[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10328]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        THE GOLDEN JACKPOT AWARD

  (Mr. WAXMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is time to award another Golden Jackpot. 
Today we have two outstanding nominees. The first nominee is the 
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which is insisting on giving its 
senior executives over $65 million in bonuses at the same time the 
utility is filing for bankruptcy. That is a pretty good reward for a 
management team that both helped create the California energy crisis 
and drove the company into bankruptcy.
  Our second nominee is President Bush. President Bush has been faced 
with a choice on gasoline for California. By granting a waiver which 
was requested on a bipartisan basis by the delegation, the State 
requested a waiver on oxygenate requirements in gasoline and the 
President could have lowered gasoline prices, increased gasoline 
supplies and ensured that gasoline would cause less air pollution.
  Instead, urged on by Archer Daniels Midland and other special 
interests, the President rejected the waiver. So now California 
families may face a second energy crisis. We may have gasoline 
shortages, gasoline prices will go up, and we will not cut air 
pollution. This was a difficult decision, but this Golden Jackpot award 
is going to be presented to President Bush.

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