
the global elite, he let slip his plan. He working-class, middle-class, and small- and work with us through this amend-
changed his mind the next day, but it business Americans, all to pay for that ment process. We have received a num-
is clear what he wanted. After his tax tax cut. So much of what he does now ber of what I would put in the ‘‘non-
handouts to billionaires and corpora- is to pay for that tax cut that blew a controversial bucket’’ category that I
tions blew up the deficit, President hole in the deficit. am hoping we will be able to accept,
Trump said he wants to pay for those It all comes back to whose side you and I am hoping we can work together
tax cuts—remember, 70 percent of the are on. Do you stand with corporations, to incorporate those into our under-
Trump tax cuts went to the richest 1 or do you stand with workers? Do you lying measure.
percent. fight for Wall Street, or do you care I wanted to take just a few minutes
That is why a year and a half ago you about the dignity of work and live the this afternoon to highlight why the in-
saw the lobbyists going in and out of dignity of work? We know for whom novation title within the American En-
MITCH MCCONNELL’s office, the leader’s Stephen Schwartz fights. He spent his ergy Innovation Act is so important
office, all saying: I want this tax cut whole career trying to block protec- and what this bill will do to help sup-
for this company and this tax cut for tions for workers and students. He port and increase innovation in Amer-
that company. He wants to pay for all tried to stop people from voting in ica.
that—the President said he wants to North Carolina. He has argued against When you think about who we are as
pay for it by cutting Social Security the retirement securities that workers Americans, what we are built on, we
and Medicare. Think about that. All paid into their whole lives. And this is are built on a foundation of ingenuity
these people pay into Social Security his reward. He has fought voting and innovation. We pioneered the elec-
and pay into Medicare every day of rights. He has worked to put Social Se- tric grid system. We pioneered nuclear
their working lives—people starting at curity out of business. He has always energy. We pioneered horizontal drill-
16 or 15 or 17—they pay that through- stood with the most privileged and the ing. These are many of the life-, econ-
out their working lives, and then the richest, and this is his reward from the omy-, and world-changing technologies
President says he wants to cut Medi- President of the United States and his that you think of in this energy space,
care and Social Security in order to reward from Senator MCCONNELL, who and the United States has led in these
pay for tax cuts for rich people. sits in the front of this room. areas. But the policies underlying Fed-
He sold his giveaway to the wealthy That is why he doesn’t belong on the eral energy R&D have not been updated
as a tax cut for the working people. It Federal bench. If you love this country, now in more than 12 years—a dozen
wasn’t. He sold his tax cut to the you fight for the people who make it years since we have last updated, re-
wealthy by saying it would raise work. President Trump promised to freshed, modernized. So the question is
wages. It didn’t. People see Trump’s fight for American workers, but this whether they fully reflect the range of
tax scam for what it really was: a give- President betrayed American workers opportunities and challenges that we
away to corporations and the wealthi- again and again and again. have, and I would submit to you that
est tiny sliver, the 1 percent of this I suggest the absence of a quorum. they do not. We haven’t kept pace with
country. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. everything that is happening around
He said over and over that it would MCSALLY). The clerk will call the roll. us. It is important—it is incumbent
mean raises for workers. He promised The bill clerk proceeded to call the upon us to look to our policies.
that somehow these massive corporate roll. Modernizing our energy laws will
tax cuts, these giveaways to compa- Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, support the scientific work undertaken
nies, would end up in workers’ pockets. I ask unanimous consent that the order by the Department of Energy, by our
I heard him pledge to a group of Sen- for the quorum call be rescinded. National Laboratories, and by our uni-
ators at the White House in the rel- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without versities. It will also support the men
atively small Cabinet Room—I heard objection, it is so ordered. and the women who dedicate their ca-
him say that everybody is going to get S. 2657 reers to scientific pursuits, individuals
a $4,000 raise. Well, not. They obviously Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, who truly form the backbone of Amer-
didn’t. as I mentioned yesterday as we were ican R&D and are a tremendous asset
He told workers last year, the month preparing to vote on the motion to pro- to our country.
