[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 89 (Tuesday, July 11, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7333-S7338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Bennett):
  S. 3632. A bill to provide for the sale of approximately 25 acres of 
public land to the Turn-About Ranch, Escalante, Utah, at fair market 
value; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise to introduce legislation that would 
correct a property trespass question involving a 25-acre parcel of 
Bureau of Land Management, BLM, land in Garfield County, UT. The parcel 
is part of the Turn-About Ranch, which hosts a successful and popular 
program to rehabilitate troubled youth.
  The trespass conflict is the result of an erroneous survey at the 
time that Congress approved a major land exchange--Public Law 105-335--
between the State of Utah and the BLM in January 1999. The legislation 
at hand would grant the owners of the ranch the opportunity to purchase 
the erroneously surveyed land at fair market value so that this very 
important program for at-risk youth can continue unimpeded.
  Since 1995, Turn-About Ranch has graduated some 500 troubled and at-
risk teenagers through an intense program of training and 
rehabilitation. The ranch employs some 35 Garfield County residents, 
and the Turn-About Ranch program has strong support from the local 
community and the local civic leaders in the area.
  Historically used for agriculture and grazing purposes, it was 
purchased by the Townsend Family and leased to Turn-About Ranch, Inc., 
for the purpose of restoring dignity and self-esteem to wayward 
teenagers. Because Government-owned land administered by the BLM 
surrounds the private land, the only way to resolve the trespass is to 
ask for the blessing of Congress.
  Mr. President, this legislation offers a simple and fair solution to 
a fairly technical problem on our public lands. I hope Congress can use 
this legislation to resolve this problem in the very near future.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. INHOFE (for himself, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Ms. Snowe, 
        Mr. Warner, Mr. Graham, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Martinez, 
        Mr. Bunning, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Craig, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Ensign, Mr. 
        Coburn, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Thomas, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Chambliss, Mrs. 
        Hutchison, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Thune, 
        Mr. Bond, Mr. Smith, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Burns, Mr. 
        Talent, Mr. Burr, Mr. Allen, and Mrs. Dole):
  S. 3633. A bill to require the withholding of United States 
contributions to the United Nations until the President certifies that 
the United Nations is not engaged in global taxation schemes; to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, today I introduce to you a bill to prevent 
the imposition of global taxes on the United States. The current 
efforts of the United Nations and other international organizations to 
develop, advocate, endorse, promote, and publicize proposals to raise 
revenue by instituting international taxes are unacceptable.
  The United Nations is not a sovereign nation and, therefore, does not 
have the legal capacity to levy taxes. Furthermore, paying taxes to an 
international organization like the UN would impair global commerce, 
hinder the defense capabilities of the United States, and continue to 
line the pockets of an organization that has historically been replete 
with mismanagement and corruption, especially in recent years. In order 
to avoid these consequences, the bill I bring before you will withhold 
20 percent of dues from the United Nations and other international 
organizations if they continue to promote global taxes. Its passage 
will help preserve the sovereignty of our Nation and save American 
taxpayers from potentially paying billions of dollars every year to 
international organizations.
  The United Nations' record of developing and advocating global 
taxation goes back for more than a decade. Usually the organization's 
efforts have been done quietly so as not to elicit the ire of the 
United States. However, in 1996 Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Ghali 
delivered a speech at Oxford University in which he openly embraced the 
concept of global taxes and authoritarian world government. 
Specifically, the Secretary General expressed a desire for the United 
Nations to ``not be under the daily financial will of the member 
states.'' Though the U.N. had tried to circumvent the Security Council 
and avoid member state scrutiny for many years by borrowing from 
international financial institutions, assuming control of bonds issued 
by Member States, and imposing fees on an extensive range of 
transactions, goods and services, this was the first time the concept 
of global taxation was so explicitly advocated.
  In response to the United Nations' actions, Senator Bob Dole and 
Representative Gerald Solomon introduced bills in both Houses of 
Congress in January of 1996 to put a stop to the United Nations' 
antics. These bills prohibited any voluntary or assessed contributions 
from the United States to the United Nations if the United Nations 
continued to develop and promote proposals for international taxes and 
fees. That legislation passed through the 104th and the 105th 
Congresses to become public law.
  Still, the United Nations continued to pursue global taxation. Later 
in 1996, the United Nations Economic and Social Council fully debated 
international taxation. After that, a United Nations Development 
Programme research project resulted in the publishing of a text 
entitled ``The Tobin Tax,'' which proposed a currency transaction tax. 
Global taxation was discussed in ``The Human Development Report'' in 
1999 as well as at the United Nations Preparatory Committee for the 
International Conference on Financing for Development in 2001. Also in 
2001, Ernesto Zedillo published a report which concluded ``there is a 
genuine need to establish, by international consensus, stable and 
contractual new sources of multilateral finance.'' Dialog arose at the 
Conference on Sharing Global Prosperity in Helsinki in 2003. In 2004, 
the United Nations University-World Institute for Development Economics 
Research issued a study on global taxation.
  Recently, the 2005 ``Human Development Report'' discussed proposals 
to levy international taxes in order to fund the U.N.'s Millennium 
Development Goals. Some of the taxes the United Nations proposed in 
this report were taxes on aviation fuel, an airline passenger tax, and 
a currency transaction tax like the Tobin tax. At other points in time 
the U.N. has considered a global environmental levy, an ocean freight 
tax on international trade, and a military expenditures and arms tax.
  Innovative development financing mechanisms were the primary topics 
of discussion at a conference held in Paris on February 28 and March 1 
of 2006. As a result of this conference and other discussions, various 
nations, most notably France, are already implementing an international 
tax on airline travel, with the approval of Kofi Annan. Plans for 
global taxes on currency transactions, energy use, and United States 
companies are also being considered. An official U.N.-sponsored book, 
``New Sources of Development Finance,'' says that a proposed tax on 
oil, gas, coal and other carbon-based fuels could produce $750 billion 
a year in revenue for the U.N. and other global purposes.

