Senate Proceeding on Aug 1st, 2008 :: 2:31:15 to 3:06:07
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Previous speech:

2:31:15 to 2:31:30( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: they think we should be doing in moving forward. but i think it's very important to address the issue of the high cost of energy and what is a realistic plan for our country to move forward. i know

2:31:15 to 3:06:07( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Maria Cantwell

2:31:30 to 2:31:58( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: we heard a lot this week, a slogan, "find more and use less." it reminded me of the slogans i hear from the oil companies when they put commercials on television and spend hundreds of millions of

2:31:58 to 2:32:21( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: dollars saying things likeon" bebeyond petroleum but we are just keeping the addiction to oil. so i know, mr. president, it's not the time to worse about big oil. they just posted astronomical second-quarter

2:32:21 to 2:32:33( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: profits. exxonmobil alone made about $130 million a day -- nod bad for a hard day of work impacting consumers. in fact, the oil industry profits are $641 billion. you can see these profits keep going up.

2:32:33 to 2:32:45( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: so the complexity of this issue is that many of my colleagues think just drilling more is going to solve our problem when, in fact, it'sment 's not going to and it is going to continue to add to the

2:32:45 to 2:33:02( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: profits of these companies at a time when we should be reinvested in renewables. so now is not the time to give the american people the false home that drilling is going to have any effect on world

2:33:02 to 2:33:17( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: oil prices or provide any drop of relief at the pump. and now is not the time to play politics and to try to continue to put a plame blame game but to try to realize our economy really can't take

2:33:17 to 2:33:32( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: much more of this, that we really do have to g off of oil. it's time that, after eight years of the administration continuing this oil policy that it's time we really understand the long-term cost

2:33:32 to 2:33:44( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: of the addiction to oil and how it is strangling our economy and our vitality. so unless we change course, unless we change course soon, we are going to be sending $1 trillion abroad to pay for our

2:33:44 to 2:34:01( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: foreign oil addiction and no amount of drilling, no amount of drilling in the united states is going to get us out of that hole. i used to come to the senate floor several years ago and talk about how

2:34:01 to 2:34:16( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: we were 50% dependent on oil heading toward 60 and now we have reached that mierl stone mile senator for and now we are talking about close to 70%. the last few years of this administration have done great

2:34:16 to 2:34:30( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: damage to the continuation of our addiction to foreign oil. we have tried their approach of the it doesn't work. so what we need to do today is to move ahead. and, mr. president, the math is quite

2:34:30 to 2:34:43( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: simple: the united states consumes a quarter of the world's oil but only has less than 2% of the world's oil reserves. and we will never, ever be able to effect the world oil price even if we drilled

2:34:43 to 2:34:53( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: in every corner of god's creation in the united states, we would not be able to affect the world price of oil. so americans can do the math. they need -- they know we need to be aggressively putting

2:34:53 to 2:35:09( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: new policies in place that will make us a 21st century leader in new energy solutions and that's what we should be doing here in the united states senate, as well. unfortunately, though, it seems

2:35:09 to 2:35:23( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: like many of my colleagues aren't doing that simple math. instead, they are trying to exploit the current crisis and convince us that we somehow should continue this addiction to big oil by giving

2:35:23 to 2:35:35( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: them one of their top legislative priorities. it has been one of their top legislative priorities for several decades and that is to break the quarter-century old moratorium on drilling off america's

2:35:35 to 2:35:48( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: pristine coasts. so pro-drilling advocates and certainly the president of the united states seem perfectly comfortable perpetrating what i think is a cruel hoax on the american people. they are willing

2:35:48 to 2:36:02( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: to imply, to insinuate, and outright pretend that drilling off our coastline will help provide some relief at the pump and they're willing to pretend that drilling will somehow lessen our dangerous

2:36:02 to 2:36:16( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: dependence on foreign oil. but, unfortunately, there -- unfortunately, even though my colleagues on thother side of the aisle don't admit this, the american people can listen to experts at the department

2:36:16 to 2:36:29( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: of energy who say -- quote -- "access to the pacific and atlantic gulf coast regions would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas prices before 2030." we've heard that

2:36:29 to 2:36:43( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: 2030 is a magic year by which drilling in the outer continental shelf would produce some supply but our own energy information office is saying that "access to the pacific, atlantic, and eastern gulf

2:36:43 to 2:36:55( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: regions would not have a significant impact on" the price before 2030. and no impact before 2030. and we had a the lot of discussion out here about the psychological effect which experts also said

