July 20, 1977
Page 23999
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the pending bill, S. 701, authorizes a total of $900 million over a period of 3 years to assist schools and hospitals in making improvements in their facilities and operating procedures for the purpose of conserving energy.
The bill is the first portion of the national energy plan to be reported in the Senate. The two committees involved, Human Resources and Energy and Natural Resources, are to be commended for their prompt action. So is our distinguished majority leader whose determination to have the Senate act upon portions of the energy plan this summer is critical to a satisfactory, timely response on the part of the entire Congress to the Nation's energy crisis.
As a Senator from Maine, I support S. 701. Schools and hospitals in Maine, where energy costs are extremely high, will benefit from the conservation program established in the bill.
I also support S. '701 as chairman of the Budget Committee. Funding for the bill's energy conservation program would be classified in function 300: Natural resources, environment, and energy. Currently, estimated spending in this function for fiscal year 1978 based on appropriations to date is well below the function 300 targets of the first budget resolution. S. 701, if enacted and fully funded, would result in additional spending of $200 million in budget authority and $45 million in outlays. These amounts could be accommodated in the present function 300 targets.
However, it appears that enactment and full funding of all of the elements in the President's energy plan, plus other possible later requirements in function 300, would require the function 300 targets to be adjusted. Recommendations on this adjustment will be made by members of the Budget Committee during the committee's consideration of the second concurrent budget resolution. The full Senate will then have the opportunity to review our recommendation when the second budget resolution is taken up after the August recess.