The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“CORPORATE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S14188-S14189 on Nov. 8, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CORPORATE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, as Congress continues to work on comprehensive energy legislation, I want to discuss the importance to my constituents of enacting strong yet achievable corporate average fuel economy standards.
The final energy package needs to increase vehicle fuel economy requirements, but it should do so without undercutting hardworking families in Wisconsin and across the country. Between manufacturing, dealerships, and the automotive parts industry, there are upwards of 50,000 auto jobs in Wisconsin. Having grown up in Janesville--home to a General Motors plant--I understand how important the auto industry is to the State's economy and its communities. For far too long, under different administrations and different Congresses, the U.S. has pursued trade and other policies that have undermined our country's manufacturing base. Now, it is time to pay attention to the concerns of America's workers.
We can have strong and achievable CAFE standards. However, this will require several reasonable revisions to the Energy bill that the Senate passed. For starters, separate standards for cars and trucks need to be maintained. I recently organized a coalition of senators to write the Senate's Democratic leadership and urge it to maintain the distinction in current law between standards for cars and trucks. Passenger cars and light-duty trucks are inherently different. They should have separate fuel economy standards. Unfortunately the Senate's CAFE language is unclear in this regard, providing little certainty on how the Department of Transportation will interpret this provision. Congress must provide the necessary certainty.
In order to ensure the Energy bill takes the right approach on CAFE standards, I have also joined colleagues in calling for a formal House-
Senate conference to meet to draft the final bill. We should not abandon the normal legislative process on such an important issue and resort to informal, backroom dealmaking. I understand that there are still objections to convening a conference and I hope that those will be resolved soon.
Since the Senate considered the Energy bill, I have worked to ensure that the final version includes a CAFE standard that supports working families in Janesville and elsewhere. When the Senate considered the bill earlier this year, I supported the reasonable Pryor-Bond-Levin amendment to increase CAFE standards, and I was disappointed that it was never brought to a vote. I continue to work with them and other colleagues to make sure that Congress strikes the right balance on this important issue.
As the Congress works to finalize its comprehensive energy legislation, I urge my colleagues to help set strong yet achievable vehicle fuel economy requirements. We can increase CAFE standards while also ensuring that my hometown of Janesville--and hometowns like it across the country--still has the family-supporting jobs that are vital to the strength of the community.
National Radiation Protection Professionals Week
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I wish to honor the members of the radiation protection profession and to recognize that the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors and the Health Physics Society have resolved that November 4-10, 2007, should be named National Radiation Protection Professionals Week.
Since Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen's discovery of x-rays on November 8, 1895, the use of radiation has become vital in the Nation's health care, defense, security, energy, and industrial programs. However, if misused, this vital technology can harm and injure those using it or benefiting from it. Members of the radiation protection profession make it their life's work to allow government, medicine, academia, and industry to safely use radiation. By providing the necessary leadership, these professionals protect people from radiation hazards thus enabling society to reap benefits of this remarkable technology. I encourage all citizens to recognize the valuable resource represented by their professional scientific organizations, such as the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, the Health Physics, the National Registry of Radiation Protection Technologies, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. I deeply appreciate the commitment of these professionals and professional organization, and their contribution to our Nation and the world. I invite my colleagues to join me in celebrating National Radiation Protection Professionals Week.
I ask that both of their resolutions be printed in the Record at this time.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Resolution of the Health Physics Society
Whereas, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered X-rays on November 8, 1895; and
Whereas, radiation is a useful and necessary part of our modern world; and
Whereas, radiation exposure can be harmful to people; and
Whereas, Radiation Protection Professionals work with government, industry, medical, educational, and private sources to bring the benefits of radiation to the public while minimizing the hazards of radiation exposure; and
Whereas, the Health Physics Society Board of Directors supports efforts to encourage all citizens to recognize the importance of Radiation Protection Professionals who provide necessary leadership in protecting the public from the hazards associated with the use of radiation: now be it
Resolved, That November 4-10, 2007 is National Radiation Protection Professionals Week.
That the week-long observance is dedicated to recognizing Radiation Protection Professionals for their contributions to public safety.
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Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc., Resolution
Whereas, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered X-rays on November 8, 1895; and
Whereas, radiation is a useful and necessary part of our modern world; and
Whereas, radiation exposure can be harmful to people; and
Whereas, Radiation Protection Professionals work with government, industry, medical, educational, and private sources to bring the benefits of radiation to the public while minimizing the hazards of radiation exposure; and
Whereas, the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc. supports efforts to encourage all citizens to recognize the importance of Radiation Protection Professionals who provide necessary leadership in protecting the public from the hazards associated with the use of radiation: Now be it
Resolved, That November 4-10 is National Radiation Protection Professionals Week.
That the week-long observance is dedicated to recognizing Radiation Protection Professionals for their contributions to public safety.
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