[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 162 (Thursday, October 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  SEPA

                                 ______


                            HON. PAT DANNER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 19, 1995

  Ms. DANNER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in opposition to a provision 
that may be included in the House version of the budget reconciliation 
package. Specifically, I strongly oppose the auction to the highest 
bidder of the Southeastern Power Administration [SEPA] and the 
consideration of the auction of any of the other Power Marketing 
Administrations [PMA's].
  The House Resources Committee, by a 1 vote margin, approved language 
that would require the Corps of Engineers to auction to the highest 
bidder contracts to all SEPA generated power plus all land and 
facilities related to the generation of electricity. This includes 
generators, dams, locks, reservoirs, and the land surrounding the 
reservoirs. It is important to note that other than the generated 
power, those assets are under the jurisdiction of the House 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, not the Resources 
Committee.
  In response, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of 
which I am a member, passed language that prohibits the sale of the 
Corps of Engineer's assets as they relate to SEPA. If the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee language stands, which it 
should, all that is left of the Resources Committee language is the 
sale of the generated power. However, according to the Congressional 
Budget Office, the sale of the power generation alone does not score as 
a budget savings. If there are no budget savings the argument favoring 
such a sale, simply does not make sense.
  We must defeat all proposals, now and in the future, to auction to 
the highest bidder any of the PMA's. This proposed auction would 
assuredly result in higher electric rates for rural and small town 
consumers.

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