[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 74 (Thursday, May 23, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5619-S5620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           LARGE BINOCULAR TELESCOPE ON MT. GRAHAM IN ARIZONA

 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I rise to express my serious 
concern with language contained in the final fiscal year 1996 
appropriations measure which addressed the construction of the Large 
Binocular Telescope on Mr. Graham in Arizona, which is a sacred place 
to the Apache Nation and home to the endangered Mt. Graham red 
squirrel. The Apache tribal and religious leaders have urged the 
Congress and the administration to protect their historic holy land. 
They are joined by national Native organizations and by a broad cross-
section of the religious and environmental communities internationally. 
I am also troubled that because there has been no hearing in the 
Congress on this matter, the Apaches have not been afforded an 
opportunity to be heard on this important matter of religious freedom.
  It is my understanding that the administration has stated its 
position that construction should not proceed until and unless there is 
full compliance with standard environmental and cultural reviews. This 
position is consistent with the recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit 
Court of Appeals, and it would appear that the language addressing Mt. 
Graham telescope contained in the appropriations Act is not contrary to 
this position. I can only assume that the administration and many of my 
colleagues who have concerns both for the environment as well as Native 
American rights have not insisted on the removal of this language 
because they also read it as allowing for the customary environmental 
and cultural reviews to be completed before construction on the 
telescope is allowed to proceed.

[[Page S5620]]



     SALUTE TO ELIZABETHTON AND CARTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
                               COMMISSION

 Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today, I would like to commend the 
city of Elizabethton and Carter County, TN, for their innovative work 
in helping attract businesses and residents to their community through 
the use of the Internet. Last November, the Elizabethton and Carter 
County Economic Development Commission established a World Wide Web 
home page to provide corporations looking to relocate or select sites 
for expansion with instant access to the information they need on this 
region in upper east Tennessee.
  The Elizabethton and Carter County Community Profile is an online 
listing that offers viewers demographic information on the area, 
including labor statistics, tax rates, education levels, population, 
housing data, types and availability of transportation, and locations 
of business complexes and industrial parks. It encompasses more than 
120 pages of detailed community and economic information for 
consultants, site selection, real estate and corporate executives 
throughout the world and is a fine example of how advanced technology 
can aid in the growth and development of every American city.
  As a physician and a U.S. Senator, I know firsthand how useful the 
Internet has become in the last few years. When I was a heart 
transplant surgeon in Nashville, I considered access to the Internet as 
vital to my work as any surgical instrument because it allowed me to 
obtain up-to-the-minute information on the latest medical techniques 
and procedures. It also allowed me to communicate easily with my 
colleagues in transplant surgery throughout the country and across the 
globe.
  Since coming to the U.S. Senate, I have found a new use for the 
Internet--constituent communications. My World Wide Web home page--the 
first established by a Republican Member of Congress--now allows 
Tennesseans to view legislation that I have introduced, as well as my 
press releases, flow statements, biographical information, committee 
assignments, and voting record with the click of a mouse. And I am able 
to communicate via e-mail with thousands of Tennesseans and Americans 
who contact my office through my home page seeking further information 
on specific issues. The Internet has revolutionized the way my Senate 
office functions.
  In much the same way, the information superhighway is revolutionizing 
the way companies do business and the way cities and counties approach 
economic development. Mr. President, Elizabethton and Carter County are 
on the frontlines in this revolution. There are many much larger cities 
that will have to struggle to obtain the technological advancements 
that have been made in this community. Mr. President, I commend the 
Elizabethton and Carter County Economic Development Commission for 
their foresight, innovation and creativity, and I look forward to 
seeing other cities and counties follow Elizabethton's and Carter 
County's lead.

                          ____________________