after he signed the law: You are going ceed to the American Energy Innova- As I mentioned yesterday, those of us
to start seeing a lot more money in tion Act, there is much to like and on the Energy and Natural Resources
your paycheck. much to support in this energy reform Committee have spent the last year
One lie after another. He did say, legislation we have proposed. putting together this innovation pack-
though, after signing the bill, when he We are in the early stages here of leg- age. Throughout that process, what we
went to Mar-a-Lago and hung around islating, and I think it is probably fair heard in committee from the experts
with his millionaire and billionaire to say that perhaps we are a little was that three of the most promising
friends: I made you a lot richer today rusty. As we have told Members, we technologies for clean energy are en-
when I signed that tax cut. He did live hope to have a process that allows for ergy storage; advanced nuclear; and
up to that promise when he made them amendments from both sides, that carbon capture, utilization, and stor-
richer. It just didn’t trickle down, shall gives us an opportunity to debate these age. These three areas, we are told, are
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
we say, to people making $30,000, important and timely issues. where the promise really is if you want
$50,000, and $80,000 a year. As we legislate and as we move to focus on clean energy solutions. Our
Instead of investing in workers, these through each step, it does require a composite bill prioritizes all three
corporations bought back trillions of level of cooperation. Again, as I men- technologies, as well as renewable en-
dollars of their own stock to line inves- tioned, we haven’t been legislating on a ergy and industrial and vehicle tech-
tors’ pockets. Meanwhile, the deficit weekly basis, so when it comes to just nologies.
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March 3, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1289
CCUS—carbon capture, utilization, Another area where we are pushing We shouldn’t just develop and deploy
and storage—technologies will allow forward, of course, is renewable energy, new technologies at home. We should
coal and natural gas plants to avoid which we look at and say has the op- also sell them to other countries
greenhouse gas emissions and even portunity to provide nearly limitless around the world. This is an incredible
allow us to make useful products from power across America. The costs of opportunity for economic growth. We
carbon dioxide. I have had an oppor- many of these technologies we have al- know that we will simultaneously
tunity and I know some other col- ready seen come down significantly. lower global greenhouse gas emissions
leagues have had an opportunity to go We take reasonable steps within this and help to cement geopolitical rela-
to some of these laboratories—not only bill to move wind, solar, geothermal, tionships that can span generations.
in this country but overseas—where we marine, hydrokinetic, and other renew- We will be discussing more of the
are taking that carbon, that waste ables to full commercialization. component pieces within the American
product, and we are turning it into To give some specifics in this space, Energy Innovation Act. You are going
value—in other words, building mate- in geothermal energy, we provide op- to continue to hear me say that this is
rials, whether it is a sheetrock type of portunities to responsibly develop good legislation, this is important leg-
a process or whether it is the equiva- more of the resource with new tech- islation, this is timely legislation—
lent of cinder blocks made out of car- niques and to coproduce critical min- after 12 years. But you don’t nec-
bon, that waste. When we can change erals along with it. essarily have to take my word for it.
this so we are taking a waste product In my State of Alaska, we have enor- Consider the work of the American En-
and converting it to value—talk about mous potential within the geothermal ergy Innovation Council, which is led
technologies that can really change space. Knowing that within this title, by noted individuals, luminaries, like
how we operate. we have an opportunity to really help Norm Augustine and Bill Gates. They
Again, the carbon capture, utiliza- move out some of the new techniques have found that at least 50 percent of
tion, and storage technologies will that are out there is significant. the U.S. annual GDP growth can be
allow us to advance in that direction. For solar energy, we are working on traced to increases in innovation and
The bill also includes demonstration new applications like solar paint, ad- that innovation has been the predomi-
and deployment programs that focus dressing grid integration challenges, nant driver of U.S. economic growth
on industrial emissions and direct air and improving recycling. For marine over the last century.
capture, which will similarly reduce energy—marine hydrokinetic—we are When we say that this Energy bill fo-
emissions. developing offshore testing centers to cuses on that innovation, recognize the
When you think about the prospects scale up new concepts. value that innovation brings to us in
and the possibilities for us with direct I remind colleagues, I come from a the energy sector. The council’s mem-
air capture, it was not too many years State where we have more coastline bers have also observed that advances
ago that it was a dream concept. Now than the entire United States put to- in energy technology deserve par-
it is no longer a dream concept. We are gether of all the coastal States there. ticular attention since energy
truly in the process of evaluating and This is an area that I have long looked underlies virtually every facet of mod-
piloting some of these technologies. to and said: Why are we not doing more
I mentioned nuclear energy as one of ern life. Without a sufficient, reliable,
when it comes to tapping into our ma- and affordable source of energy, the
the three. Nuclear energy is our Na-
rine energy sources? U.S. economy would grind to a halt.