[[Page S7334]]

  We have frequently reminded the United Nations of our sentiments 
regarding global taxation after legislation formally passed through 
Congress in 1996 and 1998. Recently, on August 30, 2005, the U.S. 
representative to the United Nations, John R. Bolton, clearly stated 
``the United States does not accept global aid targets or global 
taxes.'' Shortly after, on September 13, 2005, 16 Senators joined with 
me in sending a letter to Kofi Annan which reiterated Mr. Bolton's 
message. Still, the United Nations has continued to research and 
promote different forms of international taxation.
  Since the United Nations is not listening to the United States, now 
it is time for Congress to back up our words. The bill I am introducing 
along with 31 colleagues states that if the United Nations or other 
international organizations continue to pursue global taxation, the 
United States will withhold 20 percent of assessed contributions to the 
regular budget of these organizations. This measure would last until 
certification is given by the President to Congress that neither the 
United Nations nor any other international organization has legal 
taxation authority in the United States, that no taxes or fees have 
been imposed on the United States, and that no taxes have been proposed 
by any of these organizations.
  The fascination of the United Nations and other international 
organizations with international taxation has gone on too long. Please 
join me in taking a stand for the sovereignty of our Nation by 
supporting this bill.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 3634. A bill to amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to 
improve the material control and accounting and data management systems 
used by civilian nuclear power reactors to better account for spent 
nuclear fuel and reduce the risks associated with the handling of those 
materials; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Spent Nuclear 
Fuel Control and Accounting Act of 2006. I am pleased to be joined by 
the Senior Senator from Vermont, Mr. Leahy, in introducing this 
legislation. In the other body, our colleague from Vermont, Congressman 
Sanders, is introducing a companion measure. This legislation is 
designed to improve the safety and security of spent nuclear fuel 
generated by our Nation's nuclear powerplants.
  Approximately 2,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel are generated 
by the Nation's 103 nuclear powerplants each year. Spent nuclear fuel 
is no longer able to generate power but is still intensely radioactive 
and continues to generate heat for tens of thousands of years. 
Radiation produced by the fuel can kill a person within minutes if they 
are directly exposed.
  Terrorist attacks in the U.S. have heightened public concern 
generally about whether this highly radioactive material could be 
stolen and used maliciously. Although the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, NRC, argues that spent nuclear fuel is ``self-protecting'' 
because of its high radioactivity, the potential for harm to human 
health and the environment warrants close attention to the control and 
accounting of this material.
  I am introducing this legislation because there have been several 
instances of lost spent nuclear fuel at operating plants in the past 
few years, including in my own home State. Such losses have eroded 
public confidence in the job the NRC is doing. Following the loss of 
spent fuel rod fragments at Vermont Yankee in 2004, I requested that 
GAO study the issue of how the NRC controls such material. In its April 
2005 report, the GAO recommended that the NRC establish requirements 
for the control of individual fuel rods and fragments and develop 
inspection procedures to verify plants' compliance.
  NRC currently has no regulations that specifically deal with the 
tracking and recordkeeping of spent nuclear fuel of this type. While 
the NRC generally has regulations requiring plant operators to maintain 
records of their spent nuclear fuel they do not specify how individual 
fuel rods and fragments should be tracked. Additionally, the NRC 
requires plant operators to inventory spent fuel at least once a year, 
but does not specify how that inventory should be conducted. Because of 
this lack of specificity in its regulations, there is considerable 
variation among nuclear powerplants in how regulations are implemented. 
Plus, the NRC no longer monitors plants' compliance with its tracking 
and accounting regulations.
  While the NRC has been working administratively to address the issues 
identified in the GAO report, the proposed legislation would require 
the NRC to more effectively control and account for spent nuclear fuel. 
The NRC needs to redouble its efforts to shore up public confidence in 
its regulatory efforts. This is a difficult task, but one that is 
critically important.
  This bill will focus on the safe operation and management of existing 
nuclear powerplants. The NRC and the nuclear industry are planning for 
a ``nuclear renaissance'' with the construction of new nuclear plants. 
The NRC estimates that it will receive 18 new license requests between 
now and the year 2012. But, we must maintain continued oversight over 
existing plants and pay particular attention to the safe management of 
spent nuclear fuel. The public needs to be confident that the current 
system operates well, or they will likely not accept a new generation 
of plants.
  The Spent Nuclear Fuel Control and Accounting Act of 2006 directs NRC 
to develop regulations which would improve the current system of 
control and accounting for spent nuclear fuel and would help prevent 
incidents like the one which occurred at Vermont Yankee.
  In the case of Vermont Yankee, operated by Entergy, the plant's 
operators discovered that two pieces of a radioactive fuel rod were 
missing from the plant's storage facilities on April 21, 2004. During a 
scheduled fuel outage, the plant conducted a special inspection 
requested by the NRC to document the location of its fuel rods, both 
spent and unspent.
  The documentation of the pieces' location was requested by the NRC as 
part of a follow up to the loss of two complete spent fuel rods at the 
Millstone plant in Connecticut in 2000. At Vermont Yankee, the missing 
pieces were 7 and 17 inches long, and came from a fuel rod sent to the 
Vermont Yankee plant by General Electric in 1979 that arrived broken. 
When the rod broke, the pieces were placed in a lead bucket at the 
bottom of the spent fuel pool, in which low-level waste was 
periodically also stored. Later it was learned that a special storage 
container was ordered from General Electric to house these pieces, and 
that they were stored in a different part of the fuel pool.
  The NRC was involved in Entergy's efforts to use a remote-control 
camera to see if the misplaced rod pieces were among the spent fuel 
rods in the plant's spent fuel pool. Entergy also reviewed paper 
records to see if two missing fuel rods from the plant were shipped to 
waste storage facilities in South Carolina or the State of Washington. 
The spent fuel rods were eventually located on July 15, 2004, after a 
search in which Entergy estimates company employees and outside 
contractors had spent between 9,000 and 10,000 hours involved in the 
search.
  A similar event occurred at the Millstone nuclear powerplant in 
Connecticut in 2000 and at the Humboldt Bay plant in California in July 
2004. Pacific Gas and Electric officials searched for three missing 
uranium components of a used nuclear fuel rod in the reactor pool at 
the decommissioned Humboldt Bay nuclear powerplant near Eureka, CA. 
Each of the pieces of the missing Humboldt Bay fuel rod is 18 inches 
long, has the width of a pencil and contains uranium fuel encased in 
steel. The rods from the Humboldt Bay and Millstone plants are still 
missing. The Millstone plant paid a $288,000 fine for the loss of its 
fuel.
  When the Millstone incident occurred, the NRC said that fuel rods had 
never before gone missing in the history of commercial nuclear power in 
the United States. While I know that the materials at Vermont Yankee 
were found to be missing due in part to a special inspection the NRC 
instituted after Millstone, the sad fact is that fuel again went 
missing. I do not want missing fuel to become the norm. It is not 
enough to tell the public that we ``think'' it is likely that highly 
radioactive material went to storage. Certainly it is poor government 
management not to look carefully at how the

