[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 117 (Friday, July 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 17, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2641) making 
     appropriations for energy and water development and related 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and 
     for other purposes:

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, we as leaders must face and 
prepare for the reality that America's nuclear footprint is shrinking 
and that in the coming years our national priorities will shift to 
address the looming energy crisis. With that in mind, it is abundantly 
clear that the mission and purpose of Los Alamos National Laboratory, 
located in my district, must be diversified to ensure its future 
permanence and to utilize its full potential for scientific research. I 
stand resolutely behind LANL, and will continue to fully support the 
men and women who work there, but they must recognize that the bill 
before us marks only the first step of the coming reallocation of 
resources in the nuclear complex. Only in recognizing, accepting, and 
ultimately embracing this shift, will the lab ensure that they continue 
to serve in their leading role in combating existing national security 
threats as well as others that are sure to emerge.
  That is why today, Mr. Chairman, I will be voting in favor of the 
Energy and Water Appropriations bill. In so doing, I am voting for the 
future of the lab. I am voting for what I believe will be a future as 
bright as past in helping this country meet its national security 
challenges. But as I do, I vow to help the leadership at the lab make 
this diversification a reality. I vow to help the lab remain the 
preeminent lab in the country, home to the best scientists in the 
world.
  Before we vote, however, I would like to briefly recap the steps in 
the Appropriations process that have brought us to this point today. In 
May, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water marked up its 
Fiscal Year 2008 bill and reported it to the full Appropriations 
Committee. This bill included funding cuts that would affect the core 
mission of the Lab, which gave me great concern. The bill also 
postponed funding for the RRW and CMRR, projects I have been skeptical 
of since first being proposed. I am not the only one skeptical of these 
programs, which is why this bill also wisely included a provision 
requiring the Administration to thoroughly evaluate and prepare a plan 
outlining the specific need for not only these projects, but for our 
entire nuclear stockpile before authorizing millions more taxpayer 
dollars.
  On the other hand, the bill we considered in committee included an 
unprecedented and long overdue investment in energy efficiency, 
renewable energy, and climate change research. I applauded the 
Chairman's vision for these investments, both because it is needed to 
enhance our nation's security for the future, but also because I firmly 
believe that the top-notch scientists at LANL have valuable 
contributions to make in these areas. During this discussion, I 
received assurances from the Chairman that LANL will have access to 
these new funds, but they must actively compete for them.
  The bill was voice-voted in Committee a few weeks ago and was brought 
to the floor. During that debate, I led the fight to protect the core 
mission of the Lab, offering an amendment to restore $192 million in 
funding for the Road Runner Supercomputer, the Science campaign, and 
the Lab's facilities. Not only are these areas needed for the lab to 
effectively conduct its core mission, but they will also be needed for 
diversification. However, my amendment was not an endorsement of the 
status quo regarding our nuclear weapons policy. Unfortunately, my 
amendment was defeated.
  However, during all of this, what became clear was that part of these 
funding issues for LANL had to do with preparing for conference with 
the Senate. As the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Wamp, stated on the 
House Floor, ``. . . this is the beginning of the process. I know 
Senator Domenici is going to weigh in. I love it, because these House 
leaders have given the House a better position to negotiate this bill 
from than we have ever had in my tenure here, because we need that 
leverage. Frankly, the Senate has rolled us on this bill for many 
years. Not any more. We get fair treatment. We can go in there and 
negotiate our priorities and come away with a good product.'' No one 
who follows the Appropriations process should be shocked by this 
negotiating tactic.
  In the meantime, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported a bill 
to the full Senate that provides hundreds of millions of dollars in 
funding increases for LANL. The Senate has yet to pass their 
legislation, but when they do, as we know, a conference committee will 
convene to negotiate the differences between the two versions of the 
legislation. I am confident that the final conference report will 
result in the restoration of funding for the core mission of the Lab, 
just as my amendment would have done.
  And I will certainly be working for restoration of these funds 
through conference. Nevertheless, the process to this point must serve 
as a signal that change is needed if the funding--and the permanence--
of the lab is to be certain. It would be folly to assume that the 
status quo and a static mission will be enough in the years to come. 
Instead, I hope the idea of diversification is strongly embraced and 
pursued by LANS, not only to strengthen the lab and its work force, 
although that is also important, but because the capacity of the lab to 
produce scientific greatness in pursuit of solving the gravest threats 
to our nation and to the world is too important.
  I have received assurances from the NNSA that diversifying the 
mission of the lab is possible, but the leadership of the lab must take 
the initiative to start the process. In fact, there are ongoing 
discussions at this time about a possible diversified mission for LANL. 
As we continue the funding process, it is now up to LANL to decide 
whether it wants to diversify and thrive, or remain focused only on its 
current mission, which, as we have seen this year, means an uphill 
battle. I have strongly advised and urged the leadership at the lab to 
see that diversification is the only way to ensure the future of the 
lab. I hope that those at the lab believe the same and that in the very 
near future we will begin to see a true, substantive move toward this 
important goal.

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