[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1389-1390]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-406. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Maine relative to the Gettysburg National 
     Military Park; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                            Joint Resolution

       Whereas, the United States has a history that reveals the 
     proud tradition and heritage of the American people; and
       Whereas, battlefield sites where significant military 
     engagements happened are some of the nation's most important 
     historical sites; and
       Whereas, Gettysburg was the site of one of the largest 
     battles in the history of the United States and that battle 
     is considered a turning point for the country in the Civil 
     War; and
       Whereas, President Lincoln, in giving his now famous 
     Gettysburg Address dedicating the national cemetery that is 
     located in Gettysburg, acknowledged that he could not 
     adequately dedicate or consecrate the cemetery because ``the 
     brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have 
     consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract''; 
     and
       Whereas, Gettysburg National Military Park, created shortly 
     after the battle and funded largely by private donations and 
     various states that belonged to the Union forces, covers 
     thousands of acres and contains hundreds of monuments 
     commemorating the battle; and
       Whereas, the National Park Service lacks sufficient funds 
     to adequately maintain and care for the grounds and monuments 
     and is accepting donations to help preserve the park's 
     monuments; and
       Whereas, the commitment to preserve and maintain the 
     monuments and grounds of Gettysburg National Military Park is 
     a measure of how we value this nation and its people: Now 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved: That We, your Memorialists, respectfully urge and 
     request that the United States Congress appropriate funds to 
     adequately maintain and preserve the grounds and monuments of 
     Gettysburg National Military Park; and be it further
       Resolved: That suitable copies of this Memorial, duly 
     authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to 
     the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United 
     States, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     and to each member of the Maine Congressional Delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-407. A resolution adopted by the Senate of the 
     Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts relative to 
     the shortage and cost of home heating oil in the Northeast; 
     to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                               Resolution

       Whereas, the recent severe weather in the Northeast part of 
     the country has caused a large increase in the use of home 
     heating oil; and
       Whereas, such increase has created a burden on the 
     homeowners, tenants and business people who rely on such oil 
     by adversely affecting their budgets; and
       Whereas, such increased costs have been exacerbated by the 
     large increase in the cost of such oil; and
       Whereas, such increases have raised the specter of 
     petroleum companies acting in combination to increase 
     profits, fix prices and create artificial shortages: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Massachusetts Senate hereby urges the 
     Congress of the United States and the Governor of the 
     Commonwealth to conduct an investigation and study of the 
     current shortage of home heating oil in the Northeast part of 
     the country and its attendant cost to determine whether such 
     shortage and cost are real and the result of ordinary market 
     forces or whether they are the result of price fixing and 
     artificial manipulation; and urges the Congress to request 
     the Justice Department of the United States to participate in 
     such investigation and study; and also urges the Governor of 
     the Commonwealth to direct the Department of Energy Resources 
     to participate in such investigation and study in order to 
     develop policies to prevent such shortages and cost increases 
     in the future in the Commonwealth; and be it further
       Resolved, That in the event that such investigation and 
     study shows that such increase in cost is due to a legitimate 
     shortage

[[Page 1390]]

     of oil in the marketplace, thereafter the Congress shall take 
     action to release into the marketplace an amount of oil from 
     the national reserves that is sufficient to ameliorate the 
     current cost; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted 
     forthwith by the Clerk of the Senate to the Governor of the 
     Commonwealth, to the Presiding Officer of each branch of 
     Congress and to the Members thereof from the Commonwealth.
                                  ____

       POM-408. A concurrent resolution adopted by the General 
     Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts relative to the 
     shortage and cost of home heating oil in the Northeast; to 
     the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                               Resolution

       Whereas, the recent severe weather in the Northeast part of 
     the country has caused a large increase in the use of home 
     heating oil; and
       Whereas, such increase has created a burden on the 
     homeowners, tenants and business people who rely on such oil 
     by adversely affecting their budgets; and
       Whereas, such increased costs have been exacerbated by the 
     large increase in the cost of such oil; and
       Whereas, such increases have raised the specter of 
     petroleum companies acting in combination to increase 
     profits, fix prices and create artificial shortages; 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Massachusetts General Court hereby urges 
     the Congress of the United States to commence an 
     investigation and study of the current shortage of home 
     heating oil in the Northeast part of the country and its 
     attendant cost to determine whether such shortage and cost 
     are real and the result of ordinary market forces or whether 
     they are the result of price fixing and artificial 
     manipulation; and also urges the Congress to request the 
     Justice Department of the United States to participate in 
     such investigation and study; and be it further
       Resolved, That in the event that such investigation and 
     study shows that such increase in cost is due to a legitimate 
     shortage of oil in the marketplace, thereafter the Congress 
     shall take action to release into the marketplace an amount 
     of oil from the national reserves that is sufficient to 
     ameliorate the current cost; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded by 
     the Clerk of the House of Representatives to the Presiding 
     Officer of each branch of Congress and to Members thereof 
     from the Commonwealth.

                          ____________________