September 29, 1998 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S11099 where is played they felt the ness, the frankness, the decency of UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST— same excitement and the same enthu- both Mark McGwire and ? H.R. 4060 siasm that we did. Just remember, on a number of those Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I note To both Mark McGwire and to very important home runs, those peo- there is a minority Member on the Sammy Sosa, we say congratulations ple who caught that ball, without one floor. I would not make this request if and thank you for a wonderful season. moment’s hesitation—until right at there was not. Mr. Sosa has some more games to play the end, of course—they said the ball I ask unanimous consent that the with the . But I did not belongs to him; they weren’t trying to Senate now proceed to the consider- want this moment to pass without ask- get rich. It was just absolutely mar- ation of the conference report to ac- ing this body to consider acting on velous for the United States to see that company H.R. 4060; that there be 40 something that I think is a good idea. kind of thing happen. minutes for debate, with 30 minutes Actually, I read about it on the sports Then to see the friendship between under the control of Senator GRAHAM page. Bernie Miklasz’ column in the St. two people who are really at war in a from Florida; and that the remaining Louis Post-Dispatch suggested it. I very civil and different kind of way to 10 minutes be equally divided between talked to my friends at the St. Louis break this title, which both of them Senator REID of Nevada and myself, as Cardinals and they have been thinking did, which has been there for 37 years, ranking member and chairman, respec- about it. You see, there is an interstate and see how they related to each other. tively, managers of the bill. I further highway that runs through St. Louis, I think they have become genuine ask unanimous consent that upon the interstate 70—a very fortuitous num- friends while they have proceeded, each conclusion or yielding back of time, ber, given the feat that Mr. McGwire in their individual way, to try to break the conference report be adopted and has achieved. one of the most important and difficult the motion to reconsider be laid upon There are some of us—we don’t want athletic standards in all of organized the table. to raise a question, be nitpicking—who athletics worldwide. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there think he actually 71, if you count I believe if the Senate understands objection? one in Milwaukee. But we are willing what has happened, they are going to Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, on be- to pass on that one and say that there approve that very soon. I commend the half of another Democratic Senator, I were 70 home runs that were hit. I am Senator for it, and I hope Mark must respectfully object. going to propose a measure today to McGwire and his family understand the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- designate a portion of interstate 70 in reason for you doing this and why we tion is heard. Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I had Missouri as the Mark McGwire Inter- are probably going to unanimously ac- hoped the Senator would have stated state Route 70; through St. Louis Coun- cept it. I thank the Senator. the name of the Senator, because he ty and St. Louis City, to recognize the Mr. President, I ask unanimous con- has already talked to us, so we all man who has not only brought baseball sent to speak as in morning business back to the top of everybody’s mind know who it is. and then proceed to a unanimous con- Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I say to and heart, but has done a tremendous sent request. my friend, he can mention the name amount for the community as well. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without because he knows more than I do. I This, I think, is a small measure for objection, it is so ordered. don’t know the name. us to undertake. We are contacting our Mr. DOMENICI. Distinguished Sen- colleagues in the House to ask for their f ator HARKIN is the Senator who told support. The mayor of St. Louis has in- me he is going to object. He is not here, dicated his support, and we are asking RESTORING CONFIDENCE TO so the Senator from Montana is object- others to join with us. We hope to have WORLD FINANCIAL MARKETS ing. clearance later on today, if we can ob- Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, the I say to the Senate—in a way to the tain clearance to pass it in wrap-up. absent Senator HARKIN—frankly, this We also invite additional cosponsors. Federal Reserve today decided to cut interest rates, and this is a very impor- is a completed conference report on I have three who wish to cosponsor it one of the required annual appropria- to recognize this tremendous feat and tant step toward restoring confidence and stability in the world’s financial tions bills. From what I understand, to designate this in honor of the man there is no objection to this bill. From markets. It shows that the world’s pol- who has really brought the thrill back what I understand, it passed the House icymakers are taking an active role in to baseball and has shown that human 389 to 25. beings have tremendous talent. ensuring that financial contagion does We are all engaged in trying to get I send to the desk a bill to designate not spread further. It is also an insur- the appropriations bills passed because the Mark McGwire Interstate Route 70. ance policy against further damage to that