[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Pages 26916-26917]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 26916]]

 PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION TO ESTABLISH AN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND 
                             CULTURE MUSEUM

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, one of the most important chapters in 
our national story of human freedom and dignity is the history and 
legacy of the African American march toward freedom, legal equality and 
full participation in American society. Yet in our Nation's front yard, 
the national mall, there is no museum set aside to honor this legacy.
  Yesterday, the Senate began the very important step toward 
establishing a national museum in Washington, DC to honor the rich 
history of African Americans.
  With the passage of H.R. 3442, a bill that creates a Presidential 
commission that will develop a plan to establish and maintain the 
National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Senate has 
taken a tremendous step closer to honoring those African Americans who 
not only fought for their own freedom but fought for the freedoms in 
this country that we enjoy today.
  I thank my colleague Senator Max Cleland for his leadership in the 
Senate on this issue. Senator Cleland worked diligently with me to 
draft a bill that would properly honor the history of African 
Americans. This legislation will enable our Nation to start the process 
that will honor this important aspect of American history.
  Specifically, the legislation creates a 19-member commission made up 
of individuals who specialize in African American history, education 
and museum professionals. The commission has 9 months to present its 
recommendations to the President and Congress regarding an action plan 
for creating a national museum honoring African Americans.
  The commission will decide the structure and makeup of the museum, 
devise a governing board for the museum, and among other action items, 
will consider planning the museum within the Smithsonian's arts and 
industries building, which is the last existing space on the national 
mall.
  As a Kansan, I feel a special connection to honoring the legacy of 
African Americans. The State of Kansas not only played a significant 
role in the civil war but also was chosen by many African American 
families as a place to begin their new life of freedom and prosperity 
in the ``exodus'' to Kansas.
  I believe that it is long over due that we properly honor African 
American history by establishing a world class museum that showcases 
the achievements of African Americans in this country. I look forward 
to the commission's recommendations for establishing this museum on the 
national mall in Washington, DC, where African American history 
belongs.
  I do not pretend that this legislation is a cure-all for the problem 
of racial division, it is, however, an important and productive step 
toward healing our nation's racial wounds. This museum will both 
celebrate African American achievement and serve as a landmark of 
national conscience on the historical facts of slavery, the 
reconstruction, the civil rights struggle and beyond.
  Dr. King expressed his hope for national reconciliation. I too hope 
``That the dark clouds of [misconceptions] will soon pass away and the 
deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched 
communities and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of 
love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their 
scintillating beauty.''
  Today, we are one step closer to fulfilling this goal. I am proud to 
be a part of honoring this magnificent history. As a nation we have an 
extraordinary opportunity before us--a chance to learn, understand and 
remember together our nation's history and to honor the significant 
contribution of African Americans to our history and culture.
  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, the gas additive MTBE has 
become a huge concern for millions across the nation because of the 
contamination that it has caused.
  That is certainly true of many communities throughout New Hampshire 
where it has become a crisis, and the crisis will continue to escalate 
unless it is dealt with.
  I have been fighting for the past two years to get the Senate to act 
on legislation that will solve this problem and up to now, unfortunate 
roadblocks have prevented this from happening.
  I was pleased last week when the majority leader made a commitment to 
me that the Senate will vote on MTBE legislation before the end of 
February and I know that the majority leader will honor that commitment 
and I want to express my appreciation to him for working with me.
  Until the day that vote arrives, I will continue to come to the floor 
to remind Senators of the terrible impact that MTBE is having on the 
nation and remind them why it is important that we act now.
  Make no mistake about it--cleaning up MTBE contamination and 
preventing further contamination is something that the residents of New 
Hampshire are demanding and I will do all that I can to solve this 
problem.
  Let me step back and provide some background on how we got where we 
are and why this legislation is so important to those many States that 
have suffered from MTBE contamination.
  MTBE has been a component of our fuel supply for two decades.
  In 1990, the Clean Air Act was amended to include a clean gasoline 
program.
  That program mandated the use of an oxygenate in our fuel--MTBE was 
one of two options to be used.
  The problem with MTBE is its ability to migrate through the ground 
very quickly and into the water table.
  Several States have had gasoline leaks or spills lead to the closure 
of wells because of MTBE.
  MTBE is only a suspected carcinogen, but its smell and taste do 
render water unusable.
  Many homes in New Hampshire and across the nation have lost use of 
their water supply because of MTBE contamination.
  According to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, 
there may be up to 40,000 private wells with some MTBE contamination 
and of those, up to 8,000 may have MTBE contamination over State health 
standards.
  Because of MTBE, New Hampshire has been left with no option but to 
divert funds from other programs in order to pay for safe water for 
residents with contaminated wells, in many instances, the State has had 
to provide bottled water.
  They are also installing and maintaining extremely expensive 
treatment equipment and these costs are so expensive that an average 
family could not afford to have clean drinking water without 
assistance.
  Yesterday, I came to the Senate floor to talk about the hardships 
faced by many in the Western part of New Hampshire and I focused on the 
plight a small business owner and two families in the Richmond area.
  Today I want to talk about those in the Southern part of New 
Hampshire that have faced similar problems.
  This past spring, as chairman of the Environment and Public Works 
Committee, I held a hearing in Salem, NH, at the hearing, the committee 
heard about the nightmares caused by MTBE.
  I want to take a moment to tell you about one particular witness who 
lives in Derry, NH, Mrs. Christina Miller shared with the committee the 
experience that her family and neighbors have been dealing with because 
of MTBE.
  Mrs. Miller, her husband Greg, and their infant son Nathan live in 
the Frost Road community in Derry, the area has been particularly hard 
hit by MTBE.
  The gas additive was first detected there a little over three years 
ago and the concentration of MTBE in the well water was over ten times 
higher than the level where a person can smell it and taste it.
  Since the discovery of MTBE in the wells, testing in the neighborhood 
has been on-going.