tion’s largest and most reliable source
Our wind energy provisions include They are exactly right in their
of zero-emission electricity. Within
offshore and floating wind development words. Yet the United States continues
this subtitle of this bill, we have in-
and demonstration activities. We are to allocate less than 0.1 percent of its
cluded the legislation I have been
working to push out in the renewable annual Federal outlays to energy R&D.
working on, the Nuclear Energy Lead-
sector some of these areas where we Put that into context. This is an after-
ership Act, which would demonstrate
advanced reactors to help restore our are still pioneering in many of these thought in our budget and, unfortu-
national leadership and keep our do- ways. We have demonstrated wind on nately, in real life for too many Ameri-
mestic industry competitive with the land with great efficiency. How are we cans. We take for granted that when
likes of Russia and China. doing with offshore? What more can we you pull up to the gas station, they are
You have the CCUS and nuclear en- be doing there? going to have fuel there. We take for
ergy. The third area—the third really By providing the Department of En- granted that when you flip the light
transformative area—is storage. This ergy with new tools and direction, we switch, the lights are going to come on.
is, without a doubt, probably the most are helping to ensure the United States The reality is, it takes a tremendous
popular topic within our bill. We have remains the world leader in innovative amount of work to make that happen.
included the BEST Act from Senator technologies. It is innovation that brings this all to
COLLINS, which creates a crosscutting One of the challenges we hear about us.
energy storage R&D program at the as we discuss these cool things in the Innovation is worth it. The proof is
Department of Energy. Its focus is on Energy Committee is how you get literally around us with everything we
long-duration energy storage that can these great cutting-edge ideas from the do. Given our history, given our people,
smooth out variable renewable energy lab to the market. To address that, our given our institutions, I know this
generation. This is a very significant bill reauthorizes the Advanced Re- country can continue to lead the way
part of our bill. search Projects Agency-Energy. This is on new technologies. What we need to
With regard to industrial energy, our ARPA-E. This is the entity that helps do is make sure we have policies that
innovation package includes language these nascent technologies bridge the help further incent them, that do not
that Senator WHITEHOUSE authored to so-called valley of death and reach drag down that opportunity to meet
create a crosscutting R&D program to commercialization. ARPA-E has al- those challenges.
reduce emissions in seven areas, in- ready delivered significant results with I am confident that we have a good
cluding chemical production, steel and nearly $3 billion in follow-on private fi- bill in front of us, a strong bill in front
aluminum, high temperature process nancing for its projects. of us. I appreciate the support that the
heat generation, and industrial carbon We had the Secretary for the Depart- Senate has shown for our bill thus far.
capture. ment of Energy, Secretary Brouillette, I look forward to working on amend-
I think you will see from that provi- before the committee just today on a ments as the week continues. I urge
sion that, again, it is making inroads budget hearing. He heard repeatedly colleagues to provide us with those
into those areas where we see the high- from members on both sides of the matters that you have been working
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
est emissions within our industrial en- aisle the value that comes from ARPA- on. We want to try to accommodate,
ergy sector. As we see consumers de- E. Of course, developing new and clean- but we also recognize that we haven’t
manding cleaner products, know that er and more affordable technologies been in this process before where we
our bill helps ensure that American in- doesn’t benefit us just here at home; it have had the opportunity for open
dustries are going to be prepared to de- can also make a meaningful impact amendments. We want to try do it
liver on that. around the world. right. We want to try to be efficient, as
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S1290 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2020
we do in the Energy Committee, and The report says: efficiency programs and bans on cli-
we want to be fair to our colleagues. Flooding will intrude into water supplies, mate-damaging chemicals like HFCs
With that, I look forward to the such as coastal cities (e.g. Miami and New and global efforts to harness natural
input and the cooperation from fellow Orleans) . . . . processes like growing trees to seques-
Senators as we proceed with the discus- Wow. Who wrote this? This is good. ter carbon.
