[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 31148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   ENERGY AND WATER RELATED MEASURES

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank Senator Daschle for his work on this 
next group of bills. It involves a number of energy-related, water-
related bills out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. I also 
want to recognize Senator Murkowski, the chairman of the committee.
  These are quite often considered to be small bills, but to a number 
of areas or States or Senators, they are very big in importance. 
Senator Murkowski and Senator Bingaman have worked feverishly to try to 
get through a number of problems. It is one of those classic cases 
where you have one problem that develops with a bill; then it affects 
other bills. Senator Daschle took the time and the lead in working 
through some of these problems. I want to recognize the work he did.
  I also commit publicly on the record to proceed to S. 1051, the 
Northern Marianas bill, by February 15. We would have liked to have 
been able to go ahead and get a complete unanimous consent about the 
total arrangements for it being handled, but Senators who did have 
questions are now probably on airplanes headed halfway across the 
country. We will work together. I will make a commitment to bring this 
up by the 15th.
  Does Senator Daschle want to make any comment on that?
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I appreciate the commitment made by the 
majority leader. I know Senator Akaka is disappointed that it is not in 
this package of bills. He has worked, along with senator Murkowski who, 
I think, may be a cosponsor of this legislation, to pass it tonight. 
That is impossible. But I think Senator Akaka is certainly willing to 
accept the commitment made by the majority leader that by the 15th we 
will take up this legislation and hopefully resolve it successfully in 
the not-too-distant future. This is an important bill, the Marianas. It 
is an important bill for Senator Akaka, and I am appreciative of the 
commitment that is now part of the record that we will come back to 
this bill in a matter of months.

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