[[Page S7335]]

utilities conducted these searches for missing fuel rods, draw out 
lessons, develop best management practices, and safeguard and protect 
the existing paper trail we have for the waste stored at our Nation's 
nuclear power plants. We must improve our nuclear materials accounting 
system, and my legislation is the first step in doing so.
  This legislation calls for NRC to pay special attention to loose 
individual spent fuel rods and rod fragments like those lost at the 
Vermont Yankee plant. It requires NRC to report when loose fuel rods 
and fragments result and requires NRC to conduct an annual inspection 
to make sure that plants are complying with waste tracking 
requirements. Additionally, the bill instructs NRC to develop best 
management practices for the safe storage of individual rods and 
fragments and for the inventory of spent nuclear fuel. The legislation 
will require NRC to modernize its data management systems by developing 
an updated electronic system for storing data and for tracking the 
location of spent nuclear fuel. The creation of an electronic database 
of spent fuel storage records would help secure this important 
information from aging plants that are being uprated and relicensed and 
also require the new fleet of plants to use a uniform electronic 
system. Finally, this bill would track the movement of spent nuclear 
fuel onsite at nuclear powerplants and offsite to other facilities by 
requiring that manifests indicate whether shipments contain fuel rods 
or fragments.
  I believe that this bill will be an important step towards improving 
security related to one of the most hazardous materials made by 
humans--spent nuclear fuel. This bill would increase the scrutiny on 
the tracking of this material and ensure that spent nuclear fuel 
remains safely stored in appropriate facilities and does not end up in 
the wrong hands.
  I ask unanimous consent that a copy of my bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3634

