[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 97 (Thursday, June 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7152-S7156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1997

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  Mr. BRYAN. I thank the Chair. May I inquire of the Chair as to the 
parliamentary state of affairs on the floor? What is the pending 
amendment?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The pending amendment is the amendment by 
Senator Cohen from Maine.
  Mr. BRYAN. I thank the Chair.


                Amendment No. 4371 to Amendment No. 4369

  Madam President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its 
consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Bryan], for himself and Mr. 
     Reid, proposes an amendment numbered 4371 to amendment No. 
     4369.

  Mr. BRYAN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading 
of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       In the table in subsection (b), delete the entry relating 
     to titanium sponge.

  Mr. BRYAN. If it is not clear, I ask unanimous consent that Senator 
Reid be made a cosponsor of that amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BRYAN. Madam President, I do not know whether we are going to be 
debating this extensively this evening, but the underlying amendment 
seeks, as an offset, to compel the sale of certain minerals in the 
strategic reserve, one of which would have a profound impact on a very 
important industry in my own State. The issue is titanium, titanium 
sponge.
  My colleagues may not be familiar with this, but upon the implosion 
of the Soviet Union into its various respective states, massive amounts 
of titanium sponge, a part of the Soviet reserve, were dumped on the 
international market, depressing the price of titanium to the extent 
that the domestic titanium industry nearly went under. That occurred in 
1991.
  Over the past 4 or 5 years, it has been a struggle just to survive. 
Senator Reid and I have been informed that this year is kind of a 
turnaround year; that is to say, they have begun to, from a financial 
perspective, surface above the water line, and the concern that I have 
is that with the authorized disposition of the strategic reserve, 
including titanium sponge, we might lose a very important domestic 
industry, one that is critical to our national defense as well.
  So it is on that basis that the second-degree amendment that Senator 
Reid and I have offered would delete titanium sponge from the list of 
strategic materials that Senator Cohen has provided as an offset to 
finance the recoupment provisions in the underlying amendment.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. REID addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada is recognized.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, the titanium metals is located in a place 
called Henderson, NV. Henderson, NV, is a town that was developed 
during the Second World War. It was built for no other purpose than to 
supply essential war products to the allied war efforts. It was 
Nevada's industrial center and, in fact, still is.
  Madam President, after World War II ended, this facility started 
building other things, doing other things than what was done during the 
Second World War. With the advent of jet engines, one of the things 
they needed was titanium metal.
  As a result of that, Henderson, NV, became one of the two places in 
the United States that manufactures this essential product. It is 
important that manufacturing of this product continue. It is important 
that there be a stockpile of this material, because in case of an 
international crisis, the country would be simply without products that 
are essential to our national security.
  Hundreds of employees are affected as a result of this amendment by 
our friend from the State of Maine. There are only, to my knowledge, 
two operations in the United States that manufacture titanium sponge. 
The largest manufacturer is in Henderson, NV.
  Madam President, if in fact this underlying amendment passes, 
hundreds of people would be laid off. And not only would hundreds of 
people be laid off, but the United States would not be in a position to 
be ready in case of international crisis.
  The amendment says that:

       The President may not dispose of materials under subsection 
     (a) to the extent that the disposal will result in--
       (1) undue disruption of usual markets of producers, 
     processors, and consumers of the materials proposed for 
     disposal. . .

  Madam President, this amendment is being offered as an offset. 
Because of the amendment we passed last year, what is beginning to 
happen around here, because of all the cuts that have been made, is 
that we are beginning to scavenger anything that is in existence.
  To show how desperate we are for offsets, we are now going to 
cannibalize the stock piles of essential minerals and metals that we 
have in the United States. I think it is simply wrong. I hope that this 
second-degree amendment will pass. It is important, Madam President, 
that we eliminate titanium sponge from this amendment.
  I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to 
be.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  Mr. COHEN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Mr. COHEN. If I could just respond very briefly. I know the Senator 
from Nevada is concerned about the potential consequences of any 
amendment to his State. But I point out that the amendment provides, 
specifically on page 2 of the amendment, that ``The President may not 
dispose''--may not dispose--``of materials under subsection (a) to the 
extent that the disposal will result in--(1) undue disruption of the 
usual markets of producers, processors, and consumers of the materials 
proposed for disposal; or (2) avoidable loss to the United States.''
  Second, we have a factsheet submitted by the Department of Defense.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that that be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

