[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10243-S10244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. STEVENS:
  S. 1046. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue 
certificates of documentation with appropriate endorsements for 
employment in the coastwise trade of the United States for 14 former 
U.S. Army hovercraft; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
                                 ______

      By Mr. STEVENS (for himself and Mr. Hollings):
  S. 1047. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue 
certificates of documentation and coastwise trade endorsements for the 
vessels Enchanted Isles and Enchanted Seas; to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


                     jones act waivers legislation

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, today I am introducing two bills to 
authorize the Secretary of Transportation to issue certificates of 
documentation for certain vessels.


                               hovercraft

  The first bill would authorize the issuance of certificates of 
documentation with appropriate endorsements for employment in the 
coastwise trade of the United States for 14 hovercraft formerly owned 
by the U.S. Army.
  These hovercraft were built for the U.S. Army by Bell Aerospace Co. 
in Buffalo, NY, between 1982 and 1986.
  The vessels are 76 feet in length and capable of hauling 30 tons of 
cargo each.
  After being declared surplus by the U.S. Army in 1994, the hovercraft 
were acquired by Champion Constructors, Inc., a subsidiary of Cook 
Inlet Region, Inc., of Anchorage, AK.
  The hovercraft are intended to be used for transporting cargo and 
passengers between points in Alaska.
  It is my understanding that most of the major components of the 
hovercraft were constructed and assembled in the United States, but 
that because some components were constructed in Canada, the hovercraft 
have been determined by the Coast Guard to be ineligible to operate in 
the coastwise trade of the United States.
  The first bill I am introducing today would allow these vessels to be 
operated in the U.S. coastwise trade.
  I ask unanimous consent that this bill be printed in the Record.


                                vessels

  Senator Hollings joins me as a cosponsor of the second bill I am 
introducing today, which would authorize the Secretary of 
Transportation to issue certificates of documentation with appropriate 
endorsements for employment in the coastwise trade of the United States 
for two cruise ships that were built in the United States but that are 
currently being operated under the Panamanian flag.
  It is my understanding that the Enchanted Isle and Enchanted Seas 
were built in the 1950's in Mississippi, and that they can carry 
approximately 1,000 passengers each.
  The vessels left the United States coastwise trade and began flying 
the Panamanian flag in 1972.
  A U.S. flag company, International Marine Carriers, is in the process 
of acquiring the vessels, and would like to employ them in trade in the 
Gulf of Mexico and along the east coast.
   The vessels will provide jobs for U.S. seamen, and it is my 
understanding that U.S. maritime unions support waiving them into the 
U.S. trade. The Coast Guard authorization bill passed in the House 
earlier this year included waivers for the two ships.
  I ask unanimous consent that this bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bills were ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1046

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That 
     notwithstanding section 12106, 12107, and 12108 of title 46, 
     United States Code, and section 27 of the Merchant Marine 
     Act, 1920 (46 App. U.S.C. 883), as applicable on the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation may 
     issue certificates of documentation with appropriate 
     endorsements for employment in the coastwise trade of the 
     United States for the fourteen former U.S. Army hovercraft 
     with serial numbers LACV-30-04, LACV-30-05, LACV-30-07, LACV-
     30-09, LACV-30-10, LACV-30-13, LACV-30-14, LACV-30-15, LACV-
     30-16, LACV-30-22, LACV-30-23, LACV-30-24, LACV-30-25, and 
     LACV-30-26.
                                                                    ____


                                S. 1047

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That 
     notwithstanding section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1920 
     (46 U.S.C. App. 883), the Act of June 19, 1886 (46 U.S.C. 
     App. 289), section 12106 of title 46, United States Code, 
     section 506 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (46 U.S.C. App. 
     1156), and any agreement with the United States Government, 
     the Secretary of Transportation may issue certificates of 
     documentation with a coastwise endorsement for the 

[[Page S 10244]]
     vessels ENCHANTED ISLES (Panamanian official number 14087-84B) and 
     ENCHANTED SEAS (Panamanian official number 14064-84D), except 
     that the vessels may not operate between or among islands in 
     the State of Hawaii.
                                 ______

      By Mr. PRESSLER (for himself and Mr. Burns):
  S. 1048 A bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1996 to 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for human space 
flight; science, aeronautics, and technology; mission support; and 
inspector general; and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


