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, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012 No. 6 Senate The Senate was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Friday, January 20, 2012, at 2 p.m. House of Representatives WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012 The House met at 10 a.m. and was Mr. BLUMENAUER. We begin the I think they can. called to order by the Speaker pro tem- new year on the same sour note with This year, I hope that both sides of pore (Mr. WEBSTER). which we concluded 2011—an appalling the aisle here in Congress will think f year, full of fabricated crises that about what those shared objectives didn’t need to happen but which pro- might be. DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO duced real-life consequences, the debt Agricultural reform ought to be at TEMPORE ceiling debacle being but one example. the very top of the list. We have a sys- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- The Republican nomination of a Presi- tem that the right and the left can fore the House the following commu- dential candidate is showing the dark agree shortchanges most farmers and nication from the Speaker: side of this new era of Super PACs and ranchers and is far too expensive. It is tilted towards large agribusiness, not WASHINGTON, DC, what happens when a party is captive January 18, 2012. to ideological extremists. to smaller operations—the quintessen- I hereby appoint the Honorable DANIEL Even if you’re not a Republican, it’s tial family farm. We know we can do WEBSTER to act as Speaker pro tempore on a sad indictment. We need two con- better to help more people while we this day. structive, effective, responsible polit- save taxpayer money, improve the en- JOHN A. BOEHNER, ical parties, or at least as close as we vironment, and enhance the health of Speaker of the House of Representatives. can come. It is past time to respond to our children in dealing with school nu- f things that Americans need and sup- trition. Another major area of agreement MORNING-HOUR DEBATE port. It really doesn’t need to be this hard. deals with American leadership in The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- I would suggest that one test going helping the 2 billion poor people around ant to the order of the House of Janu- forward would be dealing with issues the world who do not have access to ary 17, 2012, the Chair will now recog- that could be supported by both the safe drinking water or adequate sanita- nize Members from lists submitted by Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street tion or, tragically, to both. The United the majority and minority leaders for protesters—both movements responses States has the potential to dramati- morning-hour debate. to a shared concern that Americans are cally enhance the effectiveness of the The Chair will alternate recognition being shortchanged, that America is on work we are already doing and the between the parties, with each party a path that is not sustainable, and of a money we are already spending. I am limited to 1 hour and each Member political process that is unable to re- pleased we have bipartisan legislation other than the majority and minority spond to their needs. Both movements with my friend TED POE from Texas as leaders and the minority whip limited are understandable and have valid con- the lead Republican to enhance these to 5 minutes each, but in no event shall cerns, that the political process is too international water and sanitation ef- debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. often stacked against people trying to forts. f make changes in how we do business. For years, I’ve been working to en- The degree of overlap between the hance the capacity of our health care A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR A two narratives is very encouraging, system to help people when they are COLLECTIVE VISION IN REBUILD- and I think it is healthy that both have most vulnerable. This has commonly ING AMERICA found political expression. The ques- been referred to as ‘‘end of life,’’ but it The SPEAKER pro tempore. The tion is the extent to which people who is not just that—it is much more. It is Chair recognizes the gentleman from identify with these movements can any time people are in difficult medical Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- identify with each other and with prac- conditions, when they may lose control utes. tical, achievable responses. over what happens to them. We need to b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H31 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:53 Jan 18, 2012 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4636 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18JA7.000 H18JAPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H32 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 18, 2012 make sure that people understand their Mountain, where it is supposed to go, Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, today I choices, are able to articulate what the waste would be stored 1,000 feet un- rise to congratulate the University of they and their families want, and that derground—underneath, in essence, a Alabama Crimson Tide for being the their health care wishes, whatever they mountain. At Sequoyah, the waste is 25 2011 BCS champions. Roll Tide. may be, are respected. feet from the groundwater table. At The State of Alabama is still number This bipartisan concept got caught Yucca Mountain, it would be 1,000 feet one in college football. For the past 3 up in the madness of the 2009 political above the water table, and Yucca consecutive years, a team from the lie of the year—death panels—but it’s Mountain is 100 miles from the Colo- State of Alabama has won the national now time to revisit it. It’s overwhelm- rado River. Sequoyah is 14 miles from championship trophy. The University ingly supported by the American peo- the city of Chattanooga and 14 miles of Alabama has been the national ple, including the Tea Party and Oc- from Chickamauga Lake. champs twice in the last 3 years. cupy Wall Street. It costs nothing, and So why do I highlight these issues? The championship game between Ala- will help enhance the well-being of our Because of what happened in Japan bama and LSU represents college foot- families. with Fukushima Daiichi and the high- ball at its finest. Both schools have a There is a golden opportunity to level nuclear waste. proud and very rich tradition in foot- come together around a collective vi- A lot of the nuclear exposure was be- ball history, and the LSU Tigers should sion of rebuilding and renewing Amer- cause pools had dried up. The nuclear be commended for an outstanding sea- ica. This is happening at the State and waste heated up, and then you had al- son. While both teams deserve recogni- local levels as people are uniting most a worldwide catastrophe right tion, in the end, Alabama beat LSU around their visions and putting up next to the ocean. If we were doing with a final score of 21–0. money to achieve it. This is the fastest what was public policy in Federal law I want to congratulate the coaches, way to revitalize the economy and pro- in collecting our high-level nuclear staff, team, and the entire university family and fans for an amazing season. tect our quality of life, and the Federal waste and taking it to a desert under- It was your hard work, persistence, Government should be playing. neath a mountain, that would be a leadership, and commitment all season While I strongly support efforts to much more secure location than long that made this decisive victory correct the distorting and, in some around our major municipalities, our ways, corruption of the political proc- become a reality. streams, and our groundwater loca- The University of Alabama has had a ess by avalanches of secret money that tions. But, no, because of this adminis- long-standing tradition of excellence in are now savaging Republican can- tration and some political promises collegiate football. This year’s victory didates for the Presidential nomina- made in the last election cycle, they represented the 14th national cham- tion, there is another corrupting proc- have defunded and pulled off the table pionship title for the University of Ala- ess that is taking place for which there Yucca Mountain from consideration. bama. Since being founded in 1892, the are no constitutional barriers to reme- In 1982, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act Crimson Tide football program has diate—the legislative redistricting made the Federal Government respon- achieved 813 victories in the NCAA Di- process. In most States, it’s a scandal sible for checking waste. Since that vision I and 26 conference champion- where politicians pick the voters rath- time, $9 billion and 20 years was spent ships. The Crimson Tide also sets an er than voters being able to pick the studying for a suitable location. That NCAA record with 58 post-season bowl politicians. We all ought to identify study ended in Yucca Mountain. appearances. The Tide leads the SEC with reform efforts that are emerging b 1010 West Division with seven division titles in this area.