sion about the American Energy Inno- It continues: That is really good prescription, who-
vation Act. Changes in temperature patterns will af- ever wrote it. This rigorous analysis
With that, I yield the floor. fect natural ecosystems by altering the dis- was so good that its authors eagerly
I suggest the absence of a quorum. tributions of species, and affecting forestry thrust it into the hands of political
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The and silviculture. Under various scenarios, leaders here in the United States. Not
clerk will call the roll. commonly harvested species will move north only did the authors present it to the
and try to grow in different soil types.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the Symposium on Industrial Development
Ranges of particular species are likely to
roll. change because trees in the southern part of and Climate Change in May 1989, but
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam Presi- the present range may die off much more they submitted it to the U.S. House of
dent, I ask unanimous consent that the quickly than they can propagate further Representatives at a hearing on the
order for the quorum call be rescinded. north . . . . same day. In the hearing, the authors
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without This is all stuff we are seeing now— condemned the House committee on
objection, it is so ordered. all predicted 30 years ago in this re- climate-related legislation and ex-
CLIMATE CHANGE port. Wow. I wonder who wrote it. pressed support for ‘‘coordinat[ing] fed-
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam Presi- I will continue quoting the report: eral research and national global cli-
dent, I am here today for the 267th Similarly, crop lands will change. In mate change policy efforts.’’
time to call this Chamber to wake up present farm areas, there will be greater reli- So who was it? Who was this sensible,
to the threat of climate change. My ance on irrigation. The stress will depend on forward-thinking group that lauded a
chart here is getting a little dog-eared changes in precipitation patterns, which is smart bill 30 years ago that was de-
with use. now difficult (at best) to predict. Grain pro- signed to prepare us for climate
duction will move north and productivity change? Who was it over 30 years ago
Let me dive right in with a report may fall because of differing soil types. Glob-
from over 30 years ago that was pre- who presented all of these sound find-
al warming could expand the northern range
sented to a major conference here in of livestock disease and pests . . . . ings and recommendations to inter-
Washington, DC. On the very first page national business leaders and to Mem-
Still quoting from this report:
of this report it says: bers of Congress? Who was it? Hold
Global warming will affect snowfall pat-
Increases in atmospheric concentration of your breath. It was the U.S. Chamber
terns, hence melt, and affect water supplies.
carbon dioxide (CO2) and other key gases . . . Most of California’s water supplies are from of Commerce—the biggest, most power-
that are opaque to portions of the infrared snow melt and if snow is reduced to rain, or ful trade group in Washington and one
spectrum result in the ‘‘greenhouse effect’’ melts quickly during the winter, water sup- of the biggest obstructors of climate
or global warming. When short wavelength plies in the summer will be less than now. action in Washington today, according
infrared radiation from the sun warms the to the nonpartisan watchdog Influence
earth’s surface, and this heat is later radi- Wow. Thirty years ago they predicted
all of that. That is really impressive. Map.
ated from the earth, some gases in the at-
Fast forward to today, and that is ex- Here is a chart showing the big cor-
mosphere are not transparent to the longer
wavelength re-radiation, the heat does not actly what we are seeing. All of it is porate players in Washington on cli-
escape, and the atmosphere becomes warmer, underway already. Sea level rise is al- mate. The good guys are over here on
much as does the interior of a greenhouse. ready happening. The tide gauge in the green side, and the bad guys are
That is a flawless description of cli- Naval Station Newport, in my home over here on the red side. The worst is
mate change. I wonder who wrote it. State of Rhode Island, shows over 10 that climate miscreant, Marathon Pe-
Well, let me continue. inches of sea level rise over the last troleum, that is busy messing around
After some hedging about the state century. Temperatures are up globally, with electronic vehicle taxes and mess-
of the science and the uncertainty sur- with some areas measuring increases ing around with vehicle fuel efficiency
rounding how much climate change well above 2 degrees Celsius. Wildlife standards. Yet, right here, lined up
could be attributed to humans at that and plants are indeed shifting away with Phillips 66, the Southern Com-
point in time, this same report delves from the equator, like the maple trees pany, and Marathon Petroleum, is—
into the expected effects of climate whose range is creeping out of the boom—the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
change on our planet. It reads: United States toward Canada. And, of It is way over on the far side of climate
There is qualitative agreement among course, we have seen water tables con- obstruction and denial.
