CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- SENATE
November 9, 1967
Page 32092
PUBLIC WORKS AND ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 1968
The Senate resumed the consideration of. the amendment in disagreement.
Mr. ELLENDER. Mr. President, what is the pending business?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. H.R. 11641 has been laid before the Senate. There is no question pending, however.
Mr. ELLENDER. Mr. President, as all Senators know, we have had quite a hassle during the last few weeks with the House in our efforts to retain in the public works appropriations bill the Dickey-Lincoln School project.
As was pointed out on prior occasions, this project was budgeted, and the House committee voted to include the project in the bill. However, during House debate on the bill, the House deleted the Dickey-Lincoln School project.
Mr. President, on July 25, 1967, by a vote of 233 yeas to 169 nays the House deleted the budget estimate of $1,676,000 for the Dickey-Lincoln School Dam and Reservoirs project. The Senate restored the budget estimate. In accordance with the conference agreement, the managers on the part of the House offered an amendment to the Senate amendment No. 2 which included $875,000 for the Dickey-Lincoln project. That motion was defeated by a vote of 162 yeas to 236 nays. The House then approved an amendment to Senate amendment No. 2 which was $875,000 less than the previous motion, thereby eliminating the funds for the continuation of planning on the Dickey-Lincoln School project. The Senate on November 7 amended the House figure to include $875,000 for the Dickey-Lincoln project. The House by a vote of 118 yeas to 263
nays refused to recede from their original amendment to our amendment No. 2 and again deleted funds for this project.
Mr. President, I had occasion to talk to Representative KIRWAN before the vote was taken, and I was assured by him that if the proposal failed this time, we would support it in the bill the next time. I have no doubt that if we are able to get a budget estimate for next year, we can again try to have Congress enact this worthy project.
Mr. President, I have supported the project since its inception. It has a good benefit-to-cost ratio, and I know that it would do much good for the people of the Northeast. I say here and now to my good friends, the senior Senator from Maine [Mrs. SMITH], and the junior Senator from Maine [Mr. MUSKIE], that come next year, whether the item is in the budget or not, we will try to include it in some way and have the matter before Congress again in an effort to try to complete at least the planning of this project and have it constructed at as early a date as possible.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
Mr. ELLENDER. I yield.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I express my appreciation to the distinguished Senator from Louisiana for his assistance and unflagging support for this project. I know of the effort he made today, even at the last moment, to try to influence a favorable course of events in the House on this project.
As I understand the position taken by the House manager, Representative KIRWAN, the House has already spoken twice this year on this project; the bill involves other projects than Dickey-Lincoln School, the bill involves appropriations for the Atomic Energy Commission, and because of the delay in acting upon the continuing resolution, the funds for that agency would run out if there were further delay; and finally in his -- Mr. KIRWAN'S -- judgment it was time to button the bill up.
That was in essence Mr. KIRWAN's position. I disagreed with that position, as did my distinguished senior colleague, Senator SMITH. I urged him, as did the distinguished Senator from Louisiana, to give this project another full and fair vote in the House today. He did not see the matter our way and persisted in his course of action.
I think it is a fair statement to make at this point that the House vote today did not reflect accurately or fairly the sentiment of the House on the merits of this project.
I think, all of these considerations being taken under advisement, that my colleague and I are well advised to go along with the judgment of the distinguished Senator from Louisiana of agreeing to the House action. This is not a retreat on the merits of the project. This is a strategic retreat designed to enable us to remobilize our forces for another fight next year. And we intend to make that fight.
As I said the other day, there are over 170 Federal public power projects in existence today. I have been advised by the Corps of Engineers and the Department of Interior that Dickey-Lincoln School meets all of the tests as well as and, indeed, better than 75 percent of those projects, yet the Dickey-Lincoln School project has been rejected by the House up to this point.
