June 15, 2004
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE
new transmission lines. The motion to recommit does not do that. The pending bill before us protects native load in those States that wish to do that. The gentleman’s motion to recommit does not protect native load. The pending bill repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act so we get more capital into our energy markets. That is one area where the gentleman from Michigan and I have a policy difference. He does totally oppose the repeal of PUHCA, and that is just an honest difference of opinion. The pending bill before us would reform PURPA, which allows cogeneration facilities to sell their surplus electricity into the power grid. The motion to recommit does not do that. There is no provision in the motion to recommit for clean coal technology. There is no provision in the motion to recommit for hydrogen fuel cell research. There is no provision in the motion to recommit for investment tax credits for wind power and solar power and other alternative energy resources. There is no provision in the motion to recommit to incentivize the construction of the Alaska natural gas pipeline, where we have 40 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that is not being used at the current time because we cannot get it to the Lower 48 States. In fact, the gentleman’s motion to recommit has not one molecule of new energy in the motion to recommit. So while it may be well-intended, I do not think it is a substitute for a comprehensive energy bill, which, I will point out, has passed the House in its current form by a vote of 246 to 180, which was a bipartisan vote. The motion to recommit in a similar form failed before this body 193 to 237, although I must admit that that particular motion to recommit did not have the section on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. I have tried to understand the section on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and I will take the gentleman from Michigan at his word that the intent of the SPR language is to provide some protection for price flexibility. But as a layman; i.e. myself, reads it, it is unclear to me that it actually does that. But I will take him at his word, that if he says that is what it does, I will stipulate that is what it does. In summary, while the motion to recommit is well intended, it is not a substitute for a comprehensive energy bill. In a form very similar to what it is today, it has failed before this body 237 to 193, and I hope when we come to the vote, if it comes to a rollcall vote, that once again it will fail, with all due respect to my good friend from Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and urge a no vote on the motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. There was no objection.
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costs and to avoid exerting upward pressure on oil prices when markets are awry. The administration has been inexplicably reluctant to defer deliveries of crude to SPR during the current market run-up in oil prices, despite the fact that it has been done before. The motion directs the Secretary to pursue this option and to utilize futures and other devices which would enable him to address this. All of us, I think, here in the House favor certain aspects of H.R. 4503, but the good provisions are being held hostage to other aspects that are controversial, provisions which are clearly special interests and, quite frankly, will not pass the sniff test. It is too late in the session to continue playing chicken with this issue. The time has come to enact carefully drawn provisions in addressing the Nation’s most immediate needs. This motion addresses the three most important major energy problems, market manipulation, electric reliability, and high gasoline prices, in ways that Members should be able to agree upon. b 1545 We can pursue the goal of a broader energy bill later in a better fashion, hopefully a more bipartisan way, in which the Members of the Congress will have an opportunity to address it with proper amendments on the floor or to attend the meetings of the conferees, which were foreclosed to Members on the minority side in a most curious and, I would note, unparliamentary fashion. I urge my colleagues to endorse and support and vote for the motion to recommit. It is a good piece of legislation. It converts a bad piece of legislation into something which will work, and it has a chance of being considered and passed in the Senate. I urge my colleagues to vote for the motion to recommit. Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. ISAKSON). The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I wish to say as I rise in opposition that I am in total support of the Dean of the House, the gentleman from Michigan, in his efforts to help develop a comprehensive energy plan for our country, but I cannot support this particular motion to recommit. It is true that some elements of the motion to recommit would be helpful. There is an increase in civil fines for wrongdoing, but that is already in the pending bill that is before us. In fact, the bill that is before us would increase the fine to $1 million. The pending bill before us bans round trip trades. The gentleman’s motion to recommit does not ban round trip trades. The pending bill before us would encourage the development and siting of
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. DINGELL). The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the noes appeared to have it. Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clauses 8 and 9 of rule XX, this 15-minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by 5-minute votes as ordered on the question of passage of H.R. 4503 and the question postponed earlier today on the passage of H.R. 4513. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were—yeas 192, nays 230, not voting 11, as follows:
[Roll No. 240] YEAS—192
Abercrombie Ackerman Allen Andrews Baca Baird Baldwin Becerra Berkley Berman Berry Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Blumenauer Boswell Boucher Boyd Brady (PA) Brown (OH) Brown, Corrine Capps Capuano Cardin Cardoza Case Chandler Clay Clyburn Conyers Cooper Costello Cramer Crowley Cummings Davis (AL) Davis (CA) Davis (FL) Davis (IL) Davis (TN) DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Dicks Dingell Doggett Dooley (CA) Doyle Emanuel Engel Eshoo Etheridge Evans Farr Fattah Filner Ford Frank (MA) Frost Gephardt Gonzalez Gordon Green (TX) Grijalva Gutierrez Harman Hastings (FL) Herseth Hill Hinchey Hinojosa Hoeffel Holden Holt Honda Hooley (OR) Hoyer Inslee Israel Jackson (IL) Jackson-Lee (TX) Jefferson Johnson, E. B. Jones (OH) Kanjorski Kaptur Kennedy (RI) Kildee Kilpatrick Kind Kleczka Kucinich Lampson Langevin Lantos Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Lee Levin Lewis (GA) Lipinski Lofgren Lowey Lucas (KY) Lynch Maloney Markey Marshall Matsui McCarthy (MO) McCarthy (NY) McCollum McDermott McGovern McIntyre McNulty Meehan Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Menendez Michaud Miller (NC) Miller, George Mollohan Moore Moran (VA) Murtha Nadler Napolitano Neal (MA) Oberstar Obey Olver Ortiz Owens Pallone Pastor Payne Pelosi Peterson (MN) Pomeroy Price (NC) Rahall Rangel Reyes Rodriguez Ross Rothman Roybal-Allard Ruppersberger Rush Ryan (OH) Sabo ´ Sanchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sanders Schakowsky Schiff Scott (VA) Serrano Shays Sherman Skelton Slaughter Smith (WA) Snyder Solis Spratt Stark Strickland Stupak Tanner Tauscher Taylor (MS) Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Tierney Towns Turner (TX) Udall (CO) Udall (NM) Van Hollen ´ Velazquez Visclosky Waters Watt Waxman Weiner Wexler Woolsey Wu Wynn
NAYS—230
Aderholt Akin Alexander Bachus Baker Ballenger
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