prognosticators that sea levels will rise, wet- tinue to drop as temperatures rise and As Influence Map’s Dylan Tanner tes-
lands will flood, salt water will infuse fresh snowpack dwindles. tified last fall, ‘‘The U.S. Chamber of
water supplies, and there will be changes in Wow. This report was so accurate. Commerce . . . is likely the most au-
the distribution of tree and crop species and Who wrote it? thoritative voice of American busi-
agricultural productivity. Well, let’s look for a minute at the ness,’’ and it has been one of the most
Wow. That is really accurate. That is prescriptions that the report lays out. ardent opponents of climate action.
all the stuff we are actually seeing hap- What should we do about this problem It is just gross. The chamber knew
pen right now. Gosh, I wonder who it describes so accurately? Those pre- about this problem early on. It took its
wrote that. Let’s continue on through scriptions are pretty good for 30 years own sound climate report to business
the report. ago, too. Here is what its authors reck- leaders and to the U.S. Congress in the
A significant rise in sea levels will flood on typical, sensible governments would 1980s. It described then what we are
now habitable land in some countries. . . . do in response to climate change: seeing now. It described then what it
Developed countries may be able to protect (1) Reduce the emissions of CO2 by reduc-
has denied since then. It made rec-
their cities, at least for some years, by build- ing the use or mix of fossil fuels; (2) Reduce ommendations that we are still push-
ing levees and dikes at a considerable cost to the emissions of potential pollutants; (3) Im- ing for now. It was poised back then, in
avoid major displacements of people and prove energy efficiency; (4) Ban or restrict the 1980s, to be a part of the solution to
their economic bases. the manufacture of certain chemicals; and climate change—to get onto this prob-
We are also seeing that. Impressive— (5) Seek to affect the natural emissions of lem early before it metastasized into
whoever wrote this report really got key chemical compounds. the climate crisis we experience today.
this quite accurately 30 years ago. Wow. Indeed, governments around Instead, here is what the chamber
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
Let me go on with the report: the world have adopted these policies. did: It opposed one comprehensive cli-
These same actions will affect wetlands There are dozens of carbon pricing re- mate bill after another in Congress. It
and it may not be possible to protect both gimes in place, including in some of opposed them all—the bipartisan cap
coastal and wetland areas. our biggest global competitors, like and trade bill in 2005, the Energy Pol-
Once you have built your dike, it the program China is rolling out this icy Act. The chamber sent out a Key
pushes water out into wetland areas. year. There are comprehensive energy Vote Alert signal that whoever voted
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March 3, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1291
in favor of the bill could face an on- Worst of all, the chamber has been against $650 billion. That is exactly
slaught of political attacks in the next fighting science itself. It actually pro- what the chamber does. It lets itself be
election. That is another feature of the posed putting the evidence of climate used by fossil fuel interests to deliver
chamber’s climate obstruction. change on trial in what its own offi- this message.
It runs TV ads against candidates cials branded as the ‘‘Scopes monkey What about the rest of the chamber’s
who might do something about the cli- trial of the 21st century.’’ The chamber members? Not everybody in the cham-
mate. Here are some hot moments from said the trial ‘‘would be evolution ber is a fossil fuel company.
some of its climate attack ads: If we versus creationism.’’ Of course, the Big tech, what about you guys? You
were to do anything about climate chamber has been the 800-pound gorilla have companies in your ranks who
change, obviously, you would be freez- in elections that every Member of Con- claim to care a lot about the climate.
ing in your bed, wearing your coat gress and candidate for Congress knows Google, for instance, has the com-
while in a sleeping bag with your cov- all too well. pany motto: ‘‘Don’t Be Evil.’’ Google
ers. Clearly, you would have to cook The 2010 Citizens United decision al- warns its investors that climate
your breakfast over candles, in a tin lowed what we call outside groups, change threatens its operations, that
can, and you would have to walk to anonymous groups, to spend unlimited its ‘‘systems are vulnerable to damage
work. sums on electioneering activities. In or interruption from natural disasters
That is its crooked, political elec- the wake of that decision, the chamber [and] the effects of climate change
tioneering image of what doing some- has funneled, roughly, $150 million into (such as sea-level rise, drought, flood-
thing about climate change would congressional races—$150 million. This ing, wildfires, and increased storm se-
mean for Americans. There is its logo, makes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce verity).’’
