[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 154 (Thursday, October 31, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7730-S7732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. MARKEY:
  S. 1627. A bill to amend title VI of the Public Utility Regulatory 
Policies Act of 1978 to establish a Federal renewable electricity 
standard for retail electricity suppliers and a Federal energy 
efficiency resource standard for electricity and natural gas suppliers, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, as for the other win for Massachusetts, 
today I am introducing my first major piece of legislation as a 
Senator. My bill, the American Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act, 
will allow every single American to have access to clean energy and 
money-saving efficiency.
  In our slow economic recovery, there has been one very bright spot in 
Massachusetts and the national economy, the incredible growth of clean 
energy, energy efficiency, and the jobs that come with these 
industries.
  According to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, our State alone 
has gained 20,000 jobs in these sectors since 2010, with another 10,000 
new jobs expected in the next year alone. Massachusetts has become the 
Nation's most energy-efficient State. Boston is ranked as the Nation's 
most energy-efficient city. Our shores will host the first offshore 
wind farm, with a new construction terminal built in New Bedford, 
allowing our fishermen to work alongside our wind energy workers. 
Massachusetts is No. 7 in the Nation in deploying solar energy, even 
though we are more well known for the ``Perfect Storm'' than perfectly 
sunny days.
  These advances, these jobs, these technologies have flourished in 
Massachusetts because we have set the right policies and encouraged our 
companies to lead.
  Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick set high goals for clean energy 
deployment in our State, and we have already surpassed them. Boston 
Mayor Tom Menino wanted Boston to be known as green for just more than 
the Green Monster in Fenway Park, and he has delivered. Boston is now 
the greenest city in the United States. That is why I am introducing my 
first bill as a Senator to take our Massachusetts leadership and make 
it national.
  My bill would require that electricity sold to American consumers 
increasingly be generated using renewable sources such as wind, solar, 
hydro, geothermal, and biomass. By 2025, the bill would require 25 
percent of our electricity to come from the free fuel of the Sun, the 
wind, and the Earth.
  Since the cheapest and the cleanest powerplant is the one we never 
have to build, my bill would also require utilities to put people to 
work on large-scale energy efficiency programs.
  My bill would build on the efforts of Massachusetts and the 30 other 
States that already require utilities to provide customers with minimal 
amounts of renewable electricity and ensure that America joins the 118 
other nations that have already established renewable energy goals.
  My bill would quadruple renewable energy production in the United 
States. It would create more than 400,000 new jobs. We can put 
steelworkers and ironworkers and electricians back to work building the 
new energy backbone for America, from Massachusetts to Montana.
  The energy efficiency measures in my bill would save the average 
household $39 per year on utility bills, and it would reduce carbon 
dioxide pollution by the equivalent output of 120 coal-fired 
powerplants, helping our efforts to battle the advancing tide of 
dangerous climate change.
  A renewable electricity standard passed the House of Representatives 
twice while I was a Member of the body--as recently as 2009--and it has 
passed the Senate three times since 2002. Before it was held hostage 
over the Affordable Care Act, the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency 
bill showed there is real bipartisan support for energy efficiency in 
the Senate. These are policies that should be embraced and not blocked.
  If we do not take these steps, we will lose the international race to 
dominate the multitrillion-dollar clean energy sector. Right now, China 
has already overtaken the United States as the No. 1 most attractive 
place to invest in renewable energy. Sixty percent of all new companies 
going public in the clean energy sector are doing so in China. More 
than 100,000 clean energy jobs are being created there annually. China 
now has more wind capacity installed than any other country, and they 
produce two-thirds of the world's solar panels.
  It is time for our country to scale up our clean energy deployment 
and innovation. It is also time to take a look at revolutionary 
approaches to driving that innovation. All too often we are unable to 
move clean energy-related discoveries and breakthroughs out of the labs 
and into the marketplace.
  That is the problem my clean tech consortia legislation addresses. I 
have included this bill as part of the Manufacturing Jobs for America 
Initiative, launched this week by Senator Coons and some of my 
Democratic colleagues. My bill would fertilize America's innovation 
ecosystems so that scientific breakthroughs can more effectively 
navigate the so-called valley of death between the lab and the factory 
and reach their commercial potential.
  America's universities and research institutions are truly national 
treasures, and our venture capitalists and entrepreneurs are the 
sharpest in the world. When we sprinkle the right mix of scientific 
brainpower and capitalist drive, we get something uniquely American and 
extremely potent in terms of its economic impact.
  My clean tech consortia bill, which I will soon be introducing, will 
link inventors with investors, professors with producers and get clean 
energy out of the laboratories and into the factories. That is the type 
of partnership we need with the private sector right now in our 
country.
  The other bill I have included in this package, the Manufacturing 
Jobs for America Initiative, and which I will also be introducing soon, 
is called the Build America Bonds Initiative. Here is how it works and 
here is what it does.
  When a State or local government wants to build and renovate schools, 
bridges, roads, and hospitals, they need financing, and they issue a 
bond. Investors buy those bonds, giving the State capital to hire 
workers and update infrastructure, and investors get a return in the 
form of interest. Build America Bonds say to State and local 
governments: We will help with the interest payments and help put more 
Americans back to work.
  From the inception of this program in April 2009 to when it expired 
at the end of 2010, there were 2,275 separate