2:36:55 to 2:37:09( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: there would be no psychological effect to having the notion of more drilling. that's from oil analyst whose have written books about oil and covered it for many years. so we're really talking about

2:37:09 to 2:37:23( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: 22 years from now on the drilling scheme of having any impact.| that's why the energy information office also said that because oil prices are determined on the international market, any impact

2:37:23 to 2:37:35( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: on average well head prices is expected to be insignificant. so it really is a drilling hoax the notion that somehow our drilling is going to help us relieve the price when we are such a small player

2:37:35 to 2:37:51( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: on the world market, we are not going to be able to have any significant impact on the price. so even if we drilled in every last corner of our great nation, we wouldn't be ail to have an impact, and we

2:37:51 to 2:38:11( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: willever be able to drill our way out of the fact that our addiction leaves us into the critical aspects of an economy that is in the hands of what opec wants to do as it relates to fuel prices. so

2:38:11 to 2:38:24( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: 22 years is really time that we don't have. we don't have 22 years to wait, and so we need to be aggressive in getting off of oil and move a ahead. and i know that many of my colleagues think that the

2:38:24 to 2:38:38( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: drill drilling that has been talked about here will provide relief, and they assume that oil companies would invest billions of dollars necessary to drill up and down our coastlines and will ignore for

2:38:38 to 2:38:52( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the moment that they won't -- and we'll ignore for the moment that they won't even utilize 83% of the leases they have. but the truth is, all the drill drilling will do, even post-2030 post-2030, is

2:38:52 to 2:39:09( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: lead to 1% of what the united states needs. that's right. if we go ahead and lift the moratorium on outercontinental shelf drilling drilling and that process starts and quey get we get to 2030,

2:39:09 to 2:39:23( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the united states will need over 22 million barrels of oil a day. that's what our growth rate is expected to be. and at 2030, drilling in the 600 million moratorium areas would only meet 1% of the united

2:39:23 to 2:39:39( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: states' needs. so drilling in the outer outercontinental shelf will come up with 1% of what the united states needs for energy resource resources. all that money, all of that risk of catastrophic spills,

2:39:39 to 2:39:54( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: all the years of waiting and that's the payoff, 1%. so, it's just not good enough, and the american people need and deserve better solutions. and that's what when we return, mr. president, we have

2:39:54 to 2:40:09( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: to focus on. there is a way out of this hole. it's definitely not drilling drilling deeper, and it's time to say that enough is enough and that we have to change course. and my colleagues who use a chart

2:40:09 to 2:40:21( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: that says "find more, use less" on the other side of the aisle are just like those oil company ads that pretend that there's a message there but leave us empty. of course, i think -- in fact, i think

2:40:21 to 2:40:34( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: a solution that my colleagues ought to consider on the other side of the aisle is find more and hold up less. they ought to hold up less legislation that alouse us to move forward on a -- that allows

2:40:34 to 2:40:50( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: us to move forward upon a re renewable energy strategy. find more renewable energy and sources of power and production for the united states that can impact the price that consumers are paying now,

2:40:50 to 2:41:06( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: can impact what they're going to have to pay in 2009 for energy costs and to get us moving off of our addiction of oil. i say, "hold up less" because if you look at what's happened in the last year

2:41:06 to 2:41:22( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: or two, we've had many proposals to move ahead off of oil onto renewable energies that would have impacted the price at the pump. in fact, what we have seen is a dozen times when these various bills have

2:41:22 to 2:41:37( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: been held up by the other side of the aisle, start starting in june of 2007, when we had a $28 billion clean energy package that we tried to pass. the bill basically would have eliminate ed some of

2:41:37 to 2:41:52( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the subsidies that oil companies got embedded in the tax code because, if you're at $126 or $140 a barrel of oil, it's hard to argue that oil companies still need tax incentives. but the best part of that

2:41:52 to 2:42:00( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: legislation, the bill created a consumer tax credit for 7 $7,500 toward the purchase of plug-in electric vehicles. that was a provision i offered with senator hatch and senator obama and i know many of

2:42:00 to 2:42:15( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have talked about in the last couple of days because the promise of plug-in high hybrids and electric vehicles holds great promise for news what we can do

2:42:15 to 2:42:31( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: in getting off of addiction of oil. i talked about that 1% that was going to be supplied by drilling by 2030, the same investment over the same period of time in 2030 by investing in plug-in hybrids