[[Page 26917]]

  Currently, some 40 homes in the Frost Road community are being 
monitored for MTBE and so far, seven treatment systems, including one 
in the Miller home, have been installed in homes on and around Frost 
Road.
  In April of last year, while Mrs. Miller was pregnant with Nathan, a 
water sample from the Miller well showed a high MTBE contamination 
level, and due to this discovery, the Millers began receiving bottled 
water from the State to replace the contaminated drinking water.
  But while bottled water is fine for drinking, Mrs. Miller pointed out 
that it doesn't help with other daily needs such as: bathing; washing 
fruits and vegetables; and cooking.
  There is also the potential health concerns associated with the 
contamination and not much is known about the health affects of MTBE--
but when you have a new born, as the Miller's do with Nathan, the 
health uncertainties add to the already existing anxiety.
  The State has installed a treatment system in their basement and it 
is a large, cumbersome intrusion in their house--it is also expensive.
  This system consists of a residential air stripper and two carbon 
filter units and while the State is currently paying for the system, 
there is the concern about how long this will last and whether they 
will pay for any upgrades as well.
  Needless to say, with the MTBE contamination and the presence of a 
large treatment system in their home, the Millers' are quite concerned 
with impact on the home's resale value.
  What adds to the concerns is that the State still has not been able 
to determine the source of the MTBE.
  It is a bad situation--one that begs for a remedy and the people of 
Derry are looking for help and relief from this federally mandated gas 
additive that has caused so much pain.
  This problem is not unique to new Hampshire, it exists in Maine 
California, Nevada, Texas, New York, and on and on.
  In fact, in Maine, one single car accident rendered 12 drinking wells 
unusable--just like that--we must do something.
  I have a bill that has been reported out of committee two years in a 
tow--briefly, the bill will: Authorize $400 million out of the Leaking 
Underground Storage Tank Fund (LUST Fund) to help the states clean up 
MTBE contamination; Ban MTBE four years after enactment of this bill; 
Allow Governors to waive the gasoline oxygenate requirement of the 
Clean Air Act; Preserve environmental benefits on air toxics, and; 
Provide funds to help transition from MTBE to other clean, safe fuels.
  Also, I am very pleased to be joining our subcommittee ranking 
member, Senator Chafee in introducing a new underground storage tank 
bill that includes MTBE cleanup funding.
  The time to act is now--Just as I said yesterday, I will continue to 
come to the floor until the Senate acts on this issue. It is time to 
help out the families who have fallen victim to a Federal mandate.

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