                    DOD Fact Sheet--Titanium Sponge

       Reported consumption for 1995 was estimated by the Bureau 
     Mines to be 21,000 metric tons (23,100 short tons).
       Domestic production is running at 80 to 85 percent of 
     capacity. However, Johnson Matthey is installing a titanium 
     sponge facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. They have told DNSC 
     officials that they would prefer the Stockpile to sell 
     material into the market during the early part of 1996 while 
     their facility is being brought on line. Thereafter, they 
     would hope to see DNSC not sell titanium sponge at all.
       Considering the state of the domestic production (U.S. 
     sponge producers have sold out their production, forcing 
     titanium metal producers to go offshore for sponge) this 
     would be an ideal time to enter the market with the Stockpile 
     sponge. Market growth has been in the commercial aerospace 
     applications, demand for titanium-shafted golf clubs and 
     tubing for energy applications. RMI Titanium Co. (U.S. 
     producer of titanium metal) recently increased its metal 
     prices by 5 percent. RMI indicated that the reason for the 
     increase has been the tightening of supply, demand exceeding 
     the supply and a bid to increase the profit margin. The 
     published price for domestic sponge has been consistent at 
     $4.40 per pound ($8,800 per short ton) since October 12, 
     1995.
       The Market Impact Committee has not been asked to comment 
     on possible sales of titanium sponge in fiscal year 1996 and 
     fiscal year 1997.
       P.L. 104-106 February 10, 1996, Sec. 3305 requires the 
     Secretary of Defense to transfer up to 250 short tons of 
     titanium sponge to the Secretary of the Army during each of 
     the fiscal years 1996 to 2003 for the main battle

[[Page S7153]]

     tank upgrade program. Maximum total transfer will equal 2,000 
     short tons.
  Mr. COHEN. Madam President, I will cite it here.

       Considering the state of the domestic production (U.S. 
     sponge producers have sold out their production, forcing 
     titanium metal producers to go offshore for sponge) this 
     would be an ideal time to enter the market with the Stockpile 
     sponge.

  Madam President, I am doing this at the request of the 
administration. They are saying they are going to veto this measure 
unless we include this provision. So I am trying to act in a bipartisan 
fashion saying: The administration wants this. I want it. It makes good 
sense for our producers of military equipment. The Department of 
Defense wants it.
  It seems to me that the language is written as such that it would not 
pose the kind of job loss that the Senator from Nevada has indicated. 
As a matter of fact, according to DOD, this is the precise time that we 
ought to enter the market for stockpile sponges.
  So, Madam President, I hope that we will vote against the elimination 
of the titanium from my amendment and approve the amendment as I have 
drafted it. I ask for the yeas and nays on the underlying amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The yeas and nays have been ordered on the 
amendment.
  Mr. COHEN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  Mr. BRYAN. Before the Senator from Maine would be prepared to yield, 
the Senators from Nevada appreciate the Senator from Maine operating in 
a bipartisan fashion, but the concern that we have with this amendment 
surfaces on the floor at nearly 2200 hours eastern daylight time. We 
get an emergency call expressing concern from an industry that is 
vital, not only, in my view, to our national defense, but to a 
community that my senior colleague and I represent.
  We are also informed that the amount of the offset that the Senator 
from Maine needs to accomplish his objective is something in the 
neighborhood of $440 million. I will yield to him if he seeks to 
correct those numbers that we have been provided with.
  In point of fact, by having all the materials in the strategic 
reserve made available in the market, they actually generate more money 
than the Senator has required for the offset. We want to work with the 
Senator, but I do not believe we can feel comfortable that there will 
not in fact be an impact upon an industry which is of critical 
importance to our State. And I share the concern with the Senator, my 
friend, from Maine.
  Mr. COHEN. Madam President, just for the record, this amendment was 
filed yesterday. It is not a last-moment initiative on my part. We do 
need to move forward if we are going to have any chance of completing 
action on this bill. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BRYAN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                     Amendment No. 4371, Withdrawn

  Mr. BRYAN. Madam President, at this time, I would like to withdraw my 
second-degree amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has that right.
  The amendment is withdrawn.
  Mr. BRYAN. I thank the Chair.
  Mr. COHEN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine is recognized.