       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 ``Spent Nuclear Fuel Control 
     and Accounting Act of 2006''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) several incidents involving missing or unaccounted-for 
     spent nuclear fuel have occurred at civilian nuclear power 
     reactors, including--
       (A) the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant;
       (B) the Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant (California); and
       (C) the Millstone Nuclear Power Station (Connecticut);
       (2) weaknesses in the accounting and control of spent 
     nuclear fuel have been identified at several other civilian 
     nuclear power reactors;
       (3) data provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
     indicate that--
       (A) operators of most civilian nuclear power reactors have 
     removed spent fuel rods from their fuel assemblies; and
       (B) those rods are stored onsite in spent fuel pools or dry 
     casks or have been shipped offsite to a storage facility;
       (4) individual spent fuel rods and fragments may also 
     result from the loading of a new assembly and therefore may 
     be new fuel;
       (5) individual spent fuel rods, and especially fragments of 
     spent fuel rods, are--
       (A) highly radioactive; and
       (B) much smaller and lighter than fuel assemblies;
       (6) while regulations promulgated by the Nuclear Regulatory 
     Commission require civilian nuclear power reactors to control 
     and account for spent nuclear fuel, they do not cover--
       (A) individual spent fuel rods that have been removed from 
     an assembly; and
       (B) fragments of spent fuel rods;
       (7) the storage and oversight of individual spent fuel rods 
     at civilian nuclear power reactors have not been managed in a 
     consistent manner;
       (8) the lack of specific guidance in the regulations 
     promulgated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission relating to 
     how civilian nuclear power reactors should conduct physical 
     inventories has resulted in inconsistent compliance with 
     those regulations;
       (9) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not evaluate the 
     compliance of civilian nuclear power reactors with the 
     material control and accounting regulations promulgated by 
     the Commission;
       (10) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has much to do to 
     implement the recommendations listed in the report published 
     by the Government Accountability Office titled ``NRC Needs to 
     Do More to Ensure that Power Plants Are Effectively 
     Controlling Spent Nuclear Fuel''; and
       (11) the effective implementation of material control and 
     accounting regulations by civilian nuclear power reactors is 
     of great importance to the United States because of the 
     potential safety and security consequences for failing to 
     manage spent nuclear fuel, especially in the aftermath of 
     terrorist attacks in the United States.

     SEC. 3. MATERIAL CONTROL AND ACCOUNTING OF DISMANTLED FUEL 
                   ASSEMBLY.

       The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 et 
     seq.) is amended by adding after section 137 the following:

     ``SEC. 138. MATERIAL CONTROL AND ACCOUNTING OF INDIVIDUAL 
                   RODS AND FRAGMENTS FROM A DISMANTLED FUEL 
                   ASSEMBLY.

       ``(a) Promulgation of Regulations.--The Commission shall 
     promulgate regulations to require each civilian nuclear power 
     reactor to provide to the Commission a report that contains a 
     detailed record of each individual spent fuel rod, and each 
     fragment of a spent fuel rod, that results from the loading 
     or dismantling of a fuel assembly.
       ``(b) Annual Inspection.--The Commission shall promulgate 
     regulations to require an annual inspection by the Commission 
     of each civilian nuclear power reactor to determine the 
     compliance of the civilian nuclear power reactor with 
     regulations relating to the material control and accounting 
     of spent nuclear fuel promulgated by the Commission.

     ``SEC. 139. GUIDANCE FOR STORING INDIVIDUAL FUEL RODS AND 
                   FRAGMENTS.

       ``The Commission shall develop and make available to each 
     civilian nuclear power reactor guidance that describes--
       ``(1) best management practices relating to--
       ``(A) the procedures that a civilian nuclear power reactor 
     should use to store individual fuel rods and fragments on 
     site; and
       ``(B) the selection of suitable locations for the storage 
     of individual fuel rods and fragments; and
       ``(2) suitable inventory practices relating to--
       ``(A) the manner in which a civilian nuclear power reactor 
     should conduct an annual inventory of any spent nuclear fuel, 
     including individual fuel rods and fragments; and
       ``(B) the manner in which a civilian nuclear power reactor 
     should catalogue each item of spent nuclear fuel, including 
     individual rods and fragments located at the civilian nuclear 
     power reactor.

     ``SEC. 140. ELECTRONIC DATA MANAGEMENT AND WASTE TRACKING 
                   SYSTEM.

       ``(a) Development of System.--The Commission shall develop 
     an electronic data management and waste tracking system--
       ``(1) to store and access the records of each civilian 
     nuclear power reactor; and
       ``(2) to track the location of spent nuclear fuel including 
     individual rods and fragments.
       ``(b) Adoption of Electronic Data Management and Waste 
     Tracking System by Civilian Nuclear Power Reactors.--The 
     Commission shall promulgate regulations to require each 
     civilian nuclear power reactor--
       ``(1) in the case of a civilian nuclear power reactor that 
     is licensed before the date of enactment of this section, to 
     digitize the existing records of the civilian nuclear power 
     reactor; and
       ``(2) in the case of a civilian nuclear power reactor that 
     is licensed on or after the date of enactment of this Act, to 
     implement and use the electronic data management and waste 
     tracking system described in subsection (a).
       ``(c) Evaluation of Existing Electronic Data Management and 
     Waste Tracking Systems.--The Commission may evaluate existing 
     electronic data management and waste tracking systems to 
     determine whether those systems could be modified for 
     purposes of complying with subsection (a).''.

