[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRATULATIONS TO CONGRESSMEN REGULA AND MURTHA

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                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 4, 1997

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call your attention to a 
special award that was recently given to our distinguished colleagues 
and longstanding leaders of the Congressional Steel Caucus, Ralph 
Regula and Jack Murtha. Last month, Ralph and Jack were recognized by 
the American Iron & Steel Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy 
[DOE] during DOE's Industrial Efficiency Symposium in Arlington, VA.
  On February 25, Ralph and Jack received individual awards testifying 
to their unflagging contributions to the future of the American steel 
industry. The awards were in recognition of the central role they have 
played, both as leaders of the caucus and as individual legislators, in 
creating the metals initiative program within the energy efficiency 
function of DOE. The metals initiative, a government-industry 
collaborative program designed to improve the competitiveness of steel 
and other metal industries, has received $120 million in appropriations 
over the past decade to develop direct steelmaking, advanced process 
controls, and an optical sensor for measuring temperatures.
  In their respective positions as chairman and vice chairman of the 
Congressional Steel Caucus, Ralph Regula and Jack Murtha have worked 
tirelessly over the years to promote and expand the economic viability 
of the American steel industry and the jobs of its workers. The Steel 
Caucus is a bipartisan organization, which has served as a forum since 
the 1970's for Members of Congress to exchange information and ideas 
with steel industry representatives, steelworkers and their 
representatives, and the administration. And their hard work has paid 
off handsomely: Today, the American steel industry and its workers are 
the most productive and efficient in the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope you and my other House colleagues will join me in 
congratulating Ralph and Jack for receiving this award in recognition 
of their crucial support for the American steel industry and its 
workers.

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