[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H8349-H8350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      VERITAS TELESCOPE RELOCATION

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend 
the rules and pass the Senate joint resolution (S.J. Res. 35) to amend 
Public Law 108-331 to provide for the construction and related 
activities in support of the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope 
Array System (VERITAS) project in Arizona.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate joint resolution.
  The text of the Senate joint resolution is as follows:

                              S.J. Res. 35

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. LOCATION OF VERITAS PROJECT.

       Public Law 108-331 (118 Stat. 1281) is amended--
       (1) in the long title, by striking ``on Kitt Peak near 
     Tucson, Arizona'' and inserting ``in Arizona''; and
       (2) in section 1, by striking ``on Kitt Peak near Tucson, 
     Arizona'' and inserting ``at the Fred Lawrence Whipple 
     Observatory Base Camp on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, or other 
     similar location''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Graves) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise 
and extend their remarks and add any extraneous materials to S.J. Res. 
35.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 
such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of S.J. Res. 35, which amends Public Law 108-331. 
This public law provided for the construction and location and related 
activities in support of the VERITAS project in Arizona.
  Madam Speaker, this Senate resolution amends this law by identifying 
another location for the VERITAS project. S.J. Res. 35 authorizes the 
Smithsonian to relocate the telescope to Fred Lawrence Whipple 
Observatory Base Camp on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, from the original site 
at Kitt Peak, Arizona. This is a simple but necessary change, and I 
urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Senate Joint Resolution 35 that 
would amend Public Law 108-331 to provide for the Smithsonian 
Institution's construction of certain facilities in support of the Very 
Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System, or VERITAS.
  The VERITAS project is a collaboration with the National Science 
Foundation and the Department of Energy as the lead agencies. 
Universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and 
Ireland are participants in this work.
  The goal of the VERITAS project is to increase our ability to view 
gamma-ray radiation in space.

                              {time}  1715

  Studying gamma ray radiation from objects like exploding stars and 
black holes will help increase our scientific understanding of the 
universe. In 1968, the first telescope was created to observe this 
gamma ray radiation. VERITAS significantly enhances this technology.
  In 2004, Congress authorized the Smithsonian to construct a control 
building to support the VERITAS project. The control building would 
include space for computers, technical equipment, and other facilities 
for researchers to carry out their work with the new telescopes.
  The original legislation authorized the control building to be built 
in Kitt Peak, Arizona, where the VERITAS project was expected to be 
located. Site and construction preparation began in Kitt Peak in 2004 
on land leased to the U.S. Government by a local Indian tribe. 
Unfortunately, in 2005, the

[[Page H8350]]

project was halted when a lawsuit was brought and the National Science 
Foundation issued a stop work order.
  As a result, the NSF and the DOE began to undertake new environmental 
assessments of the Kitt Peak site and, in 2005, started initial work on 
the VERITAS telescopes 35 miles away at the Fred Lawrence Base Camp in 
Mount Hopkins, Arizona. The plan was to move the telescopes to Kitt 
Peak following completion of the necessary assessments.
  However, the assessment process continued into 2007 and there were 
concerns about missing windows of opportunities for joint work planned 
with NASA's gamma ray telescope satellite.
  In light of this, the VERITAS team sought and received approval from 
the United States Forest Service to test the telescopes at the Whipple 
Base Camp. The testing revealed that the Whipple location produced 
results comparable with those they expected at Kitt Peak. As a result, 
the collaborative partners agreed that the VERITAS project should 
remain at the Whipple Base Camp.
  The legislation enacted in 2004 authorized the construction of a 
control building by the Smithsonian for the project; however, it 
specified Kitt Peak, Arizona, as the project location.
  The Senate resolution today would amend that law to authorize the 
construction of the control building at the Whipple Base Camp in Mount 
Hopkins, Arizona, where the VERITAS project is now located.
  This resolution does not authorize any additional funds for the 
project. The resolution simply authorizes the change in the location of 
the project at no additional cost.
  I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  If the gentlelady does not have any further speakers, Madam Speaker, 
I would go ahead then and yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of S.J. Res. 
35, which amends Public Law 108-331 to provide for the construction and 
related activities in support of the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging 
Telescope Array System, ``VERITAS'', project in Arizona. Public Law 
108-331 was passed in October 2004 during the 108th Congress.
  This joint resolution authorizes the Smithsonian Institution to 
permanently locate the telescope at the Fred Lawrence Whipple 
Observatory Base Camp on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, which is approximately 
35 miles from the original site, Kitt Peak's Horseshoe Canyon. The 
Smithsonian Institution has set up the telescope at this site on an 
interim basis and the VERITAS Science Consortium and Smithsonian 
Astrophysical Observatory request that the VERITAS telescope remain at 
the Whipple Observatory for the rest of its scientific life. As a 
result, the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution requests an 
amendment to Public Law 108331 to authorize the Board to locate the 
VERITAS telescope at Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory Base Camp on 
Mount Hopkins, Arizona, or other similar location.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S.J. Res. 35.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I just urge 
support and yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the Senate joint resolution, S.J. Res. 
35.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GRAVES. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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