[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 164 (Wednesday, November 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14816-S14817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. 
        Lieberman, and Mr. Akaka):
  S. 1867. A bill to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to encourage 
greater recycling of certain beverage containers through the use of 
deposit refund incentives; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works.

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, like every loyal Red Sox fan, I believe 
that next season, my team will be victorious. I bring this same level 
of optimism to my efforts to reduce the amount of wasted resources and 
litter caused by discarded beverage containers. I rise today to 
introduce the National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act of 2003, 
the Bottle Bill, convinced that this is our year.
  I have long been an advocate for increased recycling. Vermont passed 
its Bottle Bill in 1972 when I was State Attorney General. In 1975, 
during my first session as a Representative in the U.S. House, I 
introduced a national Bottle Bill, closely resembling Vermont's very 
successful example. Last Congress, as Chairman of the Environment and 
Public Works Committee, I convened the first congressional hearing in 
many years on recycling, in which the Committee heard expert testimony 
on the merits of a national program to recycle beverage containers.
  The reason that I continue to push this issue is simple--it makes 
sense. Beverage container recycling is one of the simplest ways to see 
a dramatic improvement in our environment. One hundred and twenty 
billion--let me repeat, 120 billion with a ``B''--beverage containers 
were wasted by not being recycled in 2001. If we could raise the 
Nation's recycling rate to 80 percent, we would save the equivalent of 
300 million barrels of oil over the next ten years and eliminate 4 
million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. States that have 
enacted bottle bills also have benefited by reducing road side litter 
by up to 84 percent.
  These savings may sound unrealistic. But, in Vermont alone, recycling 
efforts in 2001 reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 94,000 metric tons 
of carbon equivalent. That's equal to approximately two-thirds of all 
industrial carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion in 
Vermont and 4.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. To me, those 
savings sound remarkable.
  Why a refundable deposit program? Thirty years of experience 
demonstrates that refundable deposit bottle bills are dramatically more 
effective than voluntary efforts. The ten States that have implemented 
deposit laws recycle more containers than all of the other 40 States 
combined. While I applaud curbside and other voluntary recycling 
efforts, the 71 percent of Americans who live in non-bottle bill States 
account for only 28 percent of recycled beverage containers.
  My bill, the National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act of 2003, 
strikes a balance between the wishes of industry, the authority of 
individual states, and the needs of a healthy environment. Unlike 
traditional bottle bills, this legislation would fully harness market 
incentives by setting an 80 percent recovery performance standard and 
allowing industry the freedom to design the most efficient deposit-
return program to reach the standard. States that already have bottle 
bills will retain their authority to continue their programs in their 
own individual ways as long as they meet the national performance 
standard.
  This Saturday, November 15, 2003, is America Recycles Day in Vermont 
and across the country. Two years ago, to help commemorate the 2001 
America Recycles Day, I participated in a public service announcement 
to raise awareness regarding the need to buy recycled goods. The 
importance of recycling deserves, however, more than a 30-second public 
service announcement and more than its own day on the calendar. For it 
to work, recycling must be a commitment of all of ours each and every 
day of the year.
  Vermont's commitment to recycling has provided some impressive 
statistics. For example, in 2001, 31 percent of Vermont's municipal 
waste was diverted from landfills. That year, 13,260 tons of containers 
were recycled through soft drink and beer distributors and materials 
recovery facilities. The benefit of these programs is, of course, that 
they help keep our Green Mountains green. I commend and thank Governor 
Jim Douglas for his many recent initiatives to encourage and improve 
the efficiency of recycling across Vermont. For example, under Governor 
Douglas' leadership, Vermont has implemented beverage container 
recycling programs at 20 State information centers. In the first phase, 
in less than two months, over 200 pounds

[[Page S14817]]