            the nasa authorization act for fiscal year 1996

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, today I introduced the NASA 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996. NASA faces two challenges. The 
first is maintaining America's leadership in aeronautics and space. The 
second is accomplishing the leadership goal within the confines of a 
balanced Federal budget. This authorization is intended to allow NASA 
to meet both of these challenges.
  NASA started out this year with a plan to cut $5 billion over 5 years 
from its budget. Then, the Senate and House developed budget plans 
which require even deeper cuts. As a result, our bill authorizes a 
total of $13.8 billion for NASA in fiscal year 1996, a 3-percent 
decrease from the current funding level of $14.26 billion.
  Despite the funding cut, the bill manages to support a diverse and 
forward-looking space program. It authorizes all of NASA's major 
current programs such as Mission to Planet Earth, Space Station, Space 
Science, and Aeronautics and, in almost all cases, at their requested 
funding levels. At the same time, it prepares NASA for the future by 
authorizing a number of new starts including the new Reusable Launch 
Vehicle Technology Development Program aimed at providing private 
industry the technology to eventually build a Shuttle replacement, and 
a new radar satellite program to develop and make use of the latest 
advances in satellite remote sensing technology.
  Mr. President, I would now like to make special mention of certain 
portions of the bill.
  I believe Mission to Planet Earth may be NASA's most important and 
relevant program. The satellite data from Mission to Planet Earth will 
deliver direct benefits to the taxpayer in contrast to the speculative 
spinoffs promised by other space activities. For this reason, the bill 
fully funds this activity at the requested level of $1.36 billion.
  Using the latest satellite technology, Mission to Planet Earth will 
help researchers understand and predict the global climate trends that 
affect our lives. As a Senator representing an agricultural State, I 
have a keen interest in this program's potential to provide detailed 
data on soil conditions, topography, crops, and other information 
critical to the farming and ranching community. I also take great pride 
in the selection of the EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, SD as one of 
the regional data centers that will collect and distribute this 
satellite data.
  I am very concerned that, under the new budget constraints in which 
we find ourselves, some may seek to sacrifice Mission to Planet Earth, 
and space science in general, to fund Space Station. that would be a 
disservice to the Nation and I will oppose any such move strongly.
  I am pleased with the direction of the baseline plan for the Mission 
to Planet Earth Program and am concerned about the possibility of NASA 
taking any imprudent and unnecessary efforts to restructure the 
program. Accordingly, the bill specifically prohibits NASA from 
changing the program unless, 60 days before such action, NASA has 
reported to Congress on the nature and overall impact of the planned 
changes.
  The bill also provides the full $2.1 billion requested funding for 
space station. However, this authorization should not be interpreted as 
a ringing endorsement of that program. I am a longstanding supporter of 
the program, but, in recent years, I have become concerned that it has 
become too expensive, too complex, and too dependent on the 
contributions of Russia, the latest station partner.
  In a June 1995 report, the General Accounting Office [GAO] estimated 
that the total cost of the design, launch, and operation of the space 
station will be $94 billion. That is almost seven times the entire 
annual budget for NASA. Given the history of past missions, it is fair 
to assume that $94 billion price tag for the program will increase over 
time. If that happens, we may wake up to find the enormous space 
station budget has crowded out every other NASA program and that space 
station has become NASA's only mission. Because of my reservations 
about space station, I may well reconsider my support in the future.
  The bill also supports several new starts at NASA to extend its 
vision into the next century. The bill authorizes a reusable launch 
vehicle program, which will support the X-33 and X-34 activities to 
pave the way for the later development by private enterprise of a 
replacement for the shuttle in the next decade.
  Employing 1970's technologies and costing $400 million per flight, 
the shuttle may have outlived its usefulness. However, within today's 
budget constraints, the Government cannot afford to foot the entire 
bill for a new multibillion spacecraft development program. That is why 
the reusable launch vehicle program, with its emphasis on sharing 
financing with industry and its goal of moving our national space 
transportation system toward privatization, seems a viable concept 
worth pursuing.
  Also authorized are the New Millennium initiative to develop new 
microminiature technologies aimed at reducing the cost and development 
times for satellites and two infrared astronomy programs--the 
Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy and the Space Infrared 
Telescope Facility. The bill also authorizes a new Radar Satellite 
Program we call ``TopSat,'' and a third shuttle flight for the Shuttle 
Imaging Radar-C satellite. Because radar satellites have the ability to 
``see'' through cloud cover, they will dramatically enhance the 
capability of the Nation's existing optical-based satellite systems 
such as Landsat. With Japan and Europe already operating radar 
satellite systems, and with Canada poised to deploy one later this 
year, the United States cannot afford to be left behind in this 
critical technology.
  In my role as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation, it has become apparent to me that small-city, rural 
States like my home State of South Dakota are often forgotten in our 
vast $70 billion Federal science and technology enterprise. That part 
of America wants to be part of the technological revolution. More 
important, it wants to contribute.
  It is in the national interest to strengthen the scientific talent, 
resources, and infrastructure in our rural States through appropriate 
research, education, and outreach activities. The bill attempts to 
accomplish this in several ways. It increases funding for the 
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Program [EPSCoR] 
from its current level of $4.9 million to $6.9 million. NASA's EPSCoR 
Program, as well as similar programs in six other science agencies, 
have been instrumental in providing Federal funding for academic 
research in rural States. Our bill also funds a Rural Teacher Resource 
Center, a Rural Technology Transfer and Commercialization Center, and a 
regional science education and outreach center for the Plains States 
region.
  Mr. President, I believe NASA is up to the challenge of keeping 
America preeminent in aeronautics and space despite the intense budget 
pressure and despite the increasing competition from other spacefaring 
nations. It is my belief this authorization bill provides NASA with the 
support it needs to meet that challenge.


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