[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 84 (Monday, June 26, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H4526-H4528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 889, COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION 
                              ACT OF 2006

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the conference report on the bill (H.R. 889) to authorize 
appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2006, to make 
technical corrections to various laws administered by the Coast Guard, 
and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  (For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of 
April 6, 2006 at page H1640.)
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska.


                             General Leave

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 889.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alaska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 889, the Coast Guard 
and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006.
  This bill authorizes $8.7 billion in funding for the Coast Guard, 
including $1.6 billion for the recapitalization of Coast Guard vessels, 
aircraft and support systems.
  Funding at this level would result in the acceleration of the 
Deepwater program and would provide a new, more capable fleet to 
support the Coast Guard's many traditional and homeland security 
missions.
  The conference report also includes provisions related to Coast 
Guard's response in the regions that were affected last year by 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the impacts of the storms on the 
maritime industry.
  The conference report also requires safety inspection for passenger 
ferries, makes it easier to prosecute illegal drug smugglers, 
encourages the construction and use of U.S. flag liquefied natural gas 
vessels, enhances maritime security by increasing penalties for 
violations of the Maritime Transportation Security Act, and adjusts oil 
spill liability limits for the first time since the Oil Pollution Act 
was passed in 1990.
  H.R. 889 also includes legislation passed by the House as H.R. 1412, 
the Delaware River Protection Act.
  This bill was introduced by the Coast Guard Subcommittee chairman, 
our colleague from New Jersey, Mr. Frank LoBiondo. I commend him for 
his hard work on this measure.
  H.R. 889 is a truly bipartisan bill and deserves the support of each 
Member of this House.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairmen Young and LoBiondo and Ranking 
Members Oberstar and Filner for their hard work in bringing this 
conference report to the floor. It has been a long time coming, and I 
am glad to see the finish line ahead.
  Every time this country faces an emergency, the Coast Guard is the 
first agency on the scene. The Coast Guard was the first agency to 
react to the terrorist attacks on September 11 and within minutes was 
guarding our ports and bridges and directing maritime traffic out of 
New York. They were also the only agency in the Bush administration to 
actually do their job during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. That 
is worth repeating: they were the only agency in the Bush 
administration to actually do their job during the devastation of 
Hurricane Katrina. And they are still in the gulf region supporting the 
recovery effort.
  They respond to these emergencies all while completing their core 
missions of search and rescue, drug interdiction, and enforcing 
maritime and fisheries laws.
  Fortunately, the Transportation Committee realizes how important the 
Coast Guard is and has once again stepped up to the plate and provided 
the Coast Guard the true amount of funding they need to do their job. I 
encourage all my colleagues to support this bill and support full 
funding for the U.S. Coast Guard. It is simply the right thing to do 
for America.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to the 
chairman of the subcommittee who has done an outstanding job, a man who 
understands the Coast Guard and really has been leading the Coast Guard 
for the last 6 years, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo).
  Mr. LoBIONDO. I thank the chairman for yielding, and I would like to 
thank Chairman Young for his ongoing very strong support for the Coast 
Guard and their maritime missions.
  H.R. 889, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act, authorizes 
nearly $8.7 billion in funding for the Coast Guard in fiscal year 2006. 
This authorization includes funding to support each of the Coast 
Guard's important missions, including many that have been highlighted 
in response to the tragedy that occurred in the gulf region last year.
  The Coast Guard is a unique entity within the Federal Government, as 
both a military service and a Federal agency with law enforcement 
abilities and wide regulatory responsibilities. The men and women of 
the Coast Guard carry out their missions every day to protect the 
safety and security of our Nation. Whether the mission involves saving 
thousands of lives, responding to oil spills, keeping our ports and 
waterways open, or boarding a suspicious vessel, the men and women of 
the Coast Guard work tirelessly.
  However, we cannot allow the commitment that is being shown by the 
men and women of the Coast Guard to go on without a real commitment by 
this body to provide the service with the assets and resources 
necessary to carry out all of these missions that we have asked them to 
do. H.R. 889 will authorize the funding levels required to do just 
that.
  H.R. 889 authorizes $1.6 billion for the Coast Guard's Integrated 
Deepwater System, a critically important system. Every day our Coast 
Guard servicemembers must deal with the unfortunate reality that an 
aircraft or boat they command may lose power, spring a leak, or 
otherwise fail to operate. This is unacceptable. It puts the safety of 
our personnel and the success of their mission in real jeopardy. We 
must accelerate Deepwater to make replacement assets available now. I 
urge my colleagues to support funding levels in this bill and in the 
future to make this a reality.
  H.R. 889 also includes important oil spill response and liability 
provisions originally included in the Delaware River Protection Act 
legislation that I introduced, along with Representatives Saxton, 
Castle, Andrews, and Schwartz, in the wake of the Athos I oil spill in 
the Delaware River. These provisions represent the first real effort in 
15 years to strengthen our Federal oil spill prevention and response 
system. This bill will provide the Federal Government with the 
authorities that will enhance our capability to prevent and respond to 
future oil spills.
  Once again, I would like to thank Chairman Young for his strong 
support, Ranking Member Oberstar, as well as subcommittee Ranking 
Member