proudly, on that whole pack of lies. the largest spender of undisclosed do- Google also tells investors that
In 2007, the chamber ran political TV nations on congressional races—the ‘‘[c]limate change is one of the most
ads against climate legislation, mak- significant global challenges of our
largest spender of what we call dark
ing all of those threats: People would time’’ and that it has a goal to reach
money on congressional races.
be prevented from heating their homes. If you dare cross the chamber or 100-percent renewable energy for its op-
People wouldn’t be able to drive to don’t subscribe to its climate denial- erations. Google even signed the Cor-
work. People would cook over candles. climate obstruction point of view, you porate Renewable Energy Buyers’ Prin-
Then, in 2009, the chamber led the ciples and the American Business Act
risk its running an ad against you like
charge against the Waxman-Markey on Climate Pledge. Yet Google also
this ad, which was run against a U.S.
bill. The chamber tanked Waxman- funds the chamber’s anti-climate cru-
Markey, and since then, the Repub- Senate candidate in Pennsylvania in
2016. This is toward the end of the ad, sade.
licans in Congress have refused to hold I don’t know about my colleagues,
hearings on, to mark up, to debate, or and the theory of the ad is that the
candidate is so determined to tax en- but Google does not come to my office
to vote on any legislation that pro- and say: Hey, you need to do something
poses a policy framework for economy- ergy that she is going to tax the energy
of these women’s children who are run- good on climate. Google has a million
wide reductions in carbon pollution.
ning around on a playground. issues it lobbies us on, but they are not
We have a lost decade, in significant
Here are two moms on a playground on climate change. On climate change,
respects, thanks to the misbehavior of
who are watching their children run it supports the chamber of commerce,
the chamber of commerce—the largest,
around, and the setup is: Oh, wow. How and the chamber of commerce is our
most powerful lobbying force in our
energetic Johnny and Billy are. Oh, but adversary.
country.
The chamber doesn’t just try to beat don’t you know? The Senate campaign Look at the big food and beverage
climate action in Congress; the cham- is going to tax their energy. companies. They have crops—a supply
ber also has fought climate action in ‘‘Run, Jimmy. Run’’ is the punch chain of grain and fruit and vegetables.
the courts, and it has fought climate line. They have crops that the chamber’s re-
action in the agencies of the executive Classy. port of 30 years ago told us would be af-
branch. Here are some lowlights of So what gives? How did the chamber fected by climate change. Those crops
chamber mischief: go from being the sensible climate re- are the bread and butter—the supply
In 2010, the chamber sued the EPA alist to the hardened climate obstruc- chain—of these big food and beverage
and sought to overturn the finding that tor? companies. Where are they?
greenhouse gas emissions endanger The answer is pretty simple—fossil Many food and beverage companies
public health and welfare. Disabling fuel money. say they understand the threat of cli-
the endangerment finding would crip- As Influence Map’s Dylan Tanner mate change. Pepsi signed the Ceres
ple the EPA’s ability to regulate car- told us at our hearing, big trade groups BICEP Climate Declaration and the
bon under the Clean Air Act. When the like the chamber tend to adopt the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders
courts rejected the chamber’s lawsuit, lowest common denominator positions Group Trillion Tonne Communique.
the chamber became central command on climate of their most oppositional Those were both important commit-
for corporate lawyers, coal lobbyists, members. For the chamber, that lowest ments to climate action. There is
and Republican political strategists common denominator is Big Oil and Pepsi’s rival, Coca-Cola. Coke says it
who devised the legal schemes to fight other fossil fuel giants. plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 25
climate regulations. This produced an- Fossil fuel uses the chamber as its percent and that to do so will work to
other chamber lawsuit to block the tool to defend—at all costs—what the reduce greenhouse gas emissions across
Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon pol- International Monetary Fund esti- its value chain and make comprehen-
lution from powerplants. mates as being a $650 billion subsidy in sive carbon footprint reductions across
Of course, once President Trump the United States. That was the num- its manufacturing processes, packaging
took office, the chamber switched from ber estimated by the IMF for 2015—a formats, delivery fleet, refrigeration
defense and obstruction to offense and $650 billion subsidy to fossil fuel for equipment, and ingredient sourcing.