is our duty. We are supposed to Mr. President, I ask unanimous con- the U.S. economy from international have them finished before the fiscal sent, before being referred, that the bill events which currently are out of our year ends, and there are constant com- be held at the desk to seek clearance control. plaints that we don’t get it done. from the minority side of the aisle. However, the U.S. Federal Reserve Essentially, tomorrow is the end of The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without cannot resolve the current financial the year. We worked very hard, Demo- objection, it is so ordered. crisis alone. Investors are shunning the crats and Republicans, House and Sen- Mr. DOMENICI addressed the Chair. emerging markets because of a height- ate, to get this bill done, to meet it, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ened sense of the risk that is there. In have it within our allocation so it does ator from New Mexico. order to get money flowing to these re- not break the budget, to do it in the Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, has gions again, nations must improve way that most probably will get a Senator BOND finished? their banking regulations and must Presidential signature. Mr. BOND. Yes. make information about their financial The Corps of Engineers, the Bureau Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, in a systems more available. This will as- of Reclamation, the entire Department moment I am going to ask consent on sure investors and will help resolve of Energy, both defense and non- something, but I thank Senator BOND much of the current crisis. defense, the Nuclear Regulatory Com- and congratulate him for what he did As policymakers, we should aid the mission—they cannot help Senator today. I don’t know if we can do any- Fed’s effort to restore international HARKIN. They are all in this bill. They thing that is enough in response to the confidence by approving the Inter- should get their funding. They can’t marvelous baseball year that Mark national Monetary Fund’s request with help Senator HARKIN solve the problem McGwire and others have given to the appropriate amendments. We should of the labor, health, and human serv- American people. also remain confident that the Fed will ices bill, which the Senator from Iowa I suggest that in an America that has continue to act in a way that ensures thinks needs a further allocation of re- grown so cynical about anything, maximum U.S. long-term growth, as sources in order to accomplish what he, wasn’t it a marvelous thing to see how they have done in the past and, as I as ranking member, thinks should be the people responded to the genuine- gather, they decided to do today. done.

VerDate Mar 15 2010 03:49 Oct 31, 2013 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\1998SENATE\S29SE8.REC S29SE8 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S11100 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 29, 1998 In addition, I suggest, at the request Many of these roads, though, have to go out. The bridge just collapsed. of the President, this bill includes a outlived their intended purpose. They This guy’s pickup went down on the provision to resolve a dispute between are no longer needed. That is, they are collapsed bridge on the authorized the District of Columbia courts and the built essentially to harvest timber, a road. Obviously, the bridge has rotted Public Defenders Office. We included lot of them, or built for a specific pur- out. that provision in the bill because this pose and that purpose is no longer in In other cases, the authorized roads has to be enacted before the end of the use. So the roads therefore are no create environmental hazards. I might current year. If that does not happen, longer needed. tell you what the top road is. This is a then the public defenders—the entire About 40 percent of the 370,000 miles road on the Mount Baker/Snoqualmie office, which defends those in the Dis- of authorized roads are maintained to National Forest that has washed out. trict who cannot afford their own law- public safety and environmental stand- These types of washouts often clog yers, will not be able to meet its pay- ards. The remaining 60 percent are in streams, as you might guess. They kill roll. poor condition and in many cases are a fish. That is pretty obvious. And in the The leadership of the House and Sen- threat—a real threat—to the public middle of the night, they can be one ate Appropriations Committee wanted safety or a threat to water quality or heck of a pothole. Senator REID and me to address that often a threat to wildlife habitat. When roads such as these are unsafe, problem, and we were able to do that In addition to these authorized roads, or cause environmental problems, we with the help of Chairman MCDADE and the Forest Service estimates that there have two options. One is to fix the his ranking member, Representative are at least 60,000 miles of additional road; and the other is to decommission FAZIO from the State of California. roads. These unauthorized roads are the road. Just a fancy way of saying I hope Senator HARKIN will recon- sometimes referred to as ghost roads. closing it. sider this objection and will let us This is a photograph, Mr. President, In deciding which roads to upgrade or adopt this conference report. All I can of typical ghost roads. These are cre- close, the Forest Service sets prior- say is, in all honesty, Senator HARKIN ated when somebody decides that he or ities, obviously, based on public safety, and those who feel like he does, holding she wants to drive a pickup, a car, or a based on environmental