Puerto Rico Hearing Committee on Energy And
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S. HRG. 109–796 PUERTO RICO HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON THE REPORT BY THE PRESIDENT’S TASK FORCE ON PUERTO RICO’S STATUS NOVEMBER 15, 2006 ( Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 33–148 PDF WASHINGTON : 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 0ct 09 2002 07:56 Mar 02, 2007 Jkt 109796 PO 33148 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 P:\DOCS\33148.TXT SENERGY2 PsN: PAULM COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico, Chairman LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska RON WYDEN, Oregon RICHARD M. BURR, North Carolina, TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota MEL MARTINEZ, Florida MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana JAMES M. TALENT, Missouri DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California CONRAD BURNS, Montana MARIA CANTWELL, Washington GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia KEN SALAZAR, Colorado GORDON SMITH, Oregon ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey JIM BUNNING, Kentucky FRANK MACCHIAROLA, Staff Director JUDITH K. PENSABENE, Chief Counsel BOB SIMON, Democratic Staff Director SAM FOWLER, Democratic Chief Counsel JOSH JOHNSON, Professional Staff Member AL STAYMAN, Democratic Professional Staff Member (II) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 07:56 Mar 02, 2007 Jkt 109796 PO 33148 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 P:\DOCS\33148.TXT SENERGY2 PsN: PAULM C O N T E N T S STATEMENTS Page Acevedo-Vila´, Hon. Anı´bal, Governor of Puerto Rico ............................................ 24 Berrı´os Martı´nez, Rube´n, President, Puerto Rican Independence Party ............ 33 Bingaman, Hon. Jeff, U.S. Senator from New Mexico .......................................... 2 Burr, Hon. Richard, U.S. Senator from North Carolina ....................................... 9 Craig, Hon. Larry E., U.S. Senator from Idaho .................................................... 9 Domenici, Hon. Pete V., U.S. Senator from New Mexico ..................................... 1 Fortun˜ o, Hon. Luis G., Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, U.S. House of Representatives ................................................................................................ 29 Landrieu, Hon. Mary L., U.S. Senator from Louisiana ........................................ 37 Marshall, C. Kevin, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Coun- sel, Department of Justice ................................................................................... 14 Martinez, Hon. Mel, U.S. Senator from Florida .................................................... 3 Menendez, Hon. Robert, U.S. Senator from New Jersey ...................................... 7 Salazar, Hon. Ken, U.S. Senator from Colorado ................................................... 6 APPENDIXES APPENDIX I Responses to additional questions .......................................................................... 49 APPENDIX II Additional material submitted for the record ........................................................ 71 (III) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 07:56 Mar 02, 2007 Jkt 109796 PO 33148 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 P:\DOCS\33148.TXT SENERGY2 PsN: PAULM VerDate 0ct 09 2002 07:56 Mar 02, 2007 Jkt 109796 PO 33148 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 P:\DOCS\33148.TXT SENERGY2 PsN: PAULM PUERTO RICO WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2006 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD–106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Pete V. Domenici, chairman, presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. PETE V. DOMENICI, U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO The CHAIRMAN. Please come to order. Thank you, everyone. Mr. Marshall, are you all alone? You’re alone at the table, but are you otherwise? There is nobody that will sit with you? I’m just kidding. It just looks kind of strange, but we’ll see what happens here. Thank you to everybody for coming. We’re glad to have you here in the U.S. Senate. I’m sorry we don’t have one of our new rooms, but this is the best we have and we hope that it is adequate. With that, let me open, and let me then go to Senator Bingaman and then to Senator Martinez, recently honored with an appoint- ment by the President as chairman of the Republican National Committee, for which we congratulate you. With that, let me suggest that we are here at a hearing on a re- port from the President’s task force on Puerto Rico’s status. The committee shall come to order. The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the Decem- ber 2005 report from the President’s task force on Puerto Rico’s Status. I am pleased to convene this important hearing to discuss