[[Page H4527]]

Filner for working with me to develop a strong bipartisan product. I 
would also like to thank our dedicated staff on both sides of the aisle 
for their work: John Rayfield, Eric Nagel, and Liz Megginson on the 
majority staff, and John Cullather on the minority staff, who did an 
outstanding job in helping us put this conference report together.
  The bill takes a balanced approach to providing the resources and 
authorities necessary to support each of the Coast Guard's many and 
varied missions. Although the Coast Guard has received a great deal of 
attention for its port security mission, we must strive to protect the 
service's unique multi-mission character. We must maintain a Coast 
Guard with the ability to successfully accomplish each of its vital 
missions.
  I would like to urge all my colleagues to support this important bill 
and continue to support the men and women of the Coast Guard who do 
such an exceptionally good job for the United States of America.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I echo the words of Mr. LoBiondo. 
This Coast Guard that serves this great Nation of ours has done such an 
outstanding job over the years in my 34 years in Congress that I can 
only just applaud each time I see a Coast Guard vessel or a member of 
the Coast Guard or the flag that they carry.
  It is a unique privilege, being in a State that has probably the 
greatest challenge of all the States and probably the most involved 
with the Coast Guard. When I first arrived in Congress, we had one 
Coast Guard station, actually two, one in Juneau, which was a command 
station, and one in Ketchikan, which was relatively small. Since that 
time, over the last 34 years, we now have, I believe, the largest Coast 
Guard unit in the United States on Kodiak Island.
  They do a great job not only patrolling and watching for foreign 
interference of our fishing fleet, but saving my constituents. Many 
times they go out in weather, and I don't know how many of you watch 
the show of the most dangerous fishing, the ``Dangerous Catch,'' they 
call it, but there you will see the Coast Guard involved rescuing 
people in hundred mile winds, or knots, of seas of about 40 feet, 50 
feet, sometimes. Even so bad that it took a helicopter down last year 
when they were trying to rescue people off a foreign ship that was 
carrying soybeans.
  But they do not only that, but they watch for oil spills which 
pollute our seas. They do it for the little fisherman going out in the 
small dinghy, in larger seas than he should have, to catch those big 
King salmon Alaska has that belongs to Alaska and doesn't belong to 
Washington State or Canada. And sometimes they get in trouble, and the 
Coast Guard is there. And the young men and women that enlist and stay 
voluntarily for years and years, I just compliment them.
  This bill is a good bill. As mentioned by Mr. LoBiondo, John Rayfield 
has done outstanding work. There were very tiring times, especially in 
conference, because we are dealing with a conference, and they are very 
difficult in this business we are in. Conferences with the other side 
are equally difficult but sometimes ridiculous in the sense of what we 
have to negotiate for. But we believe we have negotiated a good 
conference. Liz Megginson, my legal counsel, has done very well on this 
legislation.
  And for my colleagues, this is the end of 2006 as far as the 
authorization for the Coast Guard. As of today, we will be introducing 
a 2007 reauthorization bill; and we will be working on that, hopefully 
with expedited results, and getting the bill out of the House and to 
the Senate to decide and maybe having the finalization and being ahead 
of the ball game. That is what we are going to attempt to do to try to 
make sure that the Coast Guard gets the recognition, the organization, 
the authorization and be able to fulfill the mission that they have and 
will continue to have.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I just want to once again 
thank Chairman Young and Mr. LoBiondo and Ranking Members Oberstar and 
Filner for their hard work on this bill.
  The Coast Guard, once again, is the first agency on the scene that is 
doing their job; and I am very pleased that we finally have a bill that 
we are going to send to the President's desk.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I would just close by urging my 
colleagues to support this legislation.
  The House has under consideration the conference report (109-413) to 
the bill H.R. 889 to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for 
fiscal year 2006, to make technical corrections to various laws 
administered by the Coast Guard, and for other purposes.
  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the leadership of the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for their hard work 
shepherding through the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 
2005, and to express my strong support of the bill.
  It authorizes $8.7 billion for the Coast Guard for fiscal 2006, which 
will be used to perform the essential duties of the U.S. Coast Guard in 
the areas of homeland security, maritime safety, law enforcement, 
environmental protection, and emergency response: a mission area in 