     SEC. 4. MANIFEST REQUIREMENT FOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL.

       The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 et 
     seq.) is amended by inserting after section 180 the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 181. MANIFEST REQUIREMENT FOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL.

       ``(a) Development of Manifest.--The Commission shall 
     develop a detailed manifest form for the onsite 
     transportation of spent fuel that indicates whether the 
     package containing the spent fuel contains individual rods or 
     fragments.
       ``(b) Promulgation of Regulations.--The Commission shall 
     promulgate regulations to require each civilian nuclear power 
     reactor to provide to the Commission a completed detailed 
     manifest form developed under subsection (a) to identify and 
     track any spent fuel rod or rod fragment that is transported 
     within the premises of the civilian nuclear power reactor.

     ``SEC. 182. IDENTIFICATION OF SPENT FUEL OR ROD FRAGMENTS 
                   TRANSPORTED OUTSIDE PREMISES OF CIVILIAN 
                   NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS.

       ``The Commission, in consultation with the Department of 
     Transportation, shall identify any spent fuel rod or rod 
     fragment that is transported outside the premises of the 
     civilian nuclear power reactor through use of manifests used 
     by the Department of Transportation.''.

     SEC. 5. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

       The table of contents of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 
     1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 note; 96 Stat. 2201) is amended--
       (1) by adding after the item relating to section 137 the 
     following:

``Sec. 138. Material control and accounting of dismantled fuel 
              assembly.

[[Page S7336]]

``Sec. 139. Guidance for storing spent nuclear fuel.
``Sec. 140. Electronic data management and waste tracking system.''.

       and;
       (2) by adding after the item relating to section 180 the 
     following:

``Sec. 181. Manifest requirement for spent nuclear fuel.
``Sec. 182. Identification of spent fuel or rod fragments transported 
              outside premises of civilian nuclear power reactors.''.
    
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. DOMENICI (for himself and Mr. Bingaman):
  S. 3635: A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to take into 
trust 2 parcels of Federal land for the benefit of certain Indian 
Pubelos on the State of New Mexico; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the 
Albuquerque Indian Schools Act of 2006. I want to thank Senator 
Bingaman for joining me as a cosponsor of the bill.
  The Albuquerque Indian Schools--AIS--Act of 2006 seeks to consolidate 
two parcels of federal land and take this land into trust for the 19 
pueblos--Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, 
Picuris, Pojoaque, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Sandia, Santa Ana, Santa 
Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Zia and Zuni. I believe this 
property, if transferred, would receive greater utilization and benefit 
the economic development of the 19 pueblos.
  In 1981, the 19 New Mexico pueblos petitioned the United States for 
the transfer of 44 acres from the Albuquerque Indian School site for 
the purpose of economic development and in 1984 the Assistant Secretary 
of the Interior conveyed the 44 acres to the pueblos. This land is 
currently under development by the 19 New Mexico pueblos. They have 
constructed a 150,000 square foot Department of the Interior building 
which houses the southern regional office of the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, BIA, and a 150,000 square foot Department of the Interior 
office building that houses the National BIA Training Center and the 
BIA Data Center. In addition, the pueblos are starting construction on 
a hotel and are preparing to begin several retail projects.
  In 2003, the 19 pueblos requested conveyance of the two remaining 
tracts of land that are located south of Interstate 40. This land 
contains various metal buildings, which have deteriorated to the point 
that they have no value at this time.
  The return of these two properties to the 19 pueblos is supported by 
the southwestern regional office of the BIA. With the addition of these 
two tracts, the 19 pueblos will be able to continue their successful 
economic development of the Albuquerque Indian School property, which 
will benefit not only the 19 New Mexico pueblos, but each individual 
tribal member.
  Mr. President I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3635

       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 ``Albuquerque Indian School 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) 19 pueblos.--The term ``19 Pueblos'' means the New 
     Mexico Indian Pueblos of--
       (A) Acoma;
       (B) Cochiti;
       (C) Isleta;
       (D) Jemez;
       (E) Laguna;
       (F) Nambe;
       (G) Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan);
       (H) Picuris;
       (I) Pojoaque;
       (J) San Felipe;
       (K) San Ildefonso;
       (L) Sandia;
       (M) Santa Ana;
       (N) Santa Clara;
       (O) Santo Domingo;
       (P) Taos;
       (Q) Tesuque;
       (R) Zia; and
       (S) Zuni.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior (or a designee).

     SEC. 3. LAND TAKEN INTO TRUST FOR BENEFIT OF 19 PUEBLOS.