began attacking Obama administration getting away with what economists Yet both Coke and Pepsi fund the
rules that limited carbon pollution. call negative externalities—shoving chamber of commerce’s denial and ob-
The chamber even funded the phony re- their costs on other people. If you be- struction operation, and they fund the
port that President Trump used as his lieve in market economics, those nega- American Beverage Association—their
justification for leaving the Paris ac- tive externalities should be baked into little beverage trade association—
cord. That is the contribution to this the cost of the product, but they don’t which, in turn, runs more money to the
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It want that. They want the public to U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
authored 30 years ago the report that I bear the cost so they can sell their What is the net result here in Con-
read from. It made the recommenda- products cheaper. That is a subsidy, gress of all of that?
tions 30 years ago about fixing this and it is a $650 billion subsidy every You have two companies that ac-
problem. Then it turned into this cli- year. So giving the chamber, let’s say, tively reduce their carbon emissions
mate obstruction, political monster. $150 million to spend is chump change and enthusiastically, publicly, support
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S1292 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 3, 2020
good climate policy, but in Congress, ate be in a period of morning business, sonnel services, U.S. Government and con-
through their funding of the chamber, with Senators permitted to speak tractor representative support, Group A and
they take the position of opposing cli- therein for up to 10 minutes each. B installation for subsystems, flight test and
certification, other related elements of logis-
mate action here in Washington—the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
tics support and training.
place where it really, really counts. objection, it is so ordered. (iv) Military Department: Air Force (IS–D–
Decades ago, one of most powerful f YAG).
political forces in Washington, the U.S. (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None.
Chamber of Commerce, knew climate ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION (vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Of-
change was coming. It wrote that re- fered, or Agreed to be Paid: None.
Mr. RISCH. Madam President, sec- (vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained
port. It described how global warming tion 36(b) of the Arms Export Control in the Defense Article or Defense Services
happened. It described what the con- Act requires that Congress receive Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex.
sequences were going to be in the prior notification of certain proposed (viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress:
oceans, in the agricultural sector, arms sales as defined by that statute. March 3, 2020.
across our country. It made regula- Upon such notification, the Congress * As defined in Section 47
tions as to how to head it off. It under- (6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
has 30 calendar days during which the
stood the risks. It knew. It knew what sale may be reviewed. The provision POLICY JUSTIFICATION
we needed to do to head off the worst stipulates that, in the Senate, the noti- Israel—KC–46A Aerial Refueling Aircraft
consequences and, even back then, sup- fication of proposed sales shall be sent The Government of Israel has requested to
ported legislation to help us prepare. to the chairman of the Senate Foreign buy up to eight (8) KC–46 aircraft; up to sev-
Then, in came the fossil fuel indus- enteen (17) PW4062 turbofan engines (16 in-
Relations Committee. stalled, 1 spare); and up to eighteen (18)
try. The chamber will not tell us how
In keeping with the committee’s in- MAGR 2K–GPS SAASM receivers (16 in-
they are funded. I could tell you right
tention to see that relevant informa- stalled, 2 spares). Also included are AN/ARC–
now how this all worked except that
tion is available to the full Senate, I 210 U/VHF radios, APX–119 Identification
the chamber will not disclose how it is Friend or Foe transponders, initial spares
ask unanimous consent to have printed
funded. But it sure looks as though and repair parts, consumables, support
in the RECORD the notifications which
floods of fossil fuel money came in and equipment, technical data, engineering
have been received. If the cover letter
bought the chamber, caused it to change proposals, publications, Field Service
references a classified annex, then such
change its position on the facts of cli- Representatives (FSRs), repair and return,
annex is available to all Senators in depot maintenance, training and training
mate change, caused it to change its
the office of the Foreign Relations equipment, contractor technical and logis-
position on the consequences of cli-
Committee, room SD–423. tics personnel services, U.S. Government and
mate change, caused it to change its
There being no objection, the mate- contractor representative support, Group A
position on what we needed to do to and B installation for subsystems, flight test
rial was ordered to be printed in the
head off climate change. and certification, other related elements of
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce let RECORD, as follows:
logistics support and training. The total es-
itself be bought by the fossil fuel indus- DEFENSE SECURITY
timated program cost is $2.4 billion.