2:42:31 to 2:42:43( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: an the use of our electricity grid for fuel, we could have a 50% reduction in the amount of oil that we were use ing. in fact, their plan by 2030 is reducing 200,000 barrels of oil. so 2030 under the

2:42:43 to 2:42:59( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: republican plan of drilling in the outer outercontinental shelf, we would reduce our dependence by 200,000 barrels a day. our plan, which was the in investment in renewable energies and particularly

2:42:59 to 2:43:14( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: plug-in hybrids and battery technology that the vice president actually took a lead in canceling some of the programs, would have produced a reduction of 6.5 million barrels per d in this same time period

2:43:14 to 2:43:30( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: period. so the difference is un unbelievable what we could have achieved, andhe fact that we have continued to hold up these policy ies -- and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are saying,

2:43:30 to 2:43:49( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: we're not doing this unless you give us this. we're basically holding hostage the great ideas and promise of the future of reducing our oil dependence on half of our consumption of foreign oil only if

2:43:49 to 2:44:03( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: we continue these old, insane practices of oip companies getting record profits. so it's time to get the solution solutions out of the hands of the oil companies and into the hands hands of the american

2:44:03 to 2:44:19( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: public who will help us by use ing these tools in reusing consumption. -- in reducing consumption. soiterally my colleagues voted "no" for cars that could get over 100 miles per gallon on the equivalent

2:44:19 to 2:44:33( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: of $1 for a gallon of gasoline. that's right. that's what a plug-in will get you. that analysis and study is there there. that you could supply enough electricity to 70% of cars today on the road if they

2:44:33 to 2:44:51( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: were electric hybrids and in instead of paying $3.99 for gas, you would only pay about $1.07. and so that proposal is a realistic proposal for moving a ahead to the future. that's what we've been

2:44:51 to 2:45:06( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: wasting our time on, and every time that they vote "no" on one of these proposals, we slow the process up. vote ing "no" in june of 2007 was holding us up to going to that transition. so i'm glad

2:45:06 to 2:45:20( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: that other people on the other side of the aisle realize the prospects of the future, but they aren't vote ing to help us break through and implement these solutions that could help us today and break

2:45:20 to 2:45:34( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the shackle of big oil. now, as i mentioned, this was a bipartisan bill. senators hatch and obama and i offered over a year ago. and the credits would have gone to small and midsize cars and trucks

2:45:34 to 2:45:45( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: and up to $15,000 for big cars. that's the great thing about this. you know, we've had this big diussion about what cars will americans drive, how big, how small, safety issues, foreign vehicles, big

2:45:45 to 2:45:56( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: transportation vehicles. the great thing about plug-in high brides and battery technology moving us forward is you can put those in any size vehicle. you're not going to be limited to a small car.

2:45:56 to 2:46:11( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: so the hatch-cantwell-obama bill would have been very progressive in getting solutions out into the marketplace that could have goaten us towards that -- gotten us towards that goal it that we need to

2:46:11 to 2:46:25( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: get to very quickly. unfortunately, in december of 2007, there was another blocked attempt for us to change this policy. in december of last year, the majority of senate republicans blocked -- which

2:46:25 to 2:46:41( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: would have create ed a renewable electricity standard. now, that's something that even president bush when he was governor of texas said was reasonable for texas to do because it was a large wind

2:46:41 to 2:46:56( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: energy producer for our country. but republican obstructionists cost us over 90,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity. that's the equivalent to 135 new coal-fired power plants by 2020. so if

2:46:56 to 2:47:09( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: they had not blocked this legislation in december of last year, we could have been on our way in 2020 in reducing the amount of coal-fired power plant plants that we would have had in our country

2:47:09 to 2:47:23( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: and getting on to this issue of renewable wind energy. the billions of dollars in clean energy investment and tens of thousands of jobs could be making an incredible impact, more so than any drilling

2:47:23 to 2:47:39( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: off offshore could ever be. and so what happened is just a few days later last december, there was another blocked attempt to move towards this transition, basically blocking clean energy tax in my views

2:47:39 to 2:47:53( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: and basically ending the subsidies to the big oil companies that have made these record profits. even this scaled-back approach was too much for big ail oil and they basically made their voice heard

2:47:53 to 2:48:07( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: here on cap capitol hill. big oil refused to give up what was $13 billion in unwarranted tax breaks over ten years and that vote in that legislation was a vote against solar power, against wind power,

