[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 31, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H9222-H9223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 2272, 21ST CENTURY COMPETITIVENESS ACT
OF 2007
Mr. WU. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2272) to invest in innovation through
research and development, and to improve the competitiveness of the
United States, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate
amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oregon?
There was no objection.
Motion to Instruct Offered by Mr. Hall of Texas
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct
conferees.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Hall of Texas moves that the managers on the part of
the House at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the
two Houses on the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 2272, be
instructed to:
(A) insist on the lower overall authorization level as set
forth by the House in H.R. 2272; and
(B) insist on the language of subsection (a) of Section 203
of the House bill, relating to prioritization of early career
grants to science and engineering researchers for the
expansion of domestic energy production and use through coal-
to-liquids technology and advanced nuclear reprocessing.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XXII, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu)
each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today to offer a straightforward motion to instruct conferees
on H.R. 2272, a bill to invest in innovation through research and
development, and to improve the competitiveness of the United States.
This motion to instruct the conferees simply insists that the House
conferees support the House position. It does this in two important
ways that I believe will make the conference report better and Members
on both sides of the aisle proud to support it.
First, the motion to instruct encourages the conferees to insist on
the overall House authorization level, which is considerably lower than
the Senate authorization level. In fact, estimates put the bill as
passed by the Senate at approximately $40 billion higher than the total
House authorization level.
Second, this motion to instruct insists that House conferees support
the previously adopted House position with regard to giving priority to
grants to expand domestic energy production through the use of coal-to-
liquids. That type technology and advanced nuclear reprocessing should
be used.
I believe this is an important section of the bill that will help to
ensure that we are preparing our scientists and our engineers for the
future of energy security.
Many Members of the House, both Republicans and Democrats, voted in
favor of the authorization level and voted in favor of this program,
including my good friend, the chairman of the Science and Technology
Committee. I am encouraging Members to stand up for the House position
on these two issues.
Before I explain the importance of the provision regarding grants to
expand energy production, let me take a moment to compare the
authorization level in the House bill with the authorization level in
the Senate bill.
As the ranking member of the Committee on Science and Technology, I
strongly support an increase in funding for the agencies that perform
scientific research in this country. Without these agencies, we would
fall far behind the rest of the world in innovation.
Some of the greatest inventions of our time have come from the
brilliant scientists of our country. To remain competitive as a Nation,
we must encourage new ideas and educate new young minds, but we must
also be mindful to exercise fiscal responsibility. The young minds we
are educating should not be taught irresponsible spending habits. We
have to lead by example.
The House bill contains substantial increases for the sciences very
close to the President's request, and moves us closer to the goal the
President has set out in the State of the Union Message calling for a
doubling of the spending on the sciences.
The Senate bill includes a vast increase in spending that is
approximately $8 billion above the budget request by the administration
for this year alone. I encourage my colleagues to work with me to
increase spending on science in a responsible fashion.
As we move to conference on the competitiveness bill, I also want to
encourage my colleagues to support the provision in the House bill
urging researchers to invest time and to invest money into advancing
coal-to-liquids technology and nuclear reprocessing.
There are, as my colleagues stated previously on the floor of this
Chamber, several pieces to the energy puzzle. One very important piece
continues to be the efficient and affordable research and development
of this Nation's domestic energy resources. Twenty-seven percent of the
world's recoverable coal reserves are in the United States and spread
throughout our country, which would minimize supply disruptions in the
event of a natural disaster or in the event of a terrorist attack.
We are currently importing around 60 percent of our oil supply, and
that number is projected to grow unless we do something about it. As
the Saudi Arabia of coal, if our Nation can economically produce liquid
transportation fuel from coal, we can reduce our dependence on foreign
sources of oil and increase the security of this country.
We also need to better manage our nuclear energy resources. In the
pursuit of expanding our nuclear fleet, we should encourage scientists
and engineers early in their careers to focus on the development of
abandoned nuclear reprocessing technologies. We need to invigorate our
aging nuclear sector so this energy source continues to serve as a
clean, affordable, domestic energy resource for our consumers.
The House may soon be taking up an energy package. To my knowledge,
this energy package contains no language on coal-to-liquids and very
little on nuclear energy. Given the fact that our Nation's continued
growth and prosperity depend on affordable and reliable energy
resources, I am disappointed that we are not promoting all options for
Americans. This opportunity may be one of the few Members get to
support our Nation's coal and our Nation's nuclear interests. We should
take every opportunity to address citizens' concerns with rising energy
prices. And that is why I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of
this provision on this date.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WU. May I inquire of the gentleman from Texas if he has any
further speakers?
If the gentleman from Texas does not have any further speakers, I
believe that I have the right to close.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has the right to
close.
Mr. HALL of Texas. I just continue to reserve the balance of my time.
I do want the right to close, and I have a speaker that is approaching
at this time.
{time} 1330
Mr. WU. Madam Speaker, at this point, we have no further speakers,
and
[[Page H9223]]
I would yield the floor to the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, you have indulged me as long as I
can ask you to, and so has this gentleman from way out in deep west
Texas. I'm honored to be here with him, so I will go ahead and close.
As I wrap up here, I want to encourage the House Members to support
the authorization level as it remains. It is as appropriate now as it
was when the bill was passed overwhelmingly in the House.
And I also want to reiterate my frustration of America's continued
dependence on foreign sources of energy and encourage my colleagues to
explore domestic sources of energy.
For some reason, there's a war against energy from fossil fuels going
right on down at this very time, this very day, and I'm not sure why.
Anyone with just a little common sense is able to understand that in
order to be less dependent on foreign sources of oil and to increase
our national security, we need everything we can develop. We need
conventional, renewable and alternative sources of energy. Our country
at this time will not be able to continue to thrive and lead the world
on renewable energy alone, so to punish the oil and gas industry and to
not encourage alternative uses of coal and continued use of nuclear
power is to ensure the United States will lose its place as a world
leader.
Make no mistake, I support the continued development and increased
use of renewable energy, but not at the expense of fossil fuels and
clean nuclear energy.
Madam Speaker, the House is already on record supporting this
language and this authorization level just 3 months ago. I can't think
of a reason why it wouldn't be supported again today.
I urge my colleagues to vote to keep this House-passed language in
the bill that will result from the conference committee. And, Madam
Speaker, thank you for your indulgence.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WU. Madam Speaker, I rise to make a brief closing statement.
Madam Speaker, the issues raised by the gentleman from Texas have
been solved to the satisfaction of a majority of the members of the
committee.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the motion to instruct.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct
offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam 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, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
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