                    Amendment No. 4369, As Modified

  Mr. COHEN. Madam President, I have a modification of my original 
amendment, which will add a new subsection that would satisfy the 
interests of the Senators from Nevada.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has the right to modify his 
amendment, and the amended will be so modified.
  The amendment (No. 4369), as modified, is as follows:
       At the end of title XXXIII, add the following:

     SEC. 3303. ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY TO DISPOSE OF MATERIALS IN 
                   NATIONAL DEFENSE STOCKPILE.

       (a) Disposal Required.--Subject to subsection (c), the 
     President shall dispose of materials contained in the 
     National Defense Stockpile and specified in the table in 
     subsection (b) so as to result in receipts to the United 
     States in amounts equal to--
       (1) $110,000,000 during the five-fiscal year period ending 
     September 30, 2001;
       (2) $260,000,000 during the seven-fiscal year period ending 
     September 30, 2003; and
       (3) $440,000,000 during the nine-fiscal year period ending 
     September 30, 2005.
       (b) Limitation on Disposal Quantity.--The total quantities 
     of materials authorized for disposal by the President under 
     subsection (a) may not exceed the amounts set forth in the 
     following table:

                     AUTHORIZED STOCKPILE DISPOSALS                     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Material for disposal                      Quantity          
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chrome Metal, Electrolytic................  8,471 short tons            
Cobalt....................................  9,902,774 pounds            
Columbium Carbide.........................  21,372 pounds               
Columbium Ferro...........................  249,395 pounds              
Diamond, Bort.............................  91,542 carats               
Diamond, Stone............................  3,029,413 carats            
Germanium.................................  28,207 kilograms            
Indium....................................  15,205 troy ounces          
Palladium.................................  1,249,601 troy ounces       
Platinum..................................  442,641 troy ounces         
Rubber....................................  567 long tons               
Tantalum, Carbide Powder..................  22,688 pounds contained     
Tantalum, Minerals........................  1,748,947 pounds contained  
Tantalum, Oxide...........................  123,691 pounds contained    
Titanium Sponge...........................  36,830 short tons           
Tungsten..................................  76,358,235 pounds           
Tungsten, Carbide.........................  2,032,942 pounds            
Tungsten, Metal Powder....................  1,181,921 pounds            
Tungsten, Ferro...........................  2,024,143 pounds            
------------------------------------------------------------------------

       (c) Minimization of Disruption and Loss.--The President may 
     not dispose of materials under subsection (a) to the extent 
     that the disposal will result in--
       (1) undue disruption of the usual markets of producers, 
     processors, and consumers of the materials proposed for 
     disposal; or
       (2) avoidable loss to the United States.
       (d) Treatment of Receipts.--(1) Notwithstanding section 9 
     of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 
     U.S.C. 98h), funds received as a result of the disposal of 
     materials under subsection (a) shall be deposited into the 
     general fund of the Treasury and used to offset the revenues 
     lost as a result of the amendments made by subsection (a) of 
     section 4303 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 1996 (Public Law 104-106; 110 Stat. 658).
       (2) This section shall be treated as qualifying offsetting 
     legislation for purposes of subsection (b) of such section 
     4303.
       (e) Relationship to Other Disposal Authority.--The disposal 
     authority provided in subsection (a) is new disposal 
     authority and is in addition to, and shall not affect, any 
     other disposal authority provided by law regarding the 
     materials specified in such subsection.
       (f) Definition.--The term ``National Defense Stockpile'' 
     means the National Defense Stockpile provided for in section 
     4 of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act 
     (50 U.S.C. 98c).
       (g) Additional Limitation.--Of the amounts listed in the 
     table in subsection (b), titanium sponge may be sold only to 
     the extent necessary to attain the level of receipts 
     specified in subsection (a), after taking into account the 
     estimated receipts from the other materials in such table.