       (a) Action by Secretary.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall take into trust all 
     right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the 
     land described in subsection (b) (including any improvements 
     and appurtenances to the land) for the benefit of the 19 
     Pueblos.
       (2) Administration.--The Secretary shall--
       (A) take such action as the Secretary determines to be 
     necessary to document the transfer under paragraph (1); and
       (B) appropriately assign each applicable private and 
     municipal utility and service right or agreement.
       (b) Description of Land.--The land referred to in 
     subsection (a)(1) is the 2 tracts of Federal land, the 
     combined acreage of which is approximately 18.3046 acres, 
     that were historically part of the Albuquerque Indian School, 
     more particularly described as follows:
       (1) Tract b.--The approximately 5.9211 acres located in 
     sec. 7 and sec. 8 of T. 10 N., R. 3 E., of the New Mexico 
     Principal Meridian in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as 
     identified on the map entitled ``Site Map of the Albuquerque 
     Indian School Property'' (including attachments).
       (2) Tract d.--The approximately 12.3835 acres located in 
     sec. 7 and sec. 8 of T. 10 N., R. 3 E., of the New Mexico 
     Principal Meridian in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as 
     identified on the map entitled ``Site Map of the Albuquerque 
     Indian School Property'' (including attachments).
       (c) Use of Land.--The land taken into trust under 
     subsection (a) shall be used for the educational, health, 
     cultural, business, and economic development of the 19 
     Pueblos.
       (d) Limitations and Conditions.--The land taken into trust 
     under subsection (a) shall remain subject to any private or 
     municipal encumbrance, right-of-way, restriction, easement of 
     record, or utility service agreement in effect on the date of 
     enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 4. EFFECT OF OTHER LAWS.

       (a) In General.--Except as otherwise provided in this 
     section, land taken into trust under section 3(a) shall be 
     subject to Federal laws relating to Indian land.
       (b) Gaming.--No gaming activity (within the meaning of the 
     Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.)) shall 
     be carried out on land taken into trust under section 3(a).

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I'm pleased today to join my colleague 
Senator Domenici in sponsoring the Albuquerque Indian School Act. This 
bill would direct the Secretary of Interior to take lands no longer 
being used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Albuquerque and hold them 
in trust for the benefit of the 19 pueblos. The bill disallows gaming 
on the property.
  In addition to being a good thing for the pueblos, this transfer 
promises to be beneficial to the surrounding community, as several 
deteriorating structures will be renewed and new jobs brought in. Since 
the bill would not alter the standard public process for taking the 
lands into trust, I hope this will result in a consensus among all 
concerned on the best uses of the property.
  I am pleased we are taking the first step today on a process that 
should be beneficial to the pueblos, the Federal Government, and local 
residents.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. KENNEDY:
  S. 3637. A bill to require the submittal to Congress of any 
Presidential Daily Briefing relating to Iraq during the period 
beginning on January 20, 1997, and ending on March 19, 2003; read the 
first time.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I am introducing legislation on an 
intelligence issue, p. 3637.
  The legislation requires the administration to provide the prewar 
Presidential daily briefs on Iraq to the Senate Intelligence Committee 
for its investigation on the way the administration's policymakers used 
this intelligence in its decision to go to war.
  I introduced an identical bill, S. 2175, on December 22 last year, 
but it has not yet been reported out of the Intelligence Committee.
  It is essential that the Intelligence Committee have access to all 
the information about prewar intelligence in Iraq for its 
investigation. With threats looming in North Korea and Iran, we need to 
learn from the mistakes of the past to ensure that we do not repeat 
them. The PDBs are extremely relevant to this issue, and Congress 
should have access to them.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 3638. A bill to encourage the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in projects to plan, design, and construct water supply 
projects and to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study 
and Facilities Act to encourage the design, planning, and construction 
of projects to treat impaired surface water, reclaim and reuse impaired 
groundwater, and provide brine

[[Page S7337]]