concerns, on a this bill up is not going to help one bit four-wheeler to a stream, or whatnot. forest-by-forest basis. resolve the problem that centers After a while, a few people drive back Let’s face it, road closures can be a around how much money should Labor, and forth and we end up with an unau- big issue in some parts of the country. Health, and Human Services have to thorized road or a ghost road. I know that is very much the case in spend this year on its annual appro- Another example is here. Here is a my State of Montana; people have priations. It is just not going to help. young fellow on a bicycle. It is close, strongly held views as to which roads There is nobody suggesting the perhaps, to a stream. It is hard to tell should be closed and which roads not. money ought to come out of this bill. from this photograph, but basically These are not easy decisions for the There is nobody suggesting that the so- after a bit more use it becomes kind of Forest Service to make. But the Forest lution to the problem, which is raised a road—a ghost road. There are about Service personnel by-and-large do the by the Senator from Iowa, can be 60,000 miles of these kinds of ghost very best they can. And they do so solved by this bill or by this Senator. roads that the Forest Service thinks after talking with the public. And they It has to be resolved, if a problem ex- exist out in the National Forests— make their decisions based on what ists, through the leadership here and roads caused by people, not roads that they think the public wants and based the chairmen of both of the Appropria- the Forest Service has planned or upon safety and based upon environ- tions Committees, and I assume maybe built. mental needs. even the White House. Since all of that Again, Mr. President, just to reca- Well, this is where the rider comes would be required to resolve the prob- pitulate, there are about 370,000 miles in. This rider prevents funds from lem, I once again ask, What good does of roads the Forest Service has planned being used to remove any authorized it do to hold this bill up? And I hope on building. Most of these are deterio- road until the regional forester cer- that will not be a long-lasting event. rating. Many of these roads were in- tifies that all the ghost roads have I thank the Senate for considering tended to be used as logging roads to been either upgraded to U.S. Forest this. I yield the floor. harvest timber, and the timber harvest Service standards or closed. That is, Mr. BAUCUS addressed the Chair. is gone; that is, the timber has been the Forest Service cannot look at any The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- harvested so they are no longer in use. of the authorized roads in a region ator from Montana. Then there are 60,000 miles of ghost until it looks at all the ghost roads and roads not planned by the Forest Serv- f either closes or upgrades each of them. ice and which are created by people What does that mean? That means INTERIOR APPROPRIATIONS BILL who drive around in pickups or other the Forest Service could not close any Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I would off-road vehicles. authorized road no matter how great a like to mention another anti-environ- Mr. President, the Forest Service safety hazard it is until the Forest ment rider in the Interior appropria- cannot safely manage all of the author- Service can certify that every single tions bill. I have already discussed two ized and the unauthorized, so-called mile of the ghost roads, that is these of them. One is Glacier Bay and the ghost roads that cover our National kinds of roads—the little pathways— other is Izembek. This will be the Forests. It just cannot do it. There are who-knows-where-they-are in the for- third. too many roads. Too many miles of est, have been either upgraded to ei- Mr. President, this amendment de- roads. As a result, many of these roads ther system standards or have been re- letes the rider that limits the Forest are safety hazards, and some cause sig- moved. Service’s ability to close roads on Na- nificant environmental problems. For starters, this is virtually impos- tional Forests that threaten public Mr. President, let me show you these sible. The Forest Service does not even safety or the environment. two photographs. These are photo- know where many of these ghost roads Let me explain. The Forest Service graphs of authorized roads, of system are. More important, this rider does has constructed over 370,000 miles of roads, of roads the Forest Service not take into account whether these roads on National Forests across Amer- planned—not the ghost roads. In this roads pose the greatest immediate ica—370,000 miles of roads. These roads, top photograph of this road, you can threat to public safety or the environ- the ones that Forest Service has con- tell the road is washed out. It is just ment. structed, are called authorized roads; washed out. In sum, this simplistic one-size-fits- another name given to them is systems Here is another photograph of an- all approach would wreak havoc on the roads. Most of these are single-lane other authorized road, the kind the ability of the Forest Service to sen- roads. They are relatively low quality, Forest Service plans on. What hap- sibly manage roads in our National often built to harvest timber. They are pened here? The bridge went out. Some Forests. just basic roads built to meet basic poor unlucky fellow did not realize the As I mentioned early, the Forest needs. bridge had gone out until he caused it Service now sets priorities for closing

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