2:48:07 to 2:48:21( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: against making nation -- or homes in and our commercial building more efficient, it was against incentives for homeowners to lower their home heating and cooling bill, and against making electricity

2:48:21 to 2:48:30( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: grids grids smarter and less prone to blackouts and it was against plug-in vehicles. and then just last february there was another attempt to block $6 billion of clean energy tax incentives on the

2:48:30 to 2:48:42( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: stimulus bill. this time we give up and said, you know what? forget the oil company subsidies subsidies. we'd like to get rid of them, but you don't want to get riffed them. so let's just put this as

2:48:42 to 2:48:57( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: part of the stimulus package and say, let's stimulate our economy by moving forward and the stimulus bill which was reported by the finance committee had $6 billion in clean energy incentives that

2:48:57 to 2:49:15( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: would have helped us make this transition to this reduction and help us stimulate the clean energy economy instead of having it bleed a slow death, and we basically failed to pass that legislation.

2:49:15 to 2:49:30( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: it would have helped us with, you know, creation of 100,000 green-collar jobs and $20 billion in energy investment over the next year. so if $20 billion wasn't stimulus and $1 100,000 green- green-energy

2:49:30 to 2:49:46( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: jobs, i don't know what was. and yet that was another big hold on our ability to move forward. and so the bottom line is, we cannot keep, you know, up this slogan of saying, find more, use less. we

2:49:46 to 2:50:07( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: need to find more green energy and hold up less legislation that will let us get there. quit holding hostage green- green-energy legislation that is the truer predictor of reduction of u.s. oil

2:50:07 to 2:50:20( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: consumption and foreign oil hostage holding and get on to the progress of moving the united states forward. but our colleagues are holding us up in moving to that legislation. in fact, it was interesting

2:50:20 to 2:50:33( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: tt during the time of this vote, some of my colleagues were actually out campaigning at a solar plant, and the c.e.o. at the solar plant during that debate said -- quote -- "the only question before us

2:50:33 to 2:50:43( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: today is if the senate, which is debating an economic stimulus bill at this very moment, understands green and can be green. federal tax credit for solar energy are about 0 expire which will send the

2:50:43 to 2:51:00( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: growing solar energy industry into a tail spain especially here in california. but the senate can ensur that we keep the economic engine moving forward and extend the solar tax credits as part of

2:51:00 to 2:51:12( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the economic stimulus bill." end quote by that c.e.o. we know what the result was. we didn't pass that legislation. and the blockage continued. we continued in june of this year block ing a tripartisan

2:51:12 to 2:51:31( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: bill on the senate floor. that's right. an independent republican and democrat bill that would have had a low-carbon fuel standard in it and would have saved an limited 5 million barrels o oil per

2:51:31 to 2:51:44( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: day by 2020. that is equal to nearly 85% of our daily oil imports from opec.~ another missed opportunity, mr. president, because that legislation didn't pass. in june, june 10th, we had another opportunity

2:51:44 to 2:52:01( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: to try to pass green energy legislation that would have helped us in reducing our critical energy needs. there were hundreds of businesses up here on the hill asking for us to pass this legislation, telling

2:52:01 to 2:52:14( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: us that new job creation and reduction of fuel costs depended on it. yet, again, we had a blockage of this legislation and seemed, in fact, that many cared more about the head fund managers' ability

2:52:14 to 2:52:30( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: to use offshore accounts to avoid taxes than they did if we were going to solve this energy problem by making an investment in new energy so again, we had a blocked vote that prohibited us from taking

2:52:30 to 2:52:44( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: action and moving our country in a new direction. and that same day we tried a second vote and again that was blocked, a comprehensive effort to get oil companies to either reinvest a portion of their

2:52:44 to 2:53:04( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: astronomical profits into the needed area of infrastructure or pay the tax so that we could help clean energy solutions and, in fact, you guessed it -- it was also blocked and held up. and just about

2:53:04 to 2:53:19( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: six weeks ago on june 17, there was another blocked attempt by us to try to come up with some resolution on this issue and, again, strict party line discipline maintained a filibuster and companies

2:53:19 to 2:53:44( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: across america started to lose hope that we were going to keep this investment cycle. the problem is, without the tax incentives, every year that we have failed to produce a coherent policy on green energy

2:53:44 to 2:53:59( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: we have seen astronomical drops in investment: 73% drop in 2001-2002; 77% drop from 2003-2004; and this is where we had gotten in 2007: this level of investment in green energy technology yet it is collapsing