  Mr. COHEN. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COHEN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. COHEN. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the 
amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There is a sufficient second.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment, 
as modified, of the Senator from Maine. On this question, the yeas and 
nays have been ordered, and the clerk will call the roll.
  Mr. NICKLES. I announce that the Senator from Rhode Island [Mr. 
Chafee], the Senator from Mississippi [Mr. Cochran], the Senator from 
Oregon [Mr. Hatfield], and the Senator from Oklahoma [Mr. Inhofe] are 
necessarily absent.
  Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Arkansas [Mr. Bumpers], 
the Senator from Nebraska [Mr. Exon], the Senator from California [Mrs. 
Feinstein], and the Senator from Arkansas [Mr. Pryor] are necessarily 
absent.
  The result was announced--yeas 74, nays 18, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 180 Leg.]

                                YEAS--74

     Abraham
     Ashcroft
     Baucus
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bond
     Breaux
     Bryan
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Coats
     Cohen
     Conrad
     Coverdell
     Craig
     D'Amato
     Daschle
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Domenici

[[Page S7154]]


     Faircloth
     Ford
     Frahm
     Frist
     Gorton
     Gramm
     Grams
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hatch
     Heflin
     Helms
     Hollings
     Hutchison
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnston
     Kassebaum
     Kempthorne
     Kerrey
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lott
     Lugar
     Mack
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Moseley-Braun
     Moynihan
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nickles
     Nunn
     Pell
     Pressler
     Reid
     Robb
     Rockefeller
     Roth
     Santorum
     Shelby
     Simpson
     Smith
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stevens
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thurmond
     Warner

                                NAYS--18

     Akaka
     Bingaman
     Boxer
     Bradley
     Brown
     Dorgan
     Feingold
     Glenn
     Graham
     Harkin
     Kennedy
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     McCain
     Sarbanes
     Simon
     Wellstone
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--8

     Bumpers
     Chafee
     Cochran
     Exon
     Feinstein
     Hatfield
     Inhofe
     Pryor
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. SANTORUM. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kempthorne). The Senator from Maine.
  Mr. COHEN. I ask unanimous consent Senator Lieberman be added as a 
cosponsor of the amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have discussed with my friend, Senator 
Thurmond, the issue of shipboard solid waste discharges and the Navy's 
ability to comply with the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships [APPS] 
and Annex V of the International Convention for the Prevention of 
Pollution on Ships [MARPOL]. After thoroughly studying the operational 
and environmental impacts, the Navy has identified the use of paper/
cardboard pulpers and metal/glass shredders as the preferred technology 
for full compliance with MARPOL, at a fleet-wide cost of about $300 
million. Conversely, full compliance with the APPS would involve the 
use of technologies that would significantly degrade operations and 
result in a fleet-wide cost of about $1.1 billion. Therefore, it is 
evident that additional legislative guidance is necessary to ensure 
that U.S. strictures allow for the use of developed technologies that 
are environmentally sound, operationally feasible, and affordable. As a 
result, I have introduced S. 1728, which amends section 1902(c) of the 
APPS by allowing the Navy to use pulpers and shredders to dispose of 
non-plastic and non-floating solid waste. Senator Thurmond, I am aware 
that you and I have similar concerns related to this issue.
  Mr. THURMOND. Let me assure my friend that I am aware of this issue 
and agree that a legislative solution is necessary. It is clear that 
the Navy's use of pulpers and shredders provides the best available 
means of balancing the competing interests associated with 
environmental protection, shipboard quality of life, operational 
capability, and cost effectiveness. As chairman of the Senate Armed 
Services Committee, I feel that compliance with U.S. and international 
laws must, as a matter of national security, take into consideration 
the impacts on mission effectiveness and operational flexibility. Navy 
ships are self-contained units with severe limits on space, weight, and 
the ability to power onboard equipment. In short, these ships are 
designed to maximize mission performance for the preservation of our 
national security. Based on an administration request and the Navy's 
expressed operational needs, I have included a provision in the 
National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1997 that is similar 
to S. 1728. I say to the Senator from Alaska, I would propose that we 
use the National Defense Authorization Act as a vehicle for this 
legislative provision.
  Mr. STEVENS. I agree that the National Defense Authorization Act for 
fiscal year 1997 is an appropriate vehicle for this legislative 
proposal. Accordingly, I will support your efforts to include such a 
provision in your bill.
  Mr. THURMOND. I want to express my deep appreciation for the 
Senator's interest and support on this issue. It is my hope that we may 
continue to work together in such matters.