disposal in the State of California; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
to authorize water recycling and other water supply projects by the 
Inland Empire Utilities Agency, the Cucamonga Valley Water District, 
the Western Municipal Water District, the Yucaipa Valley Water 
District, and the City of Corona Water Utility. These projects will 
produce approximately 161,000 acre-feet of new water annually in one of 
the most rapidly growing regions in the United States, reducing the 
need for imported water from the Colorado River and northern California 
through the California Water Project.
  This legislation is intended to be the companion to two House of 
Representatives bills: H.R. 802, sponsored by David Dreier, Grace 
Napolitano, Ken Calvert, Joe Baca, and Gary Miller; and H.R. 1008, 
sponsored by Ken Calvert, Jerry Lewis, Joe Baca and Darrell Issa. H.R. 
802 and H.R. 1008 have each passed the House of Representatives twice, 
in both this Congress and the previous Congress.
  Environmental groups such as the Mono Lake Committee, Environmental 
Defense, Clean Water and Natural Resources Defense Council strongly 
support the water recycling and groundwater remediation projects in 
this bill. Business leaders such as Southern Cal Edison and Building 
Industry Association also support these projects.
  I would like to describe the projects in this bill:
  The Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Initiative would authorize 
two project components. The first will be constructed by the Inland 
Empire Utilities Agency--IEUA--and will produce approximately 90,000 
acre feet of new water annually. The second of these projects, to be 
constructed by the Cucamonga Valley Water District--CVWD--will produce 
an additional 5,000 acre feet of new water annually.
  The Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Initiative has the support 
of all member agencies of IEUA, as well as the water agencies 
downstream in Orange County. IEUA encompasses approximately 242 square 
miles and serves the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana--through the 
Fontana Water Company--Ontario, Upland, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga--
through the Cucamonga Valley Water District--and the Monte Vista Water 
District.
  The next project is Western Municipal Water District's Riverside-
Corona Feeder. Western provides supplemental water to a 510 square mile 
area of growing western Riverside County and serves a population of 
more than one-half million people. As a member of the Metropolitan 
Water District of Southern California--MWD--Western provides 
supplemental water to the cities of Corona, Norco, and Riverside and 
the water agencies of Elsinore Valley and Rancho California. Western 
also serves customers in the unincorporated areas of El Sobrante, Eagle 
Valley, Temescal Creek, Woodcrest, Lake Mathews, and March Air Reserve 
Base.
  The purpose of the Riverside--Corona Feeder water supply project is 
to capture and store new water in wet years in order to increase firm 
water supplies, reduce water costs, and improve water quality. The 
project will include about 20 wells and 28 miles of pipeline. Studies 
have shown the safe annual yield of the aquifer is about 40,000 acre-
feet.
  The project would allow locally stored water to replace imported 
water from Colorado River and the State project sources in times of 
drought or other shortages. The project proposes to manage the ground 
water levels by the construction of ground water wells and pumping 
capacity to deliver the pumped ground water supply to water users. A 
new water conveyance pipeline is also proposed that will serve western 
Riverside County.
  There are also very important environmental remediation aspects of 
the project. Up to half of the wells could be placed within plumes of 
VOCs and perchlorate. These wells would remediate about 20,000 acre-
feet of currently contaminated water per year.
  Next, the city of Corona Water Recycling and Reuse Project will 
consist of three reservoirs and two pump stations along with 
retrofitted user irrigation systems.
  Additionally, 27 miles of pipelines will separate recycled water from 
drinking water. The reclamation system will enable the city of Corona 
to provide recycled water to parks, landscape maintenance districts, 
schools, landscaped freeway frontages and any other project that does 
not require potable water. It will also reduce the need for increased 
water imports and construction of additional drinking water 
infrastructure.
  Finally, the Yucaipa Valley Water Supply Renewal Project will 
maximize the various water resources in the Yucaipa Valley. Federal 
funds would be used to provide federal assistance for planning, 
designing, and constructing the new Yucaipa Valley Regional Water 
Filtration Facility that is part of the renewal project. The new 
facility will contain a reverse osmosis system and a brine pipeline to 
remove salinity, contaminants, and organic compounds from the water 
supply in the Yucaipa Valley. The brine pipeline will extend nearly 20 
miles to the existing Santa Ana Regional Interceptor brine pipeline.
  This project will minimize the amount of water imported from northern 
California, maximize the use of higher quality water, reduce 
withdrawals from ground water supplies, and provide a long-term, 
drought-proof water supply. The full project is expected to reduce 
demands on the California State Water Project by over 4 billion gallons 
per year, which is a sufficient quantity of water for 27,000 families.
  I want to say a few words about the importance of water recycling 
projects.
  The development of recycled water can bring significant amounts of 
water ``on line'' in a relatively short period of time. Recycled water 
provides our State and region with the ability to ``stretch'' existing 
water supplies significantly and in so doing, minimize conflict and 
address the many needs that exist. According to the State of 
California's Recycled Water Task Force, water recycling is a critical 
part of California's water future with an estimated 1.5 million acre-
feet of new supplies being developed over the next 25 years.
  Water recycling is also a bipartisan initiative in California, as 
witnessed by the many Republican and Democratic House cosponsors of the 
House versions of the bill I introduce today.
  It also has a long history. In 1991, the Secretary of the Interior in 
President George H.W. Bush's administration, Manual Lujan, recognized 
that California would need an alternative water supply source because 
it was receiving more water from the Colorado River than its 
allocation.
  In a bold and farsighted maneuver, in August 1991, Secretary Lujan 
launched the Southern California Water Initiative, a program to 
evaluate and study the feasibility of water reclamation projects. Mr. 
Lujan's vision was to build replacement water capacity to offset the 
anticipated Colorado River water supply reductions.
  Congress, in 1992, was completing work on major water legislation saw 
the wisdom of the Lujan initiative too. Lujan's proposal, a year after 
it was first announced, became title XVI, the Bureau of Reclamation 
water recycling program that today serves the entire West, not just 
California. Today, water recycling is the essential water supply 
element in Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City, Tucson, El 
Paso, San Antonio, Portland, and other western metropolitan areas.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill to help meet the West's 
water supply needs and to reduce our dependence on the Colorado River. 
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3638

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``The Water 
     Recycling and Riverside-Corona Feeder Act of 2006''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

     TITLE I--THE INLAND EMPIRE REGIONAL WATER RECYCLING INITIATIVE

Sec. 102. Short title.
Sec. 103. Inland Empire and Cucamonga Valley recycling projects.