2:53:59 to 2:54:13( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: in front of us because people would not pass legislation to make investments continued predictable policy in green energy legislation. in fact, at this point in time i got a letter from a company that

2:54:13 to 2:54:33( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: i think really illustrates this mistake that we made. it came from a solar company and the arizona public service and local utility company. they told the senate that the failure to pass clean energy

2:54:33 to 2:54:53( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: tax incentives was going to lead to the cancellation of 280 megawatt concentrating solar plant near phoenix, that's a $1 billion investment down the drain. that's 2,000 construction jobs that will not happen

2:54:53 to 2:55:09( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: and 80 full-time jobs that would have run the plant. so we have tried these various efforts and the continued blocking of these bills just this past -- just this past week continues to illustrate

2:55:09 to 2:55:30( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: this issue. we've heard from those who have been in the oil industry. we've heard from t. boone pickens and others, that unless we aggressively act to reduce our dependence on oil and get off of foreign petroum,

2:55:30 to 2:55:45( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: that we could see, as mr. pickens 20e8d told always at a hearing, $300 barrel oil. we don't want to keep doing this. i hope my colleagues go home and understand our future lies in the opportunities to find

2:55:45 to 2:56:06( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: more renewable production, hold up less green energy legislation, quick hotting it hostage for the oil company executives, quick holding up the good legislation that could move our country forward

2:56:06 to 2:56:24( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: and come back to the senate in september, with the notion in mind that reducing by 50% our dependence on foreign oil and producing 6.35 million barrel reduction in fuel consumption should be our

2:56:24 to 2:56:40( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: goal and that we shouldn't hold that legislation hostage for the 1%, the 1% that we might get for outer continental shelf drilling. this is the time to make the transition, mr. president. i hope my

2:56:40 to 2:56:55( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: colleagues will hear that and understand it is not time to perpetrate hoaxes from the oil companies but to implement a plan that gets our country off our dependence on oil. i know this plan for us is

2:56:55 to 2:57:34( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: no comparison: drilling and saving 200,000 barrels per day or our plan of reducing 6.5 million barrels a day by an investment that will help our economy grow is the right direction so quit holding

2:57:34 to 2:57:52( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: up this legislation and let's move forward with the united states new energy strategy. i thank the president. i yield the floor.e ms. ca ntwell: i ask unanimous consent the commerce committee be

2:57:52 to 2:58:00( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: discharges from h.r. 2092 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. h.r.2090 to amend title 29 to prevent railroad fatalities, injuries and hazardous

2:58:00 to 2:58:15( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: material releases, to authorize the federal railroad safety administration and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objects, the committee ismi discharged and the senate will proceed to the

2:58:15 to 2:58:22( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: measure. ms. ca ntwell: i ask unanimous consent a lautenberg-smith substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider

2:58:22 to 2:58:35( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate and any statements related to the bill be placed in the record at the appropriate place, as if read. the presiding officer: without objection,

2:58:35 to 2:58:52( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: so ordered. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the veterans affair committee be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 2245 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding

2:58:52 to 2:59:00( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 2245 to designate the department of veterans affairs outpatient clinic in washington as the elwood link department of affairs outpatient. the presiding

2:59:00 to 2:59:08( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: officer: the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with

2:59:08 to 2:59:24( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: no intervening action or debate and any statements related to the bill be placed in the record at the appropriate place, as if read. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. n, ms. cantwell:

2:59:24 to 2:59:38( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the committee on finance be discharged from further consideration of h. r.2608. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 2608 to amend section

2:59:38 to 2:59:47( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: 402 of the personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act of 1996, and so forth. the presiding officer: withoutit objection, the committee is discharged. the senate will proceed to the measure.

2:59:47 to 2:59:56( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the smith substitute at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read the third time and passed, the title amendment be agreed to, the motion to reconsider

2:59:56 to 3:00:07( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: be laid upon the table, and any statements related to the measure appear in in the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent

3:00:07 to 3:00:20( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the economy on veterans affairs be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 4918 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 4918,

3:00:20 to 3:00:31( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: an act to name the department of veterans affairs medical center in miami, florida, as the bruise w. carter department of veterans affairs, medical center. the presiding officer: without objection,

3:00:31 to 3:00:37( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the committee is discharged. the senate will proceed to the measure. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be read for a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table,

3:00:37 to 3:00:46( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: with no intervening action or debate and any statements related to be bill be placed in the record inin the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. of.

