Providing for Consideration of H.R. 4614, Energy and Water Development
Floor Speech
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 694 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 694
Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4614) making appropriations for energy and water development for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. After general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. Points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI are waived except as follows: beginning with "Provided" on page 2, line 23, through page 3, line 5; sections 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, and 311; beginning with "Provided" on page 39, line 23, through page 40, line 4; and section 502. Where points of order are waived against part of a paragraph, points of order against a provision in another part of such paragraph may be made only against such provision and not against the entire paragraph. During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may accord priority in recognition on the basis of whether the Member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. Amendments so printed shall be considered as read. At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been adopted. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions) is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
The resolution before the House today provides for consideration of the 2005 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill under an open rule that provides for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations.
It waives all points of order against consideration of the bill, and under the rules of the House, the bill shall be considered for amendment by paragraph. The rule waives points of order against provisions in the bill as amended for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI except as specified in the resolution.
It authorizes the chairman to accord priority in recognition to Members who have been preprinted their amendments in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, and finally it provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the rule for H.R. 4614, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 2005. This legislation provides for a total of $28 billion in new discretionary spending authority for the civil U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Interior, the Department of Energy and several associated Independent Agencies.
I would like to thank my friend, the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson), for his leadership and vision in crafting this legislation and for striking a good balance between existing prudent fiscal restraint and funding our Nation's energy and water development priorities.
This bill increases funding for our Nation's energy and water priorities at $734.5 million above 2004 levels, and $49.6 million above the President's budget request, while ensuring that this money is spent wisely on programs that also reflect the needs and the core missions that its agencies find within their mission statements.
This legislation adequately funds the Corps of Engineers and concentrates its resources on helping to fulfill its traditional missions such as flood control, shoreline protection, navigation and safety on our Nation's waterways. Over the last few years, the Corps has been given an increased workload to complete with an inadequate budget. This bill focuses on protecting our critical infrastructure and completing outstanding projects while prioritizing our Nation's infrastructure needs in a thoughtful and efficient way.
It provides funding needed to maintain, operate, and rehabilitate the Bureau of Reclamation projects throughout the western United States and protects the Federal investment in western water infrastructure. It also ensures that renewable energy programs are funded at $343 million, $1 million above the fiscal year 2004 amounts.
Under this legislation, the Department of Energy receives a total of $22.48 billion, an increase of $511 million over fiscal year 2004. As with the Corps, this legislation tasks the Department of Energy with beginning to prepare its 5-year budget plans, first for individual programs and then an integrated plan for the entire Department. This plan must include business plans for each of the DOE laboratories, so that Congress and the Department can understand the mission and resource needs of each laboratory to ensure that they can use their funding that is provided more efficiently.
Funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration is $9 billion, an increase of $372 million over fiscal year 2004 and a decrease of $22 million from the budget request. The United States has in place a strategic plan to realign and modernize our nuclear arsenal, however, much of the DOE weapons complex is still sized to support a Cold War stockpile. The funding included in this bill will help NNSA to review its weapons complex in relation to the security needs, budget constraints and this new stockpiling plan while still providing adequate funding for its ongoing operations and needs.
Finally, this bill provides $202 million for several independent agencies, including the Defense Nuclear Facilities Board, the Delta Regional Authority, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its Inspector General, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, and the Office of Inspector General for the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of this legislative product, created by our Committee on Appropriations with input from many Members. It will help to fund our Nation's energy and water development needs.
I would also like to personally commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson) for his hard work and vision in crafting this legislation. And I would also like to thank the chairman for his inclusion of level funding, that was important to this Member, for the Dallas Floodway Extension Project which is a cornerstone in Dallas, Texas, for our Trinity River Corridor Project.
This project will help Dallas to mitigate flood risks in over 12,500 structures in Dallas' central business district and includes some 792 acres of land that are currently in a 100-year flood plain.
I support this project and this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same by supporting the rule and the underlying legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I do want to quote my colleague who said that this is a good bill. It is a good bill and it does deserve to be passed. It also is a bill that does not need to address what is known as the Eshoo amendment, because it has already been addressed. It has been addressed in the H.R. 6 conference report and H.R. 4503 that was passed last week by the House and is pending in the Senate; and that will provide the authority to FERC to ensure that the proper elements are taken care of as it relates to serious allegations that have been raised, especially in California.
I do thank the gentleman for his support of the bill. I believe he has qualified it appropriately, and I do, too, give thanks to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson) for the work he has done.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to notify the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) that at this time I do not have any speakers as a result of the adequacy of the bill that has taken care of many requests on this side; and so I would like to inform the gentleman that I would allow him to go ahead and consume the time that is necessary.
Mr. Speaker, I will reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), the vice chairman of the subcommittee.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time to close with one speaker at the very end.
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