[[Page S7338]]

      TITLE II--PROJECTS IN RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES

Sec. 201. Planning, design, and construction of the Riverside-Corona 
              Feeder.
Sec. 202. Project authorizations.

     TITLE I--THE INLAND EMPIRE REGIONAL WATER RECYCLING INITIATIVE

     SEC. 102. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``The Inland Empire Regional 
     Water Recycling Initiative''.

     SEC. 103. INLAND EMPIRE AND CUCAMONGA VALLEY RECYCLING 
                   PROJECTS.

       (a) Recycling Projects.--The Reclamation Wastewater and 
     Groundwater Study and Facilities Act (Public Law 102-575, 
     Title XVI; 43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended by adding at 
     the end the following:

     ``SEC. 1637. INLAND EMPIRE REGIONAL WATER RECYCLING PROJECT.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
     Inland Empire Utilities Agency, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of the Inland Empire 
     regional water recycling project described in the report 
     submitted under section 1606(c).
       ``(b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the total cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall 
     not be used for operation and maintenance of the project 
     described in subsection (a).
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000.

     ``SEC. 1638. CUCAMONGA VALLEY WATER RECYCLING PROJECT.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
     Cucamonga Valley Water District, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of the Cucamonga Valley 
     Water District satellite recycling plants in Rancho 
     Cucamonga, California, to reclaim and recycle approximately 2 
     million gallons per day of domestic wastewater.
       ``(b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the capital cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall 
     not be used for operation and maintenance of the project 
     described in subsection (a).
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--The table of sections in 
     section 2 of Public Law 102-575 is amended by inserting after 
     the item relating to section 1636 the following:

``Sec. 1637. Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Program
``Sec. 1638. Cucamonga Valley Water Recycling Project''.

      TITLE II--PROJECTS IN RIVERSIDE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES

     SEC. 201. PLANNING, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE 
                   RIVERSIDE-CORONA FEEDER.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, in 
     cooperation with the Western Municipal Water District, may 
     participate in a project to plan, design, and construct a 
     water supply project, the Riverside-Corona Feeder, which 
     includes 20 groundwater wells and 28 miles of pipeline in San 
     Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California.
       (b) Agreements and Regulations.--The Secretary may enter 
     into such agreements and promulgate such regulations as are 
     necessary to carry out this section.
       (c) Federal Cost Share.--
       (1) Planning, design, construction.--The Federal share of 
     the cost to plan, design, and construct the project described 
     in subsection (a) shall be the lesser of 35 percent of the 
     total cost of the project or $50,000,000.
       (2) Studies.--The Federal share of the cost to complete the 
     necessary planning study associated with the project 
     described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 50 percent of 
     the total study cost.
       (d) In-Kind Services.--In-kind services performed by the 
     Western Municipal Water District shall be considered a part 
     of the local cost share to complete the project described in 
     subsection (a).
       (e) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary under this 
     section shall not be used for operation or maintenance of the 
     project described in subsection (a).

     SEC. 202. PROJECT AUTHORIZATIONS.

       (a) In General.--The Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
     Study and Facilities Act (Public Law 102-575, title XVI; 43 
     U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 163X. YUCAIPA VALLEY REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY RENEWAL 
                   PROJECT.

       ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
     the Yucaipa Valley Water District, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of projects to treat 
     impaired surface water, reclaim and reuse impaired 
     groundwater, and provide brine disposal within the Santa Ana 
     Watershed described in the report submitted under section 
     1606.
       ``(b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the total cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall 
     not be used for operation or maintenance of the project 
     described in subsection (a).
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000.

     ``SEC. 163X. CITY OF CORONA WATER UTILITY, CALIFORNIA, WATER 
                   RECYCLING AND REUSE PROJECT.

       ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
     the City of Corona Water Utility, California, is authorized 
     to participate in the design, planning, and construction of, 
     and land acquisition for, a project to reclaim and reuse 
     wastewater, including degraded groundwaters, within and 
     outside of the service area of the City of Corona Water 
     Utility, California.
       ``(b) Cost Share.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project authorized by this section shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the total cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not provide funds 
     for the operation and maintenance of the project authorized 
     by this section.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--The table of sections in 
     section 2 of Public Law 102-575 is amended by inserting after 
     the item relating to section 163_ the following:

``Sec. 163x. Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Supply Renewal Project
``Sec. 163x. City of Corona Water Utility, California, water recycling 
              and reuse project''.
    

                          ____________________