of aluminum, glass, and plastic were recovered from 51,000 visitors 
passing through one such information center in Williston, VT.
  And today, the U.S. Senate's other Vermonter, Patrick Leahy, joins me 
and Senators Joseph Lieberman, Daniel Akaka, and John Kerry as original 
cosponsors as I introduce the National Beverage Producer Responsibility 
Act of 2003.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I am pleased to be an original cosponsor 
for the National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act of 2003, a bill 
introduced today by Senator Jim Jeffords. This bill serves a need that 
we already have seen in Hawaii--to reduce litter and increase recycling 
by encouraging businesses to work together in a partnership with 
government to reclaim glass, plastic bottles, and cans that accumulate 
on our shores, in our landfills, and along our streets.
  The bill sets up a deposit charge that can be reclaimed when the 
beverage container is returned. The legislation sets a measurable 
performance standard of 80 percent recovery rate for used, empty 
beverage containers for recycling or reuse. The bill was crafted to 
address the concerns of industry, retain the authority of individual 
States, and promote a healthy environment. It empowers the beverage 
container industry to design a container recycling program that best 
fits its business requirements to meet the 80 percent goal. States like 
Hawaii and 10 other States across the Nation that already have bottle 
bills will be able to continue their programs as long as the programs 
meet the national performance standard. It aims to protect and preserve 
our Nation's natural resources and reduce costs to counties, cities, 
and residents. In my own State, Hawaii recently enacted a beverage 
container bill which will take effect in 2005.
  As our Nation prepares to celebrate America Recycles Day on Saturday, 
November 15, I am optimistic that the National Beverage Producer 
Responsibility Act of 2003 will help keep our parks, beaches, and 
roadsides cleaner; reduce burdens on landfills; decrease ground water 
contamination; save energy; lower taxes for disposal costs; and create 
new industries and jobs.
      By Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Smith, and Mr. 
        Santorum):
  S.J. Res. 24. A joint resolution providing for the recognition of 
Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel before the United States 
recognizes a Palestinian state, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a joint resolution 
regarding the status of Jerusalem, and its potential in catapulting the 
Middle East Peace process forward.
  Just prior to returning from the summer recess, I traveled to Israel 
for five days on one of the most important official trips I have made 
since coming to the Congress in 1994. I have been to Israel before, but 
this trip had a special meaning for me both in terms of who and what I 
saw.
  I arrived in the aftermath of the bus bombing in Jerusalem that 
killed Yeshiva students going to the Wailing Wall. The same week I was 
there, Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen lost a no confidence vote 
and conceded to a shake up of the Palestinian cabinet. A wave of 
Palestinian terrorism ensued and it appeared that no Palestinian 
leader, at that time, had the will or the desire to contain terrorism 
much less stamp it out so that President Bush's Roadmap for Peace could 
proceed.
  On my way from the airport in Tel Aviv to the hotel in Jerusalem, I 
made a brief visit to a town called B'nei Berek, a small Orthodox 
suburb of Tel Aviv. B'nei Berek was established shortly after the 
founding of Israel. In the intervening 50 year period, this town has 
turned into a thriving city of over 200,000 people--a very special 
place for the Orthodox community in Israel.
  While I was there I met with one of the most respected and senior 
Rabbis in Israel. This man lived in a very modest apartment on an 
average street, and you would never know that he was one of the most 
important theological scholars in Israel. His home was lined with 
volume after volume of theological text, but he spoke plainly and 
deliberately about the importance of his faith and the role of faith in 
the lives of the Jewish people. The history of the Jewish people seemed 
to be etched onto his face and into his eyes.
  On this same trip I met with the Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan 
Shalom, Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Former Israeli Defense 
Force General Ephraim Eitam and Ambassador John Wolf, who is charged 
with monitoring the implementation of commitments in the peace process.
  One evening, I went on a tour of the Western Wall and the tunnels 
that run underneath the current level of buildings around the old city 
wall. The tour took over an hour and explored some of the most exciting 
history about Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple.
  There is a point in the tunnels that leads to an old entrance into 
the old city that, if opened, would lead to a special place below where 
the Temple once stood. This place, I'm sure my colleagues as children 
in Sunday school learned, is called the Holy of Holies.
  The Temple was built around this place, and it could not be entered 
except by the High Priest on Yom Kippur. It is the place, described in 
the Book of Genesis, where Abraham was to sacrifice his son Isaac. It 
is also the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This was a 
unique experience.
  Jerusalem is a special place. It is extremely important to the peace 
process. In my hand is the ``Jerusalem Resolution,'' a proposition 
which I hope will propel the peace process forward by moving two big 
issues forward.
  This resolution seeks to make it U.S. policy that prior to the 
recognition by the U.S. of a Palestinian State, the U.S. Embassy must 
be moved to Jerusalem and that Jerusalem be declared as the undivided 
capital of Israel. This resolution would establish an important, 
tangible asset on both sides for advancing the peace process.
  For the past decade, we have attempted to forge a peace agreement 
between the Palestinians and Israelis on a design of land for peace. 
This model has failed. We should attempt a new way. If we address two 
major issues at the outset of vital interest to the ultimate desire for 
peace, we can help to create a powerful momentum for peace. This bill 
pushes for the resolution of the status of Jerusalem in conjunction 
with the recognition of a Palestinian state.
  Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for three 
thousand years, and is the center of Jewish faith and culture. 
Jerusalem is the seat of Israel's Government, and is the only capital 
city designated by the host country in which the U.S. does not maintain 
an embassy nor recognize it as the capital.
  In this resolution, three months prior to the recognition of a 
Palestinian state, the United States must move its embassy to Jerusalem 
and the status of Jerusalem must be resolved by the international 
recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
  I hope that my colleagues will join me in my effort. The peace 
process is in need of a major paradigm shift. We can't continue to bog 
ourselves down in the mechanics of the process. We must think grand 
about this problem and move beyond the status quo.
  This resolution is a challenge to this body to change its perspective 
on this issue. I hope in the coming months we can engage in serious 
debate over peace and the way toward it in the Middle East.

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