3:00:46 to 3:00:58( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 6340, received from the house. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 6340,

3:00:58 to 3:01:07( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: an act to designate the federal building and united states court house located at 300cora pass street in white plains, n york. the presiding offithcer: without objection, the senate will proceed

3:01:07 to 3:01:16( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: to the measure. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be read three times and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate and any statement

3:01:16 to 3:01:34( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: related to the bill be placed in the record at the propose lace, as if read. the presid ing officer: without objection, so ordered. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the

3:01:34 to 3:01:43( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: immediate consideration of h.r. 6580. the clerk: an act to ensure the fair treatment of a member of the armed forces who is discharged from the armed forces and so forth. the presiding officer: without

3:01:43 to 3:01:52( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: objection, the senate will en proceed to the measure. can't c an't mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table,

3:01:52 to 3:02:09( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: and any statements related to the bill be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. ms. cantwell: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the

3:02:09 to 3:02:19( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: immediate consideration of calendar no. 886, s. 2507. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 2507, a bill to address the digital television transition in border states. the presiding

3:02:19 to 3:02:28( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the amendment at desk be agreed to, the committee-reported substitute, as amended, be agreed to,

3:02:28 to 3:02:38( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the record. r the presiding officer:

3:02:38 to 3:02:51( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: without objection, so ordered. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the judiciary committee be discharged from further consideration of s. j. res. 45 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

3:02:51 to 3:03:02( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. j. res. 45, expressing the consent and approval of congress to an interstate compact regarding water resources in the great lakes, st. lawrence

3:03:02 to 3:03:11( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: river basin. the presiding officer: without objection, the cioommittee is discharged. the senate will proceed to the measure. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the low vin amendment be agreed to, the

3:03:11 to 3:03:19( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: join resolution, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate and any statement related

3:03:19 to 3:03:33( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: to the measure be placed in the record at the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without obhojection, so ordered. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to

3:03:33 to 3:03:43( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: the immediate consideration of calendar no. 912, s. res. 618. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar no. 912, s. res. 618, wreck niegdz the 10 the anniversary of the bombings

3:03:43 to 3:03:52( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: of the united states embassy in kenya and tanzania. the presiding officer: without objection the senate will e proceed to the measure. ms. cantwell: i further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the

3:03:52 to 3:04:01( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to the measure be printed in the appropriate place. the

3:04:01 to 3:04:13( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on foreign relations be discharged from further consideration of s. res. 627 and the

3:04:13 to 3:04:24( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. e clerk: s. res. 627, welcoming home keith standsville and mark gonzalez, three citizens of the united states

3:04:24 to 3:04:32( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: held hostage and so forth. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is dats charged and the senate will -- the committee is discharged. ms. cantwell: i further ask the resolution be agreed

3:04:32 to 3:04:40( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate and any statements relating to the measure be printedn the record at the appropriatehe

3:04:40 to 3:04:52( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: place. thcee presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. country can't i ask unanimous consent the judiciary committee be discharged from further consideration of s. res. 624, and that senate proceed

3:04:52 to 3:04:59( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: to its immediate consideration. the presiding officeg r: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 624, designating august, 2008, national truancy pvention month. the presiding officer: without

3:04:59 to 3:05:08( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: r: objection, the committee is discharged. the senate will proceed to the measure. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider

3:05:08 to 3:05:18( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, any statements be placed in the record at the appropriate place, as if read. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. ms.

3:05:18 to 3:05:36( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: cantwell: i ask unanimous consent the judiciary committee be discharged from further consideration and the senate now proceed to s. res. 625. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s.

3:05:36 to 3:05:42( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: res. 625, designating august 16th, 2008 as national airborne day. the presiding officer: without objection the committee is discharged. the senateen will proceed to the measure. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous

3:05:42 to 3:05:52( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: consenthe resolution be agreed to and theto preamble be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. ms. cantwell: i ask unanimous

3:05:52 to 3:06:07( Edit History Discussion )

Maria Cantwell: consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calend ar no. 775, h. con. res. 318. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar no. 775, h. con. res. 318, supporting

3:06:07 to 3:06:14( Edit History Discussion )

the goals and ideals of the international year of sanitation. ` sphesh officer without objection objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. ms. cantwell: i ask that the resolution be agreed