[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 44 (Thursday, April 18, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S2936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  NATIONAL LABORATORIES PARTNERSHIP IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2001--Continued

  Mr. BAUCUS. What is the business of the Senate?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. S. 517 is the pending business.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that there be a 
time limitation of 1 hour equally divided between myself and Senator 
Grassley for debate on the Finance Committee energy tax amendment; that 
no amendments be in order to my amendment except a second-degree 
amendment by Senator Grassley; that at the conclusion or yielding back 
of the time, the Senate vote in relation to Senator Grassley's second-
degree amendment and to my Finance Committee amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. LOTT. Reserving the right to object, I supported this tax section 
that Senator Baucus is trying to add to the energy bill at this time 
when we had it in the Finance Committee. Obviously, there are some 
things in there that I would prefer not be in there. But we had an 
overwhelming vote out of the Finance Committee in support of this 
package.
  An energy policy that does not include a tax section is not a 
complete policy. We have to have some incentives for these hybrid cell 
vehicles and to try to get marginal wells back in production, to 
encourage biomass, to do everything we can, along with the policy that 
is included in this bill, to also encourage more energy production and 
more energy conservation through the Tax Code.
  I support this. I will be glad to work with Senator Baucus to see 
that we get it included in the Senate package or certainly in the 
conference when a conference is completed. We have to do that.
  But at this time, we do have an objection from our side of the aisle. 
And on behalf of a Senator who has a tax provision in which he is very 
interested, I am constrained to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Montana.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Madam President, I hear the distinguished Senator from 
Mississippi. I very much understand the reasons for his objection. I 
deeply appreciate his statement in support of the Finance Committee 
title that we hope to offer to this bill.
  The provisions in the Finance Committee title total roughly $15 to 
$16 billion over 10 years. The Senate hopefully will pass the Senate-
passed version of tax incentives. It will be incentives for production, 
conventional production, renewables, unconventional production, for 
conservation. The House passed a tax title to their energy bill which 
totals about $30 billion.
  I fully agree with the distinguished Senator that the Finance 
Committee provisions, which will help wean us away from OPEC by 
providing incentives on matters that I suggested, are vitally 
important. And I hope--in fact, I expect--that the Senate, before it 
passes an energy bill, will also include these provisions because they 
are such an integral and vital part of the bill.
  I thank all concerned, particularly my good friend from Mississippi.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Nevada is recognized.


                             Cloture Motion

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under 
rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

       We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the 
     provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, 
     hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the Daschle/
     Bingaman substitute amendment No. 2917 for Calendar No. 65, 
     S. 517, a bill to authorize funding for the Department of 
     Energy and for other purposes:
         Jeff Bingaman, Jean Carnahan, Edward Kennedy, Pattie 
           Murray, Mary Landrieu, Byron L. Dorgan, Robert 
           Torricelli, Bill Nelson, John Breaux, Tom Carper, Tim 
           Johnson, Hillary R. Clinton, Jon Corzine, John 
           Rockefeller, Daniel Inouye, Max Baucus, Harry Reid, and 
           Maria Cantwell.

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