[[Page S7731]]

bonds issued nationwide, which supported more than $181 billion of 
financing for new public capital infrastructure projects, such as 
bridges, schools, and hospitals.
  Build America Bonds were a huge success in Massachusetts. My State 
issued close to $5 billion in bonds. Build America Bonds helped finance 
Massachusetts' Accelerated Bridge Program, which repaired and rebuilt 
hundreds of structurally deficient bridges.
  Other examples of projects include a new laboratory at UMass Amherst, 
a new courthouse in Salem, and a new building at the Worcester State 
Hospital--improving energy efficiency and reducing costs.
  I plan to work with my good friends Senator Wyden and Congressman 
Neal--both leaders on this issue--to ensure we continue to invest in 
both our infrastructure and our future.
  These are the kinds of programs that will put America back to work. I 
want American workers to build and export wind turbines and solar 
panels that say ``Made in America,'' instead of the American economy 
importing millions of barrels of oil a day that say ``Made by OPEC.''
  I want American inventors dreaming up the newest energy technologies 
that convert patent applications for a prototype into job applications 
on the factory floor. I want American workers repairing our crumbling 
bridges, roads, and schools.
  We are in a terrestrial technology and manufacturing race as 
important as the celestial race President Kennedy began 50 years ago. 
These are three of the programs that will put America into a new 
economic orbit, looking down on our competitors. We should pass all 
three and put America back to work.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 1636. A bill to redesignate certain facilities of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration; to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
to commemorate one of our nation's greatest heroes, Neil Armstrong, by 
re-designating the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force 
Base as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center.
  The legislation will also rename the Western Aeronautical Test Range 
at Edwards Air Force Base as the Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test 
Range, as a tribute to Dr. Dryden's enduring legacy.
  There are few men in history who have made such substantial 
contributions to our understanding of aeronautics and our solar system.
  Neil Armstrong took the most important steps in the history of 
mankind when he stepped off Apollo 11.
  Dr. Dryden shaped the principles and policies that led to the 
development of the nation's first high speed aircraft.
  Their work in the Antelope Valley, outside Los Angeles, helped create 
one of our nation's most productive high-skilled manufacturing hubs. 
Their legacy remains today, and it is fitting that their names are 
attached to these outstanding facilities.
  Dr. Hugh Dryden was one of our Nation's first and most prominent 
scholars in the fields of high speed aeronautics and aerodynamics.
  Dr. Dryden began his distinguished career at the Bureau of Standards 
and quickly rose to become the Associate Director by 1934.
  During World War II, Dr. Dryden dedicated his considerable talents to 
serving armed forces as a scientific advisor, working on aeronautical 
matters and guided missiles. For his work on these issues, Dr. Dryden 
received the Medal of Freedom from the Army in 1946 and Presidential 
Certificate of Merit in 1948--two of our nation's highest honors for 
civilian service.
  Following the war, Hugh Dryden became the Director of the National 
Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, NACA. Eventually, when the advisory 
committee was formalized in 1958 and became the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration, NASA, Dr. Dryden served as its first Deputy 
Director.
  Neil Armstrong is another man that inspired Americans to look to the 
skies. He may have been born in Ohio, but his life's work was done in 
California.
  In his early years he was stationed in San Diego as a Naval Aviator. 
Although he left the state to pursue an undergraduate degree, he 
returned shortly thereafter to become a test pilot at Edwards Air Force 
Base.
  As a NASA test pilot, Armstrong flew more than 200 different models 
of aircraft. His experience included work with jets, helicopters, 
rockets and gliders, and he became one of the best known pilots of the 
X-15 test plane.
  Even before he became an astronaut, Armstrong reached unbelievable 
heights and speeds. While working with the X-15 from November 1960 to 
July 1962, he reached a top altitude of 207,500 feet and a top speed of 
3,989 mph.
  Neil Armstrong logged an incredible 2,400 flight hours as a test 
pilot at Dryden Flight Research Center before setting his sights even 
higher.
  In 1962, Neil Armstrong became an Astronaut.
  His career as an Astronaut began with Gemini 8 in 1966. The mission 
began with a landmark success--Neil Armstrong and his partner David 
Scott successfully docked their Gemini capsule with the Agena satellite 
in orbit. It was the first time two spacecraft linked up in space.
  However, shortly after the docking, the spacecraft began to spin out 
of control. After the spacecraft separated, Gemini and its astronauts 
were rolling at a revolution per second. The violent revolutions 
threatened the vision and consciousness of Armstrong and Scott, and so 
Armstrong made the controversial decision to abort the mission. Gemini 
8 splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean safely, but only part of its 
mission had been accomplished.
  As a veteran astronaut, Armstrong was an obvious choice for the 
Apollo missions.
  His first assignment was Apollo 11; it was the fifth manned Apollo 
mission and the first manned landing on the lunar surface. Accompanying 
Armstrong on the mission were Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins--both 
accomplished astronauts in their own right.
  The Apollo 11 crew launched atop a Saturn V rocket from Cape 
Canaveral on July 16, 1969. It took more than four days for the crew to 
reach the lunar surface. Armstrong and Aldrin approached the lunar 
surface while Collins manned the command vehicle in orbit.
  The goal was to find a safe landing zone, which proved more difficult 
than expected. With only 25 seconds of fuel remaining, the ``Eagle'' 
landed on July 20, 1969, at the Sea of Tranquility.
  As he stepped off Apollo 11, Armstrong uttered his famous words, 
``That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.''
  Armstrong and Aldrin spent two and a half hours on the lunar surface. 
They took photographs, inspected the condition of the lander, and 
planted the American Flag to commemorate their incredible achievement.
  It was the first and last time Armstrong would visit the moon. 
Shortly after Apollo 11's safe return to Earth, Armstrong announced 
that he did not intend to fly in space again.
  But his time in public life was not quite finished. Armstrong toured 
the world as a celebrity on the ``Giant Leap'' tour. He visited the 
Soviet Union to meet with the Premier and joined Bob Hope on a USO tour 
in Vietnam.
  Upon his return, Armstrong completed his Master of Science in 
Aerospace Engineering at the University of Southern California.
  He worked briefly for the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA, 
and served as Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics at NASA.
  In 1971, he returned to Ohio to teach the next generation of 
engineers at the University of Cincinnati. By the end of his career, 
Armstrong had been decorated by 17 countries and received many notable 
honors, including: the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Congressional 
Gold Medal; the Congressional Space Medal of Honor; the Explorers Club 
Medal; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy; the NASA Distinguished 
Service Medal; the Harmon International Aviation Trophy; the Royal 
Geographic Society's Gold Medal; the Federation Aeronautique 
Internationale's Gold Space Medal; the American Astronautical Society 
Flight Achievement Award; the Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA 
Astronautics Award; the Octave Chanute Award; and the John J. 
Montgomery Award.