On its merits, the Dickey-Lincoln School project deserves a continuing fight. It will get that continuing fight. We are reassured by Senator ELLENDER'S statement this afternoon that he intends to fight with us, shoulder to shoulder, next year.
I say again how much I appreciate the efforts of the Senator from Louisiana and the efforts of the distinguished senior Senator from Florida, who is present on the floor, the unflagging support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, the support of the distinguished Senator from Vermont [Mr. AIKEN] who is also present on the floor and, of course, my colleague, the senior Senator from Maine. I think that if we continue to receive this kind of support on the Senate side we can hope that reason will ultimately prevail on the House side, against the pressures of the private power industry, and that we can still look forward to prospects for victory in another year.
I thank the Senator.
Mrs. SMITH. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
Mr. ELLENDER. I yield.
Mrs. SMITH. Mr. President, it goes without saying that the people of Maine, my colleague, and I experienced great disappointment in learning of the last report from the House of Representatives on the Dickey-Lincoln School project.
It is with very great regret that we receive this news. But it is most assuring to have our distinguished chairman, who had done so much on this project and on all public works projects, give us assurance that consideration will be given again next year.
I again wish to state my appreciation, Mr. President, to the Members of the Senate, especially to the Senate and House conferees, particularly the Senate conferees, who stood by so loyally through this fight, and to give my gratitude to Senator ELLENDER for his help in the fight that he has made on this matter. It has been encouraging to know that someone so far away from Maine could understand our problems up there and go so far in supporting us in our effort to get this project.
Again, I express my thanks to Senator ELLENDER, for myself and for the people of Maine, for his efforts.
Mr. HOLLAND. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
Mr. ELLENDER. I yield.
Mr. HOLLAND. Mr. President, I join with my distinguished chairman, the Senator from Louisiana.
Every member of our subcommittee has expressed himself or herself as actively in support of this project. And why should that not be? This project has been duly authorized by heavy vote in both houses, and it has the necessary qualifications; yet, it has not been accorded the chance to move ahead to actual planning, followed by construction.
Six States have been involved in the beginning in this matter -- six States in which the highest rates in the Nation prevail.
I was interested to hear the distinguished Senator from Vermont say yesterday that as soon as his fine State was able to receive some of the hydroelectric power from the St. Lawrence development, an immediate improvement in the rate structure for electric power appeared. I believe that would be the situation throughout New England if this great project could move ahead to completion.
My opinion is that we must stand together in a matter of this nature. My own State has no chance to have hydroelectric power to any great degree. However, in States which have water that can supply the power and which have the natural fall and great supplies of water that otherwise go to the sea, there is no reason in the world why they should not have equal opportunity with the other States of the Nation to profit from the existence of that abundant water, plus the fall in the earth's surface there, to bring about better conditions for all their people in connection with the purchase and use of electric power.
I shall continue to support this project. I do not know exactly what is behind the opposition, because we have not run into anything such as this anywhere else.
I assure my distinguished friends from Maine that I appreciate their anxiety. They have been very tolerant in approving today the final windup of this bill, and I believe it was wise; because not only the Atomic Energy Commission but also the TVA and other activities in both the Reclamation Bureau and the Corps of Engineers field depend upon the completion of this legislation.
I hope that the House will have a more favorable attitude next year. So far as I am concerned, I am certain that the favorable attitude prevailing in our committee, the Appropriations Committee, will continue, and that we will be solidly behind this project.
In the meantime, we may be able to find out what is wrong and what is bringing about this opposition, and we may be able to find a way to cure it. I pledge my best efforts to that end.
Mr. MUSKIE. I thank the distinguished Senator from Florida. I must say that in our disappointment and anxiety about next year, it is good to have the reassurance of such good friends as have spoken with respect to this project this afternoon.
Mr. ELLENDER. Mr. President, I move that the Senate recede from its amendment to the House amendment to Senate amendment No. 2, and agree to the House amendment to Senate amendment No. 2.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion of the Senator from Louisiana.
The motion was agreed to.