                              telemedicine

  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, as the Chairman knows, the Senate 
Appropriations Committee has provided $20 million in the fiscal year 97 
Department of Defense Appropriations bill in the area of telemedicine.
  The Armed Services Committee, under the strong leadership of Senator 
Thurmond, has for several years recognized the importance of military 
research, development, and implementation of telemedicine. It has also 
given value to the idea of working in partnership with non-governmental 
entities in this area.
  My own home State of Pennsylvania has a strong interest in this area 
and is developing several new and exciting programs to assist our 
military health care capabilities. I encourage the distinguished 
chairman of the Armed Services Committee to closely examine these new 
technologies and look forward to his continued involvement in this 
area.
  Mr. THURMOND. I thank the Senator from Pennsylvania for his interest 
and dedication to this important breakthrough in military health care 
and I look forward to working with him and our counterparts on the 
Appropriations Committee on these efforts.


                           amendment no. 4349

  Mr. KEMPTHORNE. Mr. President, I rise in support of the amendment 
offered by the Senators from Georgia, New Mexico, and Indiana to 
authorize funding for an emergency assistance program to train and 
equip State and local emergency personnel to respond to domestic 
terrorist WMD incidents.
  The amendment also authorizes increases in the Defense and Energy 
budgets for assistance to Russia and all the Independent States of the 
former Soviet Union under the cooperative threat reduction programs.
  I have concerns about authorizing new activities in both of these 
departments. I don't question the goals of the sponsors of this 
amendment. However, authorizing increases of this nature as well as 
expanding the scope of these two programs has not been discussed in our 
committee.
  The committee has received no information on the budgetary impact of 
this amendment. Additionally, conferencing this provision with the 
House will no doubt be extremely contentious. As it was last year.
  As other members have done, I will emphasize that there are no 
appropriations for these activities in either of the defense 
appropriations bill. Of course, we have not yet received the energy 
appropriations bill.
  I have concerns about the transfer authority in the amendment, and 
the potential impact on programs in the defense bill, as well as 
programs in the defense portion of the energy bill.
  The amendment includes authority for the Department of Defense to 
provide assistance to the Department of Justice. I have concerns about 
Posse Comitatus implications of this provision. This was the same 
provision in the Senate's anti-terrorist bill, which was eventually 
dropped in conference because of those concerns.
  I would mention that I have concerns about increasing assistance to 
Russia, when they continue to conduct research and development on 
ballistic missiles and in building submarines. Additionally, I do have 
concerns about Russia's recalcitrance on the issue regarding their 
transfer of knowledge, training and material to Iran, to help them 
build their nuclear reactors, as well as to China.
  Additionally, Russia continues to refuse to provide information on 
its biological research activities, as well as its chemical research 
activities on binary weapons, which we all have been informed on by the 
former Russian scientist Vil Miransaynov.
  The authority to conduct these programs are not small commitments. I 
understand from DOE that the potential cost for replacing the reactor 
cores at Tomsk 7 and Krasnoyarsk 26 is around $100 million. And that is 
just an estimate.
  What is the cost of converting biological and chemical production 
facilities in all the independent states of the Former Soviet Union?
  What impact would ratifying a Chemical Weapons Convention have on 
this authority? While the Bilateral Destruction Agreement would have 
allowed the conversion of chemical facilities, the CWC prohibits the 
conversion of the chemical facilities for nondefense purposes.

[[Page S7155]]

  I support the efforts of, and want to work with, my colleagues on 
establishing a program to assist State and local communities in 
responding to terrorist use of WMD. But I must emphasize my concerns 
about increasing funds for the cooperative threat reduction programs in 
the DOD and DOE budgets.