[[Page S7732]]

  His long list of accolades demonstrates just how incredible and 
inspirational Armstrong was, not only for California and our nation, 
but around the world as well.
  Tragically, we lost Neil A. Armstrong on August 25 last year. But his 
legacy will live on and continue to inspire the next generation of 
engineers, scientists, and astronauts.
  In a fitting tribute, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said that: 
``As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included 
in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world 
beyond our own.''
  Neil Armstrong's work, career, and legacy have inspired many 
accomplishments and discoveries beyond his own personal achievements. 
It is only fitting that the Dryden Flight Research Center, which is 
located at the base where his career quite literally took off, be 
renamed in his honor.
  This is a simple bill that will help to appropriately pay tribute to 
two individuals who have helped shape and define the space and 
aeronautical industries. I urge my colleagues to support this bill to 
re-designate the Dryden Flight Research Center as the Neil A. Armstrong 
Flight Research Center and the Western Aeronautical Test Range as the 
Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range.
  Mr. President, 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. 1636

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

     SECTION 1. REDESIGNATION OF DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER.

       (a) Redesignation.--The National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration (NASA) Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center 
     in Edwards, California, is redesignated as the ``NASA Neil A. 
     Armstrong Flight Research Center''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     flight research center referred to in subsection (a) shall be 
     deemed to be a reference to the ``NASA Neil A. Armstrong 
     Flight Research Center''.

     SEC. 2. REDESIGNATION OF WESTERN AERONAUTICAL TEST RANGE.

       (a) Redesignation.--The National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration (NASA) Western Aeronautical Test Range in 
     California is redesignated as the ``NASA Hugh L. Dryden 
     Aeronautical Test Range''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     test range referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to 
     be a reference to the ``NASA Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test 
     Range''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. McCONNELL (for himself and Mr. Coats):
  S.J. Res. 27. A joint resolution providing for congressional 
disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule 
submitted by the Internal Revenue Service of the Department of the 
Treasury relating to liability under section 5000A of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 for the shared responsibility payment for not 
maintaining minimum essential coverage; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 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.J. Res 27

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress 
     disapproves the rule submitted by the Internal Revenue 
     Service of the Department of the Treasury relating to 
     liability under section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code of 
     1986 for the shared responsibility payment for not 
     maintaining minimum essential coverage (published at 78 Fed. 
     Reg. 53646 (August 30, 2013)), and such rule shall have no 
     force or effect.

                          ____________________