the White House report. I appreciate the attendance of our wit- nesses and that many elected public officials from Puerto Rico have traveled long distances to join us here today. Thanks to all of you. Before beginning, I want to express my gratitude for all those serving in the Armed Forces from Puerto Rico. I also want to com- mend those living in Puerto Rico that make their voices heard in local referenda, dealing with their political status. As I understand it, it is not uncommon to have more than 75 percent of the popu- lous vote on referenda dealing with options of political status. Puer- to Ricans deserve an opportunity to be consulted regarding their future and its relationship—their relationship with the U.S. and I will work as closely as I can with all parties involved prior to pro- ceeding with any status change. I am pleased that the White House issued the task force report. This is an important first step in understanding the non-territorial forms of government for Puerto Rico. No matter how we proceed, (1) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 07:56 Mar 02, 2007 Jkt 109796 PO 33148 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\33148.TXT SENERGY2 PsN: PAULM 2 we ultimately need to be assured that the majority of the people of Puerto Rico will have their voice heard. I want the witnesses, who have come here today, I want them to know how grateful we are and I look forward to hearing their testimony. Now, before I introduce the witnesses that are going to testify, let me yield to who today is the ranking member but will be chair- man in a couple of weeks, 3 or 4 weeks. But we’ll go as it is and we’ll yield to the ranking member. That’s Senator Bingaman, my co-colleague from New Mexico. Senator Bingaman. STATEMENT OF HON. JEFF BINGAMAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO Senator BINGAMAN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I ap- preciate you having this important hearing. I’m pleased that the committee will have the opportunity here in the final days of this 109th Congress to receive testimony on the report of the Presi- dent’s task force on Puerto Rico’s Status. Over the years, this committee has put many hours into hearings and the consideration of legislation, but enactment has often been frustrated by a lack of consensus in the Congress and in Wash- ington and in Puerto Rico. In recent years, there have been devel- opments that may have changed that political dynamic. For exam- ple, the United States has dramatically reduced its military pres- ence on the island. Second, the possessions tax credit has been fully phased out. And third, the free association relationships have been established with three nations in the Pacific. More recently, this report, that Mr. Marshall is going to testify about, from President Bush’s task force has reaffirmed legal posi- tions which seem to me well founded and that were provided to the committee several years ago by the Clinton administration. In two of those findings in particular I would allude to, the current rela- tionship with Puerto Rico is based on the territorial clause and sec- ond, that the mutual consent provisions in the new commonwealth proposal cannot be accommodated under the U.S. Constitution. However, with respect to the report’s recommendations for legisla- tion, I think it is too early to determine if there is sufficient con- sensus in the House and the Senate and also whether there is a commitment by this administration to move forward with legisla- tion. This is an issue of great importance to the people of Puerto Rico. They deserve an opportunity to be consulted. Today is an oppor- tunity to hear what the prospects for consensus are and I will con- tinue to work with you and consult closely with others here on the committee and officials from Puerto Rico and the administration before we proceed. So thank you again for having the hearing. I look forward to hearing the witnesses and continuing to work with you on this issue. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Senator Bingaman. Now we have some additional members of the panel who have arrived. On our side, we have distinguished Senator Martinez and it’s note- worthy that we have two additional Senators on the Democratic VerDate 0ct 09 2002 07:56 Mar 02, 2007 Jkt 109796 PO 33148 Frm 00006 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\33148.TXT SENERGY2 PsN: PAULM 3 side, one a new member—not the newest, but a new member from Colorado, Senator Salazar. It’s always a privilege. I’m sure we will hear some insightful questions from you about this situation. And then we have Senator Menendez. He’s newly elected also, so we congratulate you, for the record, on your election and we’re glad that you were able to make it here with us today, Senator. Thank you very, very much. I think the rules would now say we go to Senator Martinez, and then to the Democratic side, to Senator Menendez.