E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 158 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012 No. 90 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Friday, June 15, 2012, at 10 a.m. Senate THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012 The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was U.S. SENATE, The majority will control the first half called to order by the Honorable TOM PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, and the Republicans will control the UDALL, a Senator from the State of Washington, DC, June 14, 2012. final half. New Mexico. To the Senate: We are still working on trying to fin- Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, ish an agreement to the farm bill so we of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby PRAYER appoint the Honorable TOM UDALL, a Senator can move forward. It is disappointing The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- from the State of New Mexico, to perform we don’t already have something, but fered the following prayer: the duties of the Chair. hope is still here, and I hope we can get Let us pray. DANIEL K. INOUYE, that done. It is a very important piece God, You are our God. Eagerly we President pro tempore. of legislation, but a few Senators are seek You, longing to see Your strength Mr. UDALL of New Mexico thereupon holding this up and that is too bad. I and glory. Today, assure the Members assumed the chair as Acting President have agreed we can have some amend- of this body of Your love and give them pro tempore. ments. I had a nice colloquy on the unshakeable confidence in Your provi- f floor yesterday with Senator COBURN, dential leading. Lord, teach them what who is concerned about this bill and RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY they should think and do, as You illu- legislation generally. He indicated that LEADER minate their path so that they will not he thought it was a good idea to have stumble. As You have led this Nation The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- a number of amendments and start vot- through troubled times in the past, be pore. The majority leader is recog- ing on them, so I hope we can get now to us our source of life and light nized. there. We can’t do all 250 amendments and wisdom. Inspire us all so that we f that are out there, but we can do a lot may know and do Your will. FLOOD INSURANCE REFORM AND of them, so let’s see where we are. I We pray in Your sovereign Name. MODERNIZATION ACT—MOTION hope we can get it done. We are on the flood insurance bill. Amen. TO PROCEED—Resumed f We have to get to that. The flood insur- Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to ance expires at the end of this month. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Calendar No. 250, S. 1940. We will continue to work on an The Honorable TOM UDALL led the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- agreement with the farm bill. Pledge of Allegiance as follows: pore. The clerk will report the bill by I also hope to reconsider the failed I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the title. cloture vote on the nomination of Mari United States of America, and to the Repub- The assistant legislative clerk read Carmen Aponte, to be an ambassador lic for which it stands, one nation under God, as follows: to the Republic of El Salvador. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 250, S. Votes are possible throughout to- f 1940, a bill to amend the National Flood In- day’s session. Senators will be notified surance Act of 1968, to restore the financial when they are scheduled. APPOINTMENT OF ACTING solvency of the flood insurance fund, and for Would the Chair announce the busi- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE other purposes. ness of the day. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The SCHEDULE RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME clerk will please read a communication Mr. REID. Mr. President, following The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- to the Senate from the President pro my remarks and those of Senator pore. Under the previous order, the tempore (Mr. INOUYE). MCCONNELL, if any, the next hour will leadership time is reserved. The assistant legislative clerk read be divided and controlled between the Under the previous order, the fol- the following letter: two leaders. It will be equally divided. lowing hour will be equally divided and ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S4163 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 02:59 Jun 15, 2012 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A14JN6.000 S14JNPT1 smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with SENATE S4164 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 14, 2012 controlled between the two leaders or for her child having a pollution-caused symptoms, 5,700 fewer emergency room their designees, with the majority con- asthma incident. We never hear about visits each year—flow from limiting all trolling the first half and the Repub- that. We never hear about the dollar toxic air pollution from powerplants— licans controlling the final half. side. All they talk about, all we hear not eliminating, limiting all toxic air Mr. REID. I note the absence of a about from them is the $1 the polluter pollution from powerplants rather than quorum. has to pay to clean up their pollution— just mercury. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- never, in this case, the $3 to $9; in other In pointing out that EPA correctly pore. The clerk will call the roll. cases it is $35 to $1, over $100 to $1. sought to limit all toxic air pollution The assistant legislative clerk pro- Instead, we have colleagues on the from powerplants, I do not want to ceeded to call the roll. other side who want to halt this gloss over the importance of setting The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- progress—notwithstanding the savings those Federal mercury standards. As I pore. The Senator from Rhode Island. for virtually every American—with a indicated earlier, powerplants are the Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I ask unanimous resolution we are facing now that largest source of airborne mercury pol- consent that the order for the quorum would void these new standards—stand- lution in the United States. call be rescinded. ards that have just emerged after 32 Mercury, as everybody knows, is a The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- years for the first time regulating neurotoxin that can be most dev- pore. Without objection, it is so or- toxic pollution out of utility plants. astating to developing nervous sys- dered. This resolution would not only void the tems. The reason we have the phrase EPA MERCURY RULE new standard, but it would bar EPA ‘‘mad as a hatter’’ is because hatters Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, from ever setting similar limits on used mercury in their work and it af- last December, the Environmental Pro- powerplants in the future. fected their brains. It is a neurotoxin. tection Agency finalized a rule called In speeches against these public Exposure to mercury in utero, or as a the Mercury Air Toxics Standard for health standards, one of my colleagues child, can permanently reduce a per- powerplants. This rule is important, appears somewhat confused about the son’s ability to think and learn. For and it was long overdue. mercury air toxic standards. I wish to this reason, women of childbearing age, Many Americans might not realize set the record straight on two points. infants, and children must avoid mer- that before last December, there were One, this colleague has complained cury exposure. no Federal standards for mercury or that the technology does not exist to What does this mean for Rhode Is- the other toxic air pollution pouring meet these standards. That is the com- land? Many of you have heard me talk out of our Nation’s powerplants. Thir- plaint: the technology does not exist to about the out-of-State air pollution ty-two years ago, Congress directed meet these standards. But if you look that plagues my State. Most air pollu- EPA to limit toxic air pollution from at the Clean Air Act, it directs the tion in Rhode Island is not generated all big polluting industries. In re- EPA—as EPA did—to set these stand- from within our borders. It is sent from sponse, EPA set standards for nearly ards based upon the performance of the sources hundreds, even thousands of 100 industries across our Nation. How- top 12 percent in the industry—the ac- miles away. It is sent by powerplants ever, until December, there were no tual performance of the top 12 percent out of State in significant measure. such standards for the utility indus- in the industry. In other words, at least On a clear summer day in Rhode Is- try—the biggest source of mercury, ar- one out of every eight powerplant units land, we will be commuting in to work, senic, and other toxic air pollution in must already be meeting each of the and we will hear on the drive-time the country. standards that is set. This is not a case radio: Today is a bad air day in Rhode Now there are standards in place, es- in which the technology does not exist. Island. Infants, seniors, and people timated to provide $3 to $9 of health This is a situation in which one out of with respiratory difficulties should and economic benefits for every $1 in- every eight plants is already meeting stay indoors today; otherwise, it is a vested in pollution controls.