which the Coast Guard led the pack in responding to Hurricane Katrina. 
To support these activities, the conference report authorizes $500 
million in additional emergency funds for Katrina response.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight a provision that I offered and was 
accepted by the Committee last July and is included in this conference 
report. It directs the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a 
study of the pollution in Newtown Creek caused by underground oil 
spills in Brooklyn, N.Y. The study is to be fully funded through the 
Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. As outlined in section 410 of the 
conference report, this study is to be completed no later than one year 
after enactment of this law.
  Newtown Creek is a 3.5 mile long waterway that flows from the East 
River and separates the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The State of 
New York has ruled that the Creek does not meet water quality standards 
under the Clean Water Act. It is the single most polluted waterway in 
New York City, and its banks are home to the largest oil spill in the 
United States. The spill is 150 percent the size of the Exxon-Valdez 
spill.
  In 1978, a Coast Guard patrol detected petroleum on the surface of 
Newtown Creek and identified a spill that spreads from the banks of the 
Creek through the Greenpoint neighborhood in Brooklyn. Evaluations at 
that time identified a spill totaling 17 million gallons attributed to 
refineries operated along the banks of the Creek by the predecessors to 
ExxonMobil, BP/Amoco and Chevron-Texaco. To date, 8.7 millions gallons 
have been cleaned but estimates indicate it will take at least 25 more 
years to finish the remediation, primarily conducted by ExxonMobil 
under a 1990 consent agreement with the New York State Department of 
Environmental Conservation that sets no timetable for completion and 
includes no meaningful criteria for compliance.
  Even though it has been over 25 years since the oil spill was 
detected, the public health and safety risks associated with the oil 
spill are still unknown.
  The legislative intent of the amendment that directs the Coast Guard 
to study Newtown Creek (Creek) is for the Environmental Protection 
Agency to revisit the findings of the U.S. Coast Guard's July 1979 
report entitled ``Investigation of Underground Accumulation of 
Hydrocarbons along Newtown Creek,'' and address the following issues:
  The actual current size of the Greenpoint Oil Spill (Spill) and the 
extent to which oil from each refinery site contributes to the Spill.
  The extent and severity of surface water pollution and sediment 
contamination from the Spill, and methods to prevent further seepage 
into the Creek.
  The Spill's impact on existing conditions in the Creek including but 
not limited to low levels of dissolved oxygen and high levels of 
bacteria.
  The interaction between pollution from the Spill and pollution from 
other sources in the Creek including but not limited to Combined Sewer 
Overflow Pipes and the Newtown Creek Sewage Treatment Plant.
  The extent to which oil and contaminated sediments in the Creek 
disperse into New York Harbor.
  The extent to which the Spill has affected aquatic species in the 
Creek and Harbor, and methods to prevent further harm.
  The extent to which the Spill has affected groundwater in the 
surrounding area, and methods to prevent further harm.
  The extent and severity of contaminated soil in the area affected by 
the Spill, and methods to prevent further harm.
  Any public health issues raised by the Spill and the current 
remediation efforts, both independently and in interaction with other 
pollutants in the Creek.

[[Page H4528]]

  Any safety issues raised by the Spill and the current remediation 
efforts, both independently and in interaction with other pollutants in 
the Creek.
  The extent to which the current remediation efforts are sufficient, 
and any new technologies or approaches that could accelerate product 
recovery and/or improve the scope of the remediation.
  I would like to express my thanks to Chairman Young, Mr. Oberstar, 
Chairman LoBiondo, and Mr. Filner for their willingness to work with me 
on this very important yet often overlooked Issue. The country will 
benefit from renewed Federal attention on this oil spill, the largest 
in the country.
  Furthermore, I would like to thank my Democratic colleagues in the 
New York City delegation, all of whom signed a letter to conferees 
urging that this study be included in the conference report. I would 
especially like to commend Mrs. Velazquez, who represents the people of 
Greenpoint. She and I have worked together closely on this initiative.
  Additionally, I would like to thank both the Democratic and 
Republican staff of the Transportation Committee and the Subcommittee 
on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. In particular, Ward 
McCarragher and John Cullather of Mr. Oberstar's staff and Fraser 
Verrusio and John Rayfield of Mr. Young's staff were very helpful.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the conference report on the bill, H.R. 889.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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