[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 135 (Monday, September 29, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12141-S12142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Warner, Mr. Bunning, 
        and Mr. Reed):
  S. 1676. A bill to permanently authorize the National Oilheat 
Research Alliance; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I am pleased today to introduce the 
National Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2003, and to be joined by 
Senators Smith, Leahy, Warner, Bunning, and Jack Reed. This bill 
permanently authorizes the National Oilheat Research Alliance, commonly 
referred to as NORA, which was created by a referendum of oilheat 
retailers and wholesalers in February of 2001.
  I was proud to sponsor the Senate bill that originally authorized the 
creation of NORA during the 106th Congress, and I am pleased to report 
that during its almost three years of existence, NORA has proved an 
unqualified success. Its activities have created genuine, tangible 
benefits for the heating oil industry and its consumers in the areas of 
research, education, safety and training, as well as providing 
information about the industry to existing and potential customers.
  This bill is necessary because the original authorization statute for 
NORA included a sunset provision that, without congressional action, 
will force NORA to cease operations four years after its creation. The 
provision was included to allow Congress to assess its performance and 
determine whether it deserved continued authorization. It is readily 
apparent, from its numerous activities and the wide support it enjoys 
from consumer, environmental, and labor groups, along with the industry 
itself, that NORA should continue in perpetuity.
  In a short time, NORA has set the standard for industry-wide 
cooperative activity with its professionalism, effectiveness, and most 
importantly, satisfaction from its supporting members. Through its 
rigorous commitment to activities that benefit all of its members, 
customers and the public at large, NORA is able to harness the 
collective strength of its companies and their resources to share 
cutting-edge technological advances, the latest in training methods, 
and promising environmental initiatives throughout the industry.
  Of particular note is the creation of the National Oilheat Research 
Institute, or NORI, which oversees valuable study as the industry moves 
toward the introduction of low sulfur heating oil to help reduce the 
amount of sulfur emissions in the industry. This forward-looking work 
highlights NORA's genuine commitment to building an environmentally 
sound oil heat industry.
  Other research undertaken by NORI includes a thorough, systematic 
evaluation of the fuel component of the oil heat system to maximize 
fuel performance--and therefore lower heating costs--for oil heat 
customers. These and other consumer-friendly activities have won NORA 
the support of the Consumer Energy Council of America, the oldest 
public interest energy policy organization in the Nation.
  In fact, NORA's research and development activities were identified 
in a report from the Brookhaven National Laboratory, which concluded 
that the NORA program ``will provide economic support to millions of 
American households by reducing fuel bills, and thousands of small 
family businesses in the United States who will gain from having 
satisfied consumers and reduced operating costs.''
  NORA is also playing a leading role in continuing education and 
training for oil heat technicians through the introduction of new and 
updated training

[[Page S12142]]

material, creation of a standardized certification program to encourage 
professional development, partnerships with community colleges to 
provide equipment for training, and a new website to provide easy 
access to NORA safety and training material.
  NORA also understands that new homeowners who buy houses with 
existing oil heat systems have questions about the best way to make use 
of and maintain their heating source, and publishes a Homeowner's Guide 
that describes the cleanliness and efficiency of their system, and 
offers helpful information for real estate purchasers.
  This is just a sampling of the many activities taking place in states 
using oil heat all over the country. Numerous State associations 
benefit from their partnership with NORA, which supports local and 
statewide initiatives for the heating oil industry, its customers, and 
the professionals working within it. Indeed, the Maine Oil Dealers 
Association has provided me with uniformly positive feedback about its 
partnership with NORA, including its assistance with development of 
information brochures and production of safety manuals in both printed 
and electronic form.
  I am persuaded that NORA's performance has exceeded all expectation 
and deserves permanent authorization from the Congress. I look forward 
to helping make sure that NORA can continue its beneficial activities 
long into the future.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1676

       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 ``National Oilheat Research 
     Alliance Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2 FINDINGS.

       (a) Congress finds that--
       (1) in 2000, Congress enacted the National Oilheat Research 
     Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note), authorizing a 
     referendum to create the National Oilheat Research Alliance;
       (2) before enactment of that Act, similar legislation had 
     passed the Senate by unanimous consent with 21 bipartisan 
     Senate cosponsors and the House of Representatives with 148 
     bipartisan cosponsors;
       (3) the Alliance was approved by an industry-wide 
     referendum held in January 2001, with 97 percent of oilheat 
     retailers and 99 percent of oilheat wholesalers voting in 
     favor of creation of the Alliance;
       (4) during its nearly 3 years of existence, the Alliance 
     has operated in 21 States and the District of Columbia, 
     providing benefits for its members and oilheat consumers in 
     the areas of research and development, safety, energy 
     efficiency, training, and education;
       (5) the Alliance successfully created the National Oilheat 
     Research Institute, which is leading the way toward 
     developing a low-sulfur heating oil product that will allow 
     significant progress in reducing emissions;
       (6) the Institute is also at the forefront of developing 
     new efficiency techniques for existing heating oil units, 
     providing substantial savings for the energy costs of 
     consumers;
       (7) the Alliance is providing improved and up-to-date 
     training material for oilheat technicians, establishing a 
     standardized certification program and encouraging continuing 
     education methods that result in efficient and highly trained 
     professionals to service their customers;
       (8) the Alliance has prepared material for realtors and 
     prospective home buyers for houses with existing heating oil 
     systems, explaining how to make the best use of oilheat and 
     providing crucial safety and energy efficiency information;
       (9) the legislation providing for the creation of the 
     Alliance included a sunset provision that will require the 
     Alliance to terminate activities in February 2005 unless 
     Congress acts to extend the authorization; and
       (10) the outstanding progress of the Alliance in the fields 
     of research and development, safety and training, and 
     education, the nearly unanimous support from industry, and 
     the strong potential to yield future benefits for industry 
     and consumers make the Alliance deserving of permanent 
     authorization by Congress.

     SEC. 3. PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION.

       Section 713 of the National Oilheat Research Alliance Act 
     of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note) is repealed.
                                 ______