                           Tritium Production

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to express some strong 
concerns that I have regarding this country's ability to produce and 
maintain our vital supply of tritium. I am deeply concerned that the 
administration is proceeding down a costly and uncertain path, and that 
we are failing to take necessary action to protect our national 
security interests.
  Mr. President, tritium is a man-made radioactive isotope of hydrogen. 
It has a half-life of about 12 years and decays at a rate of about 5.5 
percent per year. It is essentially the ``booster'' that gives a 
nuclear weapon much of its explosive power. Even though the cold war is 
over, the United States still requires a downsized nuclear deterrent to 
ensure our security from continuing threats, including those from 
emerging Third World nations with nuclear capabilities and a 
demonstrated willingness to use terrorist tactics to achieve their 
national objectives.
  With regard to the tritium production decision, Secretary Hazel 
O'Leary and now this Congress are about to travel down a path with far-
reaching implications for both national security and U.S. taxpayers' 
pocketbooks over the next half century. In October 1995, Secretary 
O'Leary announced a dual-track approach of more studies for meeting 
future tritium requirements for the next 3 years. According to the 
legislation before us, we are authorizing $160 million in fiscal year 
1997 for tritium production studies. According to the legislation, 
approximately 90 percent will go to Los Alamos National Laboratory's 
linear accelerator research project. The remaining 10 percent of the 
$160 million will go toward continued research for use of an existing 
nuclear reactor to produce tritium.
  With regard to the linear accelerator for tritium production, the 
Department of Energy's last attempt at building a new accelerator was 
the superconducting super collider--now an empty ditch full of rusting 
equipment and shattered dreams, sitting idle on the plains of Texas. 
Like the accelerator that the DOE wants to build, the Department 
started out with an estimate of only a few billion dollars to build the 
super collider. However, after several years and billions of dollars of 
taxpayer money, the project began running behind schedule and the cost 
estimates began to balloon out of control. Finally in 1992, when the 
cost estimate had grown to more than $11 billion, Congress said 
``enough is enough'' and pulled the plug on the collider program.
  Now the DOE proposes to start a new accelerator research project, 
using the Nation's need for tritium as the excuse. Although the project 
is being justified by national security needs, scientists at DOE's 
national laboratories are lining up to propose new research programs 
for which the accelerator can be used.

  Mr. President, the Department of Energy has a poor track record of 
starting large projects and then helplessly watching the costs and 
schedule expand out of control. Virtually every major project ever 
started by DOE has been terminated during construction or before 
beginning any useful operation. Besides the money wasted on the Super 
Collider, there was the Clinch River Breeder Reactor, the Fast Flux 
Test Facility, upgrades to the K-Reactors, et cetera, et cetera. Each 
of these were multibillion-dollar projects.
  Recently, the Department provided a forecast of the funds required to 
fulfill the tritium mission during the research, development, and 
proposed construction phases. According to the chart, the Department 
plans on spending $4.863 billion on the accelerator and an additional 
$535 million on civilian light water reactor research. Mr. President, 
over the next several years, we are going to ask the taxpayers to foot 
a bill of over $5 billion for tritium production and that is simply to 
get the program up and running. That does not include the several 
billion dollars it will take in annual operation and maintenance. 
Indeed, according to the Department's own estimates, the accelerator 
could cost taxpayers in excess of $20 billion over its lifetime.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the ``Tritium Production 
Budget Forecast'' be printed in the Record. Obviously, it is clear that 
when President Clinton commented during his State of the Union speech 
that ``the era of big government is over.'' He forgot about this 
project.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              TRITIUM PRODUCTION BUDGET FORECAST--1996-1997             
                              [In millions]                             
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Year                      APT funding        CLWR     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1996....................................             $45              $5
1997....................................              85              15
1998....................................             255              37
1999....................................             276              44
2000....................................             282              69
2001....................................             496              78
2002....................................             739             108
2003....................................             903             120
2004....................................             901              36
2005....................................             431              23
2006....................................             228               0
2007....................................             221               0
                                         -------------------------------
    Total...............................            4863             535
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes.--Taken from presentation by Bill Bishop, DOE, to Aiken/Augusta   
  Chambers of Commerce, May 2, 1996.                                    
                                                                        