try. And thanks to the greed of that COOPERATION AGENCY, The United States is committed to the se-
Arlington, VA. curity of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. na-
one-member industry, the fossil fuel Hon. JAMES E. RISCH,
folks, and thanks to the indifference of tional interests to assist Israel to develop
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations, and maintain a strong and ready self-defense
the others—thanks to the indifference U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. capability. This proposed sale is consistent
of the tech sector, the indifference of DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Pursuant to the re- with those objectives.
the ag sector—we still have yet to act, porting requirements of Section 36(b)(1) of The proposed sale further supports the for-
30 years later. the Arms Export Control Act, as amended, eign policy and national security of the
At the close of the chamber’s report we are forwarding herewith Transmittal No. United States by allowing Israel to provide a
is a really telling quote from the satir- 20–12 concerning the Air Force’s proposed redundant capability to U.S. assets within
Letter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Gov-
ical comic strip ‘‘Pogo.’’ ‘‘Pogo,’’ in a the region, potentially freeing U.S. assets for
ernment of Israel for defense articles and use elsewhere during times of war. Aerial re-
legendary cartoon from when I was services estimated to cost $2.40 billion. After
about as young as the pages here, says: fueling and strategic airlift are consistently
this letter is delivered to your office, we plan cited as significant shortfalls for our allies.
We have met the enemy, and it is us. to issue a news release to notify the public of In addition, the sale improves Israel’s na-
The chamber quotes that at the end this proposed sale. tional security posture as a key U.S. ally.
of its report: ‘‘We have met the enemy, Sincerely, Israel will have no difficulty absorbing this
and it is us.’’ CHARLES W. HOOPER, equipment into its armed forces.
Well, that was an observation about Lieutenant General, USA, Director. The proposed equipment and support will
what was going wrong with the planet Enclosures. not alter the basic military balance in the
and how it was our emissions that were TRANSMITTAL NO. 20–12 region.
causing it. We have met the enemy; we Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of The principal contractors will be Boeing
see this danger; we understand it; and Offer Pursuant to Section 36(b)(1) of the Corporation, Everett, WA, for the aircraft;
Arms Export Control Act, as amended and Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA, for
we are the cause of it. It is us. the MAGR 2K. There are no known offset
But at the same time, it is also like (i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of
agreements proposed in connection with this
a preconfession by the chamber: ‘‘We Israel.
potential sale.
have met the enemy, and it is us.’’ For (ii) Total Estimated Value: Implementation of this proposed sale will
30 years, the chamber has been the Major Defense Equipment * $2.25 billion. require the assignment of two U.S. field serv-
Other $0.15 billion.
enemy. Since Citizens United, it has Total $2.40 billion.
ice/contractor representatives to Israel.
been an implacable enemy. They have There will be no adverse impact on U.S. de-
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quan- fense readiness as a result of this proposed
been wrong on climate. They knew it 30 tities of Articles or Services under Consider- sale.
years ago; they know it now. ation for Purchase:
TRANSMITTAL NO. 20–12
We need to fix this, and we need cor- Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
porate America to extract itself from Up to eight (8) KC–46 Aircraft Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of
the thrall of the evildoers in its midst, Up to seventeen (17) PW4062 Turbofan En- Offer Pursuant to Section 36(b)(1) of the
gines (16 installed, 1 spare). Arms Export Control Act
and we need to solve, at last, this prob-
Up to eighteen (18) MAGR 2K–GPS SAASM Annex Item No. vii
lem.
Receivers (16 installed, 2 spares). (vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
So time to wake up.
Non-MDE: Also included are AN/ARC–210 1. The Boeing KC–46 is an aerial refueling
I yield the floor.
U/VHF radios, APX–119 Identification Friend aircraft with two (2) Pratt & Whitney Model
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE
or Foe transponders, initial spares and repair 4062 (PW4062) Turbofan engines. The KC–46
ator from Alaska. parts, consumables, support equipment, evolved from the Boeing 767–200ER passenger
f technical data, engineering change pro- aircraft and the 767–2C provision freighter.
posals, publications, Field Service Rep- Refueling systems and military avionics
MORNING BUSINESS
resentatives (FSRs), repair and return, depot have been added to the aircraft.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, maintenance, training and training equip- 2. The Miniature Airborne Global Posi-
I ask unanimous consent that the Sen- ment, contractor technical and logistics per- tioning System Receiver 2000 (MAGR 2K)
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