[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H828-H829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY STANDARDIZATION ACT OF 1997

  Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 649) to amend sections of the Department 
of Energy Organization Act that are obsolete or inconsistent with other 
statutes and to repeal a related section of the Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 649

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Energy 
     Standardization Act of 1997''.

     SEC. 2. STANDARDIZATION OF DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REQUIREMENTS 
                   WITH GOVERNMENT-WIDE REQUIREMENTS.

       (a) Department of Energy Regulations.--Section 501 of the 
     Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7191) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking subsections (b) and (d),
       (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (b) and 
     by redesignating subsections (e), (f), and (g) as subsections 
     (c), (d), and (e), respectively, and
       (3) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), by striking 
     ``subsections (b), (c), and (d)'' and inserting ``subsection 
     (b)''.
       (b) Special Requirements Affecting Advisory Committees.--
       (1) Section 624.--Section 624 of the Department of Energy 
     Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7234) is amended by--
       (A) striking ``(a)''; and
       (B) striking subsection (b).
       (2) Technical and conforming amendment.--Section 17 of the 
     Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 776) is 
     repealed.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Colorado, Mr. Dan Schaefer, and the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Hall each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Dan Schaefer.
  (Mr. DAN SCHAEFER asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 649 is a very straightforward measure and simply 
seeks to eliminate some of the unnecessary duplication that we have now 
within the DOE.
  Currently, DOE is subject to two different standards for public 
notification and response to public comment. One set exists in the 
governmentwide Administrative Procedure Act and a separate set exists 
in the DOE organizational act. Likewise, DOE's advisory committees are 
subject to a separate and more restrictive public participation than 
required of other Federal agencies.
  This measure would simply put DOE on the same par with other Federal 
agencies for public notice and response to comments. DOE would be fully 
subject to the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act for 
advisory committees. This change simply allows DOE greater flexibility 
in closing off advisory committees to the public, fully consistent with 
the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
  During my time in Congress, I have been a very strong supporter of 
public participation in the political process. H.R. 649 will in no way 
diminish the ability of the public to participate in DOE's 
decisionmaking process, and will relieve some of DOE's administrative 
burden in complying with two different sets of standards.
  I would especially like to thank the ranking member of the 
Subcommittee on Energy and Power, and fellow sponsor of this bill, the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Hall], for working with me in a very 
cooperative mood. We will have many more chances to work together in 
such a bipartisan effort and spirit as we move on.
  H.R. 649 is supported by the Department of Energy. It is a bipartisan 
bill, and is a good, commonsense piece of legislation. I would 
recommend its adoption by the whole House.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume. I will be brief, Mr. Speaker, because the gentleman from 
Colorado, Mr. Dan Schaefer has pretty well closed in on the issue 
before us. However, I just want to say that I rise today very much in 
support of H.R. 649, the Department of Energy Standardization Act, 
which I had the pleasure of helping to introduce with my good friend 
and chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power, the gentleman 
from Colorado, Mr. Dan Schaefer.
  Actually, the DOE Standardization Act simply addresses the 
duplicative regulation being placed on the Energy Department in its 
public involvement process. This is a critical process, and it is a 
very critical process in any Federal decisionmaking, and it is defined 
within the boundaries of the Administrative Procedure Act and Federal 
Advisory Committee Act.

[[Page H829]]

  However, I think it was stated that the Department of Energy 
Organization Act and the Federal Administration Act of 1974 include 
provisions that are inconsistent with these two other acts. So because 
DOE is having to comply with different standards within various 
rulemaking statutes, H.R. 649 attempts to streamline these regulations 
by eliminating those provisions of the DOE Act and Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974 which conflict with or which overlap the 
requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act and Federal Advisory 
Committee Act.
  So of course, streamlining these regulations is estimated to result 
in a savings of about a half a million dollars a year for the Federal 
Government, and I think that the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Dan 
Schaefer, the chairman of the subcommittee, and all of our colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle can agree that cutting wasteful spending 
should always be a top priority in Congress, however small or however 
great, and I certainly urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and I yield back the 
balance of my time.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests 
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Goodlatte). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Dan Schaefer that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 649.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.


                             GENERAL LEAVE

  Mr. DAN SCHAEFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on H.R. 649, the bill just passed and to insert 
extraneous material.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.

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