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I must ask my colleagues: Is this the 
direction we should go? We are putting a great deal of trust in an 
undeveloped technology for such a critical national security mission. I 
certainly cannot predict the future, but I am 100 percent at predicting 
the past. I cannot say with any degree of certainty that the 
accelerator technology--for which we are authorizing over $140 million 
in spending in fiscal year 1997--will or will not work. However, I can 
say with confidence that the Department of Energy has demonstrated a 
very poor record in managing other large initiatives. Furthermore, the 
American people have never been enthusiastic about paying for these 
types of large projects. When costs begin to escalate, what makes us 
think they will support this risky project in the future?
  Unfortunately, Mr. President, I fear that the administration, and now 
this Congress, may be overlooking the most reasonable approach to 
performing the tritium mission; that being, a new nuclear reactor that 
could produce tritium, while generating electricity for use in the 
surrounding area of the country. Since this type of new reactor project 
would earn revenue from the electricity sales, it could be privatized 
and, thus, its construction could be paid for largely through private 
funds--not by the taxpayers. In fact, Department of Energy studies show 
the new reactor option to be billions of dollars less expensive than 
the accelerator. Indeed, industry critics say that the cost gap between 
the accelerator and reactor options is even larger than the numbers in 
DOE's studies--more like $10 to $15 billion over the project's 
lifetime.
  Mr. President, I doubt this issue will receive any more debate or 
discussion than what I have raised today. I know that my colleague from 
Arizona, Senator Kyl, has been an outspoken critic of the Department of 
Energy's handling of the tritium decision. I commend my friend from 
Arizona for his continuing interest in this matter, and his steadfast 
support for maintaining a safe, reliable, and effective nuclear 
deterrent.
  While this issue may go largely unnoticed this year, I am forewarning 
my colleagues that we are likely to debate in the future this 
Government's exorbitant spending on the accelerator and how research 
and development is taking much longer than previously anticipated--at 
the same time that our tritium stockpile comes perilously close to 
depletion. Meanwhile, a technology available today that can be 
privately financed is apparently being shunned.
  Considering all of the painful budget cuts confronting us in the 
years ahead, and the critical need for tritium, I cannot understand how 
this body would allow the Energy Department to initiate another big 
ticket accelerator research project, particularly when its overall cost 
and performance are seriously in question. In my view, we should be 
exploring other possible alternatives, particularly those that are less 
expensive and more reliable, to satisfy this key national security 
requirement.

[[Page S7156]]

  environmental management headquarters, program direction subaccount

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today regarding the Department of 
Energy's Environmental Management Headquarters' Program Direction 
subaccount which is funded under the fiscal year 1997 DOD 
authorization.
  The House passed version of the fiscal 1997 Defense authorization 
cuts the Environmental Management Headquarters' Program Direction 
subaccount by $71 million. This office under the EM program boasts some 
of DOE's most technically savvy, highly trained employees--each of whom 
provide critical oversight for our Nation's extensive Defense Nuclear 
Safety and Waste Management initiatives. It is my understanding that 
the House's reduction in this subaccount was made precipitously--
without hearings or any other discussion of its long-term impact on the 
Department's ability to administer such an essential function. The 
Senate version of the DOD authorization retains funding for this 
important function and I urge my colleagues on the Armed Services 
Committee to work to ensure that funding for the Environmental 
Management Headquarters' Program Direction subaccount will be upheld at 
the Senate level when the fiscal year 1997 Defense authorization is 
taken up in conference.
  Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will come to order. The majority 
leader is recognized.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the cloture vote 
scheduled to occur today now occur at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, June 28.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LOTT. For the information of all Senators, a third attempt to 
vote cloture on this DOD authorization bill will occur in the morning 
at 9:30 as just announced.
  Immediately following that vote, regardless of outcome, it will be my 
intention to propound a unanimous-consent agreement limiting the 
remaining amendments to the bill. We will be meeting after this 
announcement with the distinguished Democratic leader to go over the 
list of amendments. Also to see if we have been able to work out an 
agreement on a number of other items that have been delaying final 
movement. We are asking once again all Senators to cooperate. Please do 
not come up with amendments that